In a special meeting, held Wednesday, Hickory City Council voted unanimously to approve a settlement agreement with Willie Grimes in the amount of $3,250,000. Grimes was convicted of the rape and kidnapping of Carrie Lee Elliot in July of 1988. He was sentenced to life, plus nine years. After serving 24 years of his sentence, Grimes was released in 2012 while still maintaining his innocence. His claim of innocence was investigated by the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission, a State agency which investigates post-conviction claims of innocence. The Commission found that latent finger prints from the case did not match Grimes' prints. Grimes was exonerated of the crime in October 2012 by the Commission. In 2014, Grimes filed a lawsuit against the City of Hickory and four Hickory Police Chiefs and Officers. After Plaintiffs and Defendants mediated the case, a proposed settlement was reached, which releases all Defendants. The City of Hickory will pay $2,250,650, while the City's insurance carrier, National Casualty, will be responsible for $999,350.

More charges are filed against four McDowell County residents accused of counterfeiting. Detective Billie Brown of the McDowell County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, filed additional charges against 33-year-old April Marie Byrd of Marion, 34-year-old Sylvia June Crain of Nebo, 41-year-old Richard Andrew Smith of Old Fort, and 40-year-old Scotty Keith Styles of Old Fort. The four suspects have been in custody since August 4th, when McDowell County sheriff's deputies and Marion police officers raided Smith's house and garage on Souther Road and found counterfeit money of all denominations, equipment used to make the currency, and stolen goods, according to Brown. The SBI, U.S.Department of Homeland Security and N.C.Department Division of Motor Vehicles assisted in the cases.

The Alexander County Sheriff's Office has filed multiple charges on a Valdese man. 28-year-old Justin Wayne Singleton was charged Wednesday, with Larceny of a Motor Vehicle, Larceny of a dog and Cruelty to Animals. The charges are related to the incident from last week at the Dollar General in Bethlehem where a car and dog were stolen. More arrests are expected and the investigation continues. Singleton is currently in the Burke Catawba Jail on unrelated charges.

Volunteers are needed for the Susan G.Komen Northwest NC Foothills Race for the Cure. This year's race will be held October 15th at L.P.Frans Stadium in Hickory, as event organizers are calling for volunteers from the foothills region. The Komen Race for the Cure series - the largest series of 5k events in the world - raises significant funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer, celebrates breast cancer suvivorship, and honors those who have lost their battle with the disease. The foothills affiliate covers Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Alexander, Avery, Mitchell, Madison, Yancey, Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany Counties. For information call Gina Simmons at 828-295-2190.