HARRIS STRESSES DRUG FIGHT; CLARK EMPHASIZES COMMUNITY POLICING
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
LENOIR -- The bright yellow "Reelect Gary Clark" signs and the patriotic red, white and blue "Elect Terry Harris Sheriff" posters have dotted Caldwell County roads for months.
But with Election Day just three weeks away, the candidates for sheriff debated for the first time at a Monday night forum hosted by the Caldwell County Chamber of Commerce.
Clark, the Republican incumbent sheriff returning to the polls for a shot at another four years, and Harris, the former Granite Falls police chief, faced off during the nine-question debate at the Broyhill Civic Center.
While both candidates agreed on the general characteristics necessary for a good sheriff - integrity, honesty and financial accountability - their opinions on drug crime and community policing differed.
Clark, who has touted his tough stance on drug dealers, argued that nearly 80 percent of all crime in the county can be attributed to illegal drug use, particularly methamphetamine use.
"Meth is slowly decreasing," he said. "(But) we need to continue to look at that problem in our county."
Harris, meanwhile, said focusing too intently on narcotics arrests doesn't always allow deputies enough time to respond to other crimes, such as larceny and breaking and entering.
"We cannot get caught up in just enforcing drug laws," he said.
Harris also emphasized the value of community policing, which encourages officers to live in the same community where they work, and said he would require all deputies to live within Caldwell County.
He said the policy would not only help lower crime rates but likely reduce turnover in the Sheriff's Office as well.
Although Clark did not disagree with the idea of community policing, he does not require deputies to live in the county and said finding qualified officers is his staffing priority.
"We need to look for the best people irregardless of where they're from," he said.
The debate lasted more than an hour, but many of the more than 150 county residents gathered at the forum said they knew beforehand which candidate will get their vote next month.
Lenoir resident Jerry "Whitey" McCall said it is Clark's emphasis on drug-related crime during his first term that he thinks has singled out the Republican as the strongest candidate.
"We don't want to back-up to where we were four years ago," McCall said. "We want to go forward."
Harris supporter David Seagle, also of Lenoir, said he thinks the Democrat's community policing plan gives him the extra edge.
"He's going to bring back employees that live in Caldwell County and keep the money here," he said.
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and may not be republished without permission.
10/18/06
Dad won't be charged in death, authorities say
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Authorities do not plan to file charges against a Burke County man who ran over and killed his 3-year-old son Saturday.
Mark McCloud was pulling his pickup truck out of his driveway Saturday morning, when his son, Hunter McCloud, ran to say hello to his father, said Detective Jody Price of the Burke County Sheriff's Office.
McCloud told deputies he saw his three sons, including Hunter, playing beside their trailer home before checking his rearview and sideview mirrors and backing up, Price said.
McCloud then heard another son scream and stopped the truck, Price said. He found Hunter lying beneath the vehicle.
Price said Hunter died at Grace Hospital about 1:30 p.m.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
Authorities do not plan to file charges against a Burke County man who ran over and killed his 3-year-old son Saturday.
Mark McCloud was pulling his pickup truck out of his driveway Saturday morning, when his son, Hunter McCloud, ran to say hello to his father, said Detective Jody Price of the Burke County Sheriff's Office.
McCloud told deputies he saw his three sons, including Hunter, playing beside their trailer home before checking his rearview and sideview mirrors and backing up, Price said.
McCloud then heard another son scream and stopped the truck, Price said. He found Hunter lying beneath the vehicle.
Price said Hunter died at Grace Hospital about 1:30 p.m.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
Man missing from care center shows up in sheriff's yard
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
A missing man wandered into the Burke County sheriff's yard Monday as deputies searched for him nearby.
Officers began looking for Calvin Lowery, 56, of Mecklenburg County not long after he disappeared Sunday evening from Morganton's McAlpine Adult Care Center, a psychiatric facility where he was being treated, said Sheriff John McDevitt.
