Public Safety

Detectives are seeking leads about an alleged contractor fraud suspect. The sheriff’s office said the victims in the case paid the contractor an $1,800 cash deposit for repairs on a Hunter Avenue home in 2021, and the work was never completed. A relative contacted the sheriff’s office since the couple do not speak English. The contractor is alleged to have made multiple promises over several years to complete...

Lower gas prices mean more people on the roads this year for the Thanksgiving holiday, traditionally one of the busiest travel days of the year. With millions expected to travel on North Carolina roads this Thanksgiving holiday, state officials are launching a statewide “Click It or Ticket” enforcement campaign. From Nov. 24-30, law enforcement agencies statewide will increase patrols as part of the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program’s...

A Columbus County jury took less than an hour to find Cleon Cortez guilty of child sex crimes today (Nov. 21). Cleon Cortez, 53, was found guilty of taking indecent liberties with a minor and statutory sex offense, according to a release from the District Attorney’s Office. Cortex molested a child in a Tabor City home on Jan. 1, 2023, and was arrested the following May after an...