A Wilkes County man has been reportedly been murdered in California.
On Thursday September 24th reports indicate a man was chasing another man with a knife, according to the Orange County California Sheriff’s Department.
The victim, identified as Joshua Lee Long, 45, a Wilkes native, was transported to a hospital where he later was pronounced dead.
Officers responded to a location in Stanton, California where they found a man suffering from serious injuries. Witnesses provided deputies with a description of the suspect, who had left the scene in a vehicle. They also provided the license plate number associated with the vehicle.
Using license plate reader information, investigators located a suspect identified as Charles Mathew Swanson, age 22. A vehicle pursuit followed. Swanson was involved in a collision before he was taken into custody. Swanson was booked into the Orange County Jail on suspicion of murder.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Long was originally from Moravian Falls and Mountain View and attended North Wilkes High School High School. He was also a veteran of the U.S. Navy.