Woman killed in shooting
identified; suspect dies

A woman who was slain in an apparent murder-suicide last Saturday was identified as Itzia Iarazet Patino Alvarez, according the the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.

The 27-year-old Alvarez, who is from Morelia, Michuacan, Mexico, had been living in North Carolina for about six years. Her three children reportedly had been living with their father in California.

The suspect in the shooting, Gabriel Gallegos Martinez, 28, died Monday morning at Mission Hospitals. Had he lived, he would have been charged with first-degree murder, officials said.

When sheriff’s deputies answered a call about 12:15 p.m. about a man shooting someone at the Canterbury Apartments off Pisgah View Road, they reported finding Alvarez dead in an upstairs apartment hallway with multiple gunshots to the upper body.

Deputies said they located Martinez in an adjacent bedroom, suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

The suspect is an ex-boyfriend of the victim and the domestic incident apparently was triggered by the ending of the relationship, officials said. The pair had lived together at the Beri Square address.

Deputies were unable to identify the victim immediately because they recovered two driver’s licenses at the scene, both picturing the deceased woman, but listing separate names.

Mars Hill man faces charge
of selling deadly painkiller

MARSHALL — A Mars Hill man was arrested April 2 and charged with selling the painkiller fentanyl to an acquaintance who died after taking it.

Larry Russell Roberts, 27, could face a second-degree murder charge if autopsy results show that the drug was responsible for the death of 28-year-old Andrew Travis Shelton.

Shelton, a Mars HIll resident, was found dead in his driveway earlier that morning after apparently chewing and swallowing a patch of fentanyl.

Chewing the patch accelerates its potency, authorities said. The patch is supposed to be applied to the skin, so the drug can be slowly released into the blood stream over time. Fentanyl is 80 times stronger than morphine.
Roberts was prescribed the painkiller by a doctor for legitimate conditions.

Authorities said that witnesses have testified that Roberts had sold the drug to Shelton in the past.

A 2007 report by the federal Centers for Diseas Control noted a surge in deaths related to the drug’s abuse in recent years.

ALE cites store cashiers
for selling minors tobacco

State Alcohol Law Enforcement officers cited store clerks at 14 area businesses for allegedly selling tobacco to a minor in February and March.

ALE District Supervisor Allen Page noted that the region has experienced a spike in such violations, with about 21.8 percent of clerks selling to minors. That is up from the average of 7-8 percent.

The citations resulted from random checks conducted as part of the state’s Tobacco Education and Compliance Check Program.

A violation can result in a fine of up to $1,000 or community service of up to 30 days if the defendant has no prior convictions.

If the clerk does have a prior conviction, he or she could serve jail time as well.

Selling tobaccco to a minor is a Class II misdemeanor.

The clerks who were cited worked at the following stores:
• Ingles 13 in Burnsville.
• Stop N Go 9 in Swananoa.
• Sams BP in Black Mountain
• Ingles 33 in Burnsville.
• Snow Hill Food in Bakersville.
• H&S Gas-Groceries in Spruce Pine.
• CVS Pharmacy in Columbia.
• Canton Daily Stop in Canton.
• Mountain Energy 111 in Canton.
• Ingles Markets 23 in Waynesville.
• Mountain Energy in Waynesville.
• Ingles 79 in Asheville.
• Stop N Go 1 in Asheville.

Police probe armed robbery
at city convenience store

Asheville police are investigating an armed robbery that took place March 27 at the Montford Convenience store, 231 Montford Ave.

Police responded about 10 p.m. to the store, where witnesses said two suspects entered the store, one of them armed with a handgun.

The men took the night deposit, as well as money from the clerk.

The suspects were wearing all black and had their faces covered. They fled the scene on foot.
Anyone with information about the robbery can call the ADP at 252-1110.

Target employee arrested
on embezzlement charges

ARDEN — A Target employee recently  was arrested on multiple counts of embezzlement.
Buncombe County Sheriff’s deputies charged Matthew Aaron Colgrove, 32, of Yorktown Circle, Arden, with four counts of embezzlement for allegedly giving himself large discounts on items such as cameras.

According to warrants, Colgrove generated his own refund and then re-keyed the items at a 90 percent discount.
He was released under a written promise to appear in court.