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Tuesday, 01 May 2007 18:25 |
Despite scare, no weapons
found in search of MHC
MARS HILL ó Following an apparent misunderstanding about the presence of a weapon on campus, students were asked to stay in their rooms while a search was conducted of dormitories and buildings at Mars Hill College last Sunday night, according to MHC spokesman Mike Thornhill.
ìThe campus was never under ëlockdown,íî Thornhill noted, contrary to a report Tuesday in the Asheville Citizen-Times headlined ìMars Hill on lockdown.î
No weapon was found as a result of the search, he emphasized.
The search was prompted by an unidentified male student, who reportedly
overheard ó through a closed door ó another student mentioning
something that sounded like someone had a gun.
Students alerted police, who arrived at Myers Dormitory on the Menís Hill side of campus about 11 p.m.
Students were asked to stay in their rooms while MHC buildings were
searched by the collegeís three campus security officers, town police
and sheriffís deputies. About 900 students live on campus in the nine
dorms and apartments.
In light of the recent killings at Virginia Tech, ìextra precaution was
taken,î Thornhill noted. He praised the students for alerting
authorities about their safety concern.
Grenade-launcher boast
results in studentís arrest
CANDLER ó A student studying criminal justice at Asheville-Buncombe
Technical Community College has been charged with possession of a
weapon of mass destruction.
Robert Edwards, a 20-year-old gun enthusiast, was charged after he had
boasted of having a weapons collection that included a grenade
launcher. He reportedly said he bought the weapon at a gun show at the
Asheville Civic Center. The charge was filed by the Buncombe County
Anti-Crime Task Force.
Based on a tip, investigators used information they found on a MySpace
Web page to track down Edwardsí house, the Buncombe County Sheriffís
Department noted.
Edwards wrote on the Web page that he possessed an ìM-15 Mid size
Bushnell awesome scope too much to name with lazer, 37 mm Cobray IMP
granade Launcher attached gonna AWESOME yeah I got it!!!!î
The launcher was attached to a semi-automatic assault rifle, which also
was confiscated. Members of the task force also seized the remainder of
his collection of 11 rifles and shotguns, all of which are legal.
Edwards was released on a promise to appear in court ó and to stay away from guns.
The felony charge of possessing a weapon of mass destruction includes
grenade launchers, sawed-off shotguns, automatic weapons and any
explosive.
Investigators said the tip likely was in response to publicity about
the April 16 Virginia Tech massacre that left 33 people dead.
Edwards claimed he had no ammunition for the launcher and never threatened to harm anyone.
Asheville man, 30, charged
with rape of Brevard woman
BREVARD ó A 30-year-old Asheville man was arrested last Friday on a
charge of first-degree rape of a woman on Feb. 15 in the Pisgah
National Forest.
Joseph William Gentry Jr. was charged with assaulting the woman while
she was walking in the Daniels Ridge area, according to the
Transylvania County Sheriffís Department, which made the arrest.
In a separate incident, Gentry was charged with misdemeanor stalking.
He allegedly went to the home of a Brevard High School student and
approached the girl in the school parking lot after a soccer game.
Gentry was being held in the Transylvania County jail under no bond.
Man, 22, apparently shot
before dying in car crash
The body of Craig Anthony Valentine, which suffered at least one
gunshot, was found in a Isuzu Trooper that crashed into a tree on
Michigan Avenue off Haywood Road on Sunday night, the Asheville Police
Department reported.
Witnesses told officers that they heard gunfire on the street just
seconds before the 9 p.m. wreck. ìApparently, only moments before,
gunfire had erupted down the street from the final resting position of
the vehicle,î an APD news release noted.
The death of Valentine, 22, of Fletcher is being investigated as a
homicide ó Ashevilleís third this year. The slaying occurred the cityís
West Riverside District, between Indiana Avenue and Alabama Avenue. The
area, which has been the locale of a number of recent crimes, includes
the Pisgah View public housing complex.
Police said more details will be forthcoming following an autopsy. No
suspects have been identified. Police are asking anyone with
information to call Lt. Kevin West at 259-5896.
Fire destroys mobile home;
probe starts after arson cited
Arson was cited as the cause of a fire that spread quickly and destroyed a vacant mobile home in Asheville last Saturday night.
The blaze, which was reported at 7:13 p.m. in the Lazy Acres Mobile
Home Park at 417 Emma Rd., prompted responses from four fire
departments. A fire investigator was on the scene trying to ascertain
what started the conflagration.
UNCA police probe larceny
at Botanical Gardens in city
UNC Ashevilleís campus police are investigating a larceny in the
Botanical Gardens at Asheville, adjoining the campus, which was
reported at 9:35 a.m. April 20.
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