Lenoir authorities are investigating seven drug overdoses that occurred in Caldwell County over the holiday weekend – one resulting in a man’s death.

Lenoir Police report there were seven overdose victims at six different locations from Saturday to Monday.

Officers responded Monday one of the scenes on Maple Place, where they reportedly discovered two overdose victims.

Reports say a 44-year-old male was pronounced dead at the scene; the second victim’s condition is unknown.

Detectives are working to determine what type of drug is behind the numerous overdose cases, and if the incidents are related.

Anyone having information should call the Lenoir/Caldwell County Crime Stoppers at 758-8300 or Lenoir Police at 757-2100.

A man received serious injuries Wednesday morning from a shooting incident in Rutherford County.

Rutherford County deputies responded to a domestic dispute at a residence on Doggett Grove Road, where a man had been shot.

Authorities report the victim was airlifted to Spartanburg Regional Med Center.

The investigation continues.

Catawba County officials report a man was found dead inside a Maiden home Wednesday..

According to a Channel 9 reporter, authorities found projectile holes near a bedroom at the house on Sigmon Dairy Road.

Homicide investigators are on the scene.

Deliberating for less than 45 minutes last Friday, a jury found a Lenoir woman guilty of first-degree murder.

62-year-old Nancy Benge Austin was handed the verdict following the 2013 shooting death of 20-year-old Dylan Joseph Short.

Court records show Short went to Austin’s home on December 26^th 2013 to talk to Austin’s daughter with whom he has a son.

Reports say Short and Nancy Austin began a confrontation outside the home; while Austin used a 38-caliber revolver to shoot Short; claiming she was protecting herself and her daughter.

Short reportedly was still able at that point to attempt to take the gun away from Austin; but was unsuccessful and Austin fired another shot that proved fatal to Short.

Following her conviction, the judge imposed a life sentence in prison without parole.

Austin’s trial lasted for two weeks in Caldwell County Superior Court.

An Iredell County man drowns while swimming in a western NC lake on Sunday evening around 7.

Witnesses report 21-year-old Marquise Maurice Dukes of Harmony jumped off a fishing pier at Lake Glenville in Sylva.

Dukes was reportedly a former football player at North Iredell High.

Observers report he tried to swim back to a designated swimming area with bystanders trying to help him; but he could not get back to shore.

Witnesses further state he became distressed and went underneath the water’s surface and did not reappear.

Rescue divers from Henderson County recovered Duke’s body Sunday just before midnight.

During the holiday and the warm summer months, the state department of health and human services caution swimmers to take steps to ensure water safety; including keeping a close watch on children and young adults.

Drowning deaths among young children often happen when youngsters access pools without supervision or when adults are distracted.

That according to the NC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in investigating 12 drowning deaths in 2018.

A tragic Memorial Day weekend accident when a 1-year-old in Iredell County dies in a golf cart mishap.

The state department of public safety says the accident happened just after 5:30 Sunday evening near Mooresville.

Reports say a family of three adults and four children were in the cart when the vehicle hit a pothole causing it to overturn.

The driver and the right front passenger were both holding 1 year-old boys.

An adult and two three-year-old girls were on the rear-facing seat in  back officials say.

One of the boys, Kipton Jester of Denver was killed; and all the other occupants were thrown from the cart and transported to an area hospital with minor injuries.

There are no charges expected in the accident.

An eastern Burke County man injured in an officer-involved shooting Wednesday remains critical but stable in an area medical center following surgery.

50-year-old Johnny Allen Kaylor of 970 Airport Rhodhiss Road was airlifted yesterday to the med center according to a news release from the Burke County Sheriff’s Office which states a SWAT officer fired upon him following repeated negotiations.

Reports say deputies had been serving a no-knock warrant on Kaylor’s home with suspicion of drugs and guns being located inside.

Once officers were inside, Kaylor was found in the bed, where he reportedly refused to get out of bed and refused to show them his hands that were hidden underneath the covers.

The suspect refused negotiations with authorities and proceeded to state he was going to kill them or make the officers kill him.

The release says Kaylor made a quick movement with his hands underneath the covers prompting the shot by the officer.

Following medical care given to Kaylor authorities discovered a Ruger semi-automatic handgun, 273 grams of meth, an assortment of prescription meds, and a small amount of marijuana.

Street value guidelines show the meth seized had a value of 27-thousand-300 dollars.

