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.
Christopher Michael Welch, 38, of Conover, has been sentenced to serve 42 to 54 years in prison following his conviction for attempted first-degree murder and child abuse offenses, stemming from the prolonged abuse of three young children. The sentence was … Read More
Coy Lamar Scott Jr., 53, of Newton, was given an active prison term of seven to 13 years following his conviction for first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor during Catawba County Superior Court on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. The sentence … Read More
Gregory Shawn Kain, 57, of Newton, will serve seven to 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of trafficking fentanyl by a Catawba County jury on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. The sentence was imposed by Superior Court Karen … Read More
Nathan Carl Adams, 42, of Conover, was given an active prison sentence of six to eight years after his conviction for trafficking fentanyl during Catawba County Superior Court on Monday, July 13, 2026. The sentence was imposed by Superior Court … Read More
Nicholas Aundrey Propst, 43, of Hickory, was sentenced to an active prison term of 11 to 14 years for a workplace assault during Catawba County Superior Court on Thursday, July 9, 2026. The sentence was imposed by Superior Court Judge … Read More
Jonathan Leslie Blackburn, 59, of Conover, was sentenced to serve 18 to 23 years in prison following his conviction for attempted first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping during Catawba County Superior Court on Thursday, July 9, 2026. The sentence was imposed … Read More
A Catawba County jury needed about an hour of deliberation to find a Sparta man guilty of breaking and entering and larceny after breaking and entering during Catawba County Superior Court on Tuesday, June 30, 2026. The Honorable Nathaniel J. … Read More
Members of the Catawba County District Attorney’s Office are shown with 40 cases of water collected by the staff as a service project. The cases of water were given to Safe Harbor of North Carolina, a Christ-centered community for women … Read More
Tyon Shamar Turner, 23, of Long View, was given an active prison sentence of 10 to 13 years following his conviction for multiple firearms offenses during Catawba County Superior Court on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. The Honorable Clifton H. Smith, … Read More
Amy Lynn Gonzalez, 40, of Conover, has been sentenced to serve 39 to 50 years in prison following her conviction on multiple child abuse offenses involving three young children. The sentence was imposed by Superior Court Judge Sherri W. Elliott … Read More