Public Safety

Whiteville Police arrested a man after a vehicle chase and foot pursuit Monday. Brandon William Hammonds, 41, was held under $10,000 secured bond on charges of possession of methamphetamine, hit and run, driving while license revoked, resisting an officer, and paraphernalia possession. His address was listed in court documents as 3456 Pleasant Plains Church Road, Whiteville. Hammonds allegedly fled a traffic stop in downtown Whiteville and crashed into...

The N.C. State Crime Lab had 1,466 CODIS hits in the past fiscal year, breaking the previous record of 1,382 hits in fiscal year 2023. The State Crime Lab analyzes evidence and uploads DNA to CODIS, the system of local, state, and national criminal justice DNA databases. A hit occurs when the DNA sample matches that of a person with a previous conviction or arrest already in the CODIS system or when...

Developing story An apparent lightning strike caused a fire in part of the old ice house at Main and Franklin streets this afternoon (Friday). Whiteville Fire Department and other first responders are on the scene. There are no reports of injuries. Streets are blocked in the vicinity of East Main and Franklin while crews work to extinguish the blaze and secure the scene. The smoke was visible throughout...