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Tuesday, 03 October 2006 18:13 |
Weaverville woman hurt
during burglary of her home
WEAVERVILLE ÇƒÓ A Weaverville woman suffered cuts to her face after her boyfriend allegedly broke into her apartment last week, Weaverville police reported.
In the aftermath, Gene Cornelius Ettison Jr., 30, was arrested last Thursday morning in connection with the nighttime burglary at 315 Aiken Rd.
Ettison, who is a resident of South French Broad Avenue in Asheville, was charged with first-degree burglary and assault inflicting serious injury. He was being held in lieu of a $17,500 bond.
The woman, who police did not identify, was taken to Mission Hospitals, where she was treated and released.
Man charged with attempt to bribe Asheville inspector
A local business owner was arrested Sept. 26 on charges of offering a bribe to a city official.
Police charged
Robert Lee Raines, the owner of A Quality Paving, with felony bribery
after he allegedly offered to pay $300 to a city engineering inspector
in exchange for approval of a paving job that appeared to be in
violation of established standards. The inspector declined the offer
and reported the incident to the Asheville Police Department.
After conducting
an internal investigation, city officials noted that the inspector
followed proper procedures and found no misconduct on the part of any
city employee.
Raines was released from the Buncombe County Detention Center after posting a $300 secured bond.
Body of man discovered
outside Mission Hospitals
The body of a man was discovered last Monday near the steps leading from Biltmore Avenue to Mission Hospitalsë heart tower.
The 26-year-oldës body was discovered in the morning by nurses on their way to work.
No obvious clues indicate a cause of death, police noted. However, tests are being conducted by medical examiners.
Though police
said that the man had lived in a group home on Thurland Avenue, they
would not release his name until his family could be notified.
Car chase ends in collision
following Old Fort robbery
A robbery of a
store in Old Fort led to a high-speed car chase, ending in a collision
in front of Asheville High School last Wednesday.
Leon Williams Jones of Old Fort led officers on a chase that reached speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour, police noted.
Jones is suspected of taking money out of a cash register at Eric and Sylviaës Stop and Shop on Bat Cave Road in Old Fort.
Police say that
Jones was seen by a bystander running out of the store about 4:40 p.m.
The bystander followed him and called police, who dispatched a state
trooper.
As the trooper
followed Jones onto Sweeten Creek Road in Asheville and activated his
lights to pull Jones over, the latter pulled onto I-40 and began to
accelerate, police noted.
Jones exited the
interstate at Biltmore Avenue and veered off at McDowell Street, where
he lost control of the vehicle in front of AHS and hit another
motorist, who was unhurt.
Jones suffered
only minor injuries and has been charged with fleeing to elude arrest.
Police are continuing their investigation of the robbery.
Man charged with DWI,
while license suspended
UNC Asheville
campus police charged Bobby Joe Rice, 34, with driving while impaired
and driving with a suspended license last Thursday.
Riceës license had been suspended for previous incidents of DWI. He lives at 19 Hampden Road.
Officer Shannon
Green stopped Riceës 1997 Ford Thunderbird about 9:47 p.m., after
observing him driving recklessly from the parking deck of the Zagier
Hall dormitory onto Broadway Street, police noted.
Upon being stopped, Rice informed Green that his license was suspended, which Green then confirmed through dispatch.
While waiting
for confirmation, Green reportedly detected an odor of alcohol on
Riceës breath and asked him to submit to a field sobriety test.
Rice refused the test, prompting Green to arrest him for DWI.
While Green
transported Rice to the Buncombe County Detention Center, Sgt. Bruce
Martin was called in to watch Riceës vehicle until Asheville Towing
arrived to remove it.
At the detention facility, Green administered an Intoxilyzer 5000 breath test, on which Rice registered a 0.15 BAC.
Rice was held on a $500 secured bond.
In other action,
UNCA campus police charged Alexander Craig Smith, 18, who lives at 175
Idlewood Drive in Winston, with possession of alcohol under age 18 on
Sept. 26.
Smith, who is
not a UNCA student, was observed outside Founders Hall dormitory, along
with Schuyler Bertolette, a student who lives at 305 Founders Hall.