The SBI is continuing their investigation; while the sheriff’s office continues to look into violations involving the drug charges, possessing a firearm by a convicted felon, and other crimes.

Kaylor has not yet been charged.

A pair of suspects made off with an undisclosed amount of money from the Cubbard Express Number-3 at 8838 Old NC 10 in Hildebran Wednesday evening just before 11.

The store clerk reportedly told Burke deputies the suspects were two black males, possibly in their 20’s.

A release states the two displayed handguns during the robbery and fled on foot after obtaining the cash.

Anyone having information about the robbery should call the Burke Sheriff’s Office at 438-5500, or Morganton/Burke Crimestoppers at 437-3333.

All Crimestopper tips are anonymous and anyone with information leading to an arrest may receive a cash reward.

 A wanted man from Burke County gets arrested in McDowell County for meth possession.

44-year-old Michael William Cook of Valdese was stopped for a traffic violation shortly after 3 am on May 1^st on Sugar Hill Road.

A search of Cook’s vehicle by officers and a K-9 turned up point-20 grams of meth.

Cook was also served with outstanding warrants from Burke.

An altercation at a Marion apartment complex leads to a reported homeless man being shot.

Wednesday night just after 10, Marion Police were called to Mission Hospital McDowell where the victim, David Orostica had a gunshot wound to his foot from a 22-caliber rifle, and reported head injuries after allegedly being struck in the head with the butt of the gun.

A news release states the argument took place because of a dispute over a previous money debt.

The suspect, Cole Whalen was taken into custody at his residence at 159 Sinclair Avenue.

He is charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and one count of assault with a deadly weapon.

Whalen was jailed under a 25-thousand dollar bond.

Orostica was released from the hospital following treatment.

Authorities in McDowell County are looking for suspects who broke into an Old Fort home earlier this month and made off with various guns and coins.

James Evans of Paradise Lane reported someone broke into his residence sometime between 9 am and 4 pm on May 10^th.

Items stolen included a black Smith and Wesson AE-15, a brown wooden-lever action Winchester 30-30 with a black scope and a black strap, a purple and black Taurus 9 millimeter, and 10 Morgan silver dollars dating back to the pre-1900’s.

Anyone having information about the incident or the whereabouts of the stolen goods can call the McDowell Sheriff’s Office at 652-2237.

Hickory Fire Department was presented an award during graduation ceremonies at Catawba Valley Community College.

The ‘Community Partnership’ award shows the collaboration between the fire department and CVCC in the development and teaching of fire, rescue, and emergency medical programs.

CVCC Fire and Rescue Director Wes Lail states their particular partnership allows the college to expand its fire and rescue course offerings and enhances student opportunity.

Most recently, Hickory Fire donated fire fighting equipment and reserve apparatus to the school’s new fire academy.

Hickory fire officials say they are very appreciative of the award, but more thankful for their partnership with CVCC in providing life-saving training.

With the Memorial Day weekend upon us, the American Red Cross announces a critical shortage of type-O blood.

Eligible donors are being urged to give now to help patients facing trauma and other life-threatening situations.

Currently, the Red Cross reports they have less than a two-day supply of Type-O blood available for emergency rooms where the need is most critical.

That means just six units of type-O blood are on hand for every 100-thousand people, but at least 14 are needed every day.

While just 7-percet of the US population has type-O negative blood, it can still be transfused to patients with and blood type, and is what hospital staff reach for during emergencies when there isn’t time to determine a patient’s blood type.

Donors of all types especially type-O are urged to make an appointment to give.

Use the blood donor app at Red Cross Blood dot Org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Small breweries in NC may soon see a new law that would allow growing beer-makers in the state more time to sell their products on their own without third-party distributors becoming involved.

By a 38 to 3 vote, the Senate gave final legislative approval Monday to a measure drawing a compromise that alcohol wholesalers and craft brewers had already worked out after years of negotiation.

The bill has cleared the House and now goes to Governor Cooper for his signature.

The bill, if approved, would allow breweries to sell up to 50-thousand barrels of beer annually on their own.

The current limit is 25-thousand barrels.

Craft breweries in NC have grown in the last decade from 45 to over 200.

A traffic stop in McDowell County results in apprehension of a fugitive and the seizure of various drugs.

Shortly after 7 in the evening on April 29^th, officers pulled over a vehicle displaying a fictitious license plate.

