Caldwell County Sheriff's Office Investigators executed a search warrant Monday, at the residence of Tracy Lloyd Lail, 49, of Reid Road in Granite Falls. The search warrant was obtained pursuant to a Bank Card Theft in the Dudley Shoals area on Monday. It was discovered that the Card was stolen out of the mail after the card was used to make a purchase. Investigators followed up on the case and obtained surveillance footage that depicts Lloyd using the Stolen Bank Card to make the purchase. During the execution of the search warrant dozens of stolen credit cards and numerous additional Items of mail not belonging to Lail were recovered. The Items of mail that have been recovered are addressed to residences in Caldwell, Alexander, Burke and Catawba Counties. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are expected. Lail is in the Caldwell County Detention Center under a $150,000 secured bond.

Governor Cooper announced millions of dollars in grants to fight crime on Tuesday. Some WNC counties will benefit from the grant monies including:
McDowell - Teen courts to divert young people from crime.
Avery, Buncombe & Watauga - Help for victims of domestic violence and/or sexual assault.
Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Mitchell & Yancey - Help for child victims.

A Newton man is sentenced to prison in Catawba County Superior Court this week. Preston Woods,31, will spen up to seven years behind bars after pleading guilty to failure to register as a sex offender and admitting his status as a habitual felon. Reports say Woods could not be located at his previous Hickory residence in January 2016. Officers with the Catawba County Sheriff's Office and Catawba Probation and Parole exhausted numerous leads to locate Woods, who avoided them for five months before turning himself in to authorities in June 2016. Woods' sentence was lenghened by prior felony convictions dating back to 2007.

McDowell County Sheriff's Office Investigators are looking for a suspect in a residential break-in. Jamie Lee Russell, 34, is wanted for questioning in relation to a break-in at the Angel Wing Drive home of Terry Self, sometime between July 23rd and August 22nd. Russell is described as a white male, 6' 1', about 242 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Russell is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 652-2237 or Crime Stoppers at 652-7463.

A 20-year-old Lawndale man will spend at least 25 years in prison after pleading guilty, Wednesday in Catawba County Superior Court, to sex-related criminal acts involving a minor victim. Jacob Marcus Humphries pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree sexual offense and one count of indecent liberties with a child.