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Wednesday, 02 August 2006 02:54 |
Human skull, bones found;
autopsy results sought
A human skull and other skeletal remains were collected by Asheville police, fire and rescue officials from the French Broad River on Monday.
Police, who are awaiting autopsy results, said they were unclear whether foul play was involved.
The discovery was made after employees of Highwater Clays spotted the bones behind the business at 600 Riverside Dr. about 2:20 p.m. during a lunch break.
The
partial skeletal remains had been submerged about 10 feet from the
riverbank, officials said. The water was shallow, so rescue workers
were able to wade in and recover the remains.
The remains were then sent to the medical examiner??s office in Chapel Hill on Tuesday for further examination.
Asheville police
detectives have begun an investigation into the incident. No clothes
were found on the bones or nearby. Investigators could not determine
the age or sex of the remains, police spokesman John Dankel noted.
Three-foot long alligator
captured in French Broad
BREVARD ?? After
a 15-hour search, an American alligator measuring more than 3 feet long
was captured by three men in the French Broad River about 12:30 a.m.
Sunday.
The reptile,
which had been spotted by boaters in recent weeks, is now being kept at
Brevard College until officials decided where to send it. Designated as
a federally threatened species, the alligator cannot be kept by the
college without proper permits.
Through much
effort, Sid Cullipher, Aaron Motley and Adam Beason, all of whom work
for a paddling business, eventually were successful in capturing the
alligator. Cullpher caught the reptile with a wire loop on a catch-pole
between the legs and forearms. Duct tape was also used to restrain the
alligator.
Cullopher, who
grew up in Florida and used to handle small alligators, noted that he
hopes whoever set the reptile loose is prosecuted. He also said someone
could have gotten serious hurt by the alligator.
Ticket sales drop, arrests
jump at Bele Chere festival
Sales for
ticketed events dropped while arrests increased during Asheville??s
Belle Chere festival, which was held downtown this past weekend.
Each of this
year??s two ticketed concerts, which included the bands Cowboy Mount,
Gov??t Mule, Cracker and Train, sold about two-thirds of its 8,000
tickets, organizers reported. Last year, the one ticketed concert,
starring Blues Traveler, sold more than 7,000 tickets.
However, Bele
Chere officials estimated that overall visits to the festival totaled
300,000 ?? about the same turnout as in the past several years.
Meanwhile,
authorities filed more than 234 criminal charges and Asheville police
made 147 arrests ?? an increase from last year??s 126 arrests.
Among the
charges filed were fighting, intoxicated and disruptive behavior,
underage drinking, drug possession (including marijuana, cocaine,
mushrooms and LSD), assaulting an officer, carrying a concealed weapon
and using false identification.
In addition,
Dana Lawrence Alexander of Fletcher was charged with damage to property
in the breaking of a window at A Dancer??s Place on Patton Avenue.
Large meth lab discovered
by drug agents in Candler
Candler ?? Drug enforcement agents discovered what they said was a large-scale methamphetamine lab at a Candler home on July 25.
Officers with
the Metropolitan Enforcement Group charged Robert Lee Thompson, 51, who
lives at 145 Ridgedale Road with possession and manufacturing of the
drug, as well as felony maintenance of a dwelling and two counts of
possession of ingredients to make a controlled substance.
Thompson was being held in lieu of a $250,000 bond at the Buncombe County Detention Center.
Agents reportedly discovered two one-liter bottles that were half full of meth oil, a precursor to methamphetamines.
The state hired
a cleanup crew from Robeson County in eastern North Carolina to dispose
of the toxic chemicals that were used to make the drug.
A spokesman for
the State Bureau of Investigations Clandestine Lab Response Team said
that the lab was unusually large, relative to recent busts.
The lab was
reportedly capable of producing 10 to 12 grams of the drug per batch,
as opposed to five grams, as is more common among labs that have been
shut down in recent years.
Officials noted that 328 meth labs were busted in the past year.
Dog-owner jailed, released; faces pet cruelty charges
An Asheville man was released from jail on Friday after appearing in court on a charge of cruelty to animals.
Gerald Dairus
Baker Jr., 41, who recently was evicted from his house at 42 Country
Gardens Lane, allegedy left his bloodhound, Beauregard, without food or
clean water, and restrained by a collar that cut deep into his neck.
What??s more, a neighbor reported seeing Baker punch the dog in the head.
Baker was
arrested Thursday. Meanwhile, both Beauregard and another dog found
leashed on the property were taken to Buncombe County??s animal shelter.
Inmate died from diseases,
medical examiner reports
An inmate who
died July 22 at the Buncombe County Detention Center suffered from
several major diseases that contributed to his death, according to a
county medical examiner.
Jailers found
Horace Wilcox Jr., 42, dead on the floor of his cell just after 6 a.m.
He had been held at the facility since June 2 on check forgery and drug
possession charges.
Though an
autopsy conducted by the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in
Chapel Hill last week did not show the cause of Wilcox?? death, a
spokesman for the county said that the state office had determined
that the death was unrelated to conditions at the jail.
Multiple incidents of theft
reported at UNC Asheville
UNC Asheville campus police reported three counts of larceny at the school??s dining hall on July 25.
The incident, which is still under investigation, took place about 6:44 p.m.
In other UNCA
action, police reported a breaking and entering at the school??s
Highsmith University Union about 5:27 a.m. July 24. No arrest had been
made as of early this week.
Asheville police academy
graduates second class
The Asheville
Police Department Police academy graduated its second class ?? comprised
of 19 prospective officers ?? on June 29 at the Diana Wortham Theatre at
Pack Place.
The graduates
now have begun field training under the supervision of state-certified
APD Field Training Officers for about 80 days.
The APD started its academy in fall 2005
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