A kayaking accident led to a drowning over the weekend in the Linville Gorge.  Burke County Search and Rescue responded to the call around 7:30 p.m Saturday and spent some six hours traveling though tough terrain in the area of the Cambridge branch.  A male victim, who is thought to be from out of state, was found.  About fifty people took part in the search and rescue efforts. 

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A 25 year old Hildebran man is behind bars in Caldwell County today after the kidnapping of 3 people from a Hickory business, and the shooting of one of them shortly after 9 p.m. Friday nite.  Brendan Marshall Withers is charged with 3 counts of 1st degree kidnapping, 1 count of attempted murder, and one count of felony discharging a firearm to incite fear.  Withers allegedly took his victims to the 52 hundred block of Cannon Drive in the Sawmills community where one was shot.,  The victim was airlifted to an area trauma center with multiple gunshot wounds.  The other two kidnap victims were not injured.  Withers was able to evade officers, until  Saturday when they received a tip he was seeking medical treatment at Grace Hospital in Morganton  He as arrested there by Burke County Sheriff Deputies and turned over to Caldwell County authorities.

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A Lenoir man, who was reported missing Thursday nite was found dead Friday.  The body of Cecil Hayes was found in the Yadkin River, about 150 yards from where his car was parked in the Yadkin Shore Public Fishing Area off Highway 601..  Authorities say the cause of death was probably accidental drowning.  

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Some 1,352 ballots have already been cast in Burke County for the May 8th primary.  Of the total, 911 ballots have been cast for Republican candidates and 441 for Democrat candidates.  Early voting will continue this week from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. thru Friday and on Saturday from 8a.m. till one p.m. Voters can vote at the Board of Elections Office, the Morganton/Burke Senior Center, The Glen Alpine Town Hall, the Rutherford College Town Hall and the Hildebran Senior Center/Library.

Two of Burke County's Most Wanted have been arrested.

 According to the Burke County Sheriff's Office, on April 19th, Emily Katherine Garrison was taken into custody and faces three felony charges,including breaking/entering and larceny and one misdemeanor offense. Her bond was set at $30,000 secured.

On April 21st, Caldwell County Sheriff's deputies arrested Kendrick Schwarting and charged him with three felony offenses,including breaking/entering and larceny and one misdemeanor charge. He is being held in the Burke Catawba Detention Facility under a $50,000 secured bond.

The Fonta Flora State Trail has been expanded in Old Fort. On February 27th, Morganton-based Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina purchased 90 acres and conveyed the property to NC State Parks on April 17th. The acquisition was a conservation partnership among Foothills Conservancy, Camp Grier, and Dan and Denisa Allison, all of whom purchased portions of the property to help expand the Fonta Flora State Trail between Old Fort and Black Mountain.

Funds for the state's purchase came from the Connect NC bond, which passed in 2016, allows the state to borrow funds for projects associated with State Park land acquisition and construction of facilities.

Governor Cooper Tuesday announced a state public assistance disaster declaration for the Village of Cedar Rock in Caldwell County to help recover costs cleaning up from the remnants of Tropical Storm Nate in October.

The Village of Cedar Rock spent more than $16,000 clearing debris. The Governor's declaration means state funds will help pay for 75 percent of the cost of the debris removal with the Village of Cedar Rock responsible for 25 percent.

Cedar Rock will receive $12.288.

Patton and Liberty students were among the regional award winners recognized by the Asheville Museum of Art.

Winners from Patton include:

* Chloe Graf, a sophomore, won the Silver Key for drawing.

* Marissa Totty, junior, won Honorable Mention for drawing.

* Joel Vasquez, senior, won Honorable Mention for his ceramic teapot.

* Dillion Zander, senior, won Honorable Mention for his ceramic blowfish.

Winners from Liberty are:

* Katelyn Thao, an eighth grader, won the Gold Key for a drawing titled "Fox and Feather." which will be on display at the Biltmore Estate through May. Katelyn also won an Honorable Mention for her piece titled "Mothers Skirt."

