 Sasha Guffey, graduate of Tri-County Community College’s 2017 basic law enforcement training program, receives her certificate of completion from instructor Allen Denny. Tri-County Community College’s basic law enforcement training program will offer an evening class beginning September 4 at the main campus in Peachtree.
“In offering our annual BLET night class, we are advancing our mission to meet the needs of our citizens,” said Allen Denny, BLET school director and criminal justice instructor at TCCC. “For potential students who may have been unable to take a BLET class due to time constraints, but who are still interested in the law enforcement field, this class will provide access to training that fits with their schedules.” The North Carolina BLET class, which is a state accredited program, is designed to prepare entry-level individuals with the cognitive and physical skills to become certified police officers and deputy sheriffs. “Of the students who have made it to the state exam portion of the program, we have an extremely high first-time test taker pass rate,” Denny said. “In addition, more than 90 percent of our students find employment within the law enforcement field following the completion of our program.” According to Denny, students must be sponsored by a law enforcement agency and complete an application packet to be accepted to the program. “Students who take their basic law enforcement training here at TCCC really appreciate the convenience of a training facility close to their homes,” Denny said. Interested students should be beginning the application process because collecting all required materials for the application packets can take more than a month, according to Denny. The deadline to submit a completed application is August 29. For more information regarding TCCC’s BLET program, call (828) 837-6810, or to view the application packet, visit www.tricountycc.edu.  The following press release has been issued by Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Murphy, NC— Sheriff Derrick Palmer July 22nd, 2018 arrest of 40 year old Benjamin Lee Stanley of Andrews, North Carolina for domestic violence. On Sunday July 22nd. 2018 at about 5:30 pm, deputies with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office went to the Andrews, North Carolina residence of Benjamin Lee Stanley in an attempt to serve warrants for violations of a domestic violence protective order as well as cyberstalking. Stanley refused entry to the deputies and fled to a crawl space area as he had done during his arrest in April of this year. Deputies located Stanley in the crawl space, who was hiding in a makeshift compartment he had constructed causing delay in his capture. During the search and eventual arrest of Stanley, radio communication was lost with the deputies. Units with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded and were able to notify dispatch that the officers were safe and sound. Stanley was taken to the Cherokee County Detention Center for: INTIMIDATING WITNESS, VIOLATE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROTECTION ORDER X 2, CYBERSTALKING. The North Carolina Magistrate set a $50,000.00 secure bond on the Intimidating State Witness Charge, however no bond has been set on the Domestic Violence and Cyber Stalking charges at this time. Sheriff Derrick Palmer stated, “Good work by the deputies locating and apprehending Stanley. There was a very tense 20 minutes or so during the time that communication was broken with the deputies at the scene. We thank the Troopers from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol who responded to let us know our folks were safe.” To report suspicious activity and suspect violations of the law please call 828-837-1344 or submit a tip at crime.tips@cherokeecounty-nc.gov.  The following press release has been issued by Cherokee County Sheriff's Office.
Murphy, NC— Sheriff Derrick Palmer announced the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office is cooperating with the investigation into the death of a Cherokee County Inmate several hours after his arrest. Around 5 pm, July 11th, 2018, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Wolf Creek community of Cherokee County to investigate an individual that was acting irrational. When deputies responded to the scene they arrested 30-year-old Joshua Shane Long for Resisting Public Officer, Simple Possession of Schedule VI Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Long was transported to the Cherokee County Detention Center where the North Carolina Magistrate set a $1000.00 secure bond. Long was processed and placed in a cell. Information found during the arrest of Long showed that he had a Blairsville, Georgia address. Shortly after 11 pm, July 11th, 2018 Long was found unresponsive in his cell and Detention Staff began life saving measures. Detention Staff also notified Cherokee County Emergency Communications who summoned Cherokee County EMS who later transported Long to a Life Flight Air Ambulance. Long was flown to a Tennessee Hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. Sheriff Derrick Palmer stated, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the deceased. We are cooperating fully with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and will continue to do so until we know how this happened.” WKRK joins the Sheriff's Office in sending sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Long. |