 The following press release has been issued by Clay County Sheriff's Office. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. UPDATE: Tiger has been implicated in the breaking and entering of a building in the immediate area of the Dollar General. He has been charged with Felony Breaking and Entering, Felony Larceny after Breaking and Entering, and Misdemeanor Injury to Real Property. He still remains in the Clay County Detention Center on an additional $5,000 secured bond for a current total of $10,000. ORIGNINAL STORY: On Monday, February 27, 2017, at approximately 1:50 in the morning, Clay County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the new Dollar General on Hwy 64 East in reference to an alarm activation. While in route to the store a deputy noticed a male subject walking down the side of the road with his thumb in the air as if he were hitchhiking. Once the deputy arrived at Dollar General he observed the glass to the front door of the store had been shattered. Thinking the man he had just seen may have seen something or had something to do with the incident; the deputy went back down Hwy 64 to locate the male subject to investigate further. Once he located and stopped the man he observed him to have cuts on his knuckles and blood on his clothing. Upon further investigation, items believed to be missing from the store where found to be in the man’s possession. Peter Crawford Tiger, 20, of Hayesville was arrested and charged with Felony Breaking and Entering, Injury to Real Property, and Misdemeanor Larceny. He is currently in the Clay County Detention Center on a $5,000 secure bond. Further charges on Tiger are pending in another incident; we will update as soon as those are complete.  At approximately 6:45 pm Tuesday, February 21, 2017, Ethan Nathaniel Picon, age 19 of Marble, NC passed away after being struck by a motor vehicle on Reservoir Road in Murphy. First Sgt. Chris Wood of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol tells WKRK that Ethan Picon was walking in the travel portion of the roadway toward Murphy with his back to traffic and was struck from behind. The vehicle left the scene of the accident. There were no witnesses. Law enforcement officers seized a Kia SUV operated by Trisha Lynn Hartness, age 28 of Murphy, NC. Also seized was her cellphone. No alcohol or drugs were involved. Trisha Hartness turned herself into the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office at approximately 11:30 pm that same evening. First Sgt. Wood said it was a tremendous effort between the Murphy Police Department, Cherokee County Sheriff's Office and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol to be able to locate a suspect on the night of the accident to help provide answers to the family of the victim. Charges are pending and the case is still under investigation. WKRK sends our sincere condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of Ethan Picon.   Michael "Corey" Scroggs will graduate with associate's in arts degree in May 2017. When Michael Scroggs, known affectionately by friends and family as Corey, graduates from Tri-County Community College in May, he will be the first in his family to do so. In a move decided by faculty and staff, Scroggs was recently selected as Tri-County Community College’s 2017 nominee for the statewide Dallas Herring Achievement Award, which is bestowed annually upon a current or former student who best embodies Herring’s philosophy of “taking people where they are and carrying them as far as they can go.” “Honestly, being the first person in my family to go to college was a major challenge for me,” the 24-year-old Andrews native said. “I had no one to set the precedent of how to register for classes, let alone how to pay for those classes. I had to set that precedent for myself.” Scroggs originally took Welding classes in 2011 before deciding his heart lay elsewhere. “I worked in retail for several years,” he said. “Then one day I woke up and realized I didn’t want to be stuck in a dead end job for the rest of my life.” Since 2015, Scroggs has taken the course load of a full-time student, while simultaneously working a full-time job during the sunrise shift at Harrah’s Valley River Casino. “I basically work 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., then I come to school,” he said. “It can be really hard, especially since this semester I’m taking 21 credit hours so I can finish by May.” At Tri-County Community College, Scroggs said he found the confidence to pursue his true passion: sports journalism. “I have always loved sports -- I played on various teams all throughout my life,” Scroggs said. “I would love to eventually go into broadcast work for sports communication.” For Scroggs, coming to Tri-County Community College meant discovering his potential and the opportunity to better his life and pursue his dreams. “Without instructors like Kathy Temple, who has been my backbone in finishing my degree, I wouldn’t have believed in myself to be able to pursue a higher education,” Scroggs said. “When you come from my background, you honestly believe you will be stuck in a dead-end job for the rest of your life, and there’s very little you can do to change that.” Beginning in Fall 2017, Scroggs will transfer into Western Carolina University with his associate’s in arts to complete a bachelors degree in communication to pursue his dream of working in sports broadcasting. “It’s almost hard to believe I’m almost finished here,” Scroggs said. “But it’s also really exciting at the same time. I’m looking forward to moving on to the next step in my educational journey, which I wouldn’t have believed was possible a couple of years ago. I really have to thank my family, teachers, and my girlfriend for supporting me and helping me achieve such success in my college education.”   