Man accused of stabbing
at Hendersonville motel

HENDERSONVILLE ó A 26-year-old man has been charged with stabbing a disabled person at a motel last week, the Hendersonville Police Department said.

Miguel Garcia Varga is charged with attempted murder and assault on a disabled person.

The victim was taken to Mission Hospitals and was treated for several laceration and stab wounds. Police said the victim is listed in serious condition.

The incident took place at the Carolina Waldrop Motel on U.S. 25. Vargas had been staying at the Rainbow Motel in Hendersonville, police said.

He was being held at the Henderson County jail in lieu of a $6,000 bond.

2 charged with conspiracy
to traffic meth from home

HENDERSONVILLE ó Henderson County Sheriffís deputies and Hendersonville police charged two people last Wednesday with conspiring to traffic methamphetamines.

Police say they found 201.6 grams of the drug at the pairís home at 209 Oak St.

Salvador Campusano, 32, and Lucinda Mendoza, 25, were each charged with one count of conspiracy to traffic meth, two counts of trafficking meth and one count of child abuse.

Campusano was being held in lieu of $31,300 bond. Mendoza was being held in lieu of $31,000 bond.

During the raid of the house, police reportedly seized about $5,200 in cash, one vehicle and drugs worth about $31,000, the sheriffís office said.

$266,000 in goods seized
in counterfeit crackdown

A state-led investigation into alleged counterfeit-goods rings led to the arrests of five people last week.

One of the people arrested, Douglas Hicks, was fouind with 7,000 counterfeit compact discs, investigators said.

Hicks, of Burton Street, is accused of selling the discs from his van, which was parked at Greenís Mini-Mart on Depot Street.

The other allegedly counterfeit goods seized in the raid were found in locations throughout Asheville, including the Goombay festival and kiosks at the Biltmore Square Mall.

The bust was one of the largest in the cityís history and a significant operation statewide, officials said.

It was led by the Secretary of State Officeís Trademark Enforcement Task Force. Assisted by local police, state officials raided a number of businsses last Thursday through Saturday.

While pirated CDs and DVDs are relatively easy to identify, fake replicas of other items, such as clothing and purses, are more difficult to spot, officials noted.

Corporate investigators assisted police in identifying the counterfeit merchandise.

Those arrested during the raid include:

ï Hicks, who police say had $112,606 in products seized. He was charged with possession with intent to sell more than 100 sound recordings that were unauthorized and did not contain the correct name and address of the manufacturer.

ï Alvin Kimble Jr., of South Market Street. Kimble is accused of selling counterfeit designer jeans and shorts worth $4,100.

ï Curtis Lloyd Erickson of Pisgah Forest, who is accused of possessing $4,285 worth of products, mostly caps, that were sold at the Goombay festival.

Erickson and Kimble were both charged with possessing more than $3,000 worth of counterfeit goods.

ï Tony Chiles, of Brad Street, who allegedly had $69,944 in designer apparel, shoes, handbags and other items.

ï William Earl Sutton Jr., of Annandale Avenue, who is accused of having $37,124 in designer jeans, pro sports jerseys and shoes, which he sold at Goombay.

Chiles and Sutton were charged with possession of more than $10,000 worth of counterfeit goods.

Three others reportedly cooperated with police and turned in more than $38,000 worth of counterfeit goods. Though they were not charged, one of the three remains under investigation by the Secretary of Stateís office.

A similar raid two years ago at Smileyís Flea Market in Fletcher netted 7,832 souind recordings that were allegedly pirated, worth $125,703.

That investigation began after Asheville police stopped a car that was found to contain 1,468 pirated DVDs and 498 pirated CDs.

Ex-prison officer charged
with having sex with inmate

A former Buncombe County detention officer pleaded guilty last week to having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a female inmate, officials said.

Stewart Higgins, 32, was accused of second-degree sexual offense by a custodian, after an investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation, a spokesman for the Buncombe County Sheriffís Office announced.

The SBI was reportedly alerted to the alleged crimes after the Sheriffís Office conducted its own internal investigation about three weeks ago.

The Sheriffís Office had been alerted to the situation by an inmate, officials said.

Higgins was fired from the position he had held for two years. He will now serve a 90-day sentence before being placed on probation for at least one year.

Driver charged with DWI
after running into officer

An Asheville man was arrested Aug. 28 after he allegedly struck an officer with his vehicle while driving drunk.

James Harvey Riegel, 54, was charged with felony hit-and-run causing personal injury, driving while impaired and reckless driving.

Police say Riegel was driving on Broadway Street about 12:19 a.m. when he swerved and struck Officer Aubrey E. Coward, who was standing next to a patrol car.

Riegelís blood alcohol content registered at 0.22, nearly three times the legal limit, according to police reports.
Coward suffered some bruising, but no serious injuries, officials noted.

Riegel,† a resident of Pole Creasman Road, was being held at the Buncombe County Detention Center in lieu of a $2,500 bond.

