Following downtown rapes, caution urged for women

Following a series of reported rapes in downtown Asheville and adjoining areas, the Asheville Police Department issued a caution last week for people to keep personal safety in mind when out at night.

“The City of Asheville, and the Central Business District in particular, are very safe overall,” APD Capt. Tim Splain said in a statement. “But people should be aware that darkness also presents an increased opportunity for crime to occur.”

Police noted that they do not believe the recent attacks were related. Police are awaiting DNA results from the lab and still pursuing leads, but no new developments have been reported.

The three recent cases include:

• A woman, who was standing at the corner of Bartlett Street and South French Broad Avenue on April 11, told police she was ordered inside a vehicle and driven to a South French Broad Avenue house, where she was sexually assaulted.

• A woman, who was walking on Broadway Street about 7:30 p.m. May 3, told police she was forced down Carolina Avenue between Woodfin and East Walnut streets and raped. The woman said a second person held her down.

• A woman, who got into the truck of a man she did not know at the Hot Spot convenience store on Asheland Avenue on May 18, told police she was taken to his apartment and made to perform sex acts. Police have surveillance video that, they say, may show the woman and man together.

In addition, police are investigating a reported sexual assualt May 2 at a parking garage on Biltmore Avenue. However, the victim was unable to provide many details of her attacker, police noted.

In 2007, 27 forcible rapes were reported in Asheville, down from 49 in the previous year, State Bureau of Investigation data show.

The APD recommends that people out after dark park close to their destination, walk with someone, stay in well-lit, populated areas and keep cellphones charged and ready.

Hendersonville 16-year-old arrested in rape, robbery

HENDERSONVILLE — A Hendersonville teenager recently was charged with raping an elderly woman and stealing her computer on May 20.

The woman told police she was awakened about 5 a.m. by a male in her bedroom using her computer. When she confronted the man, he physically assaulted her and then raped her, she said.

After the rape, she was able to fight the assailant, before he stole her computer and fled the scene.
The suspect, Curtis Waddell Jr., 16, of Kay Thomas Drive, was arrested May 21 at the Bi-Lo supermarket parking lot on Four Seasons Boulevard. He was charged with first-degree rape, first-degree burglary and possession of stolen property. His bond was set at $108,000.

Two Asheville men charged in assault on ALE officer

An alleged assault on an Alcohol Law Enforcement officer resulted in charges against two men early last Saturday at the Bier Garden, a downtown restaurant and bar.

Malcom Richard Knighten, 24, of North French Broad Avenue, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon on a government official for hitting an ALE officer in the back with a bar stool, the arrest warrant stated. The officer was attempting to write tickets when the fracas erupted, the warrant noted.

In addition, Michael Paul Plemmons, 34, of Brevard Road was charged with assault on a law-enforcement officer for biting the officer’s finger and hitting him on the left side of his face. Both Knighten and Plemmons also were charged with allowing Bier Garden employees to drink there after hours and for failure to appear on unrelated traffic charges.

Knighten’s bond was set at $5,500, while Plemmons’s was set at $6,000.