Hayesville Father and Son Charged with Burglary and Filing False Police Report

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 1/24/2017, Investigators with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office charged Dennis Moss, 51, and his son Daulton Moss