McDevitt joined the search Monday morning and went home to change clothes around 3 p.m. He had been home only a few minutes, he said, when his daughter told him there was a strange man in the driveway.
McDevitt said he instructed Lowery to stop approaching the house and lie down. When Lowery ignored the sheriff's commands, McDevitt said he used pepper spray to subdue him.
"He's from Charlotte, so he didn't know who I am," McDevitt said. "For him to show up at my house is kind of unusual."
Lowery was uninjured, McDevitt said.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
A missing man wandered into the Burke County sheriff's yard Monday as deputies searched for him nearby.
Officers began looking for Calvin Lowery, 56, of Mecklenburg County not long after he disappeared Sunday evening from Morganton's McAlpine Adult Care Center, a psychiatric facility where he was being treated, said Sheriff John McDevitt.
McDevitt joined the search Monday morning and went home to change clothes around 3 p.m. He had been home only a few minutes, he said, when his daughter told him there was a strange man in the driveway.
McDevitt said he instructed Lowery to stop approaching the house and lie down. When Lowery ignored the sheriff's commands, McDevitt said he used pepper spray to subdue him.
"He's from Charlotte, so he didn't know who I am," McDevitt said. "For him to show up at my house is kind of unusual."
Lowery was uninjured, McDevitt said.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Father won't be charged in death of child, authorities say
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
Authorities do not plan to file charges against a Burke County man who accidentally ran over and killed his 3-year-old son Saturday.
Mark McCloud was pulling his pickup truck out of his driveway Saturday morning, when his son, Hunter McCloud, ran to say hello to his father, said Detective Jody Price of the Burke County Sheriff's Office.
"The little boy was a daddy's boy and ran to get into the truck," Price said.
McCloud told deputies he saw his three sons, including Hunter, playing beside their trailer home before checking his rearview and sideview mirrors and backing up, Price said.
McCloud then heard his other son scream and stopped the truck, Price said. He found Hunter lying beneath the vehicle.
Price said deputies were on the scene as paramedics gave the child CPR. He said Hunter died at Grace Hospital about 1:30 p.m.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
Authorities do not plan to file charges against a Burke County man who accidentally ran over and killed his 3-year-old son Saturday.
Mark McCloud was pulling his pickup truck out of his driveway Saturday morning, when his son, Hunter McCloud, ran to say hello to his father, said Detective Jody Price of the Burke County Sheriff's Office.
"The little boy was a daddy's boy and ran to get into the truck," Price said.
McCloud told deputies he saw his three sons, including Hunter, playing beside their trailer home before checking his rearview and sideview mirrors and backing up, Price said.
McCloud then heard his other son scream and stopped the truck, Price said. He found Hunter lying beneath the vehicle.
Price said deputies were on the scene as paramedics gave the child CPR. He said Hunter died at Grace Hospital about 1:30 p.m.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Connelly Springs man charged in stabbing in vehicle
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
A Burke County man was stabbed early Tuesday morning, and another man was charged in the incident.
Randy Fender of Drexel was stabbed in the chest with a knife about 2 a.m. after getting into an argument while driving with another man, according to a press release from the Burke County Sheriff's Office.
Robert Camara Harris, 30, of Connelly Springs, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and inflicting serious bodily injury, the press release said.
Deputies initially responded to Grace Hospital in Morganton, where Fender, 52, was being treated, according to the Sheriff's Office release. Fender was expected to recover, the release said.
Fender, who was driving, told deputies that his passenger led him to a deserted portion of Butler Hill Road, according to the release. Fender said he and the passenger began to argue and he asked the passenger to get out of the vehicle, authorities said.
According to the release, Fender said the passenger then pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the right side of his chest.
Burke County sheriff deputies and officers from the Drexel Police Department found Harris about 30 minutes later on Zion Road near Drexel, not far from where Fender said he was stabbed. Harris was in a car that had been reported stolen in Drexel, the release said.
