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Police arrest Long View man wanted in string of arsons

LONG VIEW, NC (WBTV)- Long View police arrested a man wanted in connection with several arsons in the area.

Michael Gene Paysour, of Conover, is charged with four counts of second degree arson and burning personal property, according to the Long View Police Department.

The fires were reported at the Family Coin Laundry, a vacant residence and two dumpsters.

Paysour was arrested Tuesday morning and given a bond of $100,000. 

Copyright 2012 WBTV. All rights reserved.

High school basketball coach facing more sex charges

HICKORY, NC (WBTV)- A Catawba County grand jury handed down five indictments against suspended Hickory High School's basketball coach Shawn Johnson accusing him of five counts of indecent liberties with a student.

Officials tell WBTV that this is a separate victim from the one involved in a statutory rape charge filed against Johnson last month.

According to police, officers were called by the officials with Hickory Public Schools after an allegation of a sexual nature made against Johnson in May by a current student.

During the investigation, police learned of other allegations between 2007 and 2009. Johnson was charged with four counts of Statutory Rape of a person under 15-years-old occurring in 2007 and 2008 along with another count of Sexual Activity with a Student by a Teacher in 2009.

Johnson was an employee of the Hickory Public School System at the time of the alleged offenses.

Deputies shoot, kill man during hostage situation

Deputies in Catawba County shot and killed a man during a hostage situation at a home on Hudspeth Road Sunday evening.

A woman had called 911 and said her husband was threatening to shoot someone, according to the Catawba County Sheriff's Office.

When deputies arrived on scene the woman runs out of the house and is taken to safety by the deputies.

The man then comes out of the house with a gun and starts walking around. When he points it at the deputies after they asked him to drop it, they shoot him.

 Jimmy Dean Cash was pronounced dead at the scene, investigators said.

The two deputies who shot Cash have been assigned administrative duties, as is standard in NC, while the State Bureau of Investigation looks into the shooting.

 Copyright 2012 WBTV. All rights reserved.

Two arrested for guns, drugs on community college campus

HICKORY, NC (WBTV)- Two Connelly Springs men were arrested on the campus of Catawba Valley Community College when police discovered their car was stolen and they had several weapons on campus.

The incident was reported Saturday at 9:57 p.m. in a parking lot of CVCC, according to the incident report from the Hickory Police Department.

 Joshua Daniel Stilwell, 22, and Donald Scott Young, 21, were arrested on campus after police discovered Stilwell was driving a stolen Mini Cooper.

When police searched the vehicle, they found drugs and several firearms including two 12-gauge shotguns, a 9mm pistol, hydrocodon, oxycodon, marijuana and amphetamines, according to the report.

Stilwell was charged possession of a stolen motor vehicle, weapons on campus, manufacturing and possessing a weapon of mass destruction, and various other weapons and drug charges.

Investigators nab repeat offender accused of breaking and entering

Investigators nab repeat offender accused of breaking and entering

Investigators from several agencies worked together to uncover who was behind a rash of break-ins.

Colby Garrick, 27, of Hickory is behind bars on $50,000 secured bond. He is charged with nine counts of breaking and entering, and an additional nine counts of larceny after breaking and entering.

Investigators said Garrick has previously been in custody in Burke County for similar offenses.

The Alexander County Sheriff's Office, Catawba County Sheriff's Office, Iredell County Sheriff's Office, and Burke County Sheriff's Office are still investiging. In a release, investigators said they will seek more charges against Garrick.

Copyright 2012 WBTV. All rights reserved.

Fire at laundromat ruled arson, investigators say

LONG VIEW, NC (WBTV)- Fire investigators in Long View say a blaze, that destroyed a laundromat, was deliberately set and they are looking to see if it is connected to other fires.

The fire, which happened at Family Coin Laundry on Main Street, broke out just before 2 a.m. Thursday morning.

Investigators told WBTV that they believe it was set just outside the back wall of the building.

Damage is estimated at $1 Million.

According to investigators, the way the fire was set is similar to other fires in the area lately, which include a couple of dumpster and vacant building fires.

Investigators told WBTV they can't say for sure that the fires are connected.

Anyone with information should call the Long View fire department at 828-322-1311.

Copyright 2012 WBTV. All rights reserved.

Man convicted of sex crimes against child

Man convicted of sex crimes against child

A Conover man was found guilty Thursday of sex crimes against a child that occured two years ago. 

Christopher Anthony Blanton, 42, of Conover, NC, was convicted of Felony Statutory Sex Offense of a Child after a three-day trial in Catawba County Criminal Superior Court.

The jury deliberated for two hours prior to returning the verdict of guilty as charged. The defendant was sentenced to an active prison term of no less than 192 months and no more than 240 months in the North Carolina Division of Adult Correction.

The offense occurred in September of 2010. The defendant was an adult mentor to the victim.

Investigator Rick Younger from the Catawba County Sheriff’s Department handled the investigation. Assistant District Attorney Michael Van Buren prosecuted the case while the Honorable Forrest Donald Bridges presided over the trial.

Mr.