Wednesday, January 15
Shadow

News

Wife Accused of Murdering Firefighter Receives $1-million Bond

Wife Accused of Murdering Firefighter Receives $1-million Bond

News
MJ Auman (Credit - Ramseur Fire Department via Facebook) ASHEBORO N.C. - The wife of a local firefighter, accused of his murder and currently in jail, has received a $1 million dollar bond. MJ Auman, a firefighter with the Seagrove Fire Dept, died of a fatal gunshot wound on June 25th, 2022. An investigation by the Randolph County Sheriff's Office led to charges against the wife Heather Auman who has been confined at the Randolph County Jail without bond, facing a charge of first-degree murder since June 29th, 2022. The state recently declined to purse a capital case, taking the death penalty off the table, and allowing the defense attorneys for Auman to submit a monition for bond, which was held on Monday, February 6th, 2023. Lawyers for Auman argued that due to her employme...
Pedestrian Killed in Early Morning Crash

Pedestrian Killed in Early Morning Crash

Breaking News
ASHEBORO N.C. – A pedestrian was struck and killed by a driver attempting to pass another car early this morning. According to a press release from the N.C. Highway Patrol, at 5:38 am, On Monday, February 6th, 2023, Troopers responded to a crash that occurred on Prospect Street near Turnpike Road in Randolph County. Troopers say that Dredrick Shavonte Cooper, 32, of Thomasville, N.C., was traveling north on Prospect Street operating a 2000 Lincoln LS passenger vehicle. Joseph Kennth Rowbottom, 49, of Archdale, N.C., was a pedestrian walking north on the southbound shoulder of Prospect Street. Cooper attempted to pass a vehicle traveling in the same direction, traveled off the roadway to the left and struck Rowbottom. Rowbottom died on-scene. Cooper was uninjured in the cra...
Driver Charged with Hit & Run after Striking Power Pole

Driver Charged with Hit & Run after Striking Power Pole

Crime
ASHEBORO N.C. - A driver has been charged in connection with a hit and run accident after police say he struck a power pole and left the scene late last year. On December 26th, 2022, just before 3 AM an Officer with the Asheboro Police Department responded to South Park Street at West Kivett Street in reference to a report of a hit and run. When police arrived, they found a power pole at the corner of the intersection snapped in several pieces. The vehicle was still at the scene and when police ran the license plate on the vehicle through a database it came back as stolen from Ravenwood Drive in Asheboro. Officers located two occupants walking away from the scene and through speaking with them were able to identify the driver as Bobby Ray Wood.  An Officer with the ...
Wheatmore Middle Evacuated Wednesday After Bomb Threat

Wheatmore Middle Evacuated Wednesday After Bomb Threat

News
ASHEBORO N.C. - Wheatmore Middle School was evacuated Wednesday afternoon after the school discovered a potential threat to the safety of the school written on the wall of a bathroom. On February 1st, 2023, at 2 PM, Wheatmore Middle School's principal, Dr. Bruce Carrol sent out a phone message to parents saying that the school had to be evacuated due to a threat to the safety of the school. That message said in full: "Good afternoon, Wheatmore Middle School parents, this is Principal Bruce Carroll. I am calling to inform you that a potential threat to the safety of the school was discovered today in relation to a statement written on a bathroom wall on the school’s campus. As a result of the discovery of the potential threat, all students and staff were evacuated from the building a...
Sherriff’s Office Seeking Help Identifying Suspect in Courthouse Vandalism

Sherriff’s Office Seeking Help Identifying Suspect in Courthouse Vandalism

Crime
https://youtu.be/xbr0XxUfXNo ASHEBORO N.C. - The Randolph County Sheriff's Office is asking for help from the public in identifying a suspect connected to vandalism at the courthouse last weekend. According to an online press release, on January 29th, 2023, the Sheriff Office's Criminal Investigations Division was called to investigate vandalism that occurred at the Randolph County Courthouse on Salisbury Street in Asheboro. Video surveillance of the incident captured the perpetrator, described as a black male, wearing black in color pants, a gray sweatshirt, red sneakers/boots, and a tan in color toboggan throwing rocks through several of the windows. According to the Sheriff's Office, the same subject is believed to be responsible for other vandalisms that occurred the same...
Sheriff’s Office Makes Arrests in Two Sex Crime Cases

