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Tuesday, 20 February 2007 16:48 |
DHSS officers still looking
for youth prison escapee
SWANNANOA ó An escaped 15-year-old prisoner from the Swannanoa Valley Youth Develolpment Center who stole a car after running away from an off-campus program at Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry in Black Mountain last Friday is still on the run, according to officials with the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Program.
Though officials said they could not release any details about the teen, they did note that Department of Health and Human Services police have been searching for him since 2:11 p.m. Friday, when they learned of the disappearance.
BRCC says it will give back
illegally spent state funds
RALEIGH ó After
a unanimous vote, the state Board of Community Colleges announced last
Friday that it would accept a three-year repayment plan proposed by
Blue Ridge Community College, whereby the school will return $100,301
to the state that was illegally spent on athletic coaching and
recruiting.
The collegeís
board of trustees had voted unanimously to approve the plan last
Thursday after the state ordered it to reimburse the funds.
State auditors
discovered that the money had been used for the schoolís sports
programs in violation of state laws that prohibit community colleges
from using such funds for atheltics.
Furthermore, a
number of problems were discovered pertaining to BRCCís baseball
program, such as student players who claimed they received payments for
hours they did not work in work-study programs.
However, the
board, in its vote, asked the state to reconsider its demand that the
money be repaid, saying that other schools have not been required to do
so in similar circumstances.
The vote follows
a decision by the state BCC two months ago to make the college repay
money used to pay salaries for volleyball and baseball coaches.
The college had previously agreed to pay back Henderson County for money used for athletics programs.
Officials say
$61,000 of county money was spent on baseball field maintenance,
scoreboard installation and cell phone bills related to the baseball
team between 2002 and 2006.
However, college
President David Sink had assured former Henderson County Manager David
Nicholson in a March 27, 2002 letter that the costs for the baseball
field would be paid for with private funds.
Sink later said he had forgotten about that letter.
In December, the
state censured the board of trustees, accusing it of failing to oversee
the actions of the college president in the operation of the schoolís
athletics program.
Four members of
the board resigned recently, citing personal reasons and the
requirement to release personal family information under stringent new
ethics laws.
A special audit
conducted a year ago found that the collegeís baseball coach, Damon
Towe, had deposited $7,298 in work-study checks into his personal
business account and used the money to pay rent for his players. Towe
has since resigned.
However, an internal investigation determined that Towe did not personally profit from the checks.
The audit also
found that the school had paid $29,000 to a company owned by board of
trustees Chairman Joe Spearman to pay for baseball playersí housing.
Spearman was later cleared of wrongdowing by a state Board of Ethics
review.
Driver police say was drunk
causes 2 wrecks, crashes
SWANNANOA ó A
driver who police say was drunk caused two accidents last Wednesday
when he allegedly weaved in and out of the roadway while being pursued
by state troopers, before driving through a chain-link fence and
crashing into a flower bed, according to witnesses.
One woman was hospitalized after her van allegedly was struck by a Mercury driven by Terry Luther Spivey, 59.
According to
police, Spivey then continued driving on U.S. 70, near Warren Wilson
Road, causing a crash in which two more vehicles were damaged.
Witnesses in two
other cars began following Spivey, eventually leading the state Highway
Patrol to him with the help of cell phones, officials said.
According to
Master Trooper Brian Tucker, Spivey ignored his blue lights and siren,
driving slowly towards his Christian Creek Road home, while weaving in
and out of the road into ditches. The pursuit came to an end when
Spiveyís vehicle went through the fence and into the flowerbed.
Spivey now faces
numerous charges, including felony hit-and-run causing injuries,
reckless driving, driving while impaired, failing to heed a blue light
and siren and other traffic charges.
He was already
scheduled in court next month on a previous DWI charge. That charge was
related to a Dec. 8 incident in which he allegedly had also driven
erratically and hit property.
Spivey has a previous DWI conviction from 1991.
Asheville police seeking
suspect in vehicle theft
Asheville police
are on the lookout for a man they arrested last December on charges of
driving a stolen vehicle, but whose ID was later discovered to be
stolen as well.
During a traffic
stop, the man gave officers the driverís license of Daniel Lefferman,
whose wallet had been stolen earlier. Now, police are trying to find
out his true identity.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 255-5050.
Death of Swannanoa man
termed homicide by Sheriff
SWANNANOA ó A
man found dead in a Swannanoa mobile home on Feb. 5 was the victim of a
drug-related homicide, according to Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan.
Though the
victimís identity has not been made public, as authorities have not yet
contacted his relatives, the sheriffís office did release a picture of
the man and noted that he was in his 30s.
He reportedly
died of at least one gunshot wound to the head. He was found at 4 West
Top Dr. about 11:15 a.m. by maintenance workers at the mobile home
park, where authorities believe he lived.
The sheriffís
department determined the manís identity from a Mexican driverís
license. Meanwhile, the body has been sent to Chapel Hill to be
examined.
56 dogs seized in Candler
to be offered for adoption
Fifty-six dogs
that were confiscated from a Candler home during a raid by the Buncombe
County Sheriffís Department last month will be offered up for adoption,
officials say.
The announcement follows a decision by Sue Cole, the dogsí owner, to voluntarily give them up.
The animals,
mostly Australian terriers, were found at her home living in stacked
crates with feces spilling out and many of them were exposed to the
weather.
Cole, who faces
one felony charge of animal cruelty and 17 counts of misdemeanor animal
cruelty, reportedly signed a letter relinquishing ownership of the dogs
on Feb. 2.
The Asheville
Humane Society and Australian Terrier Rescue Inc. are handling the
adoption of the dogs, 34 of whom are currently housed at the humane
society shelter.
The remaining dogs are currently being cared for at the Bed and Biscuit boarding kennel in Black Mountain.
All animals will be spayed or neutered, officials say.
Man, ex take fight on road,
resulting in head-on crash
CANDLER ó A
head-on collision last month between a Canton man and his ex-girlfriend
may have resulted from a fight the pair were having, authorities say.
Nathan Poston,
19, was hospitalized late in the morning, after his Ford Ranger struck
a Ford Mustang driven by Wendy Fowler, 21, about 1 a.m. Jan. 25 on N.C.
151, three miles southwest of Asheville.
Fowler and her passenger Courtney Frizzell, 19, also were treated and released at Mission Hospitals.
Poston was
charged with driving while impaired and reckless driving. In addition,
both drivers were cited for being left of center.
The pair
reportedly began their dispute in Canton, when Poston followed the
Mustang and exchanged gestures with the three passengers in Fowlerís
vehicle.
Authorities say
Fowler dropped off two of her passengers so they could fight Poston,
but he drove around them and continued to pursue her.
Fowler then turned her car around in order to drive toward Poston and the two collided head-on, officials said.
Smoke forces evacuation
of Citizen-Times building
Asheville
Citizen-Times employees were forced to evacuate the newspaperís
downtown office Jan. 17, following reports of smoke on the third floor
of the building.
Fire department
officials received a call about the smoke about 9:45 a.m. and
discovered that the smoke was caused by the buildingís heating system.
Asheville police department
promotes four of its officers
The Asheville
Police Department promoted four of its officers in a ceremony Jan. 12
in the auditorium of the Simpson Building at Asheville-Buncombe
Technical Community College.
Lt. Wade Wood was promoted to captain and will now be in charge of Administrative Services.
Sgt. Sean Pound was promoted to lieutenant and is now the commander of the South/Central District.
Officer Ernie Welborn was promoted to Sergeant. He remains in Criminal Investigations as a supervisor.
Officer Mike Hensley was promoted to sergeant and has been assigned to the West District.
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