Hickory Police Department

Barbara Dawkins, mother of Isis 'Dee Dee' Dawkins, who disappeared in 1992 and was found dead in the Henry Fork River, North Carolina, seeks answers 34 years later. The case remains unresolved, with Brookford Police Chief Willie Armstrong revealing missing evidence and documentation during a recent review.

The Hickory Police Department has launched a cadet program for college students from App State Hickory and Catawba Valley Community College. Participants will work with the police department's Community Response Team starting this fall to prepare for the training academy and eventual roles as police officers.

Levi Scovern, 32, died in a motorcycle crash in Hickory after his 2021 Kawasaki struck a 2025 MINI Cooper. Police found excessive speed contributed to the collision, but no charges have been filed.

The Hickory Police Department identified 50-year-old Michael Steven Garhan, a homeless man, as the pedestrian killed by a train in downtown Hickory last Thursday. The collision occurred between Union Square and the Olde Hickory Station restaurant around 4:45 p.m., and Garhan died at the scene. As of Monday, no additional updates were available.

A 19-year-old motorcyclist, Alex Austin, died after crashing his 2024 Kawasaki EX500 into a Hyundai Kona on Highway 70 in Hickory. He was hospitalized but succumbed to injuries Saturday; the investigation remains ongoing with no charges filed.

A 19-year-old teenager, Alex Austin, died after a motorcycle crash in Catawba County on June 12. He was riding a Kawasaki motorcycle when it collided with a Hyundai Kona near Highway 70 Southeast. Austin was hospitalized but later died in Charlotte; no charges have been filed as of June 15.