Local and State Headlines for Wednesday, May 8th, 2019

Asheville Firefighter Fired After Arson

(Asheville, NC) -- An Asheville firefighter is out of a job for allegedly setting fire to someone's car. Lieutenant John Eldreth was arrested in mid-March after Asheville Police charged him with burning personal property at the beginning of the year. The Citizen-Times is reporting the car he set on fire belonged to activist and former mayoral candidate Jonathan Wainscott. Eldreth was fired for inappropriate conduct and lying during the investigation.

Waynesville Man Sentenced For Killing Friend

(Waynesville, GA) -- A Waynesville man is heading to prison for shooting his friend to death. WLOS-TV says Justin Fuller pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2017 killing of Christopher Phillips in Waynesville. Investigators believe Fuller shot Phillips during an argument with his girlfriend. The judge sentenced Fuller this week to serve between 15 to 19 years in prison.

Suspect Arrested For Stabbing Wife In McDowell County

(McDowell County, NC) -- A McDowell County man is being accused of stabbing his wife. Investigators say the man stabbed her at a campground last Friday during a dispute. They were called out to U.S. Highway 221 and rushed the woman to the hospital for injuries. The husband is facing a charge of assault with a deadly weapon.

Tractor Trailer Wreck Shuts Down Part Of Interstate

(McDowell County, NC) -- North Carolina troopers say I-40 was partially shut down in McDowell County yesterday after a tractor-trailer wreck. An 18-wheeler flipped and went up in flames near the Sugar Hill Road exit. All of I-40 east and one lane going west were shut down for several hours during the investigation. The driver was injured, but the extent isn't known.

Cause Of Deadly Fire Unknown

(Asheville, NC) -- The Asheville Police Department is identifying a man killed in a house fire last Friday. Erich Doll died when fire tore through a home on Alex Way in west Asheville. Fire investigators haven't been able to figure out how it happened due to the large amount of damage. They don't believe it was suspicious.

All Lanes Of I-40 Back Open Today Near Tennessee

(Haywood County, NC) -- All lanes of I-40 near the Tennessee state line are finally expected to be open today. The DOT has been working on clearing and stabilizing land around the interstate after a rockslide in February. The entire interstate was initially shut down for a few days near exit seven, but there has been one lane open going both ways for most of the remaining repair time. WLOS-TV says the opening is a day ahead of schedule.

CMPD Changes Body Cam Footage Policy

(Charlotte, NC) -- The CMPD is changing its policy on body camera footage. WBTV is reporting that the department updated the policy last Friday, which will prohibit body cam footage from being altered unless ordered by a judge. The decision comes after outcry over an edited video that was released to the public of a deadly officer-involved shooting. Danquirs Franklin was shot to death outside a Charlotte Burger King in March.

Celebration Of Life For Officer Tonight

(Mooresville, NC) -- A celebration of life is being held tonight for a Mooresville police officer who died in the line of duty. Officer Jordan Sheldon was shot and killed during a traffic stop last Saturday night. Supporters are invited to gather in the Town Hall Lawn on North Main Street in Mooresville tonight from 6:30 to 8:30. His body was brought from Charlotte to the Hartsell Funeral Home in a police escort yesterday.

SC Lawmakers Haven't Made A Move On Panthers Incentive Bill

(Columbia, SC) -- A tax incentive bill to aid in the moving of the Carolina Panthers' headquarters is still on the table with little time left. The plan is to relocate the team's practice facility and headquarters into York County, South Carolina. Lawmakers are considered a 115-million-tax incentive for the franchise, but the bill has stalled at the South Carolina state capitol. The legislative session ends tomorrow.

Chester County Sheriff Indicted, Suspended

(Chester County, SC) -- Chester County's sheriff is facing federal charges for allegedly trying to cover up an arrest where he used excessive force. Sheriff Alex Underwood, a chief deputy and a lieutenant have all been indicted on eight counts connected to the case. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster suspended Underwood from his duties yesterday. The sheriff is accused of lying to investigators and hiding information from an arrest in November 2018.

Belmont Police Investigate Suspicious Death

(Belmont, NC) -- Belmont Police are investigating the death of a woman who was found in a submerged car last weekend. Officers found a car underwater near the Seven Oaks Bridge at South New Hope Road a little after one Sunday morning. The woman inside was identified as Delia Rick. Investigators are calling this a homicide.