36-year-old Paul Burton Smith of Maple Avenue Marion was driving the vehicle and discovered to have outstanding warrants.

A search of Smith’s vehicle turned up 6-point-85 grams of heroin, 7-point-11 grams of meth, and 1-point-75 grams of marijuana, along with drug paraphernalia.

Smith faces separate charges of the drugs located in the seizure along with outstanding charges of meth possession, possession with intent to sell and deliver meth, and carrying a concealed weapon.

An early Monday morning boating accident along the Catawba River in Gaston County caused the rescue of three and the body recovery of the fourth boater.

Officials report they received a report of a boat capsizing near the Kevin Loftin boat launch around 4:30.

Initial reports said following the accident, there were three people in the water, however investigators stated four people were aboard the boat.

Reports further state a group was camping on an island north of the Catawba River bridge and the boat was ferrying the four to the boat launch when the boat started taking on water.

No names have yet been released.

As a side note, this has been designated as water safety week; when rescue crews remind people to be vigilant and alert in the water.

The State Wildlife resource commission reports a sizable increase in the number of boating fatalities in 2018.

The commission says the death toll due to boating accidents last year was the highest number since 1990.

According to statistics from the YMCA, NC ranked six in the number of drownings across the US.

Drowning is a leading cause of death for children ages 1 through 5, and reportedly accounts for over 35-hundred unintentional deaths annually.

A road closure reminder for those traveling in Hickory Tuesday –

Beginning around 7 a.m., a portion of Second Avenue Southwest near Second Street Southwest will be closed for Duke Energy to replace utility poles.

Detour routes will be in place and clearly marked.

The closure is expected to last throughout the day.

Should you have questions, contact the City of Hickory traffic division at 323-7500.

Published reports say the murder trial of a former Lenoir school bus driver is set to begin next week in Caldwell County.

Nancy Austin is accused of killing 20-year-old Dylan Short December 26^th 2013.

Channel 9 reports Austin stated she was acting in self-defense and that Short had came to her home and assaulted her and her daughter.

Short was reportedly her daughter’s boyfriend and father to Austin’s grandson.

Reports say Austin and her daughter repeatedly told Short to leave but he would not, and he allegedly continued to threaten the two women.

Short allegedly proceeded to assault Austin’s daughter prompting the fatal shooting.

The shooting reportedly took place 15 months after Short’s girlfriend had filed a restraining order against him following an alleged assault that occurred while she was pregnant.

Austin is a former school bus driver at Lower Creek Elementary.

 A female employee of a McDowell Therapeutic academy for boys faces sex charges.

32-year-old Tiffany Lynn Forscutt of North McDowell Avenue in Marion is charged with statutory rape and statutory sex offense and sex act by a governmental or private institutional employee.

Authorities allege she had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 14-year-old male at the facility.

The NC Senate today unanimously passed the Second Chance Act – the passage will expand opportunities for individuals to have certain non-violent misdemeanor and felony convictions expunged from their criminal records after their sentences have been completed.

The bill; sponsored by Senators Warren Daniel of Burke, Danny Britt of Robeson County, and Floyd McKissick of Durham allows those who have been convicted of misdemeanors or Class H and I felonies while 16 or 17 years old to petition the court to have their convictions expunged.

The bill also allows persons to petition the court to have multiple non-violent misdemeanors or felonies expunged.

Current law says there is a lifetime limit of one expunction.

Motor vehicle violations, including DWIs are not eligible though for expunctions under any portion of the law.

The City of Morganton has issued a press release announcing the resignation of Comma Director Jim Smith effective immediately.

Smith has held the position of Comma’s Director since 2016.

City officials will now begin a search for Smith’s replacement.

The release further states the city thanks Smith for his service and for the past three years of success at Comma.

A Salisbury man was rescued from a fiery tractor trailer crash on Interstate-40 in McDowell County Tuesday morning.

Reports from the state highway patrol say 39-year-old Richard Justin Wayne was traveling west between Marion and Old Fort driving an 18-wheeler hauling mulch.

Wayne reportedly veered into the left lane and struck the guardrail causing his rig to overturn and catch on fire.

A pair of witnesses to the accident, Tony Roten of North Wilkesboro, and Brad Bost of Hickory both rushed to the cab of the truck, broke the windshield, and pulled Wayne from the burning vehicle.