2 escapees from youth jail
captured in Duplin County

SWANNANOA ó Two juvenile prisoners who escaped more than a week ago from the Swannanoa Valley Youth Development Center were apprehended Aug. 28 in eastern North Carolina, officials said.

The pair were captured by law-enforcement officers in Duplin County, officials said. No further information about them was released by authorities, in accordance with state laws protecting the identities of juvenile offenders.

The youths escaped by jumping over a prison fence on Aug. 20.†

Escaped inmate captured
at Asheville Wal-Mart store

Police apprehended an escaped inmate at an Asheville Wal-Mart store last Thursday.

William L. Hicks, 18, was caught about 5:30 when he was detained under suspicion of shoplifting from the store.

Hicks had escaped from the Western Youth Institution in Morganton, where he was serving a 10-month sentence for possession of stolen goods.

He had escaped Aug. 29 while on a work assignment at the Riddle Development Center in Morganton.

During his escape, Hicks allegedly stole a car from a development center employee.

He has been returned to the youth prison and now faces escape charges. He may also be charged with stealing the car, officials said.

Animal shelter shut down
after state rules it unclean

HENDERSONVILLE ó North Carolina moved to shut down a Hendersonville animal shelter last Friday, saying the conditions in which 700 cats and dogs were kept were ìdangerous and unsanitary.î

The state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services filed for a preliminary injunction against All Creatrures Great and Small in Henderson County Superior Court.

The injunction would allow for the animals to be removed from the facility.

The agency also asked the court to dissolve the nonprofit organization running the shelter.

All Creatures Great and Small is a no-kill shelter that protects cats and dogs from being euthenized.

However, the state claims that the center was housing the animals without adequate exercise, food, water or vetinary care.
The state agency said it was filing the injunction because the animals there were in danger of immediate and irreparable harm.

A spokeswoman for the shelter said the 350 cats and 350 dogs there were well cared for and that the stateís complaints have been about building maintenance.

However, the state says the shelter has failed inspections for five years and has not met the terms of a settlement it reached in 2006 with the agriculture department.

The department said it has tried to shut the shelter down numerous times, but had been blocked by appeals by All Creatures.

Furthermore, the state department said, it has been stymied by limited enforcement capabilities in the Animal Welfare Act.

If the injunction is granted, all animals would be removed with the assistance of private animal-welfare groups.The cats and dogs would be photographed, microchipped and given a medical exam.

Buncombe arrests include
drug offenses, other crimes

Law-enforcement officers charged several people with crimes Aug. 27 and 28, including:

ï Antoinne Jermaine Hawkins, 27, on charges of operating a motor vehicle with no insurance or registration, no motorcycle endorsement on license, speeding, resisting and eluding arrest. The Bigham Road resident was being held in lieu of a $3,000 bond.

ï Ronald Edward Hines, 25, of Downing Street was arrested by Asheville police on felony possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana charges.

Hines was being held in lieu of a $4,000 bond.

ï Violet Rose McKinney and Thomas Edward Pitts, both of Wilkie Way in Fletcher, were charged with breaking or entering a motor vehicle, larceny after breaking or entering and obtaining property by false pretense.

McKinney, 43, was released after signing a written promise to appear in court.

Pitts, 42, was being held in lieu of a $3,000 bond.

ï Christopher Shaun Richardson of Roberson Terrace in Hendersonville was charged by Asheville police with possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana.

Richardson, 28, was being held in lieu of a $4,000 bond.

ï Gina Heather Shuler of Dove Tale Lane in Wayneseville was charged by Asheville police with possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine and driving with a revoked license.

Shuler, 27, was released on a written promise to appear in court.

ï Laurie Leona Garrett, 43, of Sagewood Drive in Marshall was arrested by sheriffís deputies on three counts of passing a forged check.

Garrett was released on a written promise to appear in court.

Man facing theft charges
after stop for broken light

Manuel Joel Bates, of 8 Carver Court, was charged on Aug. 26 with possession of stolen goods and injury to personal property.

Bates, 18, was stopped by an Asheville police officer because of a broken taillight on the scooter he was riding.

However, the officer, after inspecting the vehicle, reportedly noticed that the scooter had fresh paint, a broken ignition and a printed vehicle-identification-number plate.

After running the ID number on the $2,000 Eton scooter, the officer found that it was reported stolen.

When officers attempted to arrest Bates, he allegedly tried to run away and wrestled with them, breaking off an antenna from a police cruiser in the process.

Bates is being held at the Buncombe County Detention Center on $1,500 in secured bonds.

In other recent Buncombe County police action over the Aug. 24-26 weekend:

ï Juan Jose Ramsey, 20, of 6 Cherry Lane was charged with identity theft. He was released on a written promise to appear.