Officer David
Shelton reportedly observed the pair about 8:30 p.m., throwing rocks
and pieces of an apple at a window on one of the upper levels of the
building, trying to get someoneës attention.
While asking the
pair about their intentions, Shelton reportedly detected a strong
alcoholic odor and asked if either of them had been drinking.
Bertolette replied that she had not been drinking, but Smith admitted to having consumed "a couple of beers," police noted.
At that point, Shelton administered Alco-Sensor tests to both of them, finding Bertoletteës test to be negative.
Smith, however,
registered a 0.08 BAC and a 0.10 BAC in two tests, prompting Shelton to
issue him a state citation for drinking underage.
Smithës girlfriend then arrived at the scene and escorted him from the campus.
Suspectës profile released
by APD in Smith homicide
The Asheville Police Department has released a profile of the suspected killer in the Kelly Lane Smith homicide case.
The man who
killed and dismembered a prostitute before scattering her body parts
around the French Broad River may still be living in Asheville, police
noted.
Smithës remains
were discovered in two separate incidents last summer. First a skull
and some bones were found floating in the river July 31 by employees of
Highwater Clays who were eating lunch nearby.
Then, on Aug. 7, a woman walking her dog in the area discovered two hands and other bones in a culvert on Haywood Street.
Fingerprints on
the hands were subsequently used to identify the remains as belonging
to Smith, who had a long history of arrests for prostitution and other
offences.
During its
investigation of the homicide, APD has received numerous tips and leads
from the public and has conducted many interviews, according to police.
As a result,
police now believe there are individuals in the community who have
vital information regarding the murder and continue to urge anyone with
information to contact them.
Because North
Carolina has no criminal profiling team, the ADP has enlisted the help
of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Based on the
evidence and information provided by local police, the SCLED has
determined that the perpetrator is most likely a lone offender who was
familiar with Smith, her habits and the various locations she
frequented, police reported.
He is most
likely a white male in his late 20s to 30s, who is known by prostitutes
in the area and will be described as "odd," "pitiful," "quiet," or just
"different," but not particularly "scary" or "mean," police noted.
Furthermore, officials said, he will most likely live alone in close proximity to the discovery sites.
Police suspect that he has a violent criminal history ÇƒÓ particularly of sexual crimes.
If he is
employed, the offender will most likely have a job with minimal
responsibility and limited contact with customers or the general
public, police said.
The offender
may closely follow the investigation and have an interest in rumors and
gossip in the community about the case, officials noted. He may talk
about the murder with friends, associates and family members.
If so, comments
will most likely be noncommittal, such as asking others for their
opinion on how or why the murder happened and who they suspect may have
done it.
Additionally, he
may ask questions about the investigation and make comments blaming the
victim, particularly focusing on her lifestyle, police added.
Behavioral changes, such as changes in food consumption, drug and alcohol use, and changes in sleeping habits are also likely.
Authorities
noted that the fear of identification may become a burden on the
offender and become all-consuming. If so, this may cause erratic
outbursts in behavior.
According to
police, he will continue to pose a danger to other persons, friends,
and family members and may strike out unpredictably against those
around them.
Often there is
someone close to the offender who suspects he might be involved, but
does not want to believe their friend or family member is responsible
for the killing a spokesman for the ADP said.
The Asheville
Police Department Criminal Investigations Division has established a
tip line for the Kelly Smith homicide investigation. Callers do not
have to give their names. Anyone with information is urged to call
(828) 259-5964.
Asheville Police Department
promotes five members
Five officers of the Asheville Police Department were promoted last Thursday in a ceremony presided by Mayor Terry Bellamy.
At the ceremony
at the Diana Wortham Theater, Lt. Daryl Fisher was promoted to the rank
of captain, making him responsible for support services, including
records, dispatch, seized property and animal services.
The position has been vacant for about a year, according to Chief Bill Hogan.
Chris Young was
promoted to the rank of liutenant and will be taking over Fisherës
current position as head of the departmentës Drug Suppression Unit and
tactical team.
In addition,
three other officers were promoted to the rank of sergeant, including
Michael Garrison in investigations, Mike Yelton in drug suppression and
Rondell Lance in patrol.
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 ÇƒÓ after they have
deposited the fake check into their personal account ÇƒÓ 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.
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