State troopers credit the two with saving the trucker’s life.

Reports indicate the impact caused the cab and trailer to separate taking out a sizable portion of the median.

Officials say Wayne was transported to Mission Hospital McDowell with non-life threatening injuries.

A Mecklenburg County Court ruling led to the confiscation of gaming devices in Catawba County.

The ruling signed April 26^th partially rejected a request from gaming company Fun Arcade for a preliminary injunction.

The ruling notes some of the games are essentially slot machines and fall under the state’s gambling laws.

The ruling further allows lawmen to remove some games from public places.

Hickory Police reports say just a few blocks from the police headquarters, officers were busy photographing and confiscating skill games at the Lucky Stop convenience store on First Avenue Southwest.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

An Alexander County man is arrested on 20 counts of statutory sex offense with a child and taking indecent liberties with a child.

44-year-old Robert Boyd Fox of Hiddenite was arrested last Friday on the felony charges.

His bond was set at 1-million dollars with additional charges possible.

A suspect wanted in connection with a shooting incident April 11th in Hickory, was taken into custody in Gamewell. Numerous agencies responded to Playmore Beach Road where 23-year-old Michael Emmanuel J Tucker was arrested without incident. He was taken to Catawba County for service of warrants for Shooting into an Occupied Dwelling amd Possession of a Firearm by Felon. A second person, 21-year-old Brooklyn Nicole Hollifield was arrested for interfering with the apprehension of Tucker. Agencies assisting at the scene included the Caldwell and Burke Sheriff's Departments, Lenoir Police, the SBI and U.S.Marshals.

Traffic stops in McDowell County lead deputies to drugs and guns. On April 7th, a McDowell deputy stopped a vehicle for a fictitious tag being driven by 30-year-old Holly Leighann Willis and the passenger, 29-year-old Robert Andrew, both of Marion. A search of the car turned up a pistol and drugs. State Troopers also cited Willis for traffic violations. In a separate but related incident on April 5^th, a deputy stopped a truck on 70 East because the driver ran a stop sign. Willis was a passenger in the truck, and a handgun in the purse of Willis was reported stolen from a Marion resident.

High school students in Caldwell County participated in the North Carolina SkillsUSA competition with two students earning state titles. Riley McNeil of South Caldwell finished first in Construction Estimating and Caleb Crisp, senior at West Caldwell, won the state championship in plumbing for the third straight year.

In another competition, Rylee Carter, an eighth-grade student at Collettsville School, won 1st place in the Original Art Category in North Carolina’s Career Development Month Poetry and Art Contest.

Two people are dead and four others are injured after a shooting Tuesday afternoon on the UNC Charlotte campus. The deceased have been identified this morning as

21-year-old Riley Howell of Waynesville and 19-year-old Ellis Parlier of Midland. The four injured were identified as 23-year-old Emily Haupt of Charlotte, 20-year-old Sean DeHart and 19-year-old Drew Pescaro, both of Apex along with 20-year-old Rami Alramatrin of Saudi Arabia. The suspect in the shooting was taken into custody. 22-year-old Trystan Terrell, was UNCC student that reportedly dropped out earlier this year. Exams have been canceled through Sunday at UNCC.

A Hickory man will spend at least 25 years in prison following his conviction for second-degree murder. 57-year-old Glen McQuay Jr. was sentenced to an active prison term of 25 to 31 years following his conviction during Catawba County Superior Court on Tuesday. McQuay entered the plea in connection with the June 8th 2016 shooting death of his former girlfriend, 50-year-old Stephanie Harvey.

A Newton man has been arrested in connection with a number of break-ins to unlocked vehicles at homes off Buffalo Shoals Road. Lincoln County deputies arrested 25-year-old Cable Westley Ward after a resident on Shiloh Run Lane in Lincolnton, reported their vehicles had been broken into. Ward was placed in custody under a $160,000 secured bond.

Two men are facing felony drug charges in Lenoir after a traffic stop.  Lenoir Police say that on Saturday officers stopped a vehicle after running a red light.  After the stop authorities allegedly found numerous drugs and paraphernalia including more than a third of a pound of methamphetamine inside the vehicle.  36-year-old Justine Crane, of Purlear, and 42-year-old Phillip Bentley, of Lenoir, were both taken into custody under $100,000 bonds.  Police say the value of the drugs seized was nearly $22,000.