ï Michael Rice, 52, was charged with possession of 0.02 grams of cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

Rice, who listed Whispering Pines Motel on Smoky Park Highway as his address, was released on a $600 secured bond.

ï Christopher Kevin Robinson, 33, of 16 Fox Ridge Rd. was arrested by Woodfin police Aug. 25 and charged with two counts of larceny of a motor vehicle, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was being held in lieu of $19,200 in secured bonds.

ï Woodfin police charged Leah Nikole Hinson, 25, with possession of a 1997 Buick Park Avenue that was allegedly stolen from Chevy South.

Hinson, of 40 Kuykendall Branch Rd., was being held in lieu of a $1,000 secured bond.

ï Weaverville police charged Charles Floyd Dale Phillips, 28, with possession of a stolen 1993 White GMC Volvo tractor truck.

Phillips, who lives at 20 Davidson Dr., was being held on a $20,000 secured bond.

ï Marquis Aubrey Davis, 23, was arrested Aug. 24 and charged with possession of seven rocks of cocaine with intent to sell or distribute and second-degree tresspassing.

The resident of 15 Future Dr. was released on a written promise to appear in court.

ï Lakshmi Narayana Ganti, 25, of Charlotte was arrested Aug. 24 by Buncombe County Sheriffís deputies and charged with solicitation of a child by computer to commit an unlawful sexual act.

Ganti, 25, was being held on a $15,000 secured bond.

ï Darrin Keith Jones, 42, of 336 Short Dix Creek in Leicester, was arrested Aug. 24 on felony charges of manufacturing marijuana and maintaining a house for the purpose of using a controlled substance, as well as misdemeanor charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

Jones was being held on $1,000 in secured bonds.

ï Deshawn Terrell Miller, 21, of 1 Granada St., was arrested Aug. 24 and charged with possession of a stolen 1999 Ford Ranger.

Miller was released on a written promise to appear in court.

ï Michael Allen Mitchell, 21, of 1469 Dana Rd. in Hendersonville, was arrested Aug. 24 and charged with identity theft.
Mitchell was released on a written promise to appear in court.

ï Daniel Lee Waldroup, 21, of 27 Caldwell Rd. in Leicester, was arrested Aug. 25 and charged with identity theft.
Waldroup was released on a written promise to appear in court.

UNCA police charge man
with marijuana possession

UNC Asheville campus police charged a man with possession of marijuana and possessiong or concealing drug paraphernalia last Thursday morning.

Corwin Douglas Flynn, 20, of Oak Hill Drive, was issued a state citation after Officer Shannon Green observed him walking down Field Drive from the South Ridge Hall dormitory wearing a heavy green coat.

Green noted in the arrest report that the temperature at the time was ìin the upper sixties to lower seventies.î

Green had initially been alerted to ìa suspicious person walking down Field Drive,î by dispatch, according to reports.

While speaking to Flynn, Green said, he observed a large bulge in his pocket and asked Flynn if he had any weapons.

Flynn then reportedly told Green that he had a pocket knife and stuck his hand in his pocket, but Green stopped him and told him to pull his hands out empty.

Green then proceded to search Flynn and discovered a pocket knife, a green clay pipe and a red key chain pouch with a cat face drawn on the outside containing 0.02 ounces of marijuana, according to reports.

Green noted in the report that flynn ìwas very cooperative and respectful during the incident.î

In other action, UNCA campus police:

ï Charged two men with being 20 years† old and consuming alcoholic beverages Aug. 26.
Benjamin Waggener, 20, and Overton Currie, 20, were each issued a state citation.

Officer Shannon Green approached the two men, who are both from Atlanta, Ga., at the Botanical Gardens at Asheville during a routine foot patrol.

Charles Johnson, a student at UNCA, also was with them.

Green said he detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverages on Waggener and Currie. After both of them admitted to having consumed alcohol, Green requested that they sumbit to an Alco-sensor test, according to reports.

Waggener registered a 0.10 BAC and Currie registered a 0.04 BAC, Green said.

He noted that ìboth subjects were very cooperative and very respectfulî in the report.

ï Arrested Logan Turner, 19, on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on a drug paraphernalia charge.

Turner, of Valley Drive in Black Mountain, and another man were sleeping in a parked Ford Ranger van in the schoolís Parking Lot 3 about 10:40 p.m., when Officer Johnny Littrell woke them up and asked to see their IDís.

Upon running their IDís, Turner came back as having an outstanding warrant.

Littrell then transported Turner to the Buncombe County Detention Center and served the warrant.

ï Charged Colton Leggett, 18, with possession of alcohol under age 21 on Aug. 24.

Officers Robbie Craig and David Shelton responded to a civil disturbance complaint at Mills Hall room 320 about 2:45 a.m.

There, they found Leggett standing in the common area holding a beer can, according to reports.

Leggett was issued a state citation.

ï Investigated a report of property damage at the Botanical Gardens at Asheville last Thursday.
The incident was reported about noon and is still under investigation.