MLILY Mattresses in Charlotte, NC

A 50-year-old Charlotte woman was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for fraudulently obtaining $1.5 million in COVID relief funds from the federal government, authorities said.

Jeannetta Blackmon, also known as Jeannetta Regan, conspired with others who received $1.2 million through an application scheme, the feds alleged. She received $319,000 for businesses she operated. And she got another $300,000 in fees from people who paid her to commit fraud, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in North Carolina’s Western District.

Blackmon received the money through the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Relief Disaster Loan, according to the Monday news release.

“Blackmon defrauded loan programs put in place to support businesses fighting to survive during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Lawrence Cameron, acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, said in a statement. “Her scheme was not a lapse in judgment, but a pervasive and deceitful course of conduct.”

From April 2020 to November 2021, Blackmon ran the scheme through her businesses — J Renee Enterprises, Jeannetta Renee Girls Talk, and Jrenee Investments, according to court records. To get money, she submitted applications and documents with fake information about income, employee totals, gross revenues and expenses. She also made and sent fabricated bank statements and checks for the scheme.

“Not only did Blackmon prepare fraudulent loan applications for herself, she also charged others to fake their applications as well,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt said in a statement.

To avoid getting caught, she asked her customers to pay her in checks or through peer-to-peer payments. Some examples of common peer-to-peer systems are CashApp, PayPal and Venmo.

Blackmon used money from the fraud to buy a five-bedroom, five-bathroom house on Barrands Lane for $485,000, according to court records.

Blackmon pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering in July 2023. She has remained free on bond and will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

Her prison sentence will be followed by two years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay over $1.5 million in restitution.

Government agents have investigated many cases in the Charlotte area.

In the Western District of North Carolina, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Charlotte has charged more than 30 people in COVID fraud cases, with more than 20 sentenced to prison for as long as a decade, The Charlotte Observer reported in January.

As of December, there were about 10 cases still pending trial. The total amount alleged to have been stolen by people charged in the Western District is more than $15 million, according to the office.

In February, Taiji Group USA, Inc., a paper converter company in Conover, agreed to pay more than $460,000 for providing false information to get COVID money.

Steven Andiloro, of Mooresville, pleaded guilty in November to organizing a multimillon-dollar investment scheme and fraudulently receiving more than $2.6 million through businesses that were both real and fake. He told victims that their money would be invested into his car service business and a non-existent marijuana dispensary.

During the summer, Antoine Johnson and Kimberly Maddox, formerly of Huntersville, pleaded guilty to fraudulently using their moving business to receive $2 million in bank loans and COVID relief funds from the federal government.

The Charlotte Observer

Chase Jordan is a business reporter for The Charlotte Observer, and has nearly a decade of experience covering news in North Carolina. Prior to joining the Observer, he was a growth and development reporter for the Wilmington StarNews. The Kansas City native is a graduate of Bethune-Cookman University.

Preliminary assessment finds fast-moving tornado hit Wednesday

UNION COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) - An EF-1 tornado likely touched down in Union County, North Carolina on Wednesday as severe storms moved through, officials report.

The National Weather Service was out in Union County on Wednesday, March 5 to assess storm damage following reports of a possible tornado earlier in the day. A preliminary assessment found that an EF-1 tornado -- which is a moderate tornado -- touched down on Wednesday, a member of the National Weather Service said during a press conference.

The preliminary assessment found that a likely EF-1 tornado touched down around 8:40 a.m. on Wednesday, and had wind speeds of up to 90 mph. The tornado was on the ground briefly, officials said, lasting for about 2.2 miles.

The tornado was believed to have touched down in an area of Unionville, which is near Indian Trail. During the Wednesday press conference, officials said that storm damage in Union County was concentrated in about a two-mile area, near the area of Lawyers and Friendly Baptist Church roads.

The storm and likely tornado primarily caused property damage, officials said, though some trees and power poles were downed. No injuries were reported in connection with the likely tornado or storm in general. No power outages were visible in the immediate area on Duke Energy’s outage map.

The National Weather Service was expected to release confirmed information on the likely tornado once their assessment was complete. Officials said the specific tornado details may only shift slightly, if at all.

---> More: Wind advisory active in North Carolina, part of South Carolina: What to know

Tornadoes are rated on a scale from EF-0 to EF-5, with EF-0 being the most moderate tornado possible, and EF-5 being the most severe.

The EF Scale -- the name shortened for the Enhanced Fujita Scale -- measures a tornado’s severity by its three-second wind gust speed.

Here’s how the rating is broken down:

First Alert Chief Meteorologist Al Conklin helps break down the difference between the two weather alerts.

Tornado watch

A tornado watch means that conditions are favorable for severe weather to develop. That means the ingredients are in place to possibly form a tornado.

For example, you have all the ingredients to make a cheeseburger. You have the the buns, lettuce, meat, tomatoes, and cheese -- but do not have the cheeseburger. The burger hasn’t been formed yet.

Tornado warning

Once severe weather actually does develop, then we turn to a warning. A tornado warning is issued when a tornado is imminent or approaching.

What that means is that a tornado has been spotted by a trained spotter on the ground or on radar. When this happens, the National Weather Service issues the tornado warning.

Continuing our cheeseburger example: A tornado warning is the equivalent to compiling all of the ingredients (the tornado watch) to actually assemble the full cheeseburger completely. When there is a finished product, the warning gets issued.

Find all weather alerts for the Charlotte region on our site here.

Copyright 2025 WBTV. All rights reserved.

The convenience store, known for its fresh food, has made a $2.5 million acquisition to crack into the Charlotte market.

This Maryland-based convenience store has made a $2.5 million acquisition to crack into the Charlotte market. Dash In Food Stores Inc. has purchased a 3.3-acre outparcel at 9930 N. Tryon St., according to Mecklenburg County property records.

