|
Tuesday, 29 August 2006 20:24 |
Teenager pistol-whipped while skateboarding in park
A man who allegedly pistol-whipped a teenage boy on Walton Street two weeks ago is being sought by Asheville police.
The teenager was skateboarding in the park on Aug. 16, when an argument erupted between the youngster and another group of people, police said.
A man then reportedly pulled out a pistol and struck the teenager twice on his head.
The boy, who is 17 and from Charlotte, was treated for a concussion at Mission Hospitals.
Man charged with stealing $11,600 worth of copper wire
FAIRVIEW ÇƒÓ A Fairview man recently was charged with stealing $11,600
worth of copper ground wire from Progress Energy substations in which
he allegedly broke into during July and August.
Christopher Scott Owenby, 34, of Church Road was arrested Saturday on
five felony counts and five misdemeanor counts each of first-degree
trespass and damage to real property. The locations of the substations
were not available.
Buncombe man sentenced for common-law robbery
A Buncombe County man was sentenced to 16 to 20 months in prison after pleading guilty on Aug. 14 to common law robbery.
Christopher David Burns, 27, entered a guilty plea in Buncombe County Superior Court.
Burns attacked and robbed a man at the victimës home in Candler on Oct. 4, 2004, Assistant District Attorney Rodney Hasty said.
Prosecutors agreed to drop a charge of assault causing a serious injury in exchange for the guilty plea on common law robbery.
Boy hit by stray .22 bullet outside his Woodfin home
WOODFIN ÇƒÓ The Buncombe County Sheriffës Department is investigating an
incident in which a boy, age 9 or 10, was hit by a stray bullet outside
his familyës home Saturday night, but was not seriously injured.
At first, the boy reportedly believed he had been hit by a rock, but
later found a bullet in his pocket. The projectile had just enough
velocity to break the skin, officials said.
The bullet, from a .22-caliber gun, had traveled some distance, authorities noted.
Woman arrested, jailed for missing court dates
A woman whose baby was found unresponsive in her car on July 4, 2005
was arrested last Friday in Asheville for failing to appear in court on
charges that she stole a car the day after the incident.
Krystal Dawn Bowers, 21, was charged last week with missing two court dates for the stolen vehicle charges.
No charges have been filed against Bowers and Justin Gaddis, 29, who were the parents of nine-week-old Jayden Gaddis.
The infant died of homicide caused by shaken baby syndrome, officials say.
Bowers later said that she found the child unresponsive with Gaddis in her apartment.
The couple could not be found by authorities after the baby was taken
to the hospital, where it later died. They later were apprehended and
spent five days in jail on charges of felony larceny of a motor vehicle
from a Sweet Creek Road gas station.
Bowers is being held in lieu of a $21,000 bond in the Buncombe County jail.
Ga. woman, 18, charged with driving under influence
UNC Asheville campus police arrested a woman and her passenger early last Saturday morning for various alcohol-related offenses.
Genna Lillian Stokes, 18, a student from Atlanta, was arrested for driving while intoxicated and driving while consuming alcohol under the age of 21.
Stokes reportedly was driving on University Heights toward Edgewood Road about 5:30 a.m. without headlights or taillights. Upon stopping Stokes near the main entrance to the campus, officer Shannon Green noticed the smell of alcohol.
Stokes was unstable on her feet, her speech was slurred and her eyes were glassy and bloodshot, Green noted. After failing a field sobriety test, Stokes agreed to take an Alco-Sensor test registering a 0.10 blood-alcohol level.
Stokes then was transported to the Buncombe County Detention Center, where she submitted to an Intoxilyzer 5000 test, registering a 0.09.
Also arrested was Stokesë passenger, Michael Saporito Jr., 20, for possession of a malt beverage by a minor.
After an odor of alcohol was detected on his breath, Saporito submitted to an Alco-Sensor test, registering a 0.06 blood-alcohol level. The officer then issued him a state citation for underage possession of a malt beverage.
Fletcher woman sued over music downloads
FLETCHER ÇƒÓ Tiffany Redmond of Fletcher has been sued recently by at
least four record companies seeking damages and injunctive relief for
copyright infringement.
In a lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western
Distriction of North Carolina in Asheville, the companies are seeking
damages from Redmond for using an online media distribution system to
download copyrighted recordings to the public, and/or to make the
copyrighted recordings available for distribution to others.
The record companies are seeking an injunction to stop Redmond from
infringing on the record companiesë distributive rights, seeking
statutory damages, cost of the lawsuit and reasonable attorney fees.
The file says Redmond downloaded music from artists such as DMX, Nelly, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Ja Rule and Usher.
Warning on common scams issued to Asheville citizens
The Asheville Police Department recently issued warnings regarding two
common mail and e-mail scams that have been circulating recently.
Many residents of Asheville received letters in the mail about
"European lottery programs." Frequently these letters use the correct
name and address for the resident.
These scams inform the "winner" that they have won a specific amount of money, according to police spokesman John Dankel.
What looks like a legitimate check for a portion of the winnings is included with the notification letter.
Instructions direct the "winner" to contact a lottery agent for
instructions on how to remit their "tax and clearance fees" so they can
receive their lottery winnings, he said.
Typically the recipients are directed by the "agent" to wire money ǃÓ
after they have deposited the fake check into their personal account ǃÓ
to someone outside the country.
They are told they will then receive their portion of the prize money, less a percentage for the agent or sponsor commission.
A day or so after it is deposited into the personës account the bank
will discover the check is fake and the account will be debited for
that amount. Unfortunately, the victim has frequently already wired the
money to the scam artist and there is no practical way to get it back,
Dankel noted.
"Winners" also are warned in the letter to keep their winnings
"absolutely confidential" to avoid unauthorized persons or
organizations from contacting them about their new-found wealth.
None of the information in the letter is true, according to police.
Persons receiving these letters are urged to discard them immediately.
Regarding another common fraudulent scheme, the APD noted on July 15
that the FBI is receiving renewed complaints about an e-mail scam that
first surfaced sometime in 2004.
People are receiving official-looking e-mails, purportedly from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
The e-mail claims a personës bank accounts are no longer eligible for
FDIC insurance because of suspected violations of the USA PATRIOT Act,
Dankel said.
The message also says this issue can be resolved by clicking on a link
provided in the e-mail and providing a great deal of personal
information. Supposedly, after the information is verified, the
accounts will once again be eligible for FDIC insurance. There is also
an implication that failure to provide the "required" information will
result in further investigation and possibly a visit from federal
agents.
These e-mails, and all like them, are scams, Dankel said. Persons who
respond and provide the requested information risk having their
identity stolen and misused and they place funds in their banks
accounts at risk for theft.
Government agencies and legitimate banks do not request this sort of information by e-mail, Dankel stressed.
All such requests should be regarded as scams and the e-mails should be
immediately deleted without opening any attachments. Those with any
doubts or questions may contact the bank or government agency directly
by telephone, Dankel said.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
