911 IN COURT: Jury selection to soon begin in murder case

Thursday, May 23rd, 2013, 12:02pm

Elijah Jones (Source: Columbus Co. Jail)

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WECT) – Jury selection is expected to begin next week for a man accused of first degree murder for a deadly shooting in 2011.

Police say Elijah Jones shot his estranged wife, Joan Everatte, and her new boyfriend Bobby Ray Shipman. Everette was killed at the scene, and Shipman was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Authorities say Jones turned himself into the courthouse shortly after the incident.

According to police, Jones and Everatte had domestic issues leading up to the shooting.

District Attorney John David said jury selection in this trial is expected to begin Tuesday in Columbus County.

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Man accused of beating dog with hammer

Submitted by Sarah Crandall, Web Producer

Thursday, May 23rd, 2013, 7:34am

Ronnie Tyler (Source: Columbus County Sheriff's Office)

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WECT) – Columbus County Sheriff's Deputies say they arrested a man Tuesday night who's accused of beating his dog in the head with a hammer.

Investigators say on May 5, some children playing outside in Hallsboro saw 53-year-old Ronnie Tyler drag his dog into the woods with a hammer. Moments later, the children heard the dog crying, so they told their mother what they allegedly saw.

[Click here to see photos of the dog afterwards -- WARNING: you may find the images to be disturbing]

The dog, Violet, is currently recovering at the Columbus Humane Society in Wilmington.

Tyler is out of jail on a $2,500 bond.

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Local missing persons cases haunt investigators, family

Submitted by Ashlea Kosikowski, WECT News

Wednesday, May 8th, 2013, 7:50am

Tristen Buddy Myers, Kynande Bennett & Rachel Natacha Owens

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – The developing story out of Cleveland involving three missing women who were found alive years after their disappearance, is providing hope to investigators, family and friends of those who have disappeared in our area.

Tristen Buddy Myers – Missing since Oct 5, 2000

Myers disappeared thirteen years ago from his home in Roseboro, NC. He was four-years-old at the time.

In interviews with WECT, Buddy's aunt told us she laid down to take a nap; she thought Buddy was sleeping too but he walked out of the house and down highway 24 with their two dogs.

Days later, the dogs returned, but Buddy never did.

There was hope for the family in 2003, when a boy meeting Buddy's description was abandoned at a hospital in Chicago. However, DNA tests showed the boy was not Buddy.

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Concerned citizens to crack down on crime

Submitted by Debra Worley, Digital Content Director

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013, 11:18am

Concerned citizens to crack down on crime

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WECT) – Concerned citizens in Columbus County will continue to talk about cracking down on crime.

Another community in Whiteville is planning to bounce ideas off each other next week.

Mayor Terry Mann said people on the west side of town have invited city officials and police to attend a meeting at the Dream Center.

The meeting will be held Monday, April 29 at 6:00 p.m.

Last week, three other neighborhoods came together for a community safety meeting. There have been several shootings in the city over the past few weeks, including one where the police chief in Bolton was shot.

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Man accused of robbing pizza delivery men charged

Submitted by WECT Web Staff

Friday, April 19th, 2013, 4:17pm

Man accused of robbing pizza delivery men charged

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WECT) – A suspect faces charges in connection to the robberies of four pizza delivery men.

Kenneth Gray Ford, also known as Worm, is accused of robbing men who were delivering pizzas from Papa John’s, Zeko’s and Pizza Hut in February and March, according to a spokesperson with the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office.

He has been charged with four counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon.

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Woman grazed by bullet in shooting at Sandy Ridge Apartments

Submitted by Debra Worley, Digital Content Director

Wednesday, April 17th, 2013, 11:42am

Woman grazed by bullet in shooting at Sandy Ridge Apartments

WHITEVILLE, NC (WECT) – Officers with the Whiteville Police Department are investigating reports of a shooting in the area Tuesday night.

According to police, a man driving in a light colored vehicle down Nolan Avenue turned around at a park and shot several people standing in the parking lot at Sandy Ridge Apartments.

Investigators say a bullet grazed Candace Jordan’s leg. She was visiting someone at the apartment complex at the time.

No other details have been released.

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UPDATE: 2 sent to hospital after dump truck overturns, catches fire

Submitted by WECT Web Staff

Thursday, April 4th, 2013, 3:46pm

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WECT) - A crash involving a dump truck that overturned and caught fire Wednesday night tied up traffic on Hwy. 74/76 near Lake Waccamaw and sent two people to the hospital, according to Trooper Baxley with Highway Patrol.

Baxley says Eugene Foster Gore who was driving a dump truck failed to yield and crashed into George Leroy Suggs who was driving a tractor trailer. Baxley said the dump truck overturned and caught fire.

According to Baxley, Gore was charged for failing to yield.

Both men were treated at Columbus Regional Healthcare System.

Baxley says, both men are expected to be ok. He tells us, Gore has a broken shoulder blade and cannot remember any of the crash.

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