704 Unfiltered

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said a suspect has been taken into custody following an investigation into multiple sexual assault cases.

CMPD said the suspect is accused of sexually assaulting multiple women, including a case Saturday morning. 

“We had a case this morning where the victim was able to provide a very accurate timeline and accurate description," Lt. Jim Ivie with CMPD said. 

Shortly after 7:30 p.m., officers located the suspect's vehicle and took him into custody. 

Police didn't specify exactly how many cases are believed to be tied to the suspect, but said there have been multiple cases in a span of a few days. Ivie said the crimes happened in south Charlotte within a mile of each other.

“The Archdale Drive, Nations Ford Road, Arrowhead Road, South Boulevard, I-77 -- that part of town," Ivie said.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/cmpd-update-sexual-assault-investigations/275-bb6d169a-ab81-40fd-9fcb-4bb5566a6385

The child passenger of a fatal Hickory crash has succumbed to his injuries one day after a Hickory crash involving police also killed the female driver of a minivan.

A 38-year-old woman was killed Saturday when a Hickory police officer slammed into her minivan during a chase on Friday, Sept. 8, according to a statement released by the Hickory Police Department on Saturday. The child passenger died from injuries on Sunday, Sept. 10. 

The identity of the child and his relation to the driver are unknown. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/hickory/woman-dead-child-injured-fatal-crash-involving-hickory-police-officer-car-chase-traffic-speeding-deadly-collision-driver/275-bdd18649-c1cd-49bb-8746-09dc320461af

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

Students and a school bus driver were evaluated after a crash in northeast Charlotte on Thursday.

A school bus was struck by a pickup truck near the intersection of Oak Leigh Drive and University City Boulevard on Thursday around 5:30 p.m., according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Officials say the bus was transporting students from Mallard Creek Elementary School.

Medic says four people received minor injuries in the crash. CMS says the bus driver and four students were evaluated. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says none of the students were injured. 

The crash caused University Boulevard to be closed in the area for two hours., according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/students-injured-after-school-bus-crash-in-university-city-area-charlotte-north-carolina-oak-leigh-drive-cms-bus-crash/275-ec0c9bb7-413b-47d5-a879-81fe05492b94

WCNC Charlotte obtained pictures from Labor Day weekend when cars parked at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport employee parking lots were broken into. 

Shane Vaughn, chairman for Allied Pilots Association in Charlotte representing 2,000 American Airlines pilots, said the organization received reports of about a dozen break-ins.

The parking areas for flight crews are right before you get to the terminal.

"The last thing anybody needs, whether it's an employee or a passenger, is to go on a trip and then worry about their vehicle, whether it's going to be broken into or, even there," Vaughn said.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/car-break-ins-employee-parking-lot-charlotte-douglas-international-airport-flight-crews/275-19146e66-750e-430e-a5ec-78616baf4b52

A crash on Sunday in south Charlotte left a high school student dead. 

Ella Lukse, a 10th-grade student at Providence High School, was killed after being involved in a car crash on Raintree Lane on Sunday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools confirmed on Tuesday.

The school's principal sent a message out to parents saying school officials were heartbroken by Luske's death and asked everyone to keep her family and friends in their thoughts. CMS's Crisis Response Team will be at the school to assist with the emotional needs of anyone impacted by the situation.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say the crash happened around 8:57 p.m. on Raintree Lane. A 2006 Jeep was traveling south when it struck a 2019 Volkswagen. The Jeep then overturned and the Volkswagen struck a tree. Luske was a passenger in the Volkswagen.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/providence-high-school-student-dies-in-crash-teen-driver-arrested-charlotte-north-carolina/275-c0b3e655-fcfb-4da1-81ae-097066fe0d57

Detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department are asking for the public's help identifying a suspect wanted for the robbery and sexual assault of a handicapped person in north Charlotte last month. 

The incident happened on Aug. 11 along Catherine Simmons Avenue across from Lincoln Heights Park. CMPD released a photo of the man asking witnesses to call Charlotte Crime Stoppers. 

The suspect is described as a Black male and he was last seen wearing a white tank top, black pants or shorts and a baseball cap. 

Anyone with information about the suspect's identity or whereabouts is asked to call Charlotte Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. Tipsters could be eligible for a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/charlotte-north-carolina-crime-sex-assault-suspect-wanted-police/275-c7b49757-0aa8-43d3-b653-6ba12602cc9e

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT!

The town of Davidson is on a mission to get people safely across the streets.

Starting Tuesday, a new town ordinance makes it improper to jaywalk or cross streets outside of sidewalks. Those who are caught improperly crossing the street could be cited.

“People will usually just walk across at any part of the streets, and they don’t wait for the crosswalk,” Kelly Brower, a Cornelius resident, told WCNC Charlotte's Jesse Pierre, who visited Davidson Monday.

Town and community leaders have been working on initiatives to make the town safer for walkers, bikers and drivers.

