Category — Charlotte, North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man wanted on murder charges in connection with a stabbing in north Charlotte has been arrested. The Violent Criminal Apprehension Team arrested Adrian Alcala Wednesday afternoon at a home on Hudson Graham Lane. Alcala is accused of stabbing Thomas Oleary several times Monday night inside a vehicle parked on Swearngan Road.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Investigators say a barn fire in Ballantyne this morning was intentionally set. The fire started at about 2′12 a.m. at a barn on Blakeney Heath Road near Ellington Park Drive. Firefighters said the barn was filled with hay and the building was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived at the scene. The flames spread to nearby trees in the heavily wooded area, but crews put …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Four people were transported to a hospital after a collision along Interstate 77 north near LaSalle Street Thursday morning. A car struck the median and overturned shortly after 7 a.m.  According to Highway Patrol, at least two vehicles are involved in the accident.  Medic transported four people to a hospital. Their injuries were not life-threatening.

BOONE, N.C. – A 22-year-old college student and been arrested and charged with one felony count of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon after police say he tried to rob a local grocery store. Christopher Beauchamp of Charlotte was arrested Wednesday at about 12′30 p.m. Boone police say Beauchamp demanded money from a checkout clerk at Lowes Foods at New Market Center by threatening that he …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A 76-year-old Alabama man was arrested after authorities say he fled to North Carolina to avoid charges of sexually abusing a child under 12. Luther Paul Townsend of Florala, Ala., was being held in the Caldwell County jail under $500,000 after his arrest on Wednesday at an auto parts store in Lenoir. U.S. Marshals have been searching for Townsend since Feb. 26. The charges …

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Officials at Winthrop University say a fire in a building that featured high-tech classrooms will cost at least $4.5 million to repair. The Herald of Rock Hill reported Thursday that university officials say it will cost $1.5 million to stabilize and clean Owens Hall and at least another $3 million to restore the three-story building. Officials say they have insurance …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When Greta Crawford first saw the deal for a trip to New Orleans, she could hardly believe her luck. The 27-year-old from Charlotte was contacted by a woman with Travel Divas, Inc. with a package deal to the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, July 3-5, 2009. For $380, she and her sisters would get a bus ride in a luxury motor coach from Charlotte to New Orleans, 2 nights …

LANCASTER, S.C. — A pickup truck veered into the path of a fully-loaded logging truck Wednesday, a trooper said, killing a 42 year-old woman. Reba Sims of Kershaw was alone when her 1997 Dodge crossed the center line as she traveled southbound on Highway 521, near Elgin, S.C. Troopers had not determined what caused the pickup to swerve into the path of the oncoming traffic. The driver of the …

CHARLOTTE, N.C.— Investigators are trying to figure out what sparked a fire that destroyed a barn in the Ballantyne area early Thursday morning. Firefighters tell NewsChannel 36 that when they arrived on the scene on Blakeney Heath Road near Ellington Park Drive around 2′20 a.m., the barn, which was filled hay, was fully engulfed with flames. It took them about 30 minutes to get the fire under …

LANCASTER, S.C. — One person was killed in a collision involving a logging truck near Lancaster Wednesday afternoon. The crash happened just after 4 p.m. on Highway 521 near Twilight Road. The driver of a red pickup truck died at the scene, according to Lancaster County authorities. No one else was injured. The cause of the collision is under investigation.

DALLAS, N.C. — Watching them work with dog trainer John Holland, Christopher Dennis and Heath Carroll are just two guys with their dogs, teaching them the basics of doggie obedience. “Sit, Peyton” Dennis says. “Good girl!” Until you notice the uniforms — green pants and white T-shirts. Until you notice the barbed wire. Until you notice the staff. Dennis and Carroll are inmates at the Dallas …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Experts agree that Para USA makes some of the best guns on the market. The guns are manufactured in Pineville. Recently, the process has come under scrutiny. North Carolina investigators with the Department of Labor visited the plant last week and have been talking to current and former employees. Before the guns are shipped out, they must be test fired. Sources say employees …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office accounts for 85 percent of all the overtime pay in the county and is $1.4 million over budget in overtime payments. The NewsChannel 36 I-Team has discovered the sheriff’s office has paid out more than $20,000 in overtime to 10 officers at Jail Central. One detention officer has taken home more than $30,000 in overtime alone, pushing her …

