Public Safety

UPDATE, 4:50 p.m.The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Team has captured James Jacobs and is turning him over to the Department of Corrections. Jacobs was found hiding in a camper on the Lumber River.Sheriff Jody Greene credits tips from the public with helping put Jacobs back behind bars, less than 24 hours after he escaped the CRV Facility in Lumberton. Earlier story: The Bolton man recently arrested...

Firefighters from four departments and the N.C. Forest Service battled 95-plus degree heat when they tackled a stubborn blaze along the railroad tracks Hinson’s Crossroads Thursday. “They were out there about four hours in some really high temperatures,” said Deputy Fire Marshall Chase Lancaster. “We had a great turnout, especially considering the conditions.” Cerro Gordo was the lead department on the blaze, and Fair Bluff, Roseland, Evergreen and...

Inmate Gets Life in Stabbing It took 30 minutes for a Columbus County Superior Court jury to find David Mark Fields guilty of stabbing a fellow inmate 14 times with a prison shank. Fields was sentenced to life without parole for the killing, which occurred Sept. 28, 2019 at Columbus Correctional. Testimony and video surveillance showed that Scott Whitmeyer was stabbed by fields using a homemade knife, called...