Man wanted for murder in Texas arrested here

Published 8:38 am Wednesday, June 29, 2016

SALISBURY — A man wanted for murder in Texas has been arrested in Rowan County and awaits extradition back to Texas.

Eric Warren McLendon, 51, of 1435 West Ridge Road, is accused of the beating death of a 32-year-old woman in Dallas, Texas. He is also a registered sex offender, with a rape conviction in Iowa.

Earlier this month, the Dallas Police Department asked for help with a murder investigation that occurred on March 3.

The woman was found beaten to death inside a residence in Dallas. During the course of the investigation, evidence collected at the crime scene matched  McLendon.

Dallas Police asked for help from the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office in finding McLendon, and arranged for Dallas detectives to travel here for further investigation.

On June 28, Dallas detectives arrived and McLendon was located by Rowan Sheriff’s detectives. Sheriff’s detectives served a search warrant to get DNA from McLendon, who was brought to the Sheriff’s Office.

At the conclusion of this part of the investigation, Dallas detectives got an arrest warrant for the March 2016 murder. Rowan detectives arrested McLendon for being a fugitive from justice in North Carolina, and for being wanted in Dallas, Texas.

McLendon was placed in the Rowan County Detention Center under no bond.