* Annabel Macias, a seventh grader, won a Silver Key, for a self portrait.

* Hannah Shores, a seventh grader, won an Honorable Mention for an acryloc painting titled "Desert Wasteland."

An update to a story we ran Thursday morning –

A shooting Wednesday night in Asheville leads to the death of a woman, two of her children, and the assailant.

Asheville Police officials say 35-year-old Maurice Garner had previously been in an argument with his girlfriend 32-year-old Erica Smith at her workplace.

Later, Garner reportedly fatally wounded Smith, her 15-year-old son, and her 13-year-old daughter at their home.

Three other juveniles received non-life threatening injuries.

Garner’s body was located in a car near the crime scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Anyone with information about the incident should call Asheville Police at 828-252-1110 or Buncombe Crimestoppers at 828-255-5050.

Former Catawba County Sheriff’s Office Captain and current sheriff candidate Jason Reid is under investigation for stalking – that confirmed by the NC SBI.

A spokesman with the state bureau of investigation says the agency received a request last August from the Lincoln County district attorney’s office to investgate an allegation of stalking; that reportedly occurred in early 2017 in Lincolnton.

Published reports indicate Reid’s former girlfriend initiated the allegations after she discovered a GPS tracking device on her vehicle.

A Burke County man is sentenced to five to seven years Tuesday during Catawba County Superior Court.

34-year-old Jonathan Ray Bennett of Connelly Springs pleaded guilty to breaking and entering, breaking and entering a motor vehicle and obtaining property by false pretense.

Bennetts' sentence length was enhanced by prior felony convictions for larceny in Yancey County (2010), possession of stolen goods and obtaining property by false pretense in Mitchell County (2004 and 2008).

Four Burke students have been accepted to the Duke TIP 7th grade talent search. Two of the four students were from Liberty, Karsen Hallyburton and Ella Styles, with Sarah Mull from Heritage and East Middle's Riley Stilwell also invited.

Only those students who score at or above the 95th percentile on grade-level standardized test scores qualify. The students can take the ACT or SAT, which are designed for college-bound 11th and 12th graders.

Participants receive a variety of support services and gain access to research and other information.

Two people were killed and others injured after a shooting Wednesday night in Asheville.

Police responded about 10:30 to Hansel Avenue and found 32-year-old Erica Nichelle Smith     of Asheville deceased. Six other people were taken to Mission and one of those,a juvenile succumbed to injuries.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Asheville Police at 252-1110 or Buncombe CrimeStoppers at 255-5050.

McDowell deputies need the public's help in locating a 16-year-old Marion runaway. According to the McDowell County Sheriff's Office, Devon Cole Harwood left his residence on Paradise Circle about 2:45pm Sunday.

Harwood is described as a white male, 5'9" tall, weighing about 207 pounds with blond hair and hazel eyes.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Harwood is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at 652-2235 or the McDowell County 911 communications center at 652-4000.

Three Hickory firefighters were recently promoted.

The Hickory Fire Department has promoted Stephen Romano to the rank of Captain. Romano has numerous certifications and is a graduate of the Office of the State Fire Marshal's High Angle Rescue School as well as the North Carolina Breathing Equipment School.

Bradley Hill has been promoted to Fire Apparatus Operator. Hill was hired as a firefighter for the department in 1999, and has completed training in many areas. He is also certified as an EMT through the North Carolina Office of Emergency Services.

Also being promoted to Fire Apparatus Operator is Michael Sherrill. He has completed many certifications and is currently attending Cleveland Community College and working toward a degree in Fire Protection technology.

A Burke County couple has been arrested and charged with multiple drug offenses.

Late last week, officers with the Burke Sheriff’s Narcotics Division assisted federal and other local law enforcement agencies during a traffic stop and a subsequent search of two Connelly Springs’ residences.

The searches conducted on Maple Grove Avenue and Deerfield Lane netted several ounces of meth, several pounds of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, US currency, and firearms.

