Couple Arrested After Fight

Both the boyfriend and girlfriend involved in a weekend domestic dispute in Wilkes ended up being hauled to jail. Danielle Weyker and Jesse Cortner were arrested after a neighbor called deputies to their home on Boone Trail Friday night. According to the crime report, the deputy could see each had been injured. Weyker claimed Cortner had pulled an earring from her ear lobe and bitten her on the arm. Cortner had scratches on his face and back. Deputies say both were arrested for assault, and taken to jail without incident.

Road Rage Confrontation

Wilkes sheriff deputies are investigating an apparent case of road rage that fortunately ended without either driver being hurt. What happened depends on whose version of events you believe. A deputy was sent to meet one of the men Sunday along highway 421. Christopher Hurley says he was merging onto 421 westbound from the 421 Business route, and a green Chevy pickup was following him too close. He tapped his brakes to get the other driver to back off. The other driver, John Drolet of Millers Creek, says Hurley cut him off as he was finishing moving some furniture, and if he hadn't slammed on his own brakes, he would have hit Hurley form behind.

Either way, the vehicles stopped alongside the road, and Drolet got out to confront Hurley. Hurley says the other man smacked his window with an open hand, and threatened that if such a thing ever happened again, he'd "come through the window" and get Hurley. Drolet admits to the verbal confrontation, but does not agree with Hurley's other statements.

Hurley followed Drolet home, and after seeing where he lived, called for a deputy. The deputy went with Hurley to the house, where Drolet at first would not admit to being part of the incident. Then he gave his story, taking each item claimed by Hurley and toning it down a bit. When the deputy asked Drolet to apologize fro what happened, he did, but Hurley says he wasn't convinced. Nevertheless, the matter didn't cause any damage or injury, so the deputy's role was done. He did tell Hurley how to contact a magistrate and file a warrant on Drolet if he chose to do so.

Man Arrested, Forged Checks Alleged

A North Wilkesboro man is jailed, following the discovery of two forged checks. Wilkesboro Police were called to the jail as David Allen Shew was being booked by sheriff deputies for an unrelated crime. They learned Shew had also been accused of taking two checks from his employer, Backwoods Kustoms, forging his boss' signature, and cashing them. One had been cashed at Mike's Bait & Tackle, and another had been cashed at Wachovia Bank. The total loss was 400-dollars. Shew stands charged with a number of fraud charges in relation to the two checks.

Man Seriously Hurt, Suspects Sought

Wilkes county sheriff deputies have very little to go on concerning the critical injuries caused to a man when he was assaulted Sunday night. Gary Hendren was seen briefly at Wilkes Regional Medical Center before being sent to Baptist in Winston-Salem, as he had a severe head injury and possible bleeding inside the skull. as of when they filed a report of the crime, deputies hadn't even been able to talk to Hendren directly. Family members who have talked with Hendren tell deputies two Wilkesboro men are responsible for the assault. Deputies are not releasing their names at this time due to the ongoing investigation. Deputies have also been told the location of the assault, which was outside a home -- not Hendren's house, and not the home of the suspected attackers. They do not know why the beating happened.

Man Attacked with Knife

A North Wilkesboro man was rushed to Winston-Salem for emergency surgery after being slashed with a box cutter by a man who was trying to rob him. Terry Vicks was accosted outside his home on Eagle Lane Friday evening. He says he was walking up the driveway and was approached by two black men, who said he owed them money and they were there to collect. He told the two he didn't owe any money, and had no plans to give them any. One of the pair pulled a box cutter and tried to stab Vicks, who threw up an arm to block the attempt. But the knife got him in the right hand. The two ran off. He went to the Fast Track on Old 60, where the clerk called for help. Vicks was unable to describe his attackers, except to say they were black men, one of whom had a large build and stood about 6-feet-2-inches tall. They have not been seen since.

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.