Gastonia Woman Assaults Two Minors in One Day

Toni Meeks

Gastonia police have arrested local resident Toni Nicole Meeks, 39, for two incidents that occurred Thursday.

The first incident occurred at 2760 Meade Avenue. That case involved Meeks using a stun gun on an 11 year-old boy. According to reports, Meeks used the tazer on the boy by shocking him in the neck. Though the boy was transported to an area hospital for burns he sustained, he is expected to recover. Gastonia police charged Meeks assault on a child under 12 and assault with a deadly weapon for that incident.

That same day, Meeks is accused of trying to punch a 17 year-old girl just down the street from the first case. That incident landed Meeks a simple assault charge. After her arrest, Meeks was jailed under a $9,000 bond for the assault with a deadly weapon case and a $1,000 bond for simple assault. Authorities are not certain if the two cases are connected.

Gastonia Police Arrest Two for Shooting Out of Moving Car

Rashawn Antonio Williams

 Gastonia police officers have arrested two men accused of firing a shotgun from their car as they were traveling in Gastonia Wednesday night.

Twenty-four year-old Rashawn Antonio Williams and 41 year-old Sonny James Hayes were arrested Thursday. Reports place the two in a 2006 Nissan Altima driving down the 1500 block of Poston Circle, which runs off of Franklin Boulevard near New Hope Road. Williams aimed a 12-gauge shotgun at another car and fired the gun out of the car's window.

Luckily, none of the four occupants in the other car were injured. The shooting stems from a domestic dispute between Williams and his girlfriend, and Williams mistakenly thought that she was in the other vehicle.

Sonny James Hayes

Williams faces charges including assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, discharging a firearm within city limits, and going armed to the terror of the public. Williams was jailed in Gaston County undre a $30,000 bond.

Hayes was charged with felony aid and abet for driving the vehicle as Williams fired the weapon. He was also jailed in Gaston County under a $15,000 bond.

Gastonia PD Searching for Bank Robbery Suspects

Gastonia police are searching for two suspects in a bank robbery. The suspects robbed the Carolina Cooperative Federal Credit Union just before 10:00 Friday morning. The credit union is located at 1439 East Franklin Boulevard. According to authorities, two black men entered the bank, where one of the men robbed a teller, though the amount of money stolen is not clear.

The suspects fled the scene on foot with a trash bag containing the stolen cash. The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information on this case, you could earn a reward by calling Gaston County Crime Stoppers at (704) 861-8000.

Gaston Man Charged with Statutory Rape of Lincoln County Teen

Cedrick Marquice Delon Wilson

Twenty year-old Cedrick Marquice Delon Wilson was charged with sexual assault charges by Lincoln County Sheriffs after he allegedly sexually assaulted a teenage girl over the course of about 7 weeks.

Wilson was already in jail in Gaston County on charges of failure to appear, larceny, and violation of probation. After serving 30 days in Gaston County for those charges, Wilson was transferred on Tuesday to a Lincoln County detention center, where he is currently being held under a $100,000 bond. He is charged with statutory rape of a 13 year-old, a felony offense.

Bessemer City Man Arrested for Statutory Rape

Casey Lee Cearley

Gaston County police arrested 22 year-old Casey Lee Cearley this week for allegations that he had sex with an underage girl in May.

Cearley, a native of Bessemer City, is charged with statutory rape involving someone under 16 years old. The girl was 14 at the time of the incident in question.

Cearley was jailed in Gaston County under a $30,000 bond.

Raleigh Man Killed in Gaston County Car Crash

A Gaston County car accident claimed the life of 29 year-old Michael Roberts Saturday in the early morning hours. Roberts, a native of Raleigh, was driving his Kia Optima on Chapel Grove School Road when he went off the right side of the road. The accident ejected Roberts, who hit a tree and was pronounced dead at the scene when medics arrived.

Gaston County police and GEMS paramedics responded to the accident after it was reported to Crowders Mountain Fire and Rescue shortly after 3:30 Saturday morning. North Carolina State Troopers reported that alcohol and excessive speed may have been a factor in the crash. The section of road where Roberts crashed is a 45 mph zone.

Authorities have not yet been able to determine Roberts' connection to Gaston County or where he was going at the time of the accident.

Gaston County Police Arrest Three People on Drug Charges

Gaston County police arrested three people Wednesday for various drug offenses after all three sold drugs to confidential informants.

Kerry Lamont Clay

Thirty-six year-old Kerry Lamont Clay of Bessemer City faces 10 charges related to the sale, possession, and manufacturing of cocaine. Clay was jailed in Gaston County on a $75,000 bond.

Rozanna Nash

Thirty-two year-old Rozanna Nash, also of Bessemer City, is charged with 15 drug charges including possession, distribution, and conspiracy to maintain a dwelling for cocaine. Nash was jailed in Gaston County under a $50,000 bond.

Tony Carl Harrison

Fifty-six year-old Tony Carl Harrison of Kings Mountain is facing 16 drug-related charges including trafficking, selling, and manufacturing marijuana and heroin. Harrison was arrested Wednesday but was released from Gaston County jail on an unsecured bond.

Gastonia Police Arrest 2 Men for Bank Robbery

Gastonia police officers arrested two men Thursday and charged them with robbing the PNC Bank on South New Hope Road.

Eighteen year-old Jalen Christopher Davidson and 20 year-old Kevin Lee Long Jr., both of Gastonia, were charged with robber with a dangerous weapon and a felony charge of conspiracy.  Police had initially apprehended three men, but released the third after determining that he had no part in the robbery.

The arrests are the result of a tip passed on to police, involving the description of a vehicle that was possibly involved in the robbery. Police went to investigate the call, which led them to a home on King Arthur Drive just minutes after the robbery occurred. That's where authorities found Davidson and Long, standing near a white Honda Civic that was parked on the street. In all, the pair had made out with $2,569, which was all recovered.

Davidson and Long are both being jailed in Gaston County, each under a $200,000 bond. Reports say Long, who was also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, robbed the bank with the assistance of Davidson. Though Long pointed the gun in the direction of a teller, no one was physically hurt during the robbery. Within 4 weeks, there have been two other armed bank robberies on South New Hope Road besides this case.

Jalen Christopher Davidson

Kevin Lee Long, Jr.

Mt Holly Woman Arrested for Animal Cruelty

Tracy Michelle Knight, a 30 year-old from Mt Holly, was arrested in connection with cruel animal treatment which manifested in incidents on June 24 and July 28. She is accused of neglecting three dogs, a chihuahua, pit bull, and a shepherd mix. Reports say she failed to provide the dogs with basic necessities such as food, water, and shelter.

One of the dogs, the pit bull named Jake, required veterinary attention due to extreme sores and malnutrition.

Whether or not Knight has a lawyer is unknown.

3 People Charged in Gastonia Shooting of Mother & Son

Three people have been arrested and charged in relation to a Gastonia shooting that took place at about 11:00 Tuesday night. The incident took place at a residence on Laurel Woods Drive, where a mother and her son were shot after they stepped out of their home.

Jason Scates

Kyle Matthew Stewart, 26 of Gastonia, was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon along with other charges. Stewart is being held under a $250,000 bond.

Also charged with attempted first-degree murder is Jason Daniel Scates. The 28 year-old Bessemer City native was also charged with conspiracy to commit a felony.

Twenty year-old Ashley Nicole Benfield, a native of Bessemer City, was likewise charged with attempted first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit a felony.

Taris Dial was shot in the head, torso, back, and legs with a shotgun. His mother, Lora Dial Guinn, was hit in the ankle. Both of the victims have been treated and released from the hospital

Gastonia Police Seek Suspect in Shooting

Gastonia Police are looking for the suspect in a shooting which injured two people on Laurel Woods Drive around 11:00 Tuesday night.

Two victims were shot with a shotgun and taken to Gaston Memorial Hospital for treatment where they are expected to recover.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Gaston County police at 704-866-3300.

1977 Harley Stolen in Storage Unit Burglary

Police are on the lookout after a 1977 Harley Davidson Sportster was stolen from the owners' storage unit on Friday, August 10th.

Misty Stover reported the motorcycle stolen after they noticed that their storage unit was broken into as they drove by. The storage facility's fence had been cut to allow the burglars to remove the stolen goods. To remove the vintage motorcycle, the burglars pried the storage unit's door just enough to drag the bike out.

The motorcycle was hand-built by Stover's husband Mike and was a cherished item. Thieves had broken into nearly every unit on the facility. Besides the motorcycle, the robbers took the Stover's power tools and equipment, aside from items belonging to others. The stolen items are valued at several thousand dollars. The complex had no security cameras to capture the crime.

The serial number for the bike is 3A18952H7. This number appears on both the engine and the bike's frame.

If you have any information on this incident, please call Gaston County police at 704-866-3300.

42 Graves Damaged at Gaston Co. Graveyard

Gaston County police say 42  graves were damaged at Bessemer City Memorial Cemetery Friday night. They are asking for assistance from the public after over $6,000 of estimated damage was done to marble and granite tombstones.

If you have any information on this incident, you could receive up to $1,000 in reward money for information leading to an arrest. Call the Gaston County Police Department at (704) 866-3320 or Crime Stoppers at (704) 861-8000.