Sheriff’s Office Makes Arrests in Two Sex Crime Cases

Crime
ASHEBORO N.C. - The Randolph County Sheriff's Office has made two arrests in two separate cases after receiving information regarding allegations of sexual offenses involving minors. On January 13th, 2023, the Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Detectives brought charges against Bernard Joseph McSweeney for four counts of felony disseminating obscenities. On January 23, 2023, McSweeney was apprehended by the Criminal Apprehension Team onHewitt St. in Greensboro, NC.  He was transported to the Randolph County Jail and taken beforethe magistrate who issued a secured bond in the amount of $ 25,000 and had a first appearance onJanuary 24th, 2023, in Randolph County District Court. Bernard Joseph McSweeney Felony disseminating obscenities (4 Counts) $25,0...
Wrong Way Driver Dies in Early Morning Accident

Wrong Way Driver Dies in Early Morning Accident

Breaking News
ASHEBORO N.C. - A crash this morning has left one dead after a driver crashed head-on into another vehicle while traveling the wrong way on I-73/74. At approximately 10:10 AM, on January 31, 2023, officers with the Asheboro Police Department responded to reports of traffic crash on I-73 North of McDowell Road. Callers reported seeing a white Nissan Frontier traveling North in the Southbound Lane of I-73 immediately before the crash. When emergency personnel arrived on scene, they discovered that the Nissan Frontier had struck a Toyota Tacoma that was traveling Southbound. The driver of the Nissan Frontier, a 94-year-old male, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver and occupant of the Toyota Tacoma were transported to a local medical facility for evaluation but did not ...
RCSO: Traffic Stop finds Evidence of Robbery

RCSO: Traffic Stop finds Evidence of Robbery

Crime
ASHEBORO N.C. - A traffic stop in Asheboro last week discovered evidence of a robbery and led to the arrest of a driver and a passenger. On January 18, 2023, a Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on Doris Acres St. near Grantville Ln., in Asheboro. According to a press release from the Sheriff's Office, during a search of the vehicle, deputies located paraphernalia and US Currency along with an empty Domino’s Pizza deposit bag in the possession of one of the passengers, identified as Stephanie Nichole Langley. During the investigation, deputies discovered that the bag belonged to Dominos in Robbins. The Robbins Police Department was contacted and reported that a larceny had been reported by that business. Robbins Police Department re...
Randolph County School System First to Receive Electric Bus

Randolph County School System First to Receive Electric Bus

News
Left to right: Phillip Lanier, Randolph County Board of Education member; Michael Trent, Director of Innovative Energy Solutions, Randolph Electric Membership Corp.; Roy Parks, Western Regional Sales Manager, Carolina Thomas; Dr. Stephen Gainey, Superintendent, Randolph County School System; Elizabeth Biser, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality; Shannon Whitaker, Randolph County Board of Education member; Kevin Harrison, Section Chief, Office of District Operations, NC Department of Public Instruction (Credit: Randolph County Schools) ASHEBORO N.C. - The Randolph County School System (RCSS) is the first public school district in our state to receive an electric school bus as part of a new pilot program funded by the N.C. Volkswagen Settlement Program. F...
Weather a Factor in Fatal Randleman Crash

Weather a Factor in Fatal Randleman Crash

Breaking News
W Academy St was closed late Sunday night as police investigate the scene of a fatal accident. [Scott Pelkey | RNN/ North State Journal] ASHEBORO N.C. - Randleman Police and Randolph County EMS responded to a vehicle crash Sunday night where one person died. Today in a press release, Steven Leonard, Chief of Police for the Randleman Police Department says that 21-year-old, Stacie Nicole Luther of Randleman, was traveling west on W. Academy Street toward Stout Street when she passed a Randolph County Sheriff’s Deputy traveling in the same direction. That deputy said that as Luther’s vehicle attempted to pass him, he witnessed the vehicle lose traction on the rain covered road and cross the centerline before regaining control. As Luther continued to accelerate and pull away from th...