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.

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.