crime - Randolph Record

01 Jan

Court gives Randleman woman new trial in self-defense case

Associated PressNewscrime, Randleman, randolph county

RALEIGH — A North Carolina appeals court has said for a second time that a woman convicted of killing her lover should receive a new trial, declaring that text messages and photos from her cellphone wrongly presented to the jury likely prevented her acquittal on self-defense grounds. A divided three-judge panel of the intermediate-level Court of Appeals ruled this week that the judge in the 2019 trial of Wendy Dawn Lamb Hicks erred by allowing that evidence from local prosecutors and without instructions to jurors limiting how it should be considered. The jury convicted Hicks of second-degree murder in the…

31 Dec

2024 in review: Politics, sadness and projects in Randolph County

Bob SuttonNews2024, 2024 elections, crime, randolph county, Year in Review

ASHEBORO – Politics tended to dominate much of the conversation in Randolph County during 2024. Even the presidential campaign made inroads in the county. There was an August campaign event featuring Donald Trump, who was voted back into office in November. The November results weren’t only favorable for Trump among Republicans. The party maintained its stronghold on local politics. That included the Randolph County Board of Commissioners, who remained dominated by Republicans. Lester Rivenbark was elected to become a newcomer on the board. There were heavy voter turnouts in Randolph County, pretty much mirroring what was happening around the state…

23 Dec

Charges filed after vehicle break-ins near YMCA in Asheboro

Randolph RecordNewsAsheboro, crime, Randolph-Asheboro YMCA

ASHEBORO – Four arrests have been made and charges filed involving vehicle break-ins this month at the Randolph-Asheboro YMCA. Asheboro Police announced the developments that involved multiple police agencies. The suspects might be part of a larger crime ring. Asheboro Police said that visitors to the YMCA had personal property and identifications stolen from vehicles Dec. 12. Windows were shattered on those vehicles. Police in Asheboro obtained a description of the vehicle with a Georgia license plate. That vehicle and suspects were spotted in Connecticut. An earlier break in the case came, based on information from Asheboro Police, when the…

02 Dec

Car found connected to Asheboro homicide

Randolph RecordNewsAsheboro Police Department, crime, homicide

ASHEBORO – A vehicle linked to a homicide investigation in Asheboro was located in Durham, based on information from the Asheboro Police Department. A Navy veteran was killed in a Veterans Day shooting. Two suspects, described as male, remain at large as of the beginning of this week. David Matthew Davis, 39, died inside 64 Skillz, based on an initial police report. The vehicle, a gray 2013 Toyota Avalon with North Carolina license plate LAH-9992, is what police believe two suspects used in connection to the Nov. 11 incident. Investigators released photos of the vehicle as well as the two…

02 Dec

Indictment stems from child’s 2023 death in Randolph County

Randolph RecordNewscrime, randolph county

SEAGROVE — A grand jury has indicted a couple about 16 months after the death of their child. According to the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, during the November 2024 session of the grand jury, a true bill of indictment was issued for Billy Gene Myers Jr. and Christina Ashley Myers for felony first-degree murder. Billy Myers was served his indictment on Nov. 21, and Christina Myers was served on Nov. 22. Neither of them was given bond. These indictments were issued “as a result of an investigation by the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division,” according to the sheriff’s…

11 Nov

Police: Navy veteran dies in Asheboro shooting on Veteran’s Day

Randolph RecordNewsAsheboro, Asheboro Police Department, crime, shooting

ASHEBORO – A Navy veteran was killed in the city on Veteran’s Day in an incident that was reported as part of an armed robbery, according to information provided from Asheboro Police Department. David Matthew Davis, 39, died inside 64 Skillz, based on an initial police report. The Davis family provided information to police about the deceased’s background. Davis was an employee of 64 Skillz. The business owner indicated to police that he’ll put up a cash reward to help obtain information to assist police in the case. At 7:30 a.m. Monday, officers with the Asheboro Police Department were dispatched…

09 Sep

Liberty teen’s death brings protests, charges

Randolph RecordNewscrime, Liberty, N.C. Highway Patrol

GRAHAM – The death of a teenager Daniela Trejo Mendiola near Liberty has led to controversy and then an arrest last week. The accident occurred in rural Alamance County not far from the Randolph County line. Mendiola, 17, was a pedestrian when she was struck after dark on the night of Aug. 20 along Oak Grove Church Road. Despite the identity revealed of the driver of the vehicle involved in the incident, about two weeks passed without further resolution in the case. Last week, demonstrations took place in downtown Graham with protesters demanding justice. Then charges were filed Sept. 4…

20 Aug

Asheboro shooting leads to charges, suspect jailed

Randolph RecordNewsAsheboro, crime, shooting

ASHEBORO – Charges have been filed after a shooting last week on North Fayetteville Street. Alexander Pulido, 21, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, shooting into an occupied vehicle, going armed to the terror of the public, injury to personal property and discharge of a firearm in city limits, according to information from the Asheboro Police Department. The alleged incident occurred around 3 p.m. Aug. 15 in the street’s 1400 block. Pulido was jailed under no bond. The victim was Cedric Lee Jr., who was transported to a hospital in Guilford…

11 Jun

Man flees police, enters Asheboro house before arrest

Randolph RecordNewsAsheboro Police Department, crime

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…

10 Jun

Charges upgraded on youth in Asheboro shooting case

Randolph RecordNewsAsheboro, crime, grand jury, randolph county, shooting

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…