Victim of brutal beating
dies one week after attack

Asheville police have opened a homicide investigation after a homeless man died July 17 as a a result of a severe beating he incurred nearly a week earlier.

Police found Michael E. Jones, 36, badly beaten in the area around South French Broad and Hilliard avenues and Grove Street, about 9:04 p.m. July 9, according to reports.

Jones told police that he did not know his attackers or what their motivations were. He could only identify them as three white males in their 40s, and said that one of them had red hair.

Jones was homeless and was in an area frequented by homeless people. He had no criminal record, and was the brother of Bryson City Assistant Police Chief Greg Jones.

One of the assailants reportedly hit him on the head with a pipe and another told him that they were not going home empty handed.

Jones died as a result of blunt trauma, according to doctors at Mission Hospitals. His body will be sent to Winston-Salem for an autopsy.

The slaying marks the fourth homicide in Asheville this year, matching the total for all of 2006. It is also the second time this year that a homeless man has been murdered.

Anyone with information about the attack can call the Asheville Police Department at 259-5910.

2 wounded by gunshots
during ëbotched robberyí

Two people suffered gunshot wounds July 15 during what police said might have been a botched robbery.

The incident took place about 5:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Chammies Car Wash & Oil Change at 720 Hendersonville Rd. The business was closed at the time.

That was where a car with four people in it met up with a group of people in another vehicle.
What happened next was most likely a robbery involving drugs, police said, though details are still unclear.

Police suspect that the carís driver attempted to escape and one of the people in the other group fired a gun into the rear window of their car.

Antwan Cornelius Oates, 25, of Sweeten Creek Road was struck in the forearm. The same bullet then struck Samantha Rae Wilcox, 19, of Arden, in the abdomen.

No charges have been filed yet, and police continue to investigate the incident.

Prominent Asheville leader
pleads guilty to DWI charge

A prominent Asheville business and civic leader was sentenced July 14 after pleading guilty to driving while impaired in relation to two accidents that occured within minutes of each other.

Gordon Myers, 62, was sentenced to 120 days in jail suspended for one year, as well as revocation of his license for a year.

Prosecutors dropped reckless-driving and hit-and-run charges in exchange for Myersí pleading guilty to the DWI charge.

Furthermore, he was ordered to perform 48 hours of community service and pay a $250 fee and $110 in court costs. His probation is unsupervised.

The charges stem from a March 20 incident in which the former city councilman failed to slow down for a chain-reaction crash involving four cars on Cane Creek Road.

He then drove off and 16 minutes later, his sport utility vehicle went off Gap Creek Road and hit a fence and a tree.

Myers was thrown from the vehicle and suffered serious injuries, for which he spent four days in the hospital. No one else was seriously hurt.

Myers will continue to sit on the board of AdvantageWest, the regionís economic development agency. He stepped down as the boardís chair following the accident. Myers has also served on the state Board of Transportation and was vice president for real estate of Ingles Markets for 14 years before his retirment in 2005.

Asheville police charge 3
with carrying out robberies

Asheville Police have charged three people with robberies from several area businesses. Charged were:

ï Earl Buckner Lewis III, 28, charged with common law robbery from Dominoís Pizza, 1453 Patton Ave.; common law robbery from Stop and Go #6, 1245 Tunnel Road; common law robbery from Eblen Short Stop, 1438 Tunnel Road; attempted common law robbery from Tan Universe, 153 Smokey Park Highway; and simple assault.

Buckner is being held at the Buncombe County jail on a $57,500 bond.
ï Kristy Shawn Burrell, 31, charged with aiding and abetting common law robbery from Dominoís Pizza, 1453 Patton Ave.; aiding and abetting common law robbery from Stop and Go #6, 1245 Tunnel Road;aiding and abetting common law robbery from Eblen Short Stop, 1438 Tunnel Road; aiding and abetting attempted common law robbery from Tan Universe, 153 Smokey Park Highway.
Burrell is being held on a $31,500 bond.

ï William Christopher Smith, 37, charged with aiding and abetting common law robbery from Stop and Go #6, 1245 Tunnel Road; and aiding and abetting common law robbery from Eblen Short Stop, 1438 Tunnel Road.
Smith is being held on a $5,000 bond.

Swannanoa driver charged
with dragging man with car

A Swannanoa man was charged last week with dragging a man with his vehicle.

Jesse Eugene Blankenship, 24, was charged by Buncombe County Sheriffís deputies with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, as well as misdemeanor larceny.

The Wilson Cove Road resident was being held in lieu of a $10,200 bond.

Trio lead Candler officers
on car chase, foot pursuit

candler ó Authorities arrested two of three people involved in a chase July 17 that started in Canton and ended with a car crash and brief foot chase in Candler.

Buncombe County Sheriffís deputies charged Alexander William Searle, 22, of Massachusetts, with eluding arrest, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of burglarís tools, resisting arrest, driving without a license, driving with an open container, driving left of center, failing to stop at a stop sign and injuring personal property.

