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Wednesday, 12 July 2006 12:42 |
Pipe bomb, grenades found; man faces multiple charges
FLETCHER ?? Jason Jerome Holt of Fletcher, arrested on weapons and drug-related charges last Friday night, was informed of the charges filed against him during his first appearance in court on Monday ?? and was scheduled to appear again on June 28.
The charges included possession of weapons of mass destruction, resisting an officer, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and violating an order of protection. He was arrested by the Fletcher Police Department
The
bomb squad of the Henderson County Sheriff??s Department, which was
called in by Fletcher police early Sunday, found grenades and an armed
pipe bomb in Holt??s ex-wife??s home on Whispy Willow Court. The 7.5-inch
galvanized steel pipe loaded with explosive powder was easily visible
from the garage. The squad defused the weapons remotely in an open area
at the airport.
His ex-wife and child were elsewhere on vacation when Fletcher police
arrested Holt at their house. Police said they were alerted by a
burglar alarm that went off at the home.
Holt, who was banned from the property by a domestic violence
protective order, apparently had broken in, police said. Holt was
arrested on charges that he failed to let police enter ?? and then
fought with them, officials noted.
Police reported finding the pipe bomb and materials for making more of
them, grenade casings and materials to activate them ?? and a loaded
.45-calibre handgun on the kitchen counter.
Holt was being held on $130,000 bond in the Henderson County jail.
Man shot by policeman dies; APD calls action self-defense
Three
days after he was shot by an Asheville police officer, Lacy Pickens III
died from the wounds he suffered during the confrontation about
mid-morning Monday at Mission Hospitals.
Pickens was shot by officer Chad Bridges in the Cracker Barrel parking lot in West Asheville about 11:05 p.m. last Thursday.
Afterward, the Asheville Police Department said the action was in self-defense.
To avoid being run over, Bridges reportedly fired into a car driven by
Pickens, who was critically injured in the melee. Pickens, 27, of Taft
Avenue was wanted on unspecified drug-related charges, police noted.
Bridges shot Pickens after the latter reversed his car, hitting the
front tire of a police car and knocking down Sgt. Danny Holden. At
least one bullet hit Pickens, police confirmed.
Bridges and Holden, both in uniform, had followed Pickens into the
restaurant??s parking lot, driving an unmarked patrol car, but flashing
their blue light.
Another Asheville man, Troy Samuel Tobe Jr., of Tocoma Circle was
arrested on the scene, charged with possession of 4.8 grams of cocaine.
He was jailed in lieu of a $10,000 bond.
Meanwhile, Bridges was put on paid leave while the State Bureau of
Investigation probes the shooting. The APD noted that both the leave
and SBI probe are routine procedures after shootings by police.
Bridges fired in defense of himself and Holden, police spokesman John
Dankel said. Neither officer was injured. Holden has returned to duty.
The two officers are members of the APD??s Drug Suppression Unity, which also serves as the department??s tactical team.
Pickens, who was serving a probation sentence for misdemeanor drug
possession, had a lengthy record of convictions, including drug
possession and assault.
Bridges also was involved in the last incident in which police were
known to have seriously injured someone. On Jan. 25, a tactical team
raided a suspected drug house and tossed a stun grenade that resulted
in serious genital injury to Troy Wyatt. Reportedly, Wyatt had
disobeyed Bridges?? orders. However, court documents did not indicate
whose stun grenade caused the injury.
Burnsville man leads police on three-county car chase
A
Burnsville man wanted for two robberies led police on a July 3 car
chase ?? at speeds reaching 75 mph ?? that spanned three counties,
according to police.
Ultimately, the driver was stopped by Yancey County authorities who
used tire-deflating stop sticks to bring the pickup truck to an abrupt
halt.
Asheville police attempted to stop Kelly Lee Rathburn, 23, at 5:45 p.m.
on Haywood Road. Rathburn then led them on a chase, requiring
reinforcements from the Buncombe County Sheriff??s Department.
