UPDATE: Got this from a few readers and saw it on the Stock Car Fans Newsletter(sorry so long, no ‘net link): The head of race car driver Dale Earnhardt’s corporate office near Mooresville said he doesn’t believe a shot fired into the company building was a prank. Donald Hawk, president of Dale Earnhardt Enterprises, said the shot, which damaged a window and ceiling tile, could have killed or injured someone. “We will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” Hawk said. He added that a reward is being offered for information on the person responsible for the shooting. The gunshot was fired into the upper floor of Earnhardt’s glass building sometime during the last two weeks. Fortunately, the shot struck a
window in an uncompleted office according to Earnhardt’s security chief Bill Malcolm. Both Hawk and Malcolm said they believe the shot was fired in the early morning hours, from a high-powered weapon. What concerns them the most is that someone could have been inside the building. The windows are tinted so anyone inside the building is not visible from the outside. It is not unusual, Hawk said, for Dale or Teresa Earnhardt to be in the building working, and many times, he said, they may have their young daughter, Taylor, with them. Other employees also may bring their children to the office at night or on weekends. Hawk said he is not sure if this was a fan of some other NASCAR driver or just an isolated incident. But either way, he said, it is being addressed. Malcolm explained that high definition cameras are being installed to monitor the entire property.
Other security measures are being taken as well. Some were planned before this incident, but the shooting has prompted others. With the new security measures in place, Hawk said, he has a warning for anyone thinking about doing something like this again. Anyone with information about the shooting can call the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office at 878-3183 or the Mooresville-South Iredell Crime Stoppers at 663-7066. Callers to Crime Stoppers do not have to reveal their identity or testify in court, and rewards of up to $1,000 (which are in addition to the reward offered by Earnhardt Enterprises) are possible.(In part from the The Mooresville Tribune(NC) , By Donna Swicegood) (08-28-1998)
