ALEXANDER COUNTY, NC (November 18, 2020) — On Thursday, November 12, at approximately 10:25 a.m., the NC State Highway Patrol was notified by the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office that a vehicle had been discovered in a washed-out area of Hopewell Church Road due to flash flooding. One occupant was discovered in the vehicle which had been submerged for some time before the floodwaters receded enough to affect recovery efforts. The deceased driver has been identified as Daniel Keith Ballew, 64, of Hiddenite.