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A woman who fostered children in Burke County pleaded guilty to four counts of child sex crimes.

Rosa Hollifield, 60, pleaded guilty to four counts of felony indecent liberties with a child on Monday, Assistant District Attorney Mitch Walker said.

Hollifield was sentenced to spend five to nine years in prison, Walker said. She will be required to be on the sex offender registry for 30 years after she is released from prison.

The conviction came after Hollifield was charged in April 2023 with statutory sex offenses involving a child who was 15 years old or younger at the time, according to previous News Herald articles.

Search warrants indicated Hollifield, who was fired from a position of fostering children at Southmountain Children and Family Services earlier in 2023, gave a former foster child a cellphone while they were at school and asked them to keep it a secret, a previous article said.

A social worker asked the child for the phone and found inappropriate sexual acts through text messages and screenshots between the child and Hollifield on the phone, the article said.

The victim, who was not identified, spoke when Hollifield took the plea deal Monday morning, Walker said.

He said the victim told the court about the negative impact Hollifield's actions had on her. She said she hopes Hollifield regrets her actions and said she is glad to have her family supporting her through the case.

Charges still pending for daughter

Hollifield's daughter, Felicia Hollifield, was also charged with felony indecent liberties with a child in April 2023, a previous News Herald article said. She also worked at Southmountain, but left in hopes of adopting two of the children she had fostered.

Social workers looked through a cellphone from a child who Felicia Hollifield was hoping to adopt and found text messages that were "inappropriate and sexual in nature" between Felicia and the child, according to a search warrant cited in the article.

The detective also said there was an inappropriate interaction between Felicia and the child on security camera footage from Southmountain, the article said.

Felicia Hollifield's case was continued in court on Monday, Walker said. Her next court date is set for Aug. 4, according to court records.

A new restaurant may come to Morganton.

The owners of Chicken Salad Chick in Hickory are looking to expand their operation into Morganton, hoping to open a new restaurant in the city “no later than mid-2026,” said Allison Anderson, co-owner of the Hickory location.

“Morganton is absolutely beautiful, we really like the location and, from my experience, everyone there has been very welcoming and sweet,” Anderson said. “I get a lot of people from Morganton to the Hickory location asking if we could open up there.”

The Chicken Salad Chick in Hickory, located at 972 Second St. NE, opened in October 2024.

She said the Morganton location will be bigger than the Hickory location. Morganton’s site will also have a drive-thru.

Anderson said they have found a few potential locations for the restaurant, which will be a new build.

“There’s nothing really like it in this area,” Anderson said when the Hickory restaurant opened. “It’s fresh food. The chicken salad is made daily and it’s a lot healthier than burgers or fries. It’s a very unique concept.”

The menu features a variety of chicken salad options served on croissants, bread or alone. Flavors vary, from classics with celery, mayonnaise and white meat chicken to flavors featuring apples, grapes and pecans. Other flavors include a Buffalo-style, a bacon and ranch blend with shredded Cheddar and a lemon basil flavor with pecans.

Pasta salad, grape salad, broccoli salad, macaroni and cheese, side salads, soups and chips round out the side options.

Anderson said she’s pre-diabetic and finds chicken salad on a bed of lettuce to be a meal she can enjoy without worrying that her blood sugar will spike.

“The menu is great because it caters to a lot of different people,” Anderson said. “A lot of it is gluten free. ... This is one option they can go to without having to worry.”

5 displaced, officials say

MORGANTON, N.C. (WBTV) - A massive two-day fire burned 147 acres and over 500 cars in Burke County this weekend.

According to government officials, the fire began around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 22, along Old Amherst Road in Morganton.

The fire displaced five residents and destroyed five structures, officials said.

As of this writing, the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Editor note: At 9 p.m. on Sunday, March 23, North Carolina Forest Service officials said 147 acres were burned. The acreage size varies throughout the timeline below based on what authorities reported at specific times.

By 5 p.m., the blaze shut down Old Amherst Road between Smokey Creek Road and Dogwood Vista and expanded, eventually burning 160 acres.

As the fire grew, the fire marshal said one structure was destroyed, displacing five residents.

No mandatory evacuations were called and the fire was about 50% contained.

By 8 p.m., officials reported the fire was 70% contained and burned 180 acres.

A second structure was destroyed by this time along with several vacant mobile homes on the property.

Fire officials estimated over 100 cars, trucks, and commercial vehicles “sustained heavy damage,” though no injuries were reported.

About 150 emergency responders helped control the fire from 25 fire departments.

By 10:30 p.m., all fire departments were cleared with the Burke County fire marshal and emergency management expected to follow suit by 11 p.m.

Officials advised the North Carolina Forest Service to remain at the fire overnight to monitor the area.

By noon the next day, officials said another fire broke out around 3:30 a.m. but was extinguished before crews were moved to yet another fire that involved several vehicles, propane tanks, and other materials.

Another structure was destroyed sometime amid these breakout fires, totaling three.

As firefighters worked, the area was closed to traffic.

By 9 p.m., fire investigators were cleared from the scene.

Officials reported several other breakout fires throughout Sunday, all of which were contained.

A total of five structures (four mobile homes) were destroyed with five people displaced and over 500 vehicles were burned, reports stated.

Officials final update stated that Burke County increased to a “Very High” fire danger level.

“The Burke County Fire Marshal’s Office would like to remind citizens and visitors that the statewide, local, and U.S. Forest Service - National Forests (in North Carolina) burn bans remain in effect until further notice,” a spokesperson wrote.

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A person is dead after an early morning fire broke out Sunday at an apartment complex in the northern part of Morganton.

The Morganton Department of Public Safety was called to Forest View Apartments on Lenoir Road shortly after 6 a.m. for a reported fire, said Assistant Chief Ryan Lander.

He said a person was found dead in an apartment at the complex.

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The person’s identity has not been released.

The fire started in an end unit of one of the apartments. Multiple families have been displaced, Lander said.

The American Red Cross has been contacted to help the affected families.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has been called to assist with the investigation, Lander said.

Chrissy Murphy is a staff writer and can be reached at [email protected] or at 828-432-8941.

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MARCH 21, 205 - Green River Cove Road along with Green River, which runs next to the road, is helping prevent the Black Cove fire from spreading to the other side. (Photo credit: WLOS staff)

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BURKE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Burke County officials have reported fire-related road closures near Morganton on March 22.

According to a release, Burke County and regional fire departments are responding to a large fire that has affected five structures.

POLK COUNTY WILDFIRES PROMPT EVACUATIONS AND AIR QUALITY ALERTS, DISASTER CENTER REOPENS

Crews were first dispatched around 11:35 a.m., and by 2:30 p.m., two North Carolina Forest Service helicopters and one scout plane were en route to the scene.

However, the release said that approximately 15 mph winds from the west are impacting the response efforts.

While there have been no reported injuries due to the ongoing blaze, road closures are currently in effect. Old Amherst Road is closed between Smokey Creek Road and Dogwood Vista.

Officials are urging residents to avoid the area to allow emergency vehicles access and to ensure the safety of the public and responding crews.

EVACUATIONS IN PLACE, STRUCTURES DESTROYED AS THREE WILDFIRES BURN IN POLK COUNTY

The release said the situation should not affect operations at the Foothills Regional Airport, and there are no evacuation orders in place at this time.

Additionally, the Burke County Fire Marshal reminded everyone that a statewide and local burn ban is in effect, meaning open burning is not permitted.

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