During the chase, he ran a Woodfin Police Department patrol car off the road and onto the shoulder, according to police reports.
Rathburn faces charges connected to two robberies, including a felony
armed robbery of $100 from a woman and a charge of common-law robbery
following allegations that he stole from the purse of another woman ?®by
violence or intimidation,?∆ according to the arrest warrent.
Additionally, he has been charged with felony fleeing and eluding
arrest with a motor vehicle, speeding more than 15 miles per hour over
the legal limit, reckless driving and driving with a revoked license.
Rathburn was being held at the Buncombe County Detention Facility in
lieu of a $130,500 bond. He reportedly was released from prison only
weeks before the July 3 car chase with police.
Dog owner comes forward after Fourth of July attack
The owner of a dog who bit a 15-year-old girl downtown on July 4 came forward last Thursday.
The incident took place at an Independence Day celebration at Pack Square.
The dog??s owner had left the scene without providing any
identification, leaving the girl??s family with the dilemma of whether
to undergo lengthy and expensive rabies treatments.
However, after publicity about the incident in local media, the owner
contacted the Asheville Police Department and has been completely
cooperative, according to police.
The dog, which has current innocculations, is being held in a voluntary quarantine for 10 days to determine if it has rabies.
Drive-in? Mazda crashes into house in Montford
A car
crashed through the hedges and lodged into the corner of a house on
Danville Place?? a narrow side street ?? in the Montford community last
Thursday night.
Jamar Deshaun Smith, 19, was unable to make a turn on Pearson Drive,
instead veering down Danville Place, where it smashed into the house,
according to passengers. The Mazda was traveling up to 75 mph and
might have been going 50 mph when it hit the house, they said.
In the aftermath, Smith was charged with reckless driving and possession of marijuana, both misdemeanors.
Smith, who was conscious after the accident, was transported to Mission
Hospitals and released that night. The three passengers were treated at
the scene for minor injuries. The Mazda, which was not Smith??s, was a
total loss ?? and was covered by insurance, police said.
Meanwhile, homeowner Lewis Merrill, 82, a retired landscaper, was left
with ruined hedges and cracks in the interior of his house. He had been
sitting next door on his son??s porch when the accident occurred.
Asheville man, 50, faces illegal gambling charges
Marshall
Dyke Adams of Asheville was arrested last Friday on charges of
operating illegal video poker machines in a house of entertainment ?? or
a place where alcohol is served.
In all, Adams, 50, faces six misdemeanor charges in connection with
illegal gambling in September, including allowing gambling on
ABC-licensed premises, keeping illegal video poker machines that had
cash payoffs and operating games of chance.
Adams was released on a written promise to appear in court.
Deputy disputes his firing; sheriff??s office stands firm
Deputy
James Allen, 36, was fired last week because he mishandled an attempted
rape case, according to the Buncombe County Sheriff??s Department.
Specifically, the department said Allen erred by not turning the case
over to detectives for investigation beyond the couple of hours
deputies spent on the scene.
Conversely, Allen contended he followed the law ?? and that he knew he
would be fired long before the incident because Sheriff Bobby Medford
wrongly suspected that Allen and another recently fired deputy had met
with Medford??s Democratic opponent, Van Duncan.
In the case, Allen reportedly told Tracy Williams, 22, on July 3 that
she would have to file her own charges against an assailant.
Investigators suspect Bryant Thomas Head, who lives at Northview at Biltmore Lake apartments in Candler.
Meanwhile, officials said they plan to drop the misdemeanor charges
Williams filed and are looking for Head on charges of felony burglary,
kidnapping and attempted rape.
Crackdown in downtown results in multiple arrests
The
Asheville Police Department targeted ?®street crimes?∆ in the the area
immediately south of the downtown district on the night of July 6-7,
resulting in multiple arrests.
The APD said the enforcement action was part of a continuing effort to
address problems in the downtown area, and in response to complaints
from merchants and residents.