Drivers Report Large Number Of Cars Passing Stopped Buses

(Charlotte, NC) -- Drivers are passing stopped school buses at an alarming rate in Mecklenburg County. The state's Department of Public Instruction has been collecting safety numbers from every county this spring. NBC Charlotte says bus drivers in Mecklenburg County reported more than 900 passing car violations in only one day. Some other districts in the state have started to add cameras on the buses' stop-arms to help prevent these violations.

Raleigh City Council Goes Sideways Amid Protests

(Raleigh, NC) -- The Raleigh City Council meeting went sideways yesterday after folks showed up protesting a police-involved shooting. Some people at the meeting spoke out about the April 20th killing of Soheil Mojarrad, where a Raleigh cop shot a man with a knife, but didn't have his body camera on. Folks at the meeting yelled out, chanted and made such a scene that some city officials walked out. They called for a police oversight committee, and some city officials agreed that some police oversight could be a good thing.

Hurricanes Hit The Ice In Boston Tomorrow

(Boston, MA) -- The Hurricanes face off with the Bruins tomorrow. They will play game one of the Eastern Conference Final in Boston tomorrow night. The Bruins are favored to win this series, but these teams played three games in the regular season, and each one was close. If the Canes win this playoff series against the Bruins, they're going to play for the coveted Stanley Cup.

Wake County School Board Says They Need $48 Million More

(Wake Co., NC) -- Wake County school officials say they need more funding. The current budget calls for an additional 36-million-dollars to go to the school system, but school leaders say this isn't enough. The school board says the state isn't increasing funding at an adequate rate, and they voted to ask county commissioners for a 48-million-dollar increase. Public hearings on the budget are scheduled for later this month.

DNA Links Man To 12 Nearly Decade Old Sexual Assaults

(Fayetteville, NC) -- Fayetteville police say they were able to use DNA to link one man to 12 sexual assaults. They say 45-year-old Johnny Green Junior is facing charges for a number of rapes and sexual assaults in Cumberland County that date back nearly a decade. Police say the attacker was dubbed the Do-Rag Rapist, and they got a DNA match after his arrest on a warrant for a 1995 robbery. Green is behind bars on 13-million-dollars bond.

Three Face Charges For Attack That Nearly Killed Raleigh Man

(Alamance Co., NC) -- Three people are facing charges for a brutal attack on a Raleigh man. Deputies in Alamance County say last week the victim went to meet with a woman in Mebane, but instead was met by two men, a baseball bat and a tire iron. Deputies say he was beaten, robbed, tied up and tossed over a bridge near Oxford. He was able to crawl to the road and get help. Samuel Murrell, David Richardson and Brittney Darnell were arrested and charged with kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. The two men are behind bars without bond. Darnell is being held on more than a million-dollars bond.

Man Arrested For Murder In Raleigh

(Raleigh, NC) -- A Raleigh man facing murder charges is being held without bond. Police say on Sunday, they found 34-year-old Keonte Gause dead inside a car parked outside of the Wake Forest Road Denny's. Nineteen-year-old Samojeh Miley was arrested and yesterday appeared in court for a bond hearing. He returns to court later this month and if convicted, could face the death penalty or life in prison.

One Person Arrested After Randolph Co. Race

(Randolph Co., NC) -- One person is under arrest after a violent chase in Randolph County. It started yesterday afternoon on Branson Davis Road near U.S. 311. Sheriff's officials say the driver of a stolen car ran a motorcyclist off the road, hit fences and other property, and then rammed multiple law enforcement vehicles. The driver was arrested near I-40 and Old Lexington Road in Winston-Salem. No one was badly hurt.

Man And Woman Arrested In Connection With Kidnapping

(Graham, NC) -- A man and woman wanted on sex-related charges in Alamance County are under arrest in Virginia. Twenty-seven-year-old Christopher Stevenson and 28-year-old Amanda Starr are believed to be involved in the commercial sex industry. They were taken into custody yesterday by Virginia Beach police and are awaiting extradition back to Alamance County.

Girl Shot In High Point

(High Point, NC) -- A seven-year-old girl is recovering after she was shot outside a home in High Point. It happened Monday night near South University Parkway and East Russell Avenue. Police say the girl was shot twice in her left leg while she was playing on the porch. She's expected to be okay. Police are not sure where the shots came from. An investigation is underway.

Three People Charged In Murder Of Surry Co. Man

(Mount Airy, NC) -- Three people are under arrest in connection with the death of a Surry County man. Twenty-four-year-old Michael Repasi, 21-year-old Devin Martin and 26-year-old Joshua Boggess are facing murder and other charges. The victim, 42-year-old Steven Gwyn, was found shot to death at a home on King Park Circle in Mount Airy. Sheriff's officials have not announced a possible motive.


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