34-year-old James Jaron Moore of 9^th Avenue Drive N.E. in Hickory was arrested at about 11:20 last night (July 16) by Hickory Police on one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.

He was arrested after Police responded to reports of an assault at Moore’s apartment. Officers arrived to find E.M.S. personnel in the process of taking the victim, a 25-year-old man, to Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory for treatment of cuts and scratches to his hands, fingers, forearm, head and stomach. He was treated at the hospital and released.

The victim and James Moore were roommates since last month. Moore was present at the apartment when Police arrived and was taken into custody without incident. He did not suffer any apparent injuries. The nature of the altercation between the two men is unclear. The weapon allegedly used by Moore was a pocketknife.

Moore was jailed in the Catawba Co. Detention Facility under a $20,000 secured bond. He will appear in District Court tomorrow in Newton.

31-year-old Kelli Elizabeth Ledford of the Hickory-Lincolnton Highway in Newton has been served a felony indictment by Catawba Co. Sheriff’s Officers for child abuse inflicting serious injury and involuntary manslaughter.

Ledford was charged in connection to the death of her four-year-old son, Logan Putnam. The boy died after he was underwater for ten minutes in Lookout Shoals Lake, just north of I-40 and east of Highway 16, on May 24. Someone on the scene attempted to perform CPR, but he died in the hospital two days later.

She was jailed Monday (July 14) in the Catawba Co. Detention Facility under a $100,000 secured bond. Ledford will appear in Superior Court tomorrow (July 18) in Newton.

In an unrelated matter, Ledford also faces felony charges in Burke County for robbery with a dangerous weapon and accessory after the fact, as well as misdemeanor charges for larceny and possession of stolen goods or property. A District Court date was set for August 20 with a Superior Court date on September 8, both in Morganton.

Hickory Police have released more information in the arrest of 41-year-old Crisoforo Parra Casareal of 16th Avenue N.W. in Hickory, who was taken into custody last Friday (July 11).  He was charged with indecent liberties with a child and first-degree sexual assault.  In addition, Casareal faces a pending charge of operating an unlicensed daycare.  Also arrested yesterday (July 16) was 32-year-old Tonya Lynn Casareal of the same address on a felony warrant for operating an unlicensed daycare.

On July 9, Hickory Police responded to 135 16th Avenue N.W. in Hickory in reference to a report of a sexual assault on a child.  Upon arrival, Officers discovered an unlicensed in-home daycare facility.  An investigation was started resulting in the two arrests.

Crisoforo Casareal was placed in the Catawba Co. Detention Facility under a $200,000 secured bond.  He had a first appearance in District Court Monday (July 14) with another court date coming up on July 31.  Tonya Casareal is not in custody at this time.  She has a court date scheduled for July 18.

The investigation is ongoing.  Anyone with knowledge of children who were taken to that address should contact the Hickory Police Department at 828-328-5551.

The investigation is still in the early stages.  No further information will be released at this time.

An accident last night (July 16) in Caldwell County on Highway 18/64, also known as Morganton Boulevard, has resulted in three fatalities. The accident occurred at about 5:45 p.m. in Gamewell.

Killed in the crash were 29-year-old Sabrina Handy of 209 Wilson Street in Lenoir, her four-year-old son Carson Handy and her grandmother, 75-year-old Carolyn Handy. Sabrina Handy had just picked up her grandmother from the hospital where she was treated for pneumonia. Ms. Handy was traveling to her mother's house in Morganton when she turned around on Morganton Boulevard and began driving back toward Lenoir at speeds estimated at 80 MPH.

Carolyn Handy was in the front passenger seat with Carson in the left rear seat. Troopers speculate that Carolyn Handy may have had a medical problem and Sabrina Handy was trying rush her back to the hospital.

The 2007 Kia Spectra driven by Sabrina Handy reportedly swerved across the centerline before crashing into a westbound Lexus driven by 66-year-old Geralene Patterson of Kannapolis. Adrienne Caldwell of New York was a passenger in the Lexus.

The Handys were ejected or partially ejected from the vehicle. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

Ms. Patterson and Ms. Caldwell were taken to Caldwell Memorial Hospital. Patterson was listed in good condition today with cuts on her hands. Caldwell was later taken to Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem. No update on her condition was available.

It’s not clear at this time if any charges will be filed.