Crazy Eyes

James Richard Verone peers through the glass of a visitation booth at the Gaston County Jail on Thursday June 16, 2011 where he is being held while awaiting trial for an alleged bank robbery. 

I believe this is the first time I've been asked to shot a portrait of an inmate at the jail. Which makes sense. The jail doesn't normally allow cameras inside and most inmates have lawyers telling them not to speak to the media.

This guy is an exception to the rules, in more ways than one.

If you have a minute, I highly recommend reading The Gazette article about this man who has decided to make his new residence the Gaston County Jail.

Hartford Drive Homicide

A family member consoles a woman who made statements indicating that she was the mother of a man found dead at 2102 Hartford Drive off of Hudson Boulevard on Friday June 17, 2011.

Read my original story here, and the follow up with details here.

Guns drawn, Gastonia police officers prepare to enter and clear a home at 2102 Hartford Drive where a man, covered with a yellow tarp, was found shot in the chest in the front yard just before 10:00pm on Friday June 17, 2011. 

Neighborhood children watch as Gastonia police investigate the murder.

Education in trouble

North Gaston physical science and chemistry teacher Elizabeth Leonard poses with the smart board in her classroom on Wednesday June 1, 2011. Leonard received a pink slip informing her she may not have a job next year despite being named the Gaston County Schools New Teacher of the Year.

Cheryl Virgil, left, a pre-kindergarten educator who works with autistic children, gets fired up while speaking at the "Save Our Schools" rally held by the Gaston County Democratic Party in front of the Gaston County Courthouse on Thursday May 26, 2011.

Graduation time again

Nataya A. Smith celebrates after receiving his diploma in Welding Technology during Gaston College commencement in Bojangles Coliseum on Friday May 13, 2011.

Abbey Lightning

Lightning bolts light up the sky over the Belmont Abbey Basilica during severe thunder storms early on Wednesday May 11, 2011.

RV vs House

A recreational vehicle sits crashed into a the garage of a home at 615 Rosemary Lane on Saturday May 7, 2011. Firefighters were dispatched to the incident that sent one man to Gaston Memorial Hospital with non life threatening injuries at 8:15 p.m. on Friday. 

Relay for Life

Breast cancer survivor Carolyn Glover kisses her granddaughter Mckenzie Glover, 8, during opening ceremonies for Relay for Life at Ashbrook High School on Friday May 6, 2011.

Elizabeth (last name declined), 9, leads friend Heather Mattison around the track at Ashbrook during Relay For Life.

Kevin Millwood

Kevin Millwood pitches for the Scranton / Wilkes-Barre Yankees during the game against the Charlotte Knights on Thursday April 28, 2011 in Fort Mill, SC.

As if baseball isn't boring enough, I spent the better part of two work days just to get a few shots of this guy.

Not that I'm complaining, I get paid to go out and take pictures every day and I don't care all that much what it is. The next day I got to go rock climbing to take pictures, so life is in balance.