| March 18,
2006 |
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| Officer Collapses While Fighting Arson Fires |
| Lt. Kelly Kincaid's
Condition "Extremely Critical" |
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Employees of
the Burke County Sheriff's Office and Morganton Department of Public Safety
gathered together early Saturday morning, as news spread that one of their own
was stricken by a massive heart attack while fighting arson-related fires in
Morganton.
Lt. Kelly Michael Kincaid, 41, who at the time was working in
the capacity as a firefighter for Morganton, collapsed around 11:54
PM Friday night. He is comatose after being airlifted to Carolinas Medical
Center in Charlotte, said Burke County Sheriff John T. McDevitt. |
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| "Physicians at CMC told Kelly's family this
afternoon that he most likely has irreversible brain damage," McDevitt
said. "His prognosis is not good at all unless we see a miracle." |
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| Authorities received 911 calls reporting two
homes ablaze, one at 110 Morehead Street around 11:46 PM, and the other at 112
Evans Street shortly after midnight. The houses are reportedly in close
proximity to each other. |
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| A neighbor reporting the fire told
telecommunicators that an elderly woman living at the Morehead Street residence
was carrying buckets, attempting to put the fire out herself. |
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| Another person in the neighborhood reported
seeing a man with sandy hair running away from the area with a gas can,
according to reports. K-9 officers and tracking dogs were dispatched to
the area but could not locate the suspicious male. |
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| According to firefighters, at least one other
home appeared to have been doused with an accelerate liquid, but did not catch
on fire. |
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| Kincaid responded to the Morehead Street call
along with other MDPS firefighters, and reportedly collapsed while running
around the side of the home. |
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| Firefighters and emergency personnel found
Kincaid to be in "code blue" status (not breathing and no detectable pulse),
and performed CPR prior to the officer being transported to Grace Hospital by
Burke County EMS. |
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| McDevitt, who was present at the emergency room,
said EMS technicians detected a pulse just prior to arrival at the
hospital. |
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| Kincaid was placed on a ventilator while at the
hospital, and airlifted to Charlotte a short time later, McDevitt said. |
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| "One of the finest members of our emergency
services family has been stricken," said Morganton Department of Public Safety
Chief Mark Tolbert, who was with McDevitt at Carolinas Medical Center. |
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| "I am feeling the pain of this both
professionally and personally," stated McDevitt. "Kelly has been with this
department for over 19 years. Losing him as an employee would be immeasurable,
but even much more so as my friend." |
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Late this afternoon,
Morganton investigators along with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation
announced the arrest of David Harold Carr (right), 34, of 217 Cascade Street, Morganton in connection
with the arsons. Carr has been charged with two counts of first degree
arson, and more charges are pending.
No motives for the fires were
given. According to a North Carolina Department of Corrections web site, |
 |
Carr was released from prison on January 31, 2006 after
serving seven months of an eighteen-month sentence for a Burke County driving
while impaired conviction. |
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| Carr is in the Burke County Jail under a
$250,000 secured bond and will have a first court appearance Monday. |
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| "We're glad that an arrest was made so quickly
because of Morganton and the SBI's diligence," McDevitt said. |
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| "Even so, it provides little solace to our
respective officers, and Kelly's family." |
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| ************************************************************** |
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