All three now face prison time after kayakers reported finding Mark Mitchell’s body near a river.
BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — Three people who faced charges tied to a man’s death in August 2024 have since pleaded guilty, according to the Burke County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies announced on Thursday that 58-year-old Robert Ford Dale, Jr., 35-year-old Rocky Lee Dale and 50-year-old Lorie Knight Stevens all pleaded guilty to concealing the death of Mark Mitchell. Robert Dale Jr.’s prison sentence will see him spend nearly a decade at maximum behind bars, while Rocky Dale could spend just more than eight years in prison. Lorie Stevens could spend just shy of five years in prison at the most.
Mitchell’s body was discovered by kayakers on August 30 along Johns River near the Corpening Bridge. A search warrant that was executed at a home along Pax Hill Road in Morganton led to deputies arresting the aforementioned trio of suspects. All three were initially charged with felony concealment of death and disturbing human remains.
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