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Tuesday, 27 June 2006 14:55 |
Autopsy reveals drowning caused death of local man
An Asheville man who was found dead in the Swannanoa River last week probably drowned, according to a preliminary autopsy.
Michael Eugene Smith, 36, did not sustain any fatal injury, Dr. Ellen Riemer, a medical examiner at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, reported.
However, the Asheville Police Department will continue its investigation into the death, according to spokesman John Dankel.
Asheville man, 76, killed in crash leaving Hot Spot
An elderly Asheville man died last Thursday when he drove his car from a Hot Spot gas station into rush-hour traffic on New Leicester Highway.
Valentine Nicholas Romanos, 76, had just dropped off his wife at an Ingles grocery store near their home. He died later at Mission Hospitals.
The driver of the pickup that collided with Romanos?? car, Alan Hager Burgess of Leicester, was admitted to the hospital wiith head, back and neck injuries.
While police said it appears Burgess could not have avoided the collision, they continue to investigate and ask any witnesses to call them at 259-5877.
Possible connection eyed in five vandalism incidents
Police are checking on whether there is any connection among at least five incidents of vandalism reported last Wednesday in a South Asheville neighborhood.
Vandals spray-painted two churches ?? Living Savior Lutheran Church and Mount Zion Baptist Church ?? on Overlook Drive, shattered a home??s window with an air rifle and splattered property at two businesses with paint balls.
Using a BB or pellet gun, someone shot into the front storm door of the home of Keith and Doris Galyean on Atkins Street, causing an estimated $150 in damage.
The two businesses splattered with paint balls were on Hendersonville Road, resulting in the defacing of Comtec company vans and the storefront of Harbor Freight Tools.
DWI, child abuse charges filed against Asheville man
UNC Asheville campus police charged Christopher William Mills, 21, with driving while impaired and non-assaultive child abuse, following a traffic stop last Saturday night.
Officer Brandon Hunnicutt observed Mills, who lives at 230 Montford Ave., driving on W.T. Weaver Boulevard in a white 1994 Cadillac Deville with no tail lights about 11:30 p.m.
Hunnicutt stopped Mills and detected a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, according to police reports.
A three-year-old boy was seated in the back, whom Mills identified as his son.
Mills was not wearing a seatbelt and told Hunnicutt that he did not have his driver??s license. When Hunnicutt asked for his registration, Mills reportedly had difficulty finding it, even though, police said, it was located in plain sight in the vehicle??s glove compartment.
When Hunnicut asked Mills to submit to an alco-sensor test, the latter consented and registered a 0.14 BAC and a 0.16 BAC on two subsequent tests.
Additionally, Mills consented to a field sobriety test, on which he performed poorly, police reported.
At that point, Hunnicutt placed Mills under arrest and charged him with DWI and child abuse. Mills was transported to the Buncombe County Detention Facility, where he was administered an intoxilyzer test. He again registered a 0.14 BAC.
Mills also received a state citation for driving without a seat belt and not having a tag light.
In other action, UNCA campus police reported:
?ÿ Charges of DWI and driving without a tag light were issued last Saturday against Tommy Dean Coleman, Jr., 46, who lives at 22 Cobbleridge Dr. in Fletcher.
Officer Brandon Hunnicutt observed Coleman driving on W.T. Weaver Boulevard about 2 a.m. in a black 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche at a speed considerably slower than the 35-mph limit, according to police reports.
As Coleman turned onto Broadway Street, he braked erratically, police noted.
Hunnicutt then attempted to pull Coleman??s vehicle over, but he repeatedly stopped and started before finally coming to a complete stop on Campus Drive.
Hunnicutt detected a strong odor of alcohol on Coleman??s breath and asked for his license and registration. Coleman first handed Hunnicutt a credit card before giving him the license and then had difficulty finding the registration in a stack of papers.
Coleman reportedly admitted to having consumed alcohol and said that he had drunk tequila just prior to driving.
Hunnicutt asked Coleman to submit to several field sobriety tests, on which he reportedly performed poorly.
Coleman then consented to taking an alco-sensor test, which registered a 0.16 BAC and a 0.17 BAC in two tests.
Hunnicuttt arrested Coleman and transported him to the Buncombe County Detention Facility. Upon arrival, Coleman was asked to submit to an intoxilyzer test, which he refused three times.
Coleman was held at the facility in lieu of a $300 secure bond.
?ÿ An arrest warrant was issued for Grayson Arthur Greer, 21, for second-degree criminal trespassing.
Greer, who lives at 27 Winding Oak Drive in Arden, was observed by campus police on the Zagier Hall parking deck around 11:43 p.m. last Friday.
Greer previously had been banned from campus for ?®inappropriate behavior,?∆ according to police.
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