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Tuesday, 24 April 2007 16:40 |
Two women arrested in sting
on prostitution, drug charges
BENT CREEK ó Two women were arrested in an undercover prostitution sting in an apartment building in the Bent Creek area last Thursday.
Agents from the Buncombe County Anti-Crime Task Force arrested Teresa Nadine Gregg, 42, and Jennifer Warren Lindsey, 33, on prostitution and drug charges after an undercover officer was solicited for sexual acts.
The sting at the apartment followed a complaint by telephone, according to the Buncombe County Sheriffís Department.
2 WCU students arrested
following campus explosion
CULLOWHEE ó A Western Carolina University dormitory was locked down for
90 minutes on April 17 after two students and another person allegedly
set off a homemade explosive.
Antonio Izzi, 18; Michelle Hargenrader, 19; and Jesse Edwards, 21, were
each charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction, as well
as four counts each of possesion of explosives on school property. All
the charges are felonies.
Furthermore, the two WCU students, Izzi and Hargenrader, will face university disciplinary actions.
The trio allegedly made the explosive by mixing toilet bowl cleaner and
aluminum in a 20-ounce soda bottle because ìthey were bored,î officials
said.
After the explosive detonated, around 11 p.m, the 400-bed Leatherwood
Hall went into lockdown. Officials noted that the dormitory has a
police substation in it, which facilitated a quick response time by
police.
No one was injured in the attack and the schoolís chancellor, John
Bardo, said he did not think the trio intended to hurt anyone.
Hit-run suspect accused
of trying to bribe an officer
WEAVERVILLE ó A Buncombe County man was arrested early last Wednesday
morning on charges of attempting to bribe a Weaverville police officer.
Loren Shane Michaels, 27, of Jenkins Valley Road in Alexander was out
of jail on bond after having been charged with hit-and-run in
connection with the death of Karen Herndon, a 19-year-old college
student from Weaverville on Oct. 21.
In that incident, Michaels allegedly hit and killed Herndon, a student
at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, who had just gotten
out of a car her mother was driving during an apparent argument,
officials said.
Police say Michaels then fled the scene of the accident, but was apprehended, arrested and later released on bond.
In last weekís incident, Michaelsí 2007 Toyota Land Cruiser was stuck
in a field off Hamburg Mountain just before 1 a.m., when a friend of
his flagged down Officer Jonathan Ammons for assistance.
During the incident, Michaels allegedly told Ammons, ìIíll pay you to get me out of this,î prompting the bribery charges.
Michaels was released after posting bond later that day.
Woodfin officer wounded
while struggling with man
WOODFIN ó A Woodfin police officer incurred a concussion April 17
during an altercation with an inmate who was wanted for failing to
return from work release.
Officer Mike Salley, 24, was treated at Mission Hospitals after a
morning traffic stop. Another officer, Charles Robinson, was punched in
the ribs, but did not seek treatment.
In the aftermath, Robert Brian Brank, 35, faces a charge of assaulting an officer, inflicting serious injury.
Brank reportedly failed to return from work release to the Jackson
County Jail last November. He was serving time for failure to pay child
support.
The officers stopped Brankís 1985 Dodge on Riverside Drive for traveling too slow ó 20 mph in a 35-mph zone.
Officials say Brank fled the car when officers approached and proceeded
to lead them on a 100-yard foot chase, punctuated by several fights.
Eventually, Salley and Brank fell to the ground, causing Salleyís head to bang against the ground, a police spokesman said.
In addition to the assault charge, Brank now faces charges including
resisting officers, driving too slow, giving a false name to officers,
driving with a revoked license and driving left of center.
Man convicted of assault
gets 8 to 10 years in prison
A South Carolina man was sentenced to eight to 10 years in prison last
week for attempting to rape a Candler woman after pulling a fire alarm
to lure her out of her apartment and then hiding in her bedroom closet
until she returned.
Bryan Thomas Head, 25, pleaded guilty April 16 to attempted
first-degree rape, attempted first-degree sex offense, second-degree
kidnapping and breaking and entering.
Head was reportedly visiting his estranged wife at Biltmore Lake
Apartments in Candler when he met the 22-year-old victim near the
swimming pool.
Unbeknownst to her, he then followed her back to her apartment in the
same complex, pulled the fire alarm and entered her unlocked apartment.
He hid in the closet until she was changing clothes later and then grabbed her. She managed to fend him off and escape.
The case led to the firing of Buncombe County Deputy James Allen, who initially investigated the case.
Allen reportedly told the victim that she had to file charges against Head herself.
However, Allen said that he did all he was allowed to do legally and
claimed that the firing was a politically motivated response to
suspicions by then-Sheriff Bobby Medford that Allen had met with Van
Duncan, his Democratic rival. Medford was defeated by Duncan in the
November election.
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