Road Information

Currently no problems listed in Wilkes County. NCDOT Road Information

School/Event Closings, Delays

The anticipated snowfall has led to Wilkes County Schools making the decision to close for the day. There is no school today in Wilkes county. Here are some additional closings and delays:

• Wilkes Community College and the WCC Child Development Center, 2 hour late start
• No Transportation today for Wilkes County Vocational Workshop
• Woodlawn Child Development in North Wilkesboro, opening at 8:30.
• WUMC Creation Express After School Program, Closed today
• BROC and the Head Start Centers in Wilkes County are closed today.
• Millers Creek Christian Schools, Closed
• Montessori Learning of Wilkes, Closed
• Artistic Academy, Opening at 11am
  

Purse Snatching

A North Wilkesboro woman's quick thinking foiled a purse snatching in a local store recently. 35-year old Shannon Snuggs reported over the weekend that she'd been shopping in Lowes foods on Statesville Road. She turned to pick something up off the shelf, and as she turned back, she saw someone walking off with her purse, which had been laying in the seat of the buggy. She yelles at him, saying "you're robbing me," and catching the attention of several other customers, who tried to stop him.



He dropped the purse and ran. People in the Lowes parking lot say they saw him jump tino a blakc Ford pickup parked at the nearby B-P station and speed off. Someone at the B-P reported a tag number, which came back to a vehicle owned by a local family. When depuites contacted the owner, she told them her son has developed a drug habit and has been trying to get money to support it. A warrant has been issued for the 27-year old man, but deputies haven't seen the him since the purse-snatching.

Children, 11 and 9, Beaten

A disturbing story today concerning a Wilkes family. Sheriffs deputies report they are investigating allegations of severe physical child abuse against an Elkin-area man. Because identifying anyone in the incident would identify the children involved, we are withholding the name of the man who faces charges in the case.



A woman called deputies Sunday afternoon to report that she had realized her husband was beating the couple's children, ages 11 and 9, with a belt while she was gone to work and running errands. The worst of it has happened in the past three weeks, according to the woman, who says the man had only bought the belt three weeks ago. The part of the crime report that's public information does not list the injuries to the boys, but the man is charged with Felony Child Abuse inflicting serious injury in relation to the beatings of the 11-year old, and with misdemeanor child abuse in relation to what happened to the 9-year old.



The Department of Social Services was notified about the crime Sunday evening and a social worker visited the home. It is unknown if the boys have been removed from the home. The warrants charging the man had not been served as of this morning when the crime report was released.

School Reports on the Web

Starting today, you can see the new report card from the state on your child's school. The state Department of Public Instruction has released numbers from the 2005-06 school year on every public and charter school in North Carolina. The report cards were initiated five years ago by Governor Easley. They include information on things like class sizes, teacher turnover and test performance.



The report cards also include information on school safety, discipline and the number of books and computers per student.



They are available on the web at www.ncreportcards.org.

New Credit Card Charged Up, Ex Hubby Blamed

A USDA inspector employed at Tyson says she's been the victim of credit-card fraud, and she accuses her ex-husband of the crime. The 43-year old McGrady woman says her ex took a credit card that had arrived for her in the mail, called the toll-free number on it to activate it, and charged it up, all before she even knew the card arrived. The man, whose name has not been released by the sheriff's office, admits he charged five items or so on the card before she had it deactivated by Capital One. Deputies don't list how much the items were worth.

Rude Wake-Up

In what sounds like it may have started as a friendly prank, a WIlkes man was injured when it escalated to a full-blown fight. Millers Creek resident Charles Cox says he was stayng with a friend on Old Brickyard Road last Friday. Lee Hamby tossed a shoe at him Friday morning to wake him up.



Cox threw the shoe back at Hamby, and the two got into an argument, whcih quickly escalated into a fight. Hamby told Cox to get out of the house, and as he tried to, Cox says Hamby picked up a wooden stick and whacked him on the head. Cox was treated at Wilkes Regional for a cut to the side of his head. The case remains open, in anticipation of Cox filing an assault warrant against Hamby.

Money Laundering Scheme Victimizes Wilkes Couple

A Wilkes couple was recently victim of a scan that's being conducted across the nation. They called sheriff deputies when they realized someone had used the woman's PayPal account to deduct over 950 dollars from the couple's bank account without their permission.



With the cooperation of the victims, deputies were able to trace the money to a woman in California, who, it turns out, was also a victim in a money laundering scheme. She had been recruited by a London-based company that currently calls itself Alternative Solutions, to work as a collection agent for the firm. She worked from her home in California, and was told by the company she eould receive payments made by people using their PayPal accounts, whcih she was then to transfer to the company via another email address.



The complex nature of the crime makes it nearly impossible for police to follow up, because it crosses international and state boundaries. They have closed the case, but fortunately the couple was able to get a refund of the money they'd lost from their bank.

Wife's Ankle Broken During Argument, Husband Arrested

A Wilkes woman had to be taken to Winston-Salem for surgery to repair a broken ankle, after sheriff deputies say her husband pushed her down the stairs this weekend. Deputies were called about 3 in the morning Sunday to the couple's home on Tates Lane.



42-year old Mona Lisa Wyatt said she and her husband David were arguing, and during the argument he pushed her down the couple's front porch stairs, breaking her right ankle. She also says he slugged her in the left eye before the pushing incident.



She was taken to Wilkes Regional Medical Center to be checked out, then transferred to North Carolina Baptist Hospital for repair surgery. Deputies have issued a warrant for Mr. Wyatt's arrest, on a charge of Assault Inflicting Serious Injury

Traphill Road Home Suffers Fire Damage

Wilkes County Fire Marshal Kevin Bounds considers a Traphill Road family fortunate. If they were going to have to go through the experience of a fire, at least it caused minor damage and happened while everyone was awake and still at home. He says that kept the fire yesterday morning at the Pruitt household from having a much different outcome.



The damage from this fire was limited to the kitchen, where the fire started in a ceiling light fixture. The Pruitts will have to replace some electrical wiring and repair some sheet rock in the kitchen, along with cleaning up the mess left by firefighters putting out the fire.



The fire was reported just after 8 yesterday morning. The Red Cross is helping the Pruitts with living arrangements while repairs are being done. The damage value estimate is about 3-thousand dollars.