Harris was being held Tuesday at the Burke County jail on a $2,500 bond.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
A Burke County man was stabbed early Tuesday morning, and another man was charged in the incident.
Randy Fender of Drexel was stabbed in the chest with a knife about 2 a.m. after getting into an argument while driving with another man, according to a press release from the Burke County Sheriff's Office.
Robert Camara Harris, 30, of Connelly Springs, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and inflicting serious bodily injury, the press release said.
Deputies initially responded to Grace Hospital in Morganton, where Fender, 52, was being treated, according to the Sheriff's Office release. Fender was expected to recover, the release said.
Fender, who was driving, told deputies that his passenger led him to a deserted portion of Butler Hill Road, according to the release. Fender said he and the passenger began to argue and he asked the passenger to get out of the vehicle, authorities said.
According to the release, Fender said the passenger then pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the right side of his chest.
Burke County sheriff deputies and officers from the Drexel Police Department found Harris about 30 minutes later on Zion Road near Drexel, not far from where Fender said he was stabbed. Harris was in a car that had been reported stolen in Drexel, the release said.
Harris was being held Tuesday at the Burke County jail on a $2,500 bond.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
10/17/06
Police officer who killed a man in September back on the job
Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
An officer who shot and killed a man in Hickory last month is returning to work this week, authorities said.
Officer Melissa Hildebrand, 33, will work her first shift with the Hickory Police Department on Wednesday after being on administrative leave with pay since Sept. 22, said Capt. Clyde Deal.
The State Bureau of Investigation completed its investigation last week, Deal said, and has passed its findings onto the district attorney's office. Deal said he could not reveal the results of the investigation.
Hildebrand shot and killed Garry Wayne McCloud, 51, on Sept. 21 after responding to a domestic violence call at the Ridgeview apartment complex in southeast Hickory, said Maj. Tom Adkins of the Hickory Police Department.
McCloud was within five feet of Hildebrand and ignoring commands to stay back when Hildebrand pulled the trigger, Adkins said. Backup officers were on the way to the apartment when McCloud was shot, he said.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
An officer who shot and killed a man in Hickory last month is returning to work this week, authorities said.
Officer Melissa Hildebrand, 33, will work her first shift with the Hickory Police Department on Wednesday after being on administrative leave with pay since Sept. 22, said Capt. Clyde Deal.
The State Bureau of Investigation completed its investigation last week, Deal said, and has passed its findings onto the district attorney's office. Deal said he could not reveal the results of the investigation.
Hildebrand shot and killed Garry Wayne McCloud, 51, on Sept. 21 after responding to a domestic violence call at the Ridgeview apartment complex in southeast Hickory, said Maj. Tom Adkins of the Hickory Police Department.
McCloud was within five feet of Hildebrand and ignoring commands to stay back when Hildebrand pulled the trigger, Adkins said. Backup officers were on the way to the apartment when McCloud was shot, he said.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
10/14/06
Dog put down after killing rabid skunk in 6th rabies case of year
Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
Officials in Catawba County have confirmed the county's sixth rabies case this year after a dog killed a skunk this week.
The dog's owner contacted animal control officers on Oct. 7 after discovering the pet had attacked and killed a skunk on the owner's property in Claremont, said animal services manager Joaine McKeel.
The skunk was sent to the state health lab in Raleigh, where technicians confirmed Wednesday it had rabies, McKeel said. The dog's rabies vaccination expired in April, and its owner decided to euthanize the animal, she said.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
Officials in Catawba County have confirmed the county's sixth rabies case this year after a dog killed a skunk this week.
The dog's owner contacted animal control officers on Oct. 7 after discovering the pet had attacked and killed a skunk on the owner's property in Claremont, said animal services manager Joaine McKeel.
The skunk was sent to the state health lab in Raleigh, where technicians confirmed Wednesday it had rabies, McKeel said. The dog's rabies vaccination expired in April, and its owner decided to euthanize the animal, she said.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
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