Cherokee County Man Arrested for Sexual Assault

The following press release has been issued by Cherokee County Sheriff's Office.  All suspects are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Murphy, NC— Sheriff Derrick Palmer announced the September 04th, 2017, arrest of 47 year old Jerry Lee Hobs, who gave a Cherokee County, North Carolina address.

On or about September 05th, 2017 the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a sexual assault in which Jerry Lee Hobbs was identified as the suspect. During the investigation, information was gathered that allowed the investigator to develop probable cause which was presented to the North Carolina Magistrate who issued a warrant for the arrest of Hobbs. Also during the investigation, information was obtained that Hobbs was staying at a camping site in the Ranger Community near Beach Creek where Hobbs was arrested without incident and brought to the Cherokee County Detention Center for processing.

Hobbs is currently in custody at the Cherokee County Detention Center under a $100,000.00 secure bond for the charge of Forcible Rape. Hobbs is scheduled to appear in Cherokee County District Court on January 25.

Because of the sensitive nature of the incident no further information is expected to be released from this office.

Sheriff Palmer stated, “This is a very personal crime and I am glad to see it come to a close quickly. Although a heinous crime, a bright spot you might say is that our Victim Advocate Office and Reach of Cherokee County Inc. worked hand in hand to provide much needed services in this difficult situation.”

Sheriff Palmer encourages anyone that has information on this crime or any other to report it. To report crime in Cherokee County you can call the anonymous tip line at 828-837- 1344 or email a tip at crime.tips@cherokeecounty-nc.gov or call 911 if you observe a crime in progress.