A Libertarian state Senate candidate was arrested Monday after an hours-long standoff with Cary police that began as a welfare check prompted by alarming social media posts.

Jonathan D. Miller, the Libertarian nominee in North Carolina Senate District 16, was taken into custody around 3 p.m. near Cary’s Lochmere neighborhood. Police said no shots were fired and nobody was injured.

Officers went to Miller’s home on Glen Echo Lane around 8:26 a.m. after monitoring posts in which he described suicidal thoughts and appeared to reference an armed confrontation. Cary Police Chief Terry Sult said an officer encountered Miller carrying a firearm, ordered him not to touch it and watched him run into nearby woods.

Miller continued posting during the search and called WRAL several times. He told the station he had been depressed the previous night and ran because he feared being hospitalized. Sult said police monitored the calls with WRAL’s permission and that the conversations gave officers useful insight during negotiations.

Police charged Miller with communicating threats, resisting officers and going armed to the terror of the people. He was being held at the Wake County Detention Center and was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon. The charges are allegations, and Miller is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The response temporarily closed nearby roads and placed Resurrection Lutheran School under a code yellow lockdown. Cary police later announced that the crisis had ended peacefully and normal traffic could resume.

Miller is challenging Democratic Sen. Gale Adcock and Republican Philip Hensley in the Nov. 3 election. The Libertarian Party of North Carolina thanked police for resolving the incident without violence but declined to address Miller’s campaign status.

Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts can call or text 988 for free, confidential assistance.

Vice President JD Vance used a Hendersonville rally to highlight $858 million in federal highway aid for Hurricane Helene repairs, tying the recovery award to Republicans’ closing pitch in western North Carolina.

The figure Vance cited represents the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s share. A separate Federal Highway Administration breakdown assigns another $13.25 million to U.S. Forest Service roads and about $2.21 million to Bureau of Indian Affairs transportation sites, bringing the state’s Helene-related total to roughly $873.5 million.

Vance said the money would support eight major damaged corridors, including Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge. Helene destroyed or severely damaged about five miles of the interstate near Tennessee. NCDOT estimates permanent reconstruction will cost roughly $2.8 billion, with four lanes expected to reopen in late 2029, though unstable ground could change the timetable.

The money comes through the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program, which reimburses eligible road, bridge and emergency-access costs rather than providing direct aid to homeowners. Federal officials say Helene created more than 9,000 transportation damage sites and over 1,400 road closures statewide. The allocation brings the federal highway commitment for Helene repairs in North Carolina to about $2.9 billion.

Vance made the announcement while campaigning for Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley and House candidates Jennifer Balkcom and Laurie Buckhout. He credited President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Whatley attacked former Gov. Roy Cooper’s recovery record, while Cooper’s campaign said his administration activated emergency resources and secured major state and federal assistance.

Nearly 99% of storm-affected state roads have reopened, but NCDOT estimates the full transportation recovery will cost about $5 billion. The new allocation is a reimbursement milestone, not the end of a rebuilding effort expected to continue for years.

Five people were killed in four separate shootings across Charlotte over the weekend, leaving three cases without announced arrests and one murder suspect in custody.

The violence began around 3 a.m. Saturday when officers found 35-year-old Zachary Howie fatally shot on High Meadow Lane near Interstate 77, according to WBTV’s incident roundup. About 14 hours later, 52-year-old Abdullah Hamid was shot at a home on Simril Court and died at a hospital. Police had not announced arrests in either case as of noon Oct. 26.

A third shooting occurred around 11 p.m. Saturday on Altliff Court in University City. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said 47-year-old Thomas McDonald was found with multiple gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives arrested 25-year-old Andrea Cole and charged her with first-degree murder. The charge is an allegation, and Cole is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The deadliest incident unfolded shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday at an industrial park on Ridge Creek Drive near Carowinds Boulevard. Four people were shot. A 16-year-old and 19-year-old Ariel Isaac Rodriquez-Pineda died at the scene, while two other teenagers were hospitalized with life-threatening and non-life-threatening injuries. No suspect or motive had been announced.

Three of the four shootings occurred in the police department’s Steele Creek Division, where residents called the concentration of violence alarming.

The weekend follows mixed citywide trends. Police reported violent crime fell 15% through September, while homicides increased 10%, from 60 to 66. The department reported a 78% homicide clearance rate.

Anyone with information may call homicide detectives at 704-432-8477 or submit an anonymous tip through Charlotte Crime Stoppers.