Large Fire at Tyson Welding Shop

Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro firefighters were called this morning to a large blaze at Tyson. Nick Hamby with the Fire Marshal's office tells me the fire was noticed about 9:30 by a man working in the Tyson Welding shop. The man was able to get out of the shop safely, but by the time firefighters arrived, the flames ahd worked their way up the wall and into the roof insulation of the building, and the blaze was shooting flames through the roof.



Fighting the fire immediately became what firefighters call a "defensive" attack, where they set up trucks outside and simply pour great amounts of water on it from the top. To have gone inside would have been too dangerous for the firefighters. Hamby says the metal building is a total loss, but he did not have an estimate of the total value of the building and its contents. At one point the column of smoke rising formthe building looked similar to a tronado, when viewed from across town. The smoke and the fire lines, plus the fact that Tyson is at such a traffic congestion point anyway, led Wilkesboro Police to block off much of the traffic flow and redirect drivers around the scene. North Wilkesboro firefighters remained on scene for aobut two hours; Wilkesboro firefighters were there about two hours longer.

More Paint Ball Vandalism

Another Wilkes property has been shot up with a paint ball gun. But this time, the vandals caused even more damage. The property on Jim Caudill Road almost appears abandoned, according to sheriff deputies, who say the house is unmaintained and falling in from weather deterioration and has no roof. The owner's son, Matthew Weber, says it had been about a week since he'd checked the property when he made the report on Tuesday. During that week, someone had shot a camper stored there with paint balls, shot more paint balls at the side of the house, broke out nearly all the windows of the camper, and borke seven windows in the house. Weber says he had a Jeep stored inteh basement, and the vandals broke out the windshield, as well. Total damage is estimated at about 29-hundred dollars. There are no suspects.

Playstation Stolen, Family Blames Teen's Friends

A rural North Wilkesboro family believes some of their son's friends are repsonsible for taking the boy's Playstation 3 this week. The teenager came home from school Tuesday afternoon and discovered the gaming station missing. His older brother had left the door unlocked earlier in the day when he left for work, and it appears the teen-aged theives walked into the house rather than forcing their way in. The family says these two boys, ages 14 and 15, are the only people thier son associates with that knew he had a Playstation 3. One of them had visted last week and saw where it was set up. Neighbors don't report seeing anyone leaving the house or carrying the Playstation, but they do report an unknown 17-to-20 year old person was walking down the street near the home between 1:30 and 2 Tuesday afternoon.

Clingman Pitstop Break-In

A thief went to a lot of efffort to get cigarettes from a local store this week. A newspaper carrier spotted a broken window at Clingman Pitstop early yesterday, and called the sheriff's office. Deputies entered the store along with the owner, who determined about 50 cartons of cigarettes were missing. The security tape shows a middle aged white male entering the store with a trash can. Deputies say it appeared he knew the camera setup, because he walked backward all the way to the storeroom, so his face wouldn't show. A few minutes later, the man is seen hauling the full trash can back out. He'd used a rock to break a window on the store's front door. Total loss is 15-hundred dollars for the smokes, and 300-dollar to repair the door.

Only There A Week, and He Pulls This...

A Roaring River man is accused of defrauding two businesses, one of them a local convenience store. Sheriff deputies say J36-year old James Kelly Shepherd worked for a trucking company for one week last year, and during that time obtained nine checks. These are a special kind of check that is used at truck stops and stores, and has to be authorized through a fleet management company to be valid. However, he cashed the checks, written for a total of over 16-hundred dollars, at Thurmond Grocery, which had no knowledge the checks needed pre-approval. He said they were paychecks.



The checks, of course, bounced, sticking Thurmond Grocery with the face value plus about 225-dollars in bank fees. According to the store owner, Shepherd admitted to the fraud, and apologized, offering the excuse he was hooked on meth. However, he has made no attempt to make good the money the store lost, so the owner has filed charges. Deputies will serve Shepherd with warrants charging that he obtained property by false pretense.

