Man linked to Yahoo Pornography account sentenced to 25 years

By Katie Spiro, Gardner-Webb Media Student

STATESVILLVE, NC—A man was sentenced Friday to 25 years in
prison and a lifetime of probation for making child pornography, after being
reported by Yahoo search engine. The Statesville man has been held in
federal custody since 2008.

David Lloyd King, 34, a resident of Kings Road, was discovered
to be linked to a Yahoo account that had been reportedly uploading
child pornography. The account was traced to King.

The city attorney’s office said that King had been
collecting child pornography since 1999 and that he had began
producing and trading it on the internet as early as 2000.

In July, 2009, King pleaded guilty to producing, transporting, and possessing child pornography while  also pleading guilty to at least two accounts of
child molestation, which were said to have place during one of his productions.

Four youths arrested and charged for series of vehicle break-ins

By Katie Spiro, Gardner-Webb Media Student

MINT HILL, NC—Four youths were arrested and charged with a felony
conspiracy, 18 counts of breaking and entering into a motor vehicle, as well as
13 counts of larceny. Police have linked the activity to a string of thefts by youths
on golf carts.

Quran Thomas, 17, and Garrett Duncan, 16, were arrested and
charged in Mint Hill along with two other youth’s, ages 14 and 11, all having Mint
Hill addresses. Due to their ages, the identities of the later two youths were not released.

Police investigation began nearly two weeks ago when they received
a phone call reporting a car break-in on Windom Road at 5 a.m. When officers
arrived, they found several youths in a golf cart.

After being detained, police confirmed that the youth’s had been breaking into the parked vehicles.

50 pieces of property have since been recovered, but police
say that more charges may be filed against the youths. As part of a string of golf
cart riding youths, other parking lot break-ins are still under investigation.

Robbery at People’s Bank

By Katie Spiro, Gardner-Webb Media Student

CONOVER, NC— People’s Bank on First Street West was robbed Monday at 9:45 a.m. by a white male robber who handed the teller a note, said he a gun, and fled the scene on foot with an undisclosed amount.  The man is being sought by sheriff’s deputies and Conover police.

People’s Bank was victim to a robbery by a six-foot-tall male who was reported as wearing a long-sleeved black shirt, black pants, and
black ballcap. The man was also wearing a yellow reflective vest.

If you have any information concerning this case, call police at 898-464-3112.

Winthrop University employee steals over $200,000

By Katie Spiro, Gardner-Webb Media Student

ROCK Hill, SC— A print shop employee of Winthrop University was arrested and charged with a felony after stealing more than $200,000 through a university credit card over a period of three years.

George Robert Walker, 62, was charged with two counts of breach of trust over $5,000 for the abuse of a university credit card amounting to $209,370. Between August 15th, 2007 and August 15th, 2010, the now former employee had been periodically stealing the card from a locked desk in the printing services area of the shop.

Walker was authorized to access the desk, but not the card. Police say that someone had been, “defrauding the university and receiving payments from a Winthrop credit card using PayPal.”

After an increase in all printing services for university departments was reported, a special energy audit of the print shop was conducted—revealing the extent of Walker’s theft.

The man was  released on a personal bond of $150,000.

Six-year-old Boy critically injured by school bus

By Katie Spiro, Gardner-Webb Media Student

CABARRUS COUNTY, NC— A six-year-old boy was critically injured when he fell under a school bus Wednesday at 9 o’clock near the Royal Oaks Gardner Apartments in Clemson Court. The boy remains in critical, but stable condition.

The boy, whose name remains disclosed due to his age, is under the care of Carolina Medical Center in Charlotte. The investigation and report of the case were filed by Capt. Chuck Adams of the Kannapolis Police Department.

A video from the school bus showed that the small boy was running diagonally from the right rear side of the bus when he fell beneath it. Police report that the bus was initially believed to be backing up, but the video suggests otherwise.

Capt. Adams said that no charges were filed or planned to be filed against the bus driver.

Motorcyclist killed after crashing into Highway Culvert

By Katie Spiro, Gardner-Webb Media Student

GASTON COUNTY, NC—A man was killed at 12:15 p.m. Sunday after being thrown from his speeding motorcycle that hit a highway culvert as he was headed west on Sandy Ford Road. No other injuries were reported.

Bruce Adams, 34, 1254 Turnkey Street, died on the scene after being thrown from his 1995 Kawasaki motorcycle. Adams was speeding
between 60-65 mph in a 50 mph zone when he drifted left off the center of the road.