The seller, Plaza Street Fund 126 LLC, had purchased that property in July 2021 for $1.9 million. It sits at the corner of North Tryon Street and East Mallard Creek Church Road.

This would be the first North Carolina location for Dash In.

A land construction development plan has been filed with the city of Charlotte, named “Dash In, Charlotte NC.” A project description calls for a new convenience store, gas pumps with canopy and car wash. It states that construction will include turn lanes onto East Mallard Creek Road and North Tryon Street. A new parking lot and drive aisle of asphalt and concrete, a trash enclosure and utility services will be constructed.

Efforts to reach Dash In were unsuccessful by deadline.

Mecklenburg County permit filings — named Dash In #3000 store, carwash and fuel canopy — are listed as open and pending. No permits have been issued yet.

Dash In is part of The Wills Group, one of the largest independent Shell Oil marketers in the United States, according to its website. There are more than 55 Dash In locations in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware.

The store’s website highlights a new concept for the brand. Locations deliver an “elevated experience” with an updated interior and atmosphere. Expect the kitchen to dish up everything from fresh-made breakfast sandwiches made with fresh-cracked, cage-free eggs. Other options include the Stackadillas — double-stacked quesadillas — and signature sandwiches from the Chesapeake Steak & Cheese sub to the Italian Sausage & Peppers.

There’s a selection of burgers, wings, fried chicken, flatbread pizzas, wraps and salads. Sides include house-made chips, sweet potato waffle fries, mac and cheese, and buttermilk biscuits.

Dash In also has a line of coffee, shakes, smoothies and craft beverages.

In addition to Dash In, Wills Group operates Exxon and Citgo fuel stations as well as the Splash In Eco Car Wash brand.

The Providence Group represented the Dash In as well as the seller in the real estate transaction.

Preliminary data from the National Weather Service indicates the tornado was on the ground for about three minutes Wednesday morning.

INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. — A preliminary investigation by the National Weather Service indicates an EF-1 tornado with 90 mph winds touched down in Union County during Wednesday morning's severe weather.

A spokesperson for the NWS said the possible tornado touched down at approximately 8:34 a.m. It covered approximately 2.2 miles on the ground in about three minutes before lifting to the sky. The storm caused damage to several structures in the area of Friendly Baptist Church and Ridge Road, Union County officials said.

Union County Emergency Management Director Andrew Ansley confirmed no one was injured during Wednesday's storm.

The storms passed through the Unionville and Indian Trail area around 8:30 a.m., taking down trees and power lines near Porter Ridge High School. Ansley said storm damage assessment crews spotted several downed power lines along Lawyers Road. WCNC Charlotte's Austin Walker was in the area after the storm, where power crews were on the scene working to repair the broken poles.

These times were provided by the National Weather Service and Union County Emergency Management.

While some area districts canceled classes on Wednesday, Union County Public Schools was in session with a normal schedule. District officials said they made what they felt was the best decision given the information before the storms. Some buses were arriving at schools around the time of the tornado warning. Several parents contacted WCNC Charlotte about their children being in danger.

"We looked at the reports from the National Weather Service, and as a team, we made the decision to continue school today, that's what we thought was best," Jarrod McCraw, the assistant superintendent of student support, said Wednesday afternoon. "Union County Public Schools puts the safety of our students and our staff as our No. 1 priority."

Footage from the storm that went tornado warned in Union County at the Divide Golf Club in Matthews, NC. @wxbrad @NWSGSP #ncwx pic.twitter.com/7XDsDu3cHE

— Andrew Parker (@wxwithdrew) March 5, 2025

The line of storms that produced the damage are moving east across the entire Carolinas. Before sunrise, the storms pushed into North Carolina and South Carolina. The storms are strengthening as they head east toward the coast.

Immediately after the storms cleared the area Wednesday morning, it was the Union County area that was reporting any of the most significant storm damage around the greater Charlotte area.

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A message was sent out to parents of students at the schools addressing the threat.

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A text message circulating with a threat against multiple Union County Public School properties caused school officials to get law enforcement involved.

The schools addressed in the text messages included Cuthbertson High School in Waxhaw, North Carolina, Weddington High School in Matthews, North Carolina, Sun Valley High School in Monroe, North Carolina, and Sun Valley Middle School in Indian Trail, North Carolina, all in the western portion of Union County.

It is not known at this time exactly what the text message said, but the Union County Sheriff's Office worked to find the source of the messages.

A 15-year-old female student of Cuthbertson High School was traced as the person who posted the messages. The teen told investigators that she made the threats in an attempt to avoid going to school on Wednesday. She is charged with communicating a threat of mass violence on educational property.

Deputies are seeking further information on "copycat" messages disiminated in the last 8 to 12 hours.

School officials informed families of the students Tuesday night, saying:

Good evening Cavaliers,

It has been reported that several students have received a threatening message indicating that an act of school violence will occur at Cuthbertson High School tomorrow (3/5/25). This threat is currently unsubstantiated and has been reported to law enforcement, as well as school officials. Additional deputies will be on campus as a precaution and the incident is continuing to be fully investigated.

Tahira Stalberte, APRAssistant Superintendent of Communications and Community Relations Union County Public Schools

Stalberte later added that the threats were worded similarly, but that the message simply changed the school names included in them.

"We want to remind parents to talk with their students about the zero tolerance policy regarding threats against our schools," Union County Sheriff's Office told WCNC Charlotte. "Any individual making such threats, real or hoax, will be charged with a felony offense and held accountable. Student safety remains our top priority."

UCSO said the investigation is ongoing and reminded parents and guardians that if their children received any threatening or suspicious messages to report them to authorities immediately.

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