24-year-old Sebastian Bronson-Lee LeFevers of Connelly Springs was detained and charged with maintaining a vehicle and dwelling place for a controlled substance, possession with intent to sell and deliver methamphetamine, and trafficking meth.

He was also charged with an outstanding warrant for assault on a female.

22-year-old Skyla Ann Rockett was also arrested and charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, maintaining a vehicle and dwelling place for a controlled substance, and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.

Rockett and LeFevers were both transported to the Burke-Catawba Confinement Facility.

Rockett’s bond set at 50-thousand-dollars secured and LeFevers at 26-thousand secured.

The Drug Enforcement Agency, the bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, Watauga County Sheriff’s Office and Morganton Public Safety worked with the Burke Sheriff’s office in the case.

A shooting in Catawba County over the weekend injures one Hickory man while another man faces numerous felony charges

42-year-old Joe Lewis White of Hickory was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon, and communicating threats.

48-year-old Derrick Allen Shade was transported to Frye Regional Medical Center with reported non-life threatening injuries.

The shooting occurred at a grocery store on South Center Street.

White surrendered to Hickory Police.

The case remains under investigation.

A sinkhole has closed a section of road in Lenoir indefinitely.

Lenoir Public Works has closed a section of Westview Street until workers can repair the 14-plus-foot sinkhole on the side of the road.

Westview will be closed between Grove Avenue SW and Wright Street SW.

The sinkhole was discovered Monday.

The Burke County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division have netted at least three arrests so far this week.

Assisting state probation officers on Airport Rhodhiss Road, investigators discovered firearms, methamphetamine, and controlled substance paraphernalia.

43-year-old Charles Ray Hildebran was arrested and charged with weapon possession by a felon, possession of meth, possession of drug paraphernalia, and parole violation.

He was jailed under a 64-thousand-dollar bond.

Also arrested at the scene – 18-year-old Marcus Bowman of Newton.

Bowman was charged with possession of a schedule two substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

His unsecured bond was set at 4-thousand dollars.

Meanwhile an anonymous tip led officers to a Connelly Springs residence to investigate alleged drug activity.

37-year-olds Bryan Douglas Rhoney was arrested on multiple drug possession charges and jailed under a 10-thousand-dollar bond.

A couple has been charged by Caldwell County authorities regarding the disposal of dead domesticated animals.

33-year-old Mary Beth Rogers of Smithville Tennessee and 33-year-old Solomon Deprince Norwood have each been charged with 8 misdemeanors in the case.

Both Rogers and Norwood turned themselves into officers Wednesday.

The charges were issued by officials with Caldwell County Animal Control.

Rogers was released with a written promise to appear in court May 7^th; while Norwood was given the same court date and placed in the Caldwell County Detention Center under a 750-dollar secured bond.

The joint investigation between Lenoir Police and Caldwell animal control is ongoing; with no further details regarding the case issued at this time.

A Catawba County jury sentences a Hickory man to a prison term of up to 12 years.

56-year-old Gary Lynn Johnson had been found guilty of habitual larceny, possession of drug paraphernalia, and habitual felon status during a two-day trial in Catawba County Superior Court.

Reports show Johnson went into a Hickory business in December 2015 where he concealed multiple items and left the business without paying for them.

Hickory Police later discovered the items Johnson removed from the store along with drug paraphernalia.

Johnson’s sentence was lengthened by his status as a habitual felon for prior convictions including breaking and entering and breaking and entering a motor vehicle.

A Hickory woman claims her home was vandalized as retaliation for a deadly shooting that occurred over the weekend.

WSOC-TV reports Maudie Hewitt states she was targeted following the incident at the Vault Bar in downtown Hickory; while more than a dozen bullets struck her home.

Reports say friends had gathered at the night spot to celebrate her grandson’s recent release from prison.

As the bar was closing, four people were shot nearby; including Tony Watts of Claremont who later died from his wounds, and a Morganton man Joe Clifford Tipps who was treated and released from CHS Blue Ridge Valdese.

Shooters also targeted another home with gunfire who reportedly is a witness to the nightclub incident.

At newstime, there have been no arrests.