North Carolina Highway Patrol reports that as Adams tried to speed back right onto the road, he failed to correct the bike and crashed into a culvert two miles west of Mountain Island Highway.

Shots fired at man and his wife, Man killed

By Katie Spiro, Gardner-Webb Media Student

GRANGER DRIVE, NC- A man was killed and his wife injured after being hit by gunshots on
Tuesday, August 31^st, sometime between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. at their residency at 23367 Granger Drive.

John T. Harper and his wife, Theresa A. Harper, were rushed to the Cleveland Hospital in Shelby after both suffering from gunshot wounds.
John was reported unconscious at his arrival to the hospital and when efforts to revive him failed, he was pronounced dead at 10:15 p.m. Theresa was treated and released at midnight.

Previously that evening, sometime after 8 p.m., two neighbors reported seeing a white suburban, SUV- type vehicle near the Harper’s residence. One neighbor stated that he heard the gunshots and saw what looked to be smoke from a gun pouring from the windows of the SUV.

Unfortunately, neither neighbor nor any other witnesses reported a license plate number. Police report that Theresa Harper actually
called 911 with the report.

In the time before paramedics arrived, the 2 neighbors at the scene took care of Harper and his wife.

Man remains in serious condition after teen runs stop sign

By Katie Spiro, Gardner-Webb Media Student

SHELBY, NC- A man who was driving an 18 wheeler remains in serious condition after a teen failed to stop at a stop sign at the corner of Dekalb and Crain Street at 8:40 p.m. on Tuesday. No one else was seriously injured.

John F. Sampson, 36, a native to Florence, Ohio, was driving
his 18 wheeler when Timothy W. Zurkhamer, 17, failed to hault at a stop sign—sending
his 1999 Suburban into Sampson’s truck. After being taken by Bishop Ambulance
Service, the hospital reported that Sampson suffered a broken leg, but remains
in serious condition.

Driving the Suburban, Zurkhamer, 4578 First Street, Shelby,
was checked by paramedics, but was not taken to the hospital; however,
Zurkhamer did receive a ticket for running the stop sign. His four other high
school passengers were not injured.

The auto accident was investigated by Shelby officer, Scott
Barlow. This is the 3^rd auto accident report from this intersection within a week.

!Revision! Woman dies after car strikes parked dump truck

By Katie Spiro, Gardner-Webb Media Student

CHARLOTTE, NC- A woman was killed at 3:15 a.m. Monday when the car she was driving hit a parked, unoccupied dump truck two blocks from her home in Charlotte. No one else was injured.

Cynthia Melton Marlik was headed North on two-lane Fairbluff Road when she struck a parked dump truck near her home  in Golf Ball Circle.

Police say Marlik was driving a 1998 Oldsmobile when she failed to make a sharp left turn, resulting in her collision with the unoccupied dump truck. Marlik smashed her Oldsmobile into the dump truck going approximately 35 mph, resulting in her untimely death.

Marlik was rushed from the scene to Cleveland Regional Medical Center by a Brooks Ambulance, but was unable to recover. Her time of death was said to be 5 a.m. Monday.

With puzzling circumstances and substance suspicion,
taxocology tests were done on Marlik. Results are not yet known, but Sergeant W
M. Vickers, a case investigator was reported saying, “It’s a real dark area down
there, but darkness was not a cause of the accident.”

Marlik’s case is still under investigation.

!REVISION! Search for swimmer at Hunting Island

By Katie Spiro, Gardner-Webb Media Student

Hunting Island, S.C. – A man was reported missing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday while swimming off the coast of Hunting Island. Five others were rescued from Hunting Island waters that same day.

Joseph Scott, 31, from Allendale, S.C. was reported missing Saturday evening just before sundown. Scott’s family, while watching from a boat, said that Scott was swimming and went under water. When he failed to resurface, the missing persons report was filed.

The search for Scott lasted till 9:30 p.m. Saturday night and resumed Sunday morning at 7 a.m.

Lee Levesque, spokesman for the Helena Fire District,
reported that Scott and his friends were approximately 200 yards offshore and that
Scott, “…was probably pulled under by a strong rip current.”

Located near Beaufort S.C., Hunting Island was reported to
have five water rescues that very same day. Police say that a father and his young
son, a couple, and a woman who went searching for the couple were all rescued.

Sgt. Michael Paul Thomas, from the South Carolina Department
of Natural Resources stated that due to the geographical positioning of the island,
strong currents are frequent and common occurrences.

The search for Scott is pending.