A Hickory man is dead as the result of an officer-involved shooting. Hickory Police Special Operations officers were attempting to serve a narcotics search warrant Friday morning when the shooting incident occurred. Reports state police encountered 33-year-old William David Whetstone upon entering his home. Whetstone was the subject of the search warrant. Whetstone was given verbal commands not to move; however, he reportedly pulled a handgun from between the cushions of a sofa and pointed it at officers. A Hickory officer sustained a gunshot wound to his arm, while Whetstone was shot by officers and pronounced dead at the scene by Catawba EMS. The injured officer was treated and released. Following standard procedure, the officers involved have been placed on administrative duty pending the investigation. The SBI is conducting the investigation.

The Caldwell County Sheriff's Office Ice Unit makes an arrest of an alleged Crack/Marijuana Dealer. On Thursday, Ice Units arrested 41-year-old Jermaine Fitzgerald Wilson of Lenoir for charges of felony Possession with Intent to Sell/Deliver Marijuana and Maintain a Vehicle/Dwelling to Keep/Store Controlled Substances. Wilson was confined in the Caldwell County Detention Center under a $10,000 secured bond with a District County appearance scheduled for today.

The December Unemployment rate in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton area was 4.8 %. Area county rates include Alexander at 4.1%, Avery 4.9%, Burke 4.8%, Caldwell 5.2%, Catawba 4.8%, McDowell 4.6% and Watauga 4.4%. Hyde County had the state's unemployment rate in December at 11.6%, while Buncombe County had the lowest at 3.7%.