Hickory Man Already in Prison Gets Up To Additional 75 Years

36-year-old Maynor Javier Yanes Basquez of Hickory, was sentenced to serve 57 to 75 years in prison following his conviction for multiple counts of trafficking methamphetamine and flee to elude arrest with a motor vehicle along with maintaining a vehicle for the sale of a controlled substance. Basquez was found guilty by a Catawba County jury on Thursday, April 10.

The Honorable Clifton H. Smith, Superior Court Judge from Catawba County, imposed terms of the active sentence after the jury returned its verdict to conclude a four-day trial in Catawba County Superior Court.

The defendant will serve his period of incarceration in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections at the conclusion of a sentence of 67 to 81 years he is serving for convictions of attempted murder and multiple counts of discharging a weapon into an occupied dwelling in McDowell County.

The trial started on Monday, April 7 with jury selection, followed by evidence presentation from the State before closing arguments on Thursday April 10. The defense did not offer evidence. The jury deliberated an hour and 10 minutes before returning its verdict.

On October 1, 2022, Basquez was in a vehicle pursued by North Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper J.M. Bailey after traveling at 93 mph in a 50 mph zone. The vehicle led the trooper on a chase through a neighborhood before coming to a stop. As Trooper Bailey approached the vehicle, the car sped away again, and a bag was tossed out the window on the side of the road.

The bag recovered by Catawba County Sheriff’s Deputy Emma Moore contained trafficking amounts of 938 grams of fentanyl and 574 grams of methamphetamine. The vehicle, which turned out to be a rental, was found abandoned later.

When he was apprehended, Basquez told investigators he was a passenger in the vehicle driven by another subject. He indicated that the other person had been driving the vehicle when the chase started and exited the vehicle when it first stopped. Basquez then drove the vehicle to the location where it was found abandoned. However, State Highway Patrol testimony revealed that only one occupant was in the vehicle.

Tyler Burgess was the lead investigator for the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant District Attorney Howard Wellons prosecuted the matter for the State with aid from Legal Assistant Meredith Scott.