crime

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
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
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
Man charged with murder after Franklinville shooting

Man charged with murder after Franklinville shooting

ASHEBORO – A Franklinville man was expected in Randolph County District Court today to face murder charges. Randolph County Sheriff's Deputies arrested Roy Clay Williams, 54, for murder on Tuesday, after responding to a report of gunshots and finding a woman dead at the residence on Clark Avenue in Franklinville. Williams was being held without bond at Randolph County Jail after being booked just before midnight on Feb. 27, 2024. He was expected in Randolph County District Court in the morning. Jail records show Williams with a home address identical to the one police were dispatched to, but law enforcement…
Read More
Escapee caught in Liberty

Escapee caught in Liberty

Ronnie Dwayne East (N.C. Department of Adult Correction) LIBERTY – A Raleigh prisoner with Randolph County ties was apprehended near Ramsey Julian Road in Liberty on Friday at least a couple of hours after he left a Raleigh work site. Ronnie Dwayne East, 41, was captured by Randolph County sheriff’s deputies around 5:10 p.m. He had been discovered missing shortly after 3 p.m. based on information from the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction. Based on reports from law enforcement, East stole a state-owned pickup truck from the work site. Upon his capture, East was transported to another correctional facility.…
Read More
Pipe bombs, fugitive keep sheriff’s department on alert

Pipe bombs, fugitive keep sheriff’s department on alert

RANDLEMAN – A couple of notable crime reports came during the past week from the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office. A citizen contacted sheriff’s office communications because of what appeared to be the uncovering of pipe bombs. The sheriff’s office responded to Providence Church Road in Randleman. Deputies on the scene saw pictures taken by the person and confirmed that these were “consistent with the construction of explosive material.” Area residents were asked to evacuate and the Greensboro Police Department Bomb Squad was called in for assistance. Two viable devices and five partially constructed devices were identified and destroyed. The sheriff’s…
Read More
Fugitive with Asheboro ties caught in New York

Fugitive with Asheboro ties caught in New York

ASHEBORO — U.S. Marshals were involved in an arrest of a man with Asheboro ties connected to alleged drug trafficking and planned to extradite him back to North Carolina from New York. The development involving Ryheem Miller played out when he was tracked down in a rural upstate New York city. According to the Norwich (N.Y.) Evening Sun, Miller had been on the run as a fugitive after being arrested on drug charges in North Carolina.  Norwich Police Department and the U.S. Marshalls Service’s New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force took Miller into custody without incident at a Norwich…
Read More
HUDSON: Protecting our community

HUDSON: Protecting our community

Every day, brave men and women kiss their loved ones goodbye and go to work, knowing that day could be their last. These are police officers who work all throughout the year to protect our communities, even under threats like never before. It’s National Police Week, a time to honor those who have fallen in the line of duty and thank our nation’s law enforcement for all they do to protect this country. Being a police officer is one of the most challenging jobs out there, yet thousands of brave men and women answer the call every day to serve…
Read More
Four charged in catalytic converter theft ring

Four charged in catalytic converter theft ring

ASHEBORO — Members of the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office were involved in weeks of investigating before announcing arrests that what has been described as a theft ring targeting catalytic converters. The investigation stretched to multiple counties. Eventually, charges were filed against James Kennedy Jr., 28; Ricky Shawn Morris, 38; Christopher Allen Bolling, 37; and Christopher Cole Lawson, 35.  Police reported that catalytic converters were taken from a variety of locales. Automobiles owned by some of the victims were simply in parking lots. “It takes a lot of money to replace those converters,” Randolph County Sheriff Greg Seabolt said. “That’s money…
Read More