COVID-19 UPDATE

Catawba County recorded 15 new cases of Covid-19 yesterday bringing the total

to 615 people who have tested positive since the Covid outbreak in March.  275

of those patients are recovered and 11 people are hospitalized.  In Caldwell

County, an additional 12 cases of Covid 19 were found on Tuesday.  The Caldwell

County total is now 323 with 171 recovered.  12 patients are hospitalized

although all are not hospitalized in Caldwell County. In Burke County, 932 positive

cases are reported.

Arrests in Catawba  

Two people were arrested in Catawba after a traffic stop on Highway 10 and 5^th

Street South West.  26 year old Cameron Scott Alfaro of Newton was charged

with misdemeanor impersonating a fireman or emergency personnel and four

counts of unlawful possession of red lights.  39 year ole Leslie Chevonne Stout

was arrested on a parole violation, as well as possession of cocaine and cocaine

related paraphernalia.  Stout was placed in the Newton Detention Center under

six thousand dollar bond on the drug charges and no bond for the parole

violation.  Alfaro was placed under a twenty-five hundred dollar bond. 

Emergency lights, emergency sirens, fire department insignias and apparel were

all found in the car.

Deputies Search for Two  

Two persons are being sought in Catawba County after a shooting and a police

chase.  Deputies say a man was shot in the leg by a person in a truck that sped

away.  The man was on his porch Tuesday afternoon on Winebarger Street in

Conover when the shooting happened.  Officers chased the truck that was also

involved in a wreck along Highway 16 as they attempted to elude police.  The

chase ended on Smithfield Drive when the two suspects jumped from the pickup

truck and ran off.  

Cawthorn Wins Primary  

Henderson County Real Estate CEO Madison Cawthorn has captured the

Republican nomination for the 11^th Congressional District after yesterday’s

primary runoff election.  The twenty-four year old  Cawthorn, , won around 65

percent of the vote in the 17 western North Carolina counties that make up the

11^th District.  He defeated Lynda Bennett, who received the largest number of

votes in the March primary.  Bennett had been endorsed by President Trump,

former US 11^th District Congressman and current White House Chief of Staff Mark

Meadows,  Senator Ted Cruz and Congressman Jim Jordan.  Cawthorn will face

Democrat nominee Moe Davis in the November election.

Tuttle DWI

Hickory High School principal Rebecca Tuttle pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in Tuesday’s sentencing hearing in Catawba County District Court.

Published reports say 36-year-old Tuttle was sentenced to complete 24 hours of community service within 60 days, a year of unsupervised probation, and was told to  surrender her driver’s license for one year.

According to police reports, she had hit a parked vehicle on January 4^th, while her blood alcohol level was recorded as twice the legal limit.

Following her arrest, Tuttle was suspended from her position.

She is due to return in her role as principal at Hickory High on July 1^st.

McDowell Shooting

McDowell County authorities have charged a Marion woman with obstructing justice following a June 9^th dispute and shooting.

Officers responded to a Nebo residence to reports of shots being fired, where they discovered 30-year-old Timothy Ray Noblitt of Marion suffering from a gunshot wound to his ankle.

An investigation revealed 27-year-old Jacob Ballard Hensley of Nebo was the suspect in the incident, who was later captured in Burke County after fleeing the crime scene on foot.

29-year-old Tiffany Dawn Milam of Faith Baptist Church Road has now been charged after allegedly assisting Hensley in leaving the scene.

Reports further say she had not been truthful with officers about the shooting incident.

Controlled Burn

The City of Lenoir Fire Department will conduct a controlled burn today at 213 Sunset Street as a training exercise.

The  scheduled burn will allow some 12 to 15 firefighters the opportunity to train in a controlled atmosphere, and will also assist the property owner with demolition.

Nearby residents can expect to see smoke in the area during the exercise.