Conover Man Now In jail After Holding Law Enforcement At Bay For Hours

Hickory Police Officers were conducting a property check at a Food Lion in Hickory when they located a suspicious vehicle belonging to a Conover man wanted on multiple felony warrants.

Hickory Officers located the suspicious vehicle parked at a Food Lion at 3220 Springs Road NE just before 10 a.m. on Monday, March 16. Officers attempted communication with the subject inside the vehicle with no response. The Catawba County Swat Team used a device to break out his window and rip his door off before firing beanbags into the car. The standoff lasted two hours.

Officers later made entry into the vehicle and located Johnnie Lee Roy Lail, 37, of Conover. Lail was taken into custody at 12:17 p.m. and then transported to an area hospital for medical evaluation. Later he was released and placed in the Catawba County Detention Center.

The charges against Lail include violation of Habitual Felon Satus, Felony Possession of Schedule II, Felony Possession of Stolen Motor Vehicle, Felony Larceny, Felony Attempted Larceny, Felony Breaking and Entering, two counts of Felony Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, Misdemeanor Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor Injury to Real Property, and Misdemeanor First Degree Trespassing.

The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, the Hickory Fire Department and Catawba County EMS also responded and assisted with this incident.