CULLOWHEE – The State Bureau of Investigation and the Western Carolina University Police Department are working to determine the cause of a small fire that forced about 400 students and staff members to evacuate Walker Residence Hall for five hours during the afternoon and evening of Monday, Feb. 13. Smoke was initially reported near the elevator in a lobby area on the fifth floor of Walker Hall shortly after 5 p.m., prompting the immediate evacuation of residents, said Shane Stovall, WCU director of emergency services. No injuries were reported. Smoke and fire alarms activated appropriately, resulting in a large-scale response from firefighters from the Cullowhee, Sylva, Savannah and Balsam fire departments, as well as from numerous other emergency response units. Campus police officers, who were the first on the scene, smothered the blaze using a hand-held fire extinguisher, said WCU Police Chief Ernie Hudson. Firefighters and other emergency responders conducted a floor-by-floor sweep of the building to ensure that all students and staff had evacuated the premises and that the fire had not spread to other parts of the nine-story building, said Stovall. The building was reopened to students and staff at 10:17 p.m. after staff members from the Office of Facilities Management scrambled to clean up the area that was damaged by the fire. During the evacuation period, the Campus Recreation Center and Courtyard Dining Hall remained opened so that affected students had a place to wait until the evacuation order was canceled, with free food offered to help pass the time, said Keith Corzine, WCU assistant vice chancellor for campus services. “I am proud of the way that Residential Living staff, other members of the Division of Student Affairs team and our friends across campus, including Facilities Management, responded to this event,” Corzine said. “They did some really good work moving the students away from Walker to the rec center and dining hall, communicating with them last night and getting the building back online as quickly as possible.” The Department of Emergency Services sent five emails to the campus community during the time period that Walker Hall was evacuated, and Kevin Koett, WCU dean of students, sent email communications to parents. As the investigation continues, campus police are increasing their walking patrols and maintaining a high level of visibility around the Walker Hall area, Hudson said. “Working with the SBI, we are continuing to conduct interviews in this on-going investigation,” he said. “Our primary concern last night was, as it always is, the safety and security of students and staff.” In addition to the four local fire departments, Jackson County Emergency Management, Jackson County Fire Marshal, Harris Emergency Medical Services and WCU Emergency Medical Services also responded to the alarm. “The emergency processes that we have in place at the university, which we practice through a variety of exercises throughout the year, seemed to work very well last night,” said Mike Byers, WCU vice chancellor for administration and finance. “We are especially thankful for our mutual aid partners from across the county who rolled in to provide support, many of them for several hours.” Contrary to rumors that circulated on social media, there was no water damage to rooms and personal belongings in Walker Hall, Hudson said. “We encourage students and others against engaging in speculation and sharing misinformation, especially through social media,” he said. “As always, official information will come through the appropriate university offices and channels as soon as it is available.” Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call University Police at 828-227-7301.   Today in Swain County Superior Court Joshua Daniel Calhoun, 22, of Cherokee, North Carolina was sentenced to a maximum of 38 years and 5 months in prison for his role in the 2013 murder of Calup “Joe” Caston. He will serve at least 30 years before he is eligible for consideration for parole. Calhoun is the third of eight co-defendants sentenced to not less than 30 years nor more than 38 years 5 months in prison for this crime. Two of the ringleaders, Joshua Tyler Price and Marcos Cardonne, have previously been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Today’s conviction is the second murder conviction to be recorded this week in Swain County. Yesterday Nicholas Berlatsky, 35, was sentenced to a maximum of 22 years and 11 months in prison for the November 30, 2012 murder and robbery of James Williams. Prior to the homicide there had been a significant history of conflict between the victim and the defendant, and the defendant claimed that he acted in self-defense. A thorough and professional investigation by the Swain County Sheriff’s Office provided the evidence necessary to convict Mr. Berlatsky. “When I took office in January of 2015 there was a backlog of 14 pending murder cases in Swain County. That’s one murder case for every 1,000 residents. My office has worked hard since then and has resolved 10 of those cases. I commend the dedicated law enforcement professionals at the Swain County Sheriff’s Office, the Bryson City Police Department and the NC State Bureau of Investigation whose hard work and cooperation has made these successful prosecutions possible. With every conviction we take a big step closer to restoring public confidence that Swain County is a beautiful and safe place to live and vacation” said District Attorney Ashley Welch.   The following press release has been issued by Clay County Sheriff's Office. