Below you will find information about the latest pleas, trials, and important developments in Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba Counties. As an office, we are bound by the Rules of Professional Conduct for all North Carolina attorneys, and special rules for prosecutors. Therefore, we often only comment on cases after final disposition.
For all media inquiries and requests, for all three counties, please contact Nathan Key by phone: 828-695-6193 or email: Nathan.D.Key@nccourts.org.
Harold Lamont Mutz, 44, of Hickory, was sentenced to an active prison term of 10 to 13 years following his conviction for selling cocaine and admission of habitual felon status during Catawba County Superior Court on Monday, February 7, 2022. … Read More
Gonzalo Salinas-Cisneros, 27, of Conover, was sentenced to a serve a prison term of 26 to 33 years for his role in the October 2019 murder of two people. The Honorable Gregory R. Hayes, Superior Court Judge from Catawba County, … Read More
Andrew Lindon Paul Mungro, 36, of Lincolnton, was given an active prison sentence of nine to 12 years after he pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, second-degree kidnapping and possession of … Read More
Bryan Keith Jackson Jr., 36, of Granite Falls, was sentenced to an active prison term of 10 to 18 years following his conviction for felony solicit first-degree sexual offense, indecent liberties with a child and felony solicit child by computer … Read More
Austin Lee Barnette, 27, of Granite Falls, will spend at least six years in prison following his conviction for multiple criminal offenses and admission of habitual felon status. Barnette was given an active prison term of six to nine years … Read More
Peng Vang, 39, of Hickory, was given an active prison term of six to eight years for trafficking methamphetamine and the sale of methamphetamine during Catawba County Superior Court on Tuesday, December 7, 2021. The Honorable Craig Croom, Superior Court Judge from Wake County, imposed … Read More
Josue Romero Martinez will spend seven to 10 years in prison following his conviction for trafficking opiates during Catawba County Superior Court on Tuesday, December 7, 2021. The Honorable Craig Croom, Superior Court Judge from Wake County, imposed the sentence for Martinez … Read More
Justin Drew Dalton, 35, of Newton, will spend at least 26 years in prison following a second-degree murder conviction during Catawba County Superior Court on Monday, November 8, 2021. Dalton was given an active prison term of 26 to 32 years by the Honorable William T. Pomeroy, Superior Court … Read More
Arsenio Dewayne Curtis, 32, of Hickory, will spend the remainder of his life in prison after a Catawba County jury found him guilty on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of a Claremont couple that occurred more than … Read More
Brendan Marshall Withers, 28, of Hildebran, was given an active prison sentence following his conviction for attempted murder and other charges during Caldwell County Superior Court on Tuesday, October 12, 2021. The Honorable Craig Croom, Superior Court Judge from Wake … Read More