Stolen Car Located

Authorities have located the car taken from a North Wilkesboro woman in a brazen daylight robbery last week. The 1998 Subaru stolen from Ellin Bowlin was located by Caldwell County authorities on Monday morning, when a Highwya Patrol trooper in Caldwell County pulled it over for speeding. The driver was arrested for possession of stolen property and is lodged in the Caldwell County Jail in lieu of 55-hundred dollars secured bond.

Bowlin told local authorities on Ausust 28th she was approached by a man as she sat at the stop light at Highway 115 and 2nd Street early in the morning. He said his car had broken down, and asked for a ride. She agreed, and after he had her drive him to a location she describes as being a left turn off River Road, he then asked to be taken to his brother's home. So she drove him to a location on Blue Eller Lane. She says at that point the man beat her up, took her glasses and a diamond ring, forced her out of the car and drove off. She made it to the nearest house a few minutes later and called 9-1-1. Paramedics took her to Wilkes Regional Medical Center with serious injuries. She's getting better now.

Man Charged with Providing Liquor to Teens

Deputies have charged a North Wilkesboro man with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, after finding him in a motel room, drinking alcohol, with two teen-aged girls who were also consuming. David Michael Holman was arrested Saturday evening after deputies were called to the Holbrook Motel on West U-S 421. The door was answered by one of the girls, 17-year old Kayla Johnston. She and a 19-year old, Shannon Dillard, admitted drinking, according to the deputy, as did Holman. He admitted to buying the liquor, which was found in the room. Deputies ticketed the girls for underage consumption and charged Holman with the contributing to delinquency charge.

Stolen 27-inch TV Found -- In the Privvy

One has to wonder if the place was wired for cable. A Wilkes property owner recovered his stolen TV recently, after learning third-hand that it was set up in someone's outhouse. Here's how the report reads: The man whose TV was stolen was told by another man that the TV was in the outhouse behind the other man's neighbor's house. So he went over, and sure enough, it looked like his purloined set. He called 9-1-1 to have a deputy come to the outhouse, and when the deputy ran the serial number through the national crime database, there it was -- proof the man had found his TV. It was dusted for fingerprints and given back to the man -- the report doesn't indicate what other investigative measures were taken inside the outhouse. So far, no charges have been filed.

Stolen Smokes Lead to Chase, Shots Fired, and Charges

Wilkes sheriff deputies had several minutes of excitement, and fear for their own safety, after an incident early labor Day that included two deputies firing their Tasers, on firing his pistol, and the other chasing a man for some distance.

22-year old Garrett Thurmond Eldridge was arrested at the end of the incident, which started when a deputy responding to a burglar alarm at the Marathon convenience store on Statesville Road encountered him out front of the store, loading up stolen cartons of cigarettes. Eldridge sprinted off into a kudzu patch, according to the deputy. When the deputy ordered him out of the weeds with his hands up, instead Eldridge dashed past him, dove into the front seat of the pickup, and tried to speed off. The deputy fired his Taser, but just a split-second too late, as the probes clattered harmlessly into the truck door. As the pickup sped off, the deputy tried to shoot out a tire, missing the vehicle entirely. In the fracas, the deputy says Eldridge's bumper grazed his left knee, knocking him to the ground.

Another deputy encountered the pickup minutes later, and was led on a high-speed chase in the area of Stone Ridge Road. That deputy was able to get the truck stopped, and was able to bring Eldridge under control once he shocked him with a Taser.

Subsequent investigation showed Eldridge had torn through the vinyl eaves of the store to gain access, and had taken the safe and many cartons of smokes. All were still in the parking lot when the first deputy arrived, and were recovered, along with about 18-thousand dollars in lottery tickets and 55-hundred dollars in cash that were in the safe at the time. Eldridge was arrested on a charge of assaulting a law officer and multiple other crimes.

19-year old Seriously Injured in Tuesday Wreck

A Wilkes teen was airlifted to Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem following a two-car collision this morning in North Wilkesboro. Multiple witnesses tell police that Jonathan Combs was driving through the intersection of Highway 268 and 18 with the green light, when the other car ran the red light an hit him. That car was driven by 43-year old Wyman Lowery, who was not hurt. Lowery was issued several tickets in relation to the wreck, including one for driving without a license. North Wilkesboro Police say it took several hours to clean up the incident, and that rescue crews had to cut off both drivers' doors of Combs' car to extricate him. He was taken by ambulance to the helipad at Wilkes regional Medical Center and transferred directly to the helicopter for the flight to Winston-Salem.

