Trying to Outrun Police on a Scooter

Since he had been drinking, he tried to outrun police…but he was riding a scooter.  Needless to say, it was not a high speed chase.  Wilkesboro Police received a call of a possible drunk driver on a scooter.  The police soon found the driver, identified as Todd McAdoo of Wilkesboro.  He tried to elude police by running a stop sign and by speeding up to 40 mph.  Police activated their blue lights and pulled the driver near his residence on North Moravian Street.  McAdoo apologized for speeding and running the stop sign, yelled at his fiancée inside his residence, and refused to do a sobriety test.  McAdoo’s license had been revoked for 3 other DWI’s.  Police arrested him, impounded his scooter, and took him to the intake center where he blew .06.  McAdoo was not charged with DWI, but he was charged with driving with license revoked and reckless driving.  He scooter was taken out of impound.

Local Domestic Violence Awareness Walk

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  Tomorrow an Awareness Walk and Candlelight Vigil to honor victims of domestic violence will be held at the Wilkes Heritage Museum in Wilkesboro.  Beginning at 6pm, participants will walk to the Labyrinth at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church where North Carolina victims of domestic violence will be remembered in word, prayer, and song.  Again, the Awareness Walk and Candlelight Vigil is Tuesday evening at 6pm.  For more information call SAFE at 838-9169.

Sen Hagan from NC Joins with Sen John McCain on Bill

After the monthly employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics last week U S Senator Kay Hagan (NC) stepped across the aisle on a bill with Senator John McCain.  “…the American economy is clearly stuck in neutral,” said Hagan. “I am particularly disturbed by the troubling jobless rate for our Gulf War veterans, which increased to 11.7%”.  Hagan joined with Senator McCain Thursday on the Foreign Earnings Reinvestment Act to bring a trillion dollars sitting overseas back to America.  Hagan said this bill is a practical, bipartisan measure to provide a jolt to the economy right now.  Senator McCain said that he was proud to join Senator Hagan in introducing the Act, and said American dollars need to be used to make America’s economy stronger.  Under the current tax structure, if Ameican companies bring overseas earnings back to the U.S., they must pay a 35 percent tax rate – one of the highest rates among industrialized countries.  As a result, there is an estimated one trillion dollars trapped abroad that could be working in the U.S. economy.  $200 billion of that total belongs to companies with a North Carolina presence.  With The Foreign Earnings Reinvestment Act American companies can bring back overseas earnings to the U.S. at a rate of 8.75 percent.  As an incentive to create jobs, the Act allows them to further lower the tax rate to 5.25 % if companies grow their domestic pay roll during 2012.

Driving, Smoking Pot, and Getting Nervous

Sometimes if a police gets behind someone driving down the road, it makes the person nervous.  If the person is guilty of a crime, then they really get nervous.  In fact, a Moravian Falls man got so nervous with a police officer behind him that he ran 4 stop signs.  That’s when police initiated a traffic stop.  The driver, Obed Garcia, was very nervous.  Police asked he if had anything illegal in the car.  Garcia said no but gave officers permission to search him and his vehicle.  Police found marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the car.  Garcia even admitted that he was on his way to buy more when he was stopped.  He also admitted to smoking a pipe filled with marijuana while he was driving.  Garcia was arrested, charged with 3 misdemeanor counts of drug possession, and placed under a 1500 dollar bond.

New Board Formed Between Counties

County Manager John Yates told 3WC News that the Wilkes County Commissioners had an emergency called meeting early Friday morning to adopt a resolution on the new interlocal agreement with 4 other neighboring counties concerning New River Behavioral Health.  The New River facility had to be dissolved recently due to financial troubles.  The Commissioners from each of the 5 counties:  Wilkes, Avery, Ashe, Alleghany, and Watauga—agreed to form a Board made up of one commissioner from each county.  The Wilkes Commissioners elected Gary L. Blevins as our representative on the Board which must now provide an orderly transition of services to a new health provider.  

Congresswoman Foxx on the Republican Nominee

Perry and Romney are striving to be foremost in the race, Christie and Palin have both said no to running, and Herman Cain, a virtual political unknown, is moving into the lead position in some polls.  Last week, we spoke with Congresswoman Foxx about the lineup for the Republicans’ nominee for President.  Foxx said the Republican nominee should be a clear and positive choice.  You can hear my complete interview with Congresswoman Foxx on our website as a Focus on the Foothills podcast at www.hometownchristianradio.com

Cracking Down on Drugs in NC

Agents with the N.C. Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement and two other North Carolina agencies searched six locations Tuesday in Montgomery County and arrested 17 people on various drug and weapons charges.  ALE agents and members of the Mount Gilead Police Department and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office seized 77 grams of cocaine, 129 grams of opium-based pharmaceuticals (prescription drugs), 148 grams of marijuana, one marijuana plant, five handguns, six shotguns and rifles, three vehicles and $6,628 in U.S. currency.  ALE is a division of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety.  Its agents have authority to arrest and take investigatory action for any criminal offense.  Their primary responsibility is the enforcement of ABC and drug laws.  Two weeks ago in Wilkes local authorities did their own drug roundup.  285 marijuana plants were seized from 3 different locations in September by the Wilkes County  Sheriff’s Department and the National Guard and multiple charges were filed against 3 people from our area.

Thousands Stolen from Lowes of Wilkesboro

It was an elaborate 4-year long scheme that cost Lowes Companies over 60,000 dollars.  In September, Wilkesboro Police received information from Lowes concerning the theft of an employee.  This week the investigation concluded with an arrest.  It seems the employee, Bryan Norman of Purlear, would post items belonging to Lowes on eBay.  When the item was sold, Norman would take it from the shelf at Lowes in Wilkesboro where he was employed as the Delivery Manager, go to Lowes Internet Sales area, and use Lowes shipping system to send out the stolen item.  Over the 4 years, stolen property that Norman sold on eBay totaled over 57,000 dollars and the shipping cost Lowes over 3000 dollars.  Norman was contacted by Police, and he was willing to turn himself in.  Norman was arrested and charged with 6 felony counts of Larceny by Employee and placed under a 10,000 bond.  His court date is set for December 7.

Used Sharp Object on the Lock

While she went to pick her husband up from work, someone broke in their house.  In a report filed with the Sheriff’s Department, homeowners on the Statesville Road said they returned home early Thursday morning and discovered the back door open.  Deputies arrived to investigate and determined a sharp object was used to get passed the lock on the back door.  Entrance was gained inside the house and several items were stolen including 2 TV’s, a prescription pain medication, and jewelry.  Stolen property is valued over 2200 dollars

Repainted...Then Stolen

The trailer had been repainted and the wooden bed replaced just before someone stole it.  A resident on the Antioch Church Road called the Sheriff’s Department this week with the theft report.  His 16-foot, double-axle trailer was unhooked and stolen from his Suburban.  The trailer was recently painted black and the wooden bed replaced with welded mesh.  A black plastic tool box was also mounted on the front of the trailer.  Stolen property is valued over 4000 dollars.  The theft occurred overnight Wednesday.