The following press release has been issued by the Office of Ashley Welch, District Attorney. 

Robert Scott Trull, a former Canton Fire Department employee, pled guilty to various sexual crimes against a child today in Haywood County Superior Court. He received an active sentence of 15 to 23 years in prison, followed by three years of probation upon his release.

“This little girl is amazingly strong and was willing to go to trial,” said District Attorney Ashley Welch. “Her bravery in coming forward is to be commended, as she has stopped a predator.” With a jury downstairs waiting to be selected, Trull, 47, pled guilty to four counts of First Degree Statutory Sexual Offense, one count of Attempted First Degree Rape of a Child by an Adult, seven counts of Indecent Liberties with a Child, and one count of Disseminating Obscene Material to a Minor under 13 Years.

“Prosecuting child molesters is a top priority for my office. The nature of these crimes, however, can make it very difficult for a child to testify about his or her abuse at the hands of an adult in whom they trusted. The victim in this case has ensured that Mr. Trull will not have an opportunity to offend for a very long time,” said Welch.

​“I also wish to thank Assistant District Attorney Kate Wren, Chief Assistant District Attorney Jeff Jones, Sheriff Greg Christopher, Detective Heath Justice, and the team at the KARE House for their dedication and hard work. Their commitment to these cases is incredibly important,” said Welch. 

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.

On Thursday April 20th,    Towns County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to Mr. Bert Road in Hiawassee in reference to a reported assault.  The victim reported that the offender cut her with a knife on the throat, choked her, and poured gasoline on her.
  
The responding deputies located the reported suspect near the scene.  He was identified as James Michael Dickert, Jr., age 43 of Hiawassee, Georgia.  He was arrested without incident and charged with:

     1 Count of Aggravated Assault
     1 Count of Criminal Damage to Property 
     1 Count of Battery

The case 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. 

On Monday, April 17th, Towns County Sheriff’s Office received a theft report on Lovingood Road in Hiawassee, Georgia.  One of the items stolen was a credit card, which was used at numerous locations throughout Towns County.  The stolen credit card was determined to have been used at Ingles, Denton’s Grocery, Lakeview Store, Marathon Station, Valero Station, Monte Alban, and Hardees.  
    
Sheriff’s Office Investigators following up on the reported theft have arrested Colin Brennan Maguire, age 34 of Hayesville, North Carolina in reference to the reported theft and fraud associated with the use of the stolen credit card.  Maguire was arrested on April 18th and charged with the following offenses:

   29 Counts of Financial Transaction Card Fraud
    1 Count of Theft by Taking (Felony)
    1 Count of Theft by Deception (Misdemeanor) 
    1 Count of Driving on Suspended Driver’s License
    1 Count of Use of License Plate for Purpose of Concealment

The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are likely in North Carolina related to the use of the stolen credit card. 

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.

Towns County Sheriff’s deputies arrested two suspects on drug charges in two separate incidents on Friday April 21st.

In the first incident, deputies were serving an arrest order for child support at a residence on Highway 66 in Young Harris, Georgia, and the deputies arrested Trevor Shook, age 36 of Young Harris.  He was arrested and charged with 1 Count of VGCSA Possession of Methamphetamine and arrested on a court order for child support.

The second drug arrest was the result of a search warrant that was executed at a residence on Meadow Lane in Young Harris.  Michael J. Woody, age 38 of Young Harris was arrested and charged with 1 Count of VGCSA Possession of Methamphetamine and 1 count of VGCSA Possession of Drug Related Objects.

U.S. Air Force Airman Ryan J. Henry graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.

The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

​Airmen who complete basic training also earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

Henry is the son of Christine M. Jacobs, grandson of Richard A. McPherson, and husband of Krista G. Henry, all of Murphy, N.C.

He is a 2016 graduate of Appalachian Academy, Murphy, N.C.

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 Wednesday February 22, 2017, around 2:21 AM, Clay County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to an explosion in the area of 4157 Myers Chapel Road in Hayesville. Sheriff Davis said there it was discovered that a farm shed was on fire. The shed was completely destroyed in the fire, along with its contents.
 
Since then Clay County Sheriff’s Investigators have been working with arson investigators following up on leads. According to Sheriff Davis, this last week there was finally a break in the case when the prime suspect confessed to the incident.
 
Peter Crawford Tiger, 20, of Hayesville had recently been arrested for breaking and entering and larceny. Sheriff Davis said while he was in jail he confessed to burning the shed. He has been charged with Arson, Misdemeanor Breaking and Entering, and Second Degree Trespassing. He is currently being held in the Clay County Detention Center on an additional $10,000 bond.