“What used to be maybe safe to do four or five years ago, now it's become much more difficult,” Kimber Davidson, the police chief of the town with whom he shares a name, explained. “So, we're trying to encourage through voluntary compliance, the use of the crosswalks.”

Town Manager Jamie Justice supports this initiative.

"We want everyone to be safe. There is so much activity in these pedestrian safety zones," Justice said. "We ask that everyone use the approved crosswalks to avoid any more pedestrian injuries or fatalities."   

Town leaders said they adopted the "improper road crossing ordinance" after three incidents where people were hit and killed in recent years.

Over the last month, Davidson police officers have been educating people about the new rule.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/davidson-citing-people-improperly-cross-street-jaywalk-fine/275-c7389180-f0da-44c4-8236-dafcfbbcc8c6

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT!

Police are asking for the public's assistance in identifying a man seen entering dorm rooms at Belmont Abbey College.

The man entered dorm rooms at St. Michael's Dorm early Sunday morning, according to the Belmont Abbey College Police Department. 

Police say he only entered dorm rooms that were unlocked. Police did not say if anyone was harmed or if any items were stolen during the incident.

The man was later seen getting in an unidentified blue vehicle.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Belmont Abbey College police at (704) 400-6200.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/police-looking-to-identify-intruder-who-entered-belmont-abbey-college-dorm-rooms-belmont-north-carolina/275-808774fa-a6fd-49b3-b31d-c0d7429d2f3d

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

A 19-year-old has been charged in connection to a 2021 Charlotte homicide, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. He was already in custody in Mecklenburg County for an unrelated murder.

WCNC Charlotte is choosing to show the mugshot of the suspect in this case because of the severity of the crimes committed. 

In July of 2021, 33-year-old Michael Camp died from his injuries after being shot in the area of Pressley Road, between Clanton Road and South Tryon Street.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/suspect-charged-2021-homicide/275-97377e8e-9481-4f3e-bcdd-6b335d7fc21d

Tropical Storm Idalia left many coastal communities partially underwater in South Carolina and North Carolina as it dumped heavy rain on the region Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Richard DeVayne joins us from Charleston with the latest update on conditions, where forecaters say the fifth-highest storm surge ever recorded happened during Idalia.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/weather/hurricane-idalia-flooding-rain-carolinas/275-83bf3e09-e95a-497a-86d2-63ae96d4acce

Students at the University of North Carolina return to class for the first time Thursday since a professor was shot and killed on campus. Thousands of people gathered to honor the life of Zijie Yan Wednesday night, with the university's chancellor addressing them during a vigil. Destiny Richards has a report on what students are feeling as they prepare for life after tragedy.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/unc-chapel-hill-bell-tower-professor-honored-killed-in-shooting-zijie-yan/275-efd7f33f-cbde-49d6-82b6-aae6a44f635b

Plus, we're going over the biggest headlines to get your day started with your morning rush.

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

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A natural gas leak caused last week's Mooresville home explosion that killed the father of Tennessee Titans player Caleb Farley, Iredell County investigators revealed Tuesday. 

The Iredell County Fire Marshal's Office said the explosion was triggered by natural gas with an unknown point of origin. While investigators were able to make that determination, the office said the instability of the home's remaining structure prevented them from investigating the cause and origin of the explosion.

Robert Farley, 61, died in the explosion while another person at the home, identified as 25-year-old family friend Christian Rogers, suffered a concussion and was treated at a Charlotte hospital.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/mooresville-nc-home-explosion-chris-caleb-farley-local-news/275-e43a78c3-914f-461a-aa4b-2d198c662fc1

The Charlotte City Council was expected to decide at Monday night's council meeting which project proposal it prefers for Eastland Yards. 

However, instead of voting for one plan, councilmembers voted unanimously to task the developers behind the two final proposals to collaborate on one new vision. 

The future of the 29-acre site of part of the old Eastland Mall property could finally be determined after what some community members have called a drawn out process. 

City leaders have previously said they're taking their time to make sure they find the right fit for the site but neighbors are tired of the site sitting vacant. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/charlotte-city-council-discuss-eastland-yards/275-0a7c246e-e7e5-4457-ad37-134f23c9900c

Monday, a Gastonia church closed its encampment where dozens of homeless people lived. Some have been there for months, some even a year.

This is the same church in a legal battle with the city of Gastonia.

Faith Hope and Love Community Enrichment Ministries said they were between a rock and a hard place. They continued to face fines from the city and with the lawsuit looming, closing the encampment was the only thing they felt they could do.

Pastor Moses Colbert is the executive director of the ministry.

“It is heart-wrenching because we have all of these people and we have to put them off the property and they have nowhere to go,” Pastor Moses Colbert said.

Many people lived in tents on the property. Pastor Moses Colbert said the population reaches over 100 at night. They were all told they had to vacate by Monday morning.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/gastonia/gastonia-church-closes-homeless-encampment/275-ffd1377f-d60c-40ba-a93f-e00ef2d89c12

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT!