ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 11pm - August 12, 2026

Episode Date: August 13, 2026

Eyewitness News at 11pm - August 12, 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Right now, live coverage from your local news leader, preparing you for tomorrow starting tonight and your first alert forecast. Here's what's happening where you live. This is ABC 11 eyewitness news. Tonight on eyewitness news, a first of its kind idea being considered in Wake County tonight, taking unused county-owned land and turning it into affordable housing for Wake County educators. And a tragedy unfolding in this golf course community, three people murdered in a home. Police say they caught the man who did it using controversial high-tech cameras. We're also learning that man's connection to the murder victims. But first here at 11 tonight, dangerous heat is on the way tomorrow, and we've declared it a first alert day.

Thanks for joining us here for the news at 11. I'm Steve Daniel. And I'm Lauren Johnson. The feels like temperatures are going to be around 107 degrees tomorrow from Wake County down to the sandhills. Don joins us now with more on the high heat coming tomorrow and in those days ahead. Hi, Don. And good evening to you. We got a little break from that heat from the humidity today. roars back tonight into tomorrow because of that that heat advisory to the south northern county still could get up around 104 to 105 for your feels like temperatures we've held off most of the showers tonight one little shower popping here north and east of greensboro that may hold together enough to work into alamance county but most of the region is dry we look live out at r d u 80 degrees right now and feels like temperatures at 84 winds are calm look at the numbers from across the region tonight 82 and faith Bill 76 Lillington, 82 Durham, Raleigh, 80 Carborough, 72 in Rhoneau Crapids, and 75 in South Hill. So let's first alert you with that fast forward forecast. Today was 89. We saw partly sunny skies.

As we go through the day into tonight and tomorrow, expect even warmer temperatures tomorrow with those feels like numbers up around 103 to 107. Hot day tomorrow and the heat continues as we head toward the weekend. We'll talk about that. plus your next rain chance and your first alert seven day forecast coming up in just a bit Steve and Lauren. All right, Don, if you love your news and weather on the go, how about the ABC 11 North Carolina app? It'll help you track changing weather conditions and stay on top of the latest headlines to get started. Search for ABC 11 in your phone's app store. We continue following the developing story tonight we first learned about from an eyewitness news viewer

who tells us he was an eyewitness to a police chase in Durham. Our cameras rolling on Holloway Street where we saw what appeared to be a Wake Forest police SUV with some front-end damage after a crash. The other car involved. A silver Toyota Highlander showing extensive driver-side damage. In fact, the airbag was deployed. The driver-side door was ripped off the car. Durham Police confirming to us tonight,

the chase was initiated by Wake Forest Police, a town more than 20 miles away from where that cruiser crashed. They didn't give any more information about the reason for the initial chase or a description of the car involved. The Highway Patrol is now handling that investigation. New here at 11, Wake County leaders taking up an intriguing new idea tonight, focus on hiring and retaining teachers. The idea involves unused county-owned land and transforming it into affordable housing for Wake County teachers. They also talked about the bond referendum on the November ballot asking voters to approve $680 million for both school construction and also renovations.

Michael Perchick is live in our downtown Raleigh-Ey Outwitness Newsroom with all the details. Hi, Michael. Hey, Steve, Lauren, good evening. There's still several more steps as part of this process, but tonight's conversation laying out a proposal aimed at providing further support for county educators. A possible deal would do see the county and school system swap land. We would take ownership of that land and then leverage that through a competitive process

to develop that into affordable housing. Unused property at five school sites would identify during the presentation. When you don't have an incredibly long commute or you are not spending 50, 50% of your income just on your housing cost that allows you to be more present and focused on the work that you're doing day to day. However, it's not that simple. Legally, the county does not have the ability to prioritize affordable housing for district workers. That would require action from the General Assembly,

which has not yet been discussed. This is a team approach in terms of what we're doing, making sure that everybody's engaging involved because housing is still one of top issues. One question, would the funding towards building housing be better served in providing higher pay for educators? The amount of money that you would need to pay each individual person, extrapolate that across a workforce, the amount of money that you would spend over the 30 years that an affordable housing development would remain affordable. It becomes a more efficient use of public resources to invest in creating that housing. Another topic drawing attention is a proposed $680 million bond for voters to decide on. I personally think it's a no-brainer. We need more funding for our schools.

It would go towards three new elementary schools plus renovations and nine-sourges. schools. Supporting our schools that way would be fantastic because then we can reallocate other funds for our county for other public services. The annual tax increase would be $5 for every $100,000 of assessed value. So a $500,000 home would meet an annual tax increase of $25. County Commission Chair Don Mayo believes that investment has a far-reaching effect. Companies, when they move here, because the first thing they won't know is what is your school system like? Because a new employee coming in, they're not going to want to bring their kids into a school system that's not up to par.

Now considerations for a possible land swap include ensuring equal value of the land, of course, then you have the development process, which could take years to play out. Steve learned the conversation tonight, a starting point, but certainly gives you some insight into just how serious local officials are taking housing affordability and the proposals they are considering to try and address a clear pain point, specifically for county and local workers. In Raleigh, I'm Michael Perchick. ABC 11, eyewitness news. Yeah, trying to take care of our educators the best way they can.

Michael, thank you. In Moore County, a tragedy is unfolding in the Oakwood Hills community where a man broke into a home and killed three people. Deputies say they caught the man who did it using flock license plate reading cameras. The murders happened at this home on Rider Cup Boulevard in Pine Bluff, about 8 this morning. Deputies say three adults were found dead inside. Investigators have charged 40-year-old Demetrius jealous with three counts of murder. People in the neighborhood tell I would assume that jealous is related to those victims.

Authorities have not yet released their names. The debate over flock cameras is intensifying in Harnett County with privacy at the center of that conversation. Law enforcement calls it the future policing, but not everyone in the community agrees with that. 11 flock cameras are set up at busy intersections and main entrances. The cameras capture vehicle color, make and model pinpointing stolen cars, tags, and even missing or wanted people. Some people think the technology crosses the thin line between public safety. and privacy. Mary Hinks, who has lived in that neighborhood for 21 years, doesn't love how close this is being used near her home. Irwin Police Chief Jonathan Johnson says, though, with only 11

officers on the force, this tool is an extension of their limited resources. I can see having them maybe in a few places, maybe strategic places, but way out here in the country, on country back roads and things, I don't really see a need for it. I know the concerns, you know, and we We've got some pretty strict policies in place. Flock tells us more than 40 courts across the country have ruled fixed license plate readers are not a violation of the Fourth Amendment and don't track an individual's movements in whole. The next local flock discussion is scheduled for Monday, August 17th at 4 p.m. A home, a fire at a home in Harnet County drew a major fire response earlier today. Yeah, let's set the scene for you.

This home is located in a Bowies Creek neighborhood near Strickland Lane and Keith Hills Road. Officers on the scene describe hearing ammunition exploding inside that burning home. Take a look at this video of the blaze from earlier this evening from Chopper 11 overhead. We can see firefighters on ladders and on the ground trying to fight this really intense blaze from all angles. Several Buys Creek fire trucks responded as well as Harnock County EMS and the Sheriff's Department. We spoke with a neighbor who was alerted to the fire while he was in his home. I was in the house and he just heard his loud bang of some sort. And I heard his car then a few minutes later, he heard his cars racing down the road.

what the world is what that about? And I just came out here, looked outside. I saw all the smoke billowing up out of the house down there. And I didn't know which house it was. So I walked out here and I saw the fire trucks were starting to roll in about that time. It remains unclear tonight what caused the fire, but we'll continue bringing you updates as we learn more. New tonight from the I-Team troubleshooter, the woman accused of operating as an unlicensed dentist in Raleigh is now facing an additional criminal charge.

Ebony McBean, now facing five criminal charges after a new charge of obtaining. property by false pretense was recently added. This new charge is added to four other pre-existing charges, three counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, and one count of practicing medicine without a license. According to court records for the latest charge, McBean presented herself as a licensed to orthodontas and charged the victim. More than $2,800 for work McBean is not licensed to do. We first investigated McBean last year after several of her patients said she shut down her Raleigh business, the smiling face company, leaving braces on their teeth.

During our investigation, McBean admitted she was not licensed to do the orthodontic work, but claims she was working under a doctor's oversight. McBean is scheduled to appear back in court later this month. Still to come here on eyewitness news. Durham is welcoming a new police chief and ABC 11 sat down with her for an interview today.

What we're learning about the new chief from our conversation. And an update on another story from our I-Team troubleshooter. She's been following very closely. Search warrants revealing more about the alleged crimes of CJF America leaders arrested on felony charges. And Don, checking those temperatures outside. Yeah, we're in the 80s in spots tonight. Tomorrow's going to be even warmer,

and it's not the warmest day in the seven-day forecast. We'll tell you just how hot it gets and take a look at the weekends. Coming up next. We are local news. ABC 11 eyewitness news continues now. Welcome back. Durham's new police chief, Stephanie Mardis doing her first TV interview with us today.

Sitting down with Anna Rivera, Martis comes to the Bull City with more than two decades of law enforcement experience. Yeah, she spent nearly 25 years there in law enforcement in Greensboro, where she's been an assistant chief since 2023. And the chief and Anna Rivera talking about Martis' decision to move to the Bull City and what she hopes to bring to the Durham Police Department. 24 and a half years. The incredible part to me about that is the entire time you were in Greensboro. That's a long time to dedicate to one city, one area. I look back on that time and it wasn't really a challenge to.

dedicate 24 and a half years of my life to the profession because it has literally been the absolute joy of my life to fulfill my purpose. In all of that time that you were with Greensboro Police Department, you were a part of a lot of initiatives and creating a lot of different initiatives. One of those that was the Policing Community Alliance for Peace. Violent crime has been on the rise across the nation. And I think as law enforcement officers, we get really hyper-focused on solving the case and, you know, holding offenders accountable. But I think that there's a area for us to improve on handling the humanity side of that because you have family members who are, you know, connected to these victims who are

suffering. And so the police and Community Alliance for Peace was birthed through that concept of, okay, we need wraparound services to provide to the people who are left behind, who are trying to navigate this horrible space. If I'm someone watching this just sitting on my couch and I live in Durham, what do you want that person to know about you and about what the city can expect as chief of police? I care about people. My core values will always remain the same that treat people how you want to be treated. Be honest.

Hold yourself at the highest regard of integrity and know that, you know, I care. Anna Rivera, ABC 11, eyewitness news. Anna, thank you. New developments tonight in an I-Team troubleshooter investigation into a Durham Foundation accused of not paying its employees. The ABC11I-Team obtained these search warrants revealing new details about what law enforcement found when they tracked down the founder and the CFO of CFO of CFO America after they were wanted on fraud charges for months. Courtney Jordan and Nick Gallardo, both leaders of CJF America were arrested last week in Person County. Both men were at the center of several I-Team troubleshooter investigations after CJF America was accused of failing to pay dozens of its employees. According to the search warrants, the person county sheriff's office recovered several cell phones, suspected illegal narcotics, laptop computers, money, notebooks containing financial account information, and ID documents belonging to other people.

In person county, Jordan is facing charges, including felony fleeing to elude arrest, injury to personal property and second degree trespassing. Guyardo is charged in person county with felony conspiracy, second degree trespassing, and simple possession of a controlled substance. In Durham, Jordan and Guyardo are charged with obtaining property by false pretense. and conspiracy charges related to the Courtney Jordan Foundation activities. The person county sheriff says more charges could be coming. We've reached out to both Jordan and Guyardo a number of times, but they have not responded. Both men are due in court on these charges later this month. More dangerous heat is on the way tomorrow and it's expected to stick around into the weekend.

So we've been dealing with a lot of hot and humid conditions for weeks now. And we asked Kathleen Colon-American, a geriatric doctor at Duke Health, about the signs of those heat-related problems. In its most extreme form, severe heat can cause brain swelling with confusion and seizures. It can cause multi-organ system failure, blood clotting problems, kidney failure, heart and liver failure. And those issues often require ICU level of care and can have really persistent long-term effects on the body. So really, message is seek medical care if you're concerned that there is a, risk for heat-related illness. Dr. Emmerick says it's also important to remember heat illness can pop up days after a heat wave

is over. The effects are cumulative and can sneak up on us all. But doctors warn young children, older adults, and people who work outside are among those most vulnerable during dangerous heat wave. Yeah, and as Don shows off the top of the newscast tonight, we could have feels like temperatures up to 107 degrees in the area tomorrow. Doesn't that sound fun and it is very dangerous. Yeah, it is. Heat is the number one killer. Weather killer in the United States. People think it's tornadoes or hurricanes. They get all the headlines, but more people die from heat than any other kind of weather. So take precautions, and especially if you have elderly neighbors or family

members, check on them over the next couple of days. All right, let's talk tropics tonight. Real quick, we just got the 11 o'clock update in on Tropical Storm Crystal Ball, continuing to move way out to sea. It should be done by tomorrow. Not a big deal other than it's the sea name. There are two other systems that have now a 50 and 80% chance of becoming something tropical in the sea. the next seven days. If they do, the models take mainly either into the Caribbean or up and back out to sea. None of them really affecting us. We'll keep an eye on it, but they're moving into area that's not really conducive to them growing anymore. All right. The one big thing, we always start with this at 11 o'clock and the one big thing for tomorrow. Remember, those feels like temperatures up around 107 in spots. It's going to be another brutally hot day, especially in the afternoon.

Look for shade and try and stay inside if you can. Live look at first alert Doppler net tonight, scanning the skies. It's dry out there. We're looking live into downtown Fayetteville, 78 degrees right now, clear skies and winds are calm. Feels like temperature just 80. A look at those numbers. Manny Oda Murphy tonight, the warm spot on the map. Wilmington and Charlotte, both at 81. We're at 80, 76 right now down in Greenville. 78 Lumberton, the triad, 66 in Boone. Mertile Beach checking in tonight at 82 degrees. Over night, we'll see those numbers into the 70s for lows normal for this time of year 70. We'll get down to 72 Raleigh, 70 Durham, 73 in Fayetteville, partly cloudy skies. If you're headed out to see the Perseids tonight, should be visible, especially between midnight and 5 a.m. It's looking like you should be able to see them at least weather-wise. There may be some clouds drifting through, but not terrible out there today. As a matter of fact, satellite shows mainly clear skies at the moment with lots of clouds over the mountains, but around here relatively dry.

The system diving through the mountains will cause some showers out there tonight. they will not hold together as they get closer to us. First alerts, predictor forecast model. You'll start the day in the 70s. Tomorrow will end the day in the 90s. Look at those numbers. 95, 95, 92. And factor the humidity in 100 to 103, 105, 107.

Then as we get into Friday morning, we'll start again warm temperatures in the 70s. By Friday afternoon, could see some pop-up thunderstorms. Forecast looks like this for tomorrow. Temperatures across the region in the 90s, 96, Raleigh, 95, Durham, 97 in Fayetteville.

Looking at numbers from around the region tomorrow. He'll top 95 in Newton Grove, 97 Fort Bragg, 96 in Sanford, 95 Kerry Garner, 94 Clayton, 93 Bahama, 96 Tarborough, 95 Wilson, 93 in Lewisburg. Seven day forecast powered by ACU, whether it is the first alert day tomorrow. So be ready for that heat and humidity.

Feels like temperatures looking similar on Friday. May get another first alert day depending on another heat advisory. Saturday we'll get the first alert day. Nightdale Festival if you're heading out to that in the morning looking good the afternoon could see a spotty storm Sunday 93 and the hottest day on the map is Monday 98 with feels like up to 107 again would not be surprised to see at least another heat advisory to start next week oh my goodness we need to keep an eye on each other in the days ahead that's true don thank you still had the duke lemur center welcoming some new members we're introducing you to sierra mist and her new baby lemur and remember you can always watch eyewitness news live here on abe DC-11, Disney Plus, and wherever you stream.

Get your tickets now for the Dog Stars. It's no surprise how fast civilization can disappear. Go! Out there, just kill or be killed. Jacob Allorty. There are people out there? They need our help. Josh Bruland.

Shoot first and inquire afterwards. Margaret Quali. Okay, tough guy. And Guy Pearce. Arm up! The Dog Stars, directed by Ridley Scott. In theaters, August 28th. Get tickets now.

We are Local News, Week Nights 4 to 630 and 11. Okay, right now in the sky above us, you may have a chance to catch a pretty out of this world phenomenon. Yeah, the Perseid meteor shower should continue to be visible overnight. There will be little to no moonlight, which could enhance visibility. The meteor shower is expected to peak between now and 5 a.m. Do you want to see the most? You're going to want to go out between 2 and 5 in the morning, but there are rewards for early evening viewers. You won't see as many, but you're more likely to see these so-called earth grazers, these long, slow, dramatic meteors.

All right? Set the alarm clock, right? The perceived is considered the best meteor shower of the year. About 50 to 100 meteors can be seen every hour. All right, the Duke Leamer Center celebrating the addition of several new residents. And today, eyewitnesses. Stop by to meet Sierra Mist and her new baby. They just moved out of their baby suite into a new enclosure. They, we now have the rare chance to see the baby lemur up close, but they're keeping a little distance. They've got some glass between us and them right now. We always make sure that the lemurs were putting in more public spaces are comfortable with being around people. And often we're looking for lemurs who are going to be enriched or excited by the experience of seeing people go by each day. So it's very exciting to kind of collectively get to watch his development.

All right, the lemur center is also welcoming the addition of another. baby lemur she was born back on june 7th and she'll spend the next couple of months bonding with her family so look we need to swing by and check it out they're excited to see us that's a good theory though if you're not going to enrich and excite my life stay away no way come look me in the eyes and enrich me a little bit that's been tick in tray thank you and thank you at home for watching that's going to do it for us here jimmy kimmel is on the way next and remember eyewitness is always on at a bc11.com disney plus and wherever you stream we'll see you back here tomorrow night that's a love good night Thank you.