News

Man flees police, enters Asheboro house before arrest

Man flees police, enters Asheboro house before arrest

ASHEBORO – An Asheboro man fled from a traffic stop and barricaded himself in his residence on West Presnell Street on Tuesday. Four elderly residents were also inside the home, Asheboro Police said. The incident ended with the arrest of Michael Wilcox, 53. The police report says police attempted to conduct a traffic stop late Tuesday morning, when the driver refused to stop, drove a short distance, exited his vehicle and entered a house. The residents were removed from the home and transported to a local senior facility, police said. By mid-afternoon, the Asheboro Police Department's SWAT team entered the…
Read More
Charges upgraded on youth in Asheboro shooting case

Charges upgraded on youth in Asheboro shooting case

ASHEBORO – There are upgraded charges against the youth who has been arrested regarding the death of Southwestern Randolph High School student Pedro Ortiz-Perez. The unnamed suspect, whose name isn’t being released because of his age (16), faces upgraded charges of first-degree murder. That came after a grand jury session earlier this month. The suspect remains in a juvenile detention facility in Rowan County. Ortiz-Perez died May 14 from gunshot wounds stemming from a shooting nearly two weeks earlier near North Asheboro Park. He was a high school soccer player and near the end of his sophomore year at Southwestern…
Read More
Chipotle opens doors in Asheboro

Chipotle opens doors in Asheboro

This Chipotle Mexican Grill opened this week in Asheboro. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – A Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant has opened in Asheboro, the first in Randolph County. The restaurant is located on the Asheboro Mall grounds in a separate structure or outparcel from the main multi-store enclosure. Its address is 1501 East Dixie Dr. in Asheboro. A worker at the Chipotle location said: “There has been a lot of buzz. There has been endless traffic.” Chipotle opened June 5 in Asheboro. The restaurant hours are 10:45 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. There is a drive-up window or,…
Read More
Area crime briefs: Teen faces charges after gunshots in Asheboro

Area crime briefs: Teen faces charges after gunshots in Asheboro

ASHEBORO – A teenager faces charges after gunshots were fired in the city late last month. Asheboro Police charged Kelvin Amad Cook, 18, with six counts of discharging a firearm inside city limits, two counts of injury to personal property, going armed to the terror of the public and resisting a public officer. He received a $25,000 secured bond. The alleged incident took place at approximately 7:50 p.m. May 24 in the area of South Church Street, West Wainman Avenue and Independence Drive. Officers arriving in the area had a short foot pursuit before detaining Cook and recovering a Taurus…
Read More
Asheboro/Randolph Chamber selects new president

Asheboro/Randolph Chamber selects new president

Adam Deathe will assume duties as president of the Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce later this summer. (Courtesy photo) ASHEBORO – A man with international connections has been hired as the new president and chief executive officer of the Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce. The chamber’s board of directors announced Wednesday that Adam Deathe will take the position that has been vacant since the end of October. “I have been looking for the right community to build upon the skill sets that I have learned over the past several years and be a part of a growing area,” Deathe said in a…
Read More
High schools set to bestow diplomas in Randolph County (updated with RCSS graduation numbers)

High schools set to bestow diplomas in Randolph County (updated with RCSS graduation numbers)

Commencements coming up for hundreds of area students  Commencements for most high school seniors will be held across the next several nights in Randolph County. Hundreds of students will take part in ceremonies marking the ends of their high school days. Friday night’s ceremony for Asheboro City Schools is set for Lee J. Stone Stadium, where there are expected to be 307 graduates. Asheboro has the largest senior class of any school in the county. Uwharrie Charter Academy’s ceremony will be Friday night in the central gym on campus, with about 150 graduates marking the school’s largest class. Last year,…
Read More
Liberty Public Library announces shift in hours

Liberty Public Library announces shift in hours

LIBERTY – Hours for the Liberty Public Library are changing as of this week. The adjustments come for Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the library opening at 11 a.m. rather than 9 a.m. In making the announcement on the time shifts, the library pointed out that mornings on Tuesdays and Thursdays were generally the slowest periods in the building. By opening later on those days, the intent is provide staff opportunities for community outreach programs, largely in the local school and preschools. Updated library hours are: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, 11…
Read More
Randolph County School System expands free lunch program

Randolph County School System expands free lunch program

All elementary and middle schools will be able to offer free meals Randolph County Schools Board of Education was presented with the list of schools that will be operating under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the 2024-25 school year. “School Nutrition plans to expand the Community Eligibility Provision or CEP program to all middle schools, Uwharrie Ridge 6-12 and Eastern Randolph High School,” Kelly Green, director of school nutrition, said a May meeting. “As you may know, this past school year, we added all elementary schools, Ramseur Elementary has been operating under it since 2015, and Southeastern Randolph Middle.”…
Read More
Parents of shooting suspect in Asheboro fatality face felony charges

Parents of shooting suspect in Asheboro fatality face felony charges

ASHEBORO – The Asheboro Police Department obtained warrants for the parents of a teenage suspect in a fatal shooting earlier this month. They’ve been charged with aiding the suspect in evading arrest. Both the mother, Denisse Vera-Covarrubias, and the father, Alfredo Martinez Ramirez, were placed in Randolph County Jail, the police department said. Pedro Ortiz-Perez died May 14, nearly two weeks after a shooting near North Asheboro Park. Ortiz-Perez, 16, was a member of the high school boys’ soccer team at Southwestern Randolph. Vera-Covarrubias, 43, was taken into custody at her home and transported to the jail with a felony…
Read More
Retired Randolph County deputy, wife die in wreck (updated)

Retired Randolph County deputy, wife die in wreck (updated)

CHADBOURN – Retired Randolph County deputy John Davie Garner and his wife, Alisha, died as a result of an automobile accident Wednesday in Columbus County.   The couple was on the on the way home from a vacation, the Randolph County sheriff’s office announced Thursday.   Greg Seabolt, the Randolph County sheriff, said in a statement: “During this time of loss, we are left with an emptiness that cannot be explained. We must hold true to our faith that one day we will see each other again. Rest easy good and faithful servant, we’ll take it from here.”   John…
Read More