Was the Air Conditioner Stolen or Not?

Wilkes deputies learned of a recent copper theft from an unlikely source -- a finance company. Deputies were called to a home off Rendezvous Mountain Road last week, after it was discovered that the central air conditioner had been stolen from its pad outside the house. The thieves had simply cut the line and made off with the unit, a frequent method chosen by copper thieves. It was worth about 25-hundred dollars, according to the report, although no brand name, model number or serial number was available.

The home owner, Scott Hays, was seen by a neighbor cutting the unit loose from the house. When deputies talked to him, he said he was still the rightful owner of the property, and had traded the unit, the stove, the refrigerator and the dishwasher for a car. The deputy investigating the reported crime checked county records and contacted the company that sold the home, who told him it wasn't their problem what happened to the unit and appliances. When he called Wells Fargo, the mortgage company listed on the deed, he was first told they did not hold the account. Later, another Wells Fargo employee told the deputy they did in fact have th account, but that it was not shown as being in foreclosure, and Hays was free to do with the property what he wished. At that point, the investigation was closed because of the apparent disagreement in the paperwork.

New Monitors Stolen from WWHS

Wilkes sheriff deputies are investigating the theft of four brand-new computer monitors from West Wilkes High School. They have a broad time-span in which the equipment have been taken, as all that's know is they disappeared sometime over the summer break. Instructor Christ Tolbert tells deputies he knows the monitors were in a storage room on the last day of school. He came back to school on the 22nd and found they were missing. After spending a week trying to see if they had been put on computers somewhere without his knowledge, Tolbert reported the crime. The monitors are new Dell brand LCD monitors with a black ring around the face, and a gray back. The estimated value of the stolen items is 500-dollars. The investigation is listed as ongoing.

Two Men Attempt Robbery at Lowes Motel

Wilkesboro police are looking for a pair of men who tried to rob a local hotel. The robbery happened shortly after 11pm last Thursday, at the Lowes Motel on Curtis Bridge Road. The clerk tells officers one of the would-be robbers came to the check-in window ad asked what it cost to rent a room. The clerk asked for an I-D, and the man made like he was looking around for the I-D and said it must be in the car. He went outside and came back in, tried to write a name on the check-in register, and a few seconds later another man burst into the lobby, brandishing a pistol and demanding money.

The clerk ran to the office and called 9-1-1, while the robbers dashed out of the lobby to get away. They didn't get any money or other valuables. Officers arriving at the scene saw a woman walking along Curtis Bridge Road, and stopped her to ask what she might have seen. She told them two men had jumped into a dark SUV with rounded front and rear body panels and sped off. A vehicle matching that description was stopped a short time later, with two men inside. Those men were taken back to the hotel, where the clerk said police had stopped the wrong people. So they were allowed to go on their way.

The clerk describes the robbers as two black men, slight build, black hair and brown eyes. No really distinguishing characteristics such as height, weight or an estimated age were offered. The would-be thieves remain at large.

Sports Leagues, Small Non-Profits Have New IRS Burden

A new electronic filing requirement, if not complied with, could result in the loss of an organization’s tax exempt status. Small tax-exempt organizations such as youth athletic leagues and small charities should receive a letter explaining the new rules. Organizations that were not required to file returns because their gross receipts were normally $25,000 or less may be required to file an annual electronic notice. For more information, visit the IRS website, www.irs.gov

Local Reappointed to State Committee

Gov. Mike Easley has reappointed Jim Brooks of North Wilkesboro to the Governor’s Teacher Advisory Committee.
Brooks is a teacher at West Wilkes High School. He is a member of the North Carolina Association of Educators and the National Council of Teachers of English. Brooks received the 2007 National Education Association Award for Teaching Excellence and the 2006 Terry Sanford Award for Creativity in Teaching. He received his Bachelor’s degree in English education and his Master’s degree in leadership and higher education from Appalachian State University. The committee advises the governor on the experiences and concerns of teachers, assists in efforts to improve teaching and learning in North Carolina schools, recommends strategies for recruiting and retaining quality educators and recognizes entrepreneurial schools and school systems in North Carolina. The board has 18 members, each serving a two-year term. The governor appoints all members.