A new refund scam is targeting taxpayers amid unusually large refunds this season. Here’s how the scheme works and how Charlotte filers can protect themselves.

James Douglas Drayton pleaded guilty to the 2022 killings of five men in Inman and was sentenced to five consecutive life terms without parole. Families told the judge the sentence matches the scale of the loss.

A Union County jury found Maurice Lamon Stitt guilty on multiple child-sex charges; prosecutors say the abuse began in 2003 and the victim later came forward as an adult.

An FBI-backed three-officer unit will review cybertips and hunt online predators across the Triad after a surge in reports.

Adie Moreira‑Martinez died Feb. 27 after being found with life‑threatening injuries on Feb. 4 along Harrisburg Road in east Charlotte. CMPD says a suspect was taken into custody and detectives seek tips.

A Charlotte mother says her daughter was choked inside a Rocky River High bathroom and plans to press charges as police investigate.

Prosecutors moved to revoke Timothy Hayden’s bond after court records show he missed twice‑daily breath tests tied to the Labor Day shooting that wounded an Ellerbe firefighter.

A 21-year-old man was arrested after his Hyundai crossed the median on Celanese Road, striking other vehicles; one driver later died at Piedmont Medical Center.

Two adults were arrested in Burke County and are being held without bond on felony child abuse charges. Their next court date is March 20, 2026.

A Charlotte rider was arrested and banned from CATS after police say he had a knife on a Lynx Blue Line train. The arrest arrives as transit safety remains under close review.

A head-on crash at Goldmine Road and Riverchase Drive on Friday left one person dead and another critically injured, with Monroe Police’s traffic division investigating. Emergency crews extricated both drivers.

A 65-year-old Gastonia man wanted in a 2018 statutory-rape case was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Kansas City and is being held in Missouri pending extradition.

Union County deputies say a Wingate home yielded about 36 kilograms of meth, nine firearms and one arrest; the suspect is held on a $1M secured bond.