The following press release has been issued by Town of Murphy Police Department.  All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

Official Press Release 
​
Location: 209 Beal Circle, Murphy, NC 28906
Defendant #1: Mr. Isaiah Zavier Nelson
Victim #1: 17 Year Old Male Family Member (Name withheld for privacy reasons)
Victim #2: 21 Year Old Female Family Member (Name withheld for privacy reasons)
Victim #3: Mr. Breslin Drake Allen
Victim #4: Various Law Enforcement Officers from MPD
Date of Incident: April 9th, 2017
Time of Incident: 5:41 pm

Agencies Involved: 
Cherokee County Sheriff's Office 
Cherokee County Detention Center
Cherokee County 911 Dispatch Center
Cherokee County Emergency Management
Cherokee County EMS
Cherokee County Magistrate's Office 
Cherokee Tribal Police
Murphy Police Department

At or around 5:41 pm, on April 9th, 2017, the Cherokee County 911 Dispatch Center received a call in reference to a disturbance at 209 Beal Circle. The reporting party had advised that the male, Mr. Nelson, had been swinging a sword at her and advised that if any law enforcement showed up at the residence that Mr. Nelson would shoot them. Upon the arrival of law enforcement from the Murphy Police Department and the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, they were advised that Mr. Nelson had barricaded himself inside with other occupants of the residence. 

Shortly thereafter, the occupants of the residence were released and were able to come outside. During this time, multiple attempts were made by law enforcement and Mr. Nelson's mother to come outside of the residence via mobile phone and a patrol vehicle PA System, but Mr. Nelson refused. After much persuasion,  Mr. Nelson was able to put the makeshift firearm down and exit the residence as he was making various threats to the assisting law enforcement officers. Mr. Nelson was then taken into custody as he was resisting being placed in handcuffs and placed inside of the patrol vehicle. 

Mr. Nelson had made various threats to officers of the Murphy Police Department while being arrested and taken into custody. Given our previous history with Mr. Nelson, we found these threats to be credible. 
Cherokee Tribal Police SWAT was notified of the incident and placed on standby. They were later cancelled after the defendant was in custody.

Mr. Nelson is currently incarcerated in the Cherokee County Detention Center on the following charges:
 - Second Degree Kidnapping (2 Counts)
 - Resisting Public Officer (2 Counts)
 - Communicating Threats (3 Counts)
 - Injury To Personal Property (1 Count)
 - Go Armed To The Terror Of The Public (1 Count)
 - Assault With A Deadly Weapon (1 Count)

Mr. Nelson was given a $40,000.00 secure bond for the listed above offenses. His first court appearance is scheduled for April 25th, 2017 at 9:00 am in the Cherokee County Courthouse.

Prior to the above listed charges, Mr. Nelson has been charged with 42 prior offenses since 2009 here in Cherokee County alone. They range from Misdemeanor Larceny, Assault On A Government Official, Possession Of Methamphetamine, Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Assault By Strangulation, Unauthorized Use Of A Motor Vehicle, Injury to Railroad Property  and various Court and Probation Violations. 

"I would personally like to thank the quick response from all assisting Deputies from the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office and the Officers of the Murphy Police Department. I would also like to thank the Cherokee County 911 Dispatch Center for their assistance in getting all the crucial information needed to the responding law enforcement officers during this stressful situation. With all of these great people, and them doing what they do, they helped bring this unfortunate event to a quick resolution."

Due to the pending nature and charges of this investigation, this is all of the information that can be shared at this time. We will keep the general public informed as the investigation continues. 

Thank You,
Justin J. Jacobs
Chief of Police

All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

A local radio station owner was arrested Saturday around 1:00 pm immediately after his radio program ended.   Tim Radford, age 44, of Murphy, NC states that he was minding his own business when local law enforcement forced their way into the WKRK studio arresting him on charges of being "too smart and too good looking."

It's true that Radford has battled these problems all his life, but did not realize it was a crime to be that gifted.   Radford states, "so that I don't bother others with these issues, I just stayed locked inside a studio trying to not to hurt anyone.  I try to be friendly so that people will like me.  Everyone wants to be super attractive and smart, but they don't realize what a curse it can be.  I urge everyone to please just try to be average and fit in with others."

Radford does possess an IQ close to those of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, but once again argued that such a thing should not be a reason to arrest someone.   

Radford is being held on a $2,000,000 secured bond as he is a tremendous flight risk.

The arresting officer stated, "This is the kind of thing that cannot be tolerated in our community and we will not rest until we see this monster do his time in jail."

If you have read down this far, I'm hoping that you have figured out that this is an April Fool's joke and not an actual news story.   

Have a great weekend and enjoy the sunshine!  -Tim