Cleveland County officials said it has arrested six people on suspicion of trafficking.
Deputies with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office said they created a profile presenting themselves as children, luring the suspects in.
Cleveland County officials said the arrests were made within a three-day span earlier this month. This is the fourth such operation they’ve conducted this year. Detectives said they talked to suspects on a variety of online platforms before setting up an in-person meeting.
“These predators, they know where these kids are at,” said Capt. Steve Lowe with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office. “They know which sites these kids are chatting on.”
A man reportedly trying to shoplift camping supplies and clothes from a Cleveland Mall store was fatally shot Monday and a store employee now faces a first-degree murder charge.
“How did we go from shoplifting to homicide?” Shelby Police Chief Jeff Ledford wondered aloud. “I’m not sure. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered to understand that.”
While the investigation continues, Ledford said Jacob Wesley Isenhour, who worked for Dunham s Sports, would not be in Cleveland County Jail facing a murder charge if he had picked up a phone and called police rather than take off after shoplifting suspect Bryan Allen Francis with a gun.
A Mount Holly man accused of shooting and killing a police officer last week will remain in jail without bond.
Joshua Funk, 24, made his first public appearance Friday morning since the shooting death of Mount Holly Police Officer Tyler Herndon last week. Investigators believe Funk shot and wounded Herndon with a handgun during an early morning shooting on Dec. 11. Herndon died at the hospital later that morning.
A Gaston County grand jury indicted Funk on first-degree murder Monday morning.
Mount Holly Police Chief Don Roper, Deputy Chief Brian Reagan and seven other Mount Holly Police officers walked into the courthouse together and sat quietly in the courtroom pews ahead of Funk’s arraignment Friday morning.
Joshua Funk was charged with first-degree murder in the on-duty shooting of Mount Holly officer Tyler Herndon. Author: Hank Lee, Brandon Goldner Published: 8:43 AM EST December 18, 2020 Updated: 10:45 PM EST December 18, 2020
GASTON COUNTY, N.C. The man accused of shooting and killing Mount Holly Police officer Tyler Herndon during a break-in last week made his first appearance Friday after being indicted for murder on Monday.
Joshua Tyler Funk, 24, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Herdon s death on Dec. 11. He was taken to the hospital for treatment before being arrested. Funk has been held in the Cleveland County Jail since his arrest.