Scooter Stolen, Found

Sheriff Deputies and West Jefferson police are looking for an area woman, after she allegedly took a motor scooter, didn't return it, and sold it to someone else for cash. The scooter was reported stolen back on the 3rd, by Daniel Beldsoe in West Jefferson. He said he had let Samantha Combs borrow the scooter, a black Yamaha with red flames on the back, to go to the store. He never saw her or the scooter again. He told police it was worth about 15-hundred dollars.



Wilkes County deputies got a tip they could find the scooter on Damascus Church Road Monday evening. When a deputy located the scooter, he was told by a woman that lived at the house it belonged to Spencer Martin. The ID number from the scooter in the yard matched the one entered in the National Crime database after the West Jefferson theft, and the description of the scooter was the same. Martin was not there at the time, but the woman said he'd be back the next day, Tuesday. Another deputy talked with him yesterday morning, and he told them he had purchased the scooter from Samantha Combs, after she brought it to the house and said she didn't want it any more. He paid 100-dollars. West Jefferson Police list the case as still under investigation.

Federal Suit Against Tyson Goes for Class-Action Status

A major local employer could face millions of dollars in back-pay compensation if a federal judge in Kansas rules against it. Tyson workers in western Kansas are filing for class-action status in the case, which has to do with how much time the workers are paid for to put on and take off protective clothing. Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson, the world's largest meat packer, had sought summary judgments blocking the compensation claims, first brought by employees at the Holcomb, Kan., facility last May. A similar case was filed against the company in Sioux City, Iowa, earlier this month.



The key to the case is what is defined as work. Employers have to pay employees for all hours worked, but Tyson has contended that the time it takes to put on the required protective clothing at the beginning of the shift and take it off again at the end of the shift is not time worked. A 1994 case against beef packing giant IBP forced the company to revisit the issue, and it has since paid for four minutes at the start and end of the shift, if the employee works in a job requiring knife or cleaver use.



This lawsuit aims to extend the pay to time other workers use donning and doffing hair nets, and for the time it takes to walk to and from their work station. The judge last Friday left open the issue of whether four minutes was adequate time to put on and remove special protective clothing and gear worn by those who use cleavers and knives on the assembly line. Plaintiffs contended that it often takes much longer than four minutes to dress for the job.



Nearly 300 workers at the Holcomb plant have joined in the lawsuit so far, and nearly 800 more say they want to be part of it.

Two Run-In Employees Admit Stealing $21K in Lottery Winnings

Two Wilkes woman have admitted they took more than 23-thousand dollars worth of lottery tickets and merchandise from the business where they worked. 40-year old Jacqueline Dixon and 24-year old Jolinda Stephenson worked as cashiers at the Run-In on Statesville Road. Store video showed them each taking lottery tickets from the store's supply, and cashing them out of the register. Between the two of them, 21-thousand dollars of lottery tickets were illegally cashed in this manner. Deputies also say Stephenson took about 25-hundred dollars of snack food and drinks.



The crime report does not indicate the time span over which this happened, but it was reported last Friday. The two women were arrested after being confronted with the evidence at their employer's office in Wilkesboro. Dixon is charged with a single count of theft by an employee, while Stephenson faces two counts of employee theft.

Man Injured in Afternoon Wreck

A wreck this afternoon has sent one person to the hospital, after rescuers had to extricate him from his semi truck. Wilkes dispatchers tell me the wreck happened about 1:30 this afternoon on Red White and Blue Road in Roaring River. Rescuers found the truck on its top when they arrived, and a little fuel had leaked form the diesel tanks. After they extricated the driver, Wilkes EMS took him directly Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem. The road did have to be closed down for a time about mid-afternoon so tow trucks and equipment could right the truck and tow it off.

Domestic Assualt Ends with Both in Jail

A domestic squabble ended this weekend with both the man and his wife being hauled to jail. Deputies were called to the couples home on Fish Dam Creek Road in Millers Creek a little after 3 Sunday morning. they spoke with the woman, Laura Butrick, first. She said her husband had poured water on her during the argument, thrown a cup at her, and pushed her to the floor. Her husband, Robert Butrick, said she slapped hin int he face and broke his lip.



Deputies arrested both people. Mr Butrick is charged with Assault on a Female, while Mrs. Butcrick is cahrged with Simple Assault. Both charges are misdemeanors.