CONCORD, N.C. — A driver is facing charges in connection with the death of a bicyclist who was hit and killed along Highway 49 Wednesday morning. Concord police say 24-year-old Stacy Shaw is charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle. Police say Shaw was driving a 1995 Nissan that hit 35-year-old Adam Little as he was riding along Highway 49 near the intersection of Highway 601. Police say Shaw …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Federal Aviation Administration says exhaust fumes seeped into the cabin of a US Airways flight Tuesday, and that is what sent two passengers and seven crew members to Carolinas Medical Center for treatment. FAA inspectors checked over the plane that is still parked outside a US Airways hanger at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. They found faulty seals on both …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A dog that survived a tragic fire will soon be ready for a new home. The dog suffered third-degree burns in a house fire that killed two toddlers who had been left home alone by their mother. The dog, named Phoenix, was taken to Mecklenburg Animal Control after she was rescued from the Rowan Street fire two weeks ago. “We renamed her to Phoenix because she’s rising from the …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County is preparing to cut as many as 140 jobs and close 12 locations because of the county’s budget shortfall. Mecklenburg County commissioners plan to cut the library’s budget by $2 million. Library officials said the cuts and closings would be necessary in order to absorb the budget reduction. The library Board of Trustees …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx sent an e-mail to the 11 members of the City Council Sunday night telling them to not to sexually harass city staff - an unusual and explosive statement that has surprised many council members. When asked about the e-mail Monday, Foxx said he wouldn’t comment on any allegations of harassment by a council member. “I think the e-mail speaks for …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A 38-year-old man has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with a shooting in the parking lot of a local grocery store. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Team arrested Ralpheal Levatt in east Charlotte Tuesday night.     Levatt is accused of shooting 41-year old Feeon Wimbish outside a Food Lion in the Catawba Village …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office predicts it will have to cut three programs due to the county’s budget shortfall. Sheriff Chipp Bailey says he’ll cut non-mandatory areas, including courthouse security and the work release program at the jail, which trains inmates to get and keep a job. Bailey says the percentage of inmates in the work program who become repeat …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Police are investigating a shooting in Charlotte early Wednesday morning that has left a man fighting for his life. Officers tell NewsChannel 36 that they believe the shooting happened around 12′30 a.m. on Alpine Lane near Nevin Road. After the shooting, someone drove the victim to the Lodge apartments off of Mallard Creek Road near West W.T. Harris Boulevard where a taxi then …

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The family of a teenager killed after he was shocked with a Taser by a police officer in 2008 is suing the company that makes the electronic stun gun. The civil suit, filed in federal court on Tuesday, says Taser International didn’t warn its customers that the weapon could be lethal if deployed near the chest, which happened in Darryl Wayne Turner’s case. The suit, which does …

Forbes.com ranks the Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord area No. 2 on a new list of U.S. cities where renters should consider buying.  After four years renting in Charlotte, Manisha Dorawala decided it was time to become a homeowner. “I think I’d been here long enough I knew there was potential to stay here for another five years,” she said.  Before settling on a townhouse off Scott Avenue in Dilworth …

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Gov. Beverly Perdue and economic recruiters are equipped with a more generous tax credit as they travel to Hollywood to try to attract more movies and television productions to film in North Carolina. Perdue leads a group of 20 Commerce Department officials, film boosters and others arriving on Wednesday in Los Angeles for a three-day trade mission. They’ll meet studio …

A staff member at Butler High School was assaulted Tuesday while trying to break up an altercation between two students, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials. CMS officials say the staff member, who was not identified, was trying to stop a student from assaulting another student. The woman was taken to the hospital by another staff member for precautionary reasons. The student …

Fire investigators are trying to determine what started an apartment fire that damaged twenty units and destroyed two homes near Monroe Road.  No one was seriously injured in the blaze. “I saw smoke coming out of the building,” said Anya Henry who lives at the Beacon Eastchase Apartments.  “I was trying to pull the fire alarm and it was too late because people were already running out of the …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Superintendent Peter Gorman’s marching orders after a brutal budget meeting Tuesday are to see how much money Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools can save by closing schools. School board members want to see the numbers just in case and say it is something the district needs to look at. Cuts are expected to reach at least $62 million, board members said. The district now has a half …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Federal Communications Commission is forwarding its broadband plan to Congress but at least two North Carolina cities aren’t waiting around. The FCC wants Congress to do for high-speed data what it once did for roads and electricity — link it to rural and less affluent areas. Wilson and Salisbury have already laid fiber optic cable to bring high-speed Internet, phone and …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Superintendent Peter Gorman’s marching orders after a brutal budget meeting Tuesday are to see how much money Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools can save by closing schools. School board members want to see the numbers just in case and say it is something the district needs to look at. Cuts are expected to reach at least $62 million, board members said. The district now has a half …