The following persons were arrested and charged as indicated:
James Pocock, panhandling; Jason Hartsough, open alcohol container;
Eric Michalovic, DWI; Jennifer Calhoun, loitering for prostitution;
Carly Johnson, loitering for prostitution; Kimberly Barnes, soliciting
for prostitution; Amanda Gregory, soliciting for prostitution; Rhonda
Beamon, soliciting for prostitution; Jimmy Petty, soliciting for
prostitution; Isaac Miller, soliciting for prostitution; William Clark,
soliciting for prostitution and possession of a controlled substance;
John Rathge, soliciting for prostitution; Vicente Ramirez, soliciting
for prostitution; Fabian Ramirez, soliciting for prostitution; and Hugo
Ramirez, soliciting for prostitution.
The APD
?®will continue to conduct these enforcement actions in an effort to
control those crimes that adversely affect the quality of life in
Asheville??s business districts and neighborhoods,?∆ police spokesman
John Dankel noted. ?®Persons who come into Asheville with the intent to
violate the law should understand they may face arrest and prosecution
for their illegal actions.?∆
Man sought in shooting at Pisgah View Apartments
| | White |
Robert
Keith White II is being sought on a charge of attempted murder
following a report of a shooting on July 6 at Pisgah View Apartments.
Following a call about 6:25 p.m., Asheville police found Mary Estella
Myrick, 42, of 18-B Pisgah View had been shot four times ?? three times
in the shoulder and once in the neck. Her injuries were not
life-threatening, and she was treated and released at Mission Hospitals.
Anyone who has information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Asheville Police Department.
UNCA police arrest woman on various charges
UNC Asheville campus police arrested an Asheville woman on a number of charges on the Fourth of July.
Brett Asheleigh Dillingham, 41, of 110 McKinney Road was charged with
speeding, driving while intoxicated, driving without an operator??s
license, possession of less than a half-ounce of marijuana and
possession of drug paraphernalia.
At 2:10 a.m., Officer Brandon Hunnicutt observed Dillingham driving a
blue 1989 Plymouth Horizon at a high rate of speed toward the traffic
circle on W.T. Weaver Boulevard from Broadway Street.
He followed Dillingham to Edgewood Road and Barnard Avenue, where he
stopped her and reported detecting an odor of alcohol on her breath.
After undergoing field sobriety tests, on which Hunnicutt said
Dillingham reportedly performed poorly, she then registered .15 and .14
on an Alco-Sensor test and was placed under arrest for DWI.
While searching her vehicle, Hunnicutt found a silver-colored pouch
containing a blue pipe, rolling papers and a metal case containing 0.02
ounces of a green leafy substance he suspected to be marijuana.
At that point, Dillingham was transported to the Buncombe County
Detention Center, where she registered a 0.12 on the Intoxilyzer 5000.
Officials set a bond of $1,000, along with a trial date of Aug. 14.
In other UNCA campus police action, Christian Mauricio Vasquez, 23, of
326 Justice River Rd., Candler, and a native of Columbia in South
America, was charged with exceeding a safe speed and DWI last Saturday.
About 3:16 a.m., a green 1999 Mitsubishi Mirage was spotted by police
traveling at a high rate of speed on W.T. Weaver Boulevard toward
Broadway Street.
Hunnicutt pulled in behind the vehicle and observed the driver swerve
in the lane several times. The officer reported the driver then turned
right onto Broadway Street, where he continued to observe the driver
swerving in the lane. Hunnicutt pulled him over at the intersection
with Campus Drive.
The officer noted that he detected a strong odor of alcohol on the
breath of Vasquez. Upon questioning, Hunnicutt said Vasquez said he was
not willing to submit to field sobriety tests.
Eventually, the driver agreed to submit to an Alco-Sensor test, on
which he registered a 0.07 and a 0.09. At that point, Vasquez agreed to
field sobriety tests, on which Hunnicutt said he performed poorly.
Hunnicut arrested Vasquez and transported him to the Buncombe County
Detention Facility, where Vasquez registered an invalid sample before
tallying 0.08 on the Intoxilyzer. He was being held on a $300 secure
bond.
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