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Volume 136 • Issue 38
kmherald.com • 704-484-1047
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
75¢
KMHS Homecoming Released court records point to Block Party Sept. 20 homicide in Asha Degree case By Loretta Cozart
KM Forward and the City of Kings Mountain are hosting a KM Homecoming Block Party on Friday, September 20, from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm in the 200 block of S. Railroad Avenue downtown. They will have a DJ sponsored by WGNC AM 1450/FM 101.1. The public is invited to attend and enjoy the parade and cheer on the KMHS Mountaineers. Food will be available for purchase, and
the music will continue until 5:30 p.m. Portions of Mountain and West Gold Streets, along with the 200 block of Railroad Avenue, will be closed beginning at 2:00 p.m. Mountain and Gold Streets will reopen after the parade, and the 200 block of Railroad Avenue will reopen at 5:30 p.m. Be sure to wear your Glack and Gold and join the community in showing your Mountie Pride!
KM man killed in wreck By Loretta Cozart On Wednesday, September 11, at 8:11 a.m., the Kings Mountain Police Department (KMPD) received several 911 calls reporting a traffic accident with injuries near South Battleground Avenue and Raven Circle. It involved a small pickup truck and a large box truck. When the officers arrived, they found the pick-up truck driver trapped inside his vehicle. The Kings Mountain Fire Department was on the scene and used specialized equipment to free the driver. The
driver was then taken by Cleveland County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to Atrium Health in Kings Mountain. Edmond Joseph Bukoski, 73, of Kings Mountain, did not survive the accident. The driver of the box truck did not suffer any life-threatening injuries. There are no criminal charges as of this time. If you have any information about this accident, please contact the Kings Mountain Police Department at (704)734-0444.
September is Regina Ruff Ovarian Cancer
By Loretta Cozart On Monday morning, court records were released stating that Asha Degree was the victim of a homicide. Investigators believe her body was concealed. The warrants and affidavits that Sheriff Norman’s office shared contained the following information. • The report identifies four individuals in connection with the case: Roy Lee Dedmon, Connie Dedmon, AnnaLee Victoria Dedmon Ramirez, and Russell Bradley Underhill. Investigators discovered that Underhill lived in at least two facilities operated by the Dedmons when Asha Degree was reported missing. Underhill passed away in 2004 in Lincolnton. • The Dedmons have two other daughters, Sarah Gwen Dedmon Caple, and Lizzie Grace Dedmon Foster. According to the search warrant application, their DNA did not match the collected evidence. • DNA evidence from Asha Degree’s belongings directly connects two of the six individuals to the case, AnnaLee Ramirez and Russell Bradley Underhill. They were identified through DNA taken from Asha's undershirt and the trash bag that contained the backpack found in 2001 in Burke County; the evidence was genetically identical. Connie Dedmon and Roy Lee Dedmon were the common threads connecting these two
This green 1964 Nash Rambler American was towed away from one of the properties searched in CCSO’s investigation last Wednesday, September 11th. (Photo from a WSOC video) individuals. • Due to the daughters' ages, it is believed that adult assistance from Roy and Connie Dedmon would have been necessary in the act or concealment of the crime. • Roy and Connie Dedmon lived at 601 Cherryville Road when Asha was reported missing. On September 10, their eldest daughter, Sarah Gwen Dedmon Caple, was interviewed, and it was confirmed that Roy Dedmon had given her an AMC Rambler in 1999, found in the yard at that home. • Lora Dedmon, who owns a neighboring property, was interviewed about the Dedmons’ 601 Cherryville Road property on September 10. During the interview, she stated that she observed Roy Dedmon digging a chest-deep hole at the property several years
ago. The next day, the investigator noticed a 6—to 8-inch dent in the ground while conducting a search warrant. • The North Brook III property was searched on September 10, and documents related to Russell Bradley Underhill's care, a photograph, two earrings, and a grey Jaguar were seized. • On September 10, DNA samples were taken from Connie Dedmon, Roy Dedmon, and AnnaLee Ramirez. The same day, AnnaLee Ramirez's home in Charlotte was searched. • Roy Dedmon’s home at 621 Cherryville Road in Shelby was searched on September 10, and computers, a camera, notebooks, smartphones, a smartwatch, a human tooth, VHS tapes, a blue notebook with assorted vehicle registrations, and computer towers were seized. Monday morning, Sep-
tember 16, Sheriff Alan Norman released a statement saying, “I know our community is anxious to learn about every aspect of our ongoing investigation. While we appreciate your support, I urge you to put yourself in the place of Asha's family who for 24 years have entrusted law enforcement to do everything possible to find her. Please do not spread or share rumors on social media. Official information will be released by my office when appropriate. Pray for Asha, her family, and everyone who has worked for decades to locate Shelby's Sweetheart.” A $45,000 reward is offered for information. Anyone with information should call the FBI at 704672-6100 and the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office at 704-484-4822.
Awareness Month By Loretta Cozart Have you seen the beautiful teal bows fixed onto the light poles at the overhead bridge on King Street? September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in memory of Regina Ruff. Even though Regina lost her battle with this disease, her efforts to bring awareness to Ovarian Cancer live on. Regina’s daughter Glenda Ruff shared online, “Thank you for decorating the Overhead Bridge with the teal ribbons in honor of Kings Mountain Citizen Regina Ruff. These ribbons also remind ladies to encourage their doctors to keep on hunting for their problems if they are in pain or if they have ovarian cancer. God bless all the ladies!”
REGINA RUFF
In 2021, Fairview Lodge honored George with a presentation by the Masons with a Certificate of Honor. Photo provided
George Melton turns 100 this week By Loretta Cozart George Wiallis Melton was born on September 19, 1924, and the family will gather to celebrate his 100th birthday at home. A VA representative is expected to give George a special presentation during this time. The party continues on Saturday, September 21. The family will celebrate
this centennial milestone beginning at noon when well-wishers are invited to drive through the parking lot of Bethlehem Baptist Church at 1017 Bethlehem Road in Kings Mountain. Later that afternoon, at 5 p.m., the family will throw George a big party in the Fellowship Hall, and his church family and friends will be invited. George Willis Melton
is a US Army 320th Infantry veteran who served his country in the European Theater from August 21, 1944, to February 6, 1946, when he was discharged. During his 18-month enlistment, George served as an Infantryman and also operated a bazooka, a man-portable recoilless anti-tank rocket launcher weapon widely deployed by the United States Army, espe-
cially during World War II. On one occasion, the bazooka exploded, burning George’s feet. Treatment for his injuries was painful. Occasionally, he sometimes shares stories of his service with his son Johnny. George bravely served a grateful nation, receiving three silver stars for his service in Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe.
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