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. On January 31, 2017, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office received a report of counterfeit money being used at the Warne Kwik Stop. On the same day, the Sheriff’s Office received a report of counterfeit money being used at the Dollar General in Hayesville. Sheriff Vic Davis said Clay County Sheriff’s Investigators immediately began working on the case. It appears someone attempted to pass a $50 bill at the Warne Kwik Stop and someone tried to pass a few $5 bills at the Dollar General. Thanks to the clerk at the Dollar General being quick witted, Investigators were able to get a vehicle and person description of one person that was passing the fake bills. Sheriff Davis said it took a little leg work, but after following up on the vehicle information and some other leads, Investigators were able to come up with a suspect that they subsequently charged. Courtney Lynn Moss, 40, of Warne was charged with Felony Forgery of Instrument. She has already made a $3,000 bond. Sheriff Davis said there is always potential for more counterfeit bills to be out there and wants everyone to be aware and vigilant, especially those taking cash at stores. The United States Secret Service has an excellent form that can be downloaded at www.secretservice.gov/data/KnowYourMoney.pdf. This form can be printed and placed where you take money to help determine if you are receiving counterfeit moneys. But here is a summary, U.S. currency uses 75% cotton and 25% linen and has red and blue fibers disbursed throughout the paper, so it will feel different than normal printed paper. Newer bills have off center portraits and watermarks, the watermarks are visible when held up to a light. Everything above a $2 bill has a vertical thread embedded with the denomination number on it. This is just a general overview, but Sheriff Davis would encourage everyone to look at this form to help in identifying counterfeit currency. The information will also be posted to our website and Facebook page. Remember, if you have any information about counterfeit money or any other crimes, please call us at (828) 389-2256, message us on Facebook, or email us at crimetips@claync.org.   The following press release has been issued by Towns County Sheriff's Office. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. A 33-year-old Hiawassee woman was arrested after Towns County Sheriff’s Investigators conducted an investigation into stolen deposits. There were four deposits missing from the Dollar General Store located on Highway 288 in Hiawassee. Amanda Shelton, an employee of the store, was arrested as a result of the investigation. Shelton was charged with 2 counts of Theft by Unlawful Appropriation. The deposits were taken between December 2, 2016 and January 3, 2017. The total amount of the deposits taken was over $10,000. The investigation case report will be referred to the District Attorney’s Office for Prosecution.   The following press release has been issued by Towns County Sheriff's Office. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. A short chase Saturday morning ended with the suspect being located by a K-9 Bloodhound. A Towns County Sheriff’s Office Deputy on Saturday morning attempted to stop a Black 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac on Highway 288. The vehicle failed to stop for the deputy and fled on Highway 288 and turned onto Twin Mountain Road. At the end of Twin Mountain Road the suspect exited the vehicle and ran into nearby woods. A perimeter was set up by Sheriff’s deputies in the Highway 288 area. Tracking dogs responded to the scene to assist with searching for the suspect. Union County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Bloodhound “Lacey” located the suspect a short distance from the vehicle. The suspect arrested was Albert Lee Shelton, age 54, of Hiawassee. Albert Shelton was charged with: 1 Count of Driving on Suspended License 1 Count of Obstruction of an Officer 1 Count of Driving with No Insurance 1 Count of Fleeing and attempting to Elude 1 Count of Suspended vehicle Registration Towns County Sheriff Chris Clinton would like to thank the Union County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit for their assistance in the search for the suspect. This incident is still under investigation and additional charges are possible.  At around 7:30am Wednesday, February 1, 2017, an automobile accident on Highway 19/74 near Bryson Branch Road and Brady Curve in Topton resulted in 2 fatalities. Trooper Shawn Wilson of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol tells WKRK that the cause of the accident is still under investigation. A 2006 Honda CRV, driven by 20-year-old Meghan Krystina Blaylock of Murphy, NC was traveling westbound in the eastbound lane. A 2011 Ford Expedition, driven by 57-year-old Carver Odell Wilson of Andrews, NC was traveling east. Mr. Wilson attempted to swerve out of the way to miss the Honda CRV, but the vehicles ended up crashing head-on. The passenger of the Honda CRV, 31-year-old Mikael Kaser of Murphy, NC passed away at the scene of the crash. The driver, Meghan Blaylock, was transported to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga and later passed away from injuries sustained in the crash. The driver of the Ford Expedition, Carver Wilson, was transported to Murphy Medical Center and was treated. UPDATE: We understand Mr. Wilson was transported to Erlanger for treatment of additional injuries. Trooper Shawn Wilson confirms that the families of the Kaser and Blaylock have been properly notified of their passing. Our WKRK family would like to send our sincere condolences to the families and friends of Meghan and Mikael, and we ask that you please keep them in your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time.  |