The sheriffís office learned of a pursuit by the Canton Police Department that had crossed into Buncombe County about 9:30 p.m.

Canton police had been pursuing Searle, who was driving a 1995 Volkswagen Passat that was reported stolen in Vermont.

A deputy spotted the car near the intersection of Upper and Lower Glady Fork roads and attempted to stop Searle, who allegedly failed to stop, leading the deputy on a chase.

The Vokswagen veered off he road and Searle continued driving across a small pasture, according to reports. The vehicle then crashed at an embankment on Youngís Cove Road, going through a wooden fence.

Though it is unclear how fast Searle was driving during the chase, warrants indicate that he was driving more than 15 mph over the posted speed limit.

After the crash, Searle and another man began running away on foot. Though Searle was caught after a short chase, the second suspect escaped.

Deputies described the man as white, early to mid-20s, about 5-feet, 4-inches tall, with a stocky build.

During a search of the vehicle, deputies reportedly found burglarís tools, including a screwdriver, two hacksaws and a crow bar.

Deputies acertained that the two had been staying in a local motel room, where they found Rachel Jasper, 22, of New Hampshire.† Jasper was charged with an outstanding warrant from that state.
The incident is still being investigated. Anyone with informatin about it can call 255-5555.

Escaped pair of wolf dogs
still loose after one month

BLACK MOUNTAIN ó A pair of wolf dogs that killed two dogs and injured another in June are still on the loose after a month.

There have been no sightings of the animals in two weeks, a spokeswoman for the Buncombe County Sheriffís Department said.

The dogs excaped from a residence in the Broad River community June 18. After they attacked three other dogs, a resident shot one of the wolf dogs dead.

Though deputies no longer have traps set for the dogs, they have alerted residents to keep an eye out for the animals.

Indecent-exposure incident probed at Botanical Gardens

A reported incident of indecent exposure at 7:34 p.m. July 2 at the Botanical Gardens at Asheville is being investigated by the UNC Asheville Campus Police.

A woman reported that a man had exposed himself to her. By the time officers arrived on the scene, the man was gone.

Other crime reports for this month from UNCA police included the following:

ï Two larcenies of bicycles ó one reported at 3:05 p.m. July 1 at Governors Hall bike rack and the other, 10 a.m. July 16 at Founders Hall bike rack. The cases are still under investigation.

ï A larceny from a building reported at 1 p.m. July 10 at Founders Hall. The case is still under investigation.

ï A trespassing was reported at 9:30 a.m. July 13 on U.S. Forestry Service property, adjoining W.T. Weaver Boulevard. Officer Eric Pritchard told the Daily Planet this past Monday that the case was cleared when a homeless person was cited for the trespassing after a previous warning. The subject must appear in court.

ï A vandalism/graffiti incident reported at 10:45 a.m. July 17 on the Greenway along W.T. Weaver Boulevard. The case is still under investigation.

Following chase, struggle,
Leicester man, 26, arrested

Following a police chase not involving high speed through Asheville, a Leicester man was jailed early last Thursday, according to the Buncombe County Sheriffís Department.

A deputy reportedly noticed Michael Shawn Brady, 26, of North Forty Acres driving recklessly on Interstate 240 west about 3:50 a.m.

When the deputy tried to pull Brady over, the subject did not stop and instead took the Montford Street exit, officials said.

Brady then drove around several side streets until he arrived in the Emma area, where deputies deployed stop sticks that deflated two of his tires at Louisiana Avenue and Emma Road, according to police.

Despite the flat tires, Brady continued to drive the car, reaching Smith Graveyard Road off Eliada Home Road.

However, Brady reached a dead end and was taken into custody after a brief struggle.

Brady was charged with possession of methamphetamine, eluding arrest, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon, driving while license revoked, assaulting a deputy, driving left of center and resisting arrest.

He also was charged with failure to appear on drug and resisting-arrest charges. He was being held in lieu of $40,200 in bonds.

Duo lead Candler officers
on car chase, foot pursuit

candler ó Authorities arrested two of three people in connection with a chase July 17 that started in Canton and ended with a car crash and brief foot chase in Candler.

Buncombe County Sheriffís deputies charged Alexander William Searle, 22, of Massachusetts, with eluding arrest, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of burglarís tools, resisting arrest, driving without a license, driving with an open container, driving left of center, failing to stop at a stop sign and injuring personal property.

The sheriffís office learned of a pursuit by the Canton Police Department that had crossed into Buncombe County about 9:30 p.m.

Canton police had been pursuing Searle, who was driving a 1995 Volkswagen Passat that was reported stolen in Vermont.

A deputy spotted the car near the intersection of Upper and Lower Glady Fork roads and attempted to stop Searle, who allegedly failed to stop, leading the deputy on a chase.

