A Caldwell County man has been arrested after an Officer Involved Shooting in Lenoir. Officers responded just after 1am Friday, to 1914 Starcross Road, after several 911 calls of shots fired in that area. After an initial contact with the resident, Harold David Houser III, additional shots were fired with Officers returning fire, according to a news release from Lenoir Police. After the exchange of gunfire, Houser was taken into custody, treated at the scene by EMS personnel and transported to Caldwell Memorial, where he was released Sunday. Houser was served an outstanding warrant, after his release, and charged with one count of attempted first degree murder. He was placed in the Caldwell County Detention Center under a $1,000,000 secured bond, with a District Court appearance scheduled for today. Additional charges are expected.

The case against a Granite Falls man accused of killing two people at a Hickory fast food restaurant will proceed as a capital matter. During a hearing in Catawba County Superior Court, Wednesday, prosecutors for the state announced they will seek the death penalty for 22-year-old Eric Terril Yount. He is accused in the March 2nd shooting deaths of 22-year-old Richelle Scott Lail and 28-year-old Cody William Watts. Victoria Jayne has been appointed to represent Yount. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 11th.

A Mexican National has been sent to federal prison for trafficking large quantities of meth in WNC. 39-year-old Santiago Sanchez was sentenced Thursday, to 17 and one-half years in prison for trafficking meth in Buncombe, Henderson, Polk and surrounding areas. Reports show Sanchez devised and ran a homemade meth production operation last year; at times using his children as translators or in handling narcotics. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant for Sanchez's residence in Polk County - where they discovered more than a pound of crystal meth, drug paraphernalia, cash, and firearms. The McDowell County Sheriff's Office and Marion Polce assisted the DEA and SBI in their investigation.

A Hickory man will not face the death penalty in the fatal shooting of a Granite Falls woman. During a hearing in Catawba County Superior Court Tuesday, prosecutors for the state announced they will not seek the death penalty for 32-year-old James Willard Thacker. He is accused of shooting 40-year-old Tammy Annette Cloninger on February 15th. The case remains under investigation by Hickory Police.