The Vokswagen veered off the road and Searle continued driving across a small pasture, according to reports. The vehicle then crashed at an embankment on Youngís Cove Road, going through a wooden fence.

Though it is unclear how fast Searle was driving during the chase, warrants indicate that he was driving more than 15 mph over the posted speed limit.

After the crash, Searle and another man began running away on foot. Though Searle was caught after a short chase, the second suspect escaped.

Deputies described the man as white, early to mid-20s, about 5-feet, 4-inches tall, with a stocky build.

During a search of the vehicle, deputies reportedly found burglarís tools, including a screwdriver, two hacksaws and a crowbar.

Deputies ascertained that the two had been staying in a local motel room, where they found Rachel Jasper, 22, of New Hampshire.† Jasper was charged with an outstanding warrant from that state.
The incident is still being investigated. Anyone with information about it can call 255-5555.

Asheville police charge 3
with carrying out robberies

Asheville Police have charged three people with robberies from several area businesses. Charged were:

ï Earl Buckner Lewis III, 28, charged with common law robbery from Dominoís Pizza, 1453 Patton Ave.; common law robbery from Stop and Go #6, 1245 Tunnel Road; common law robbery from Eblen Short Stop, 1438 Tunnel Road; attempted common law robbery from Tan Universe, 153 Smokey Park Highway; and simple assault.

Buckner is being held at the Buncombe County jail on a $57,500 bond.

ï Kristy Shawn Burrell, 31, charged with aiding and abetting common law robbery from Dominoís Pizza, 1453 Patton Ave.; aiding and abetting common law robbery from Stop and Go #6, 1245 Tunnel Road; aiding and abetting common-law robbery from Eblen Short Stop, 1438 Tunnel Rd.; aiding and abetting attempted common law robbery from Tan Universe, 153 Smokey Park Highway.
Burrell is being held on a $31,500 bond.

ï William Christopher Smith, 37, charged with aiding and abetting common law robbery from Stop and Go #6, 1245 Tunnel Road; and aiding and abetting common law robbery from Eblen Short Stop, 1438 Tunnel Road.

Smith is being held on a $5,000 bond.

Sheriffís department makes
five arrests over weekend

Warrants for the following arrests were filed by the Buncombe County Sheriffís Department recently:
ï Bobby Wayne Beasley, 34, of Marianna, Fla., was arrested last Friday on a charge of driving while impaired. He also was charged with failing to appear in court, failing to wear a seat belt and driving without a license. Beasley was being held in lieu of a $9,000 bond.

ï Jimmy Lee Brooks, 23, of 4 Shirleys Way in Leicester was charged last Friday with stealing antique collectible coins valued at $6,500. He also was charged with reckless driving to endanger on a public street. He was being held in lieu of a $12,000 bond.

ï Frederick Lama Carswell, 22, of 533 New Haw Creek Road in Asheville was charged last Saturday with possession of nandrolone decanoate anabolic steroid. He also was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia needles. Carswell was being held in lieu of a $15,000 bond.

ï Paul Anthony Ray, 31, of 705 N. Cherokee Ave. in Black Mountain was charged last Saturday with possession of drug pharaphernalia. He also was charged with felonious maintaining a vehicle/dwelling for controlled substance, possession of 14 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, possession of 25 dosages of Flexaril and intent to sell or deliver a manufactured controlled substance. He was being held in lieu of a $33,000 bond.

ï Joshua Edward Fleming, 27, of 24 Misty Mountain Way in Candler was charged last Sunday with larceny of a motor vehicle. Edwards also had two outstanding warrants for breaking and entering and assaulting a female.

Police release more details
on drowning of boy in pool

Asheville police last week released more details regarding an accidental drowning of a 14-year-old boy at Howard Johnsonís at 190 Hendersonville Rd.

The boy, whose name will not be released by police because he is a juvenile, could not swim and was visiting Asheville for an EducationTalent Search Program through Horry-Georgetown Technical College, which is based in South Carolina.

The boy lived in Hemingway, S.C., and was playing in a pool with about six to eight other youngsters when the accident happened about 9:15 p.m. last Thursday, police said. The pool is eight feet deep at its deepest point.

A group counselor noticed the boy floating face down in the pool, police said. At that point, the group director and others jumped in and pulled the juvenile from the water and administered CPR until first responders arrived.

The boy was taken to Mission Hospitals where he was pronounced dead. There was no report of foul play, police noted.

The boyís parents, who were not traveling with the group, were notified by hospital staff and police.

Escaped pair of wolf dogs
still loose after one month

BLACK MOUNTAIN ó A pair of wolf dogs that killed two dogs and injured another in June are still on the loose after a month.

There have been no sightings of the animals in two weeks, a spokeswoman for the Buncombe County Sheriffís Department said.

The dogs escaped from a residence in the Broad River community June 18. After they attacked three other dogs, a resident shot one of the wolf dogs dead.

Though deputies no longer have traps set for the dogs, they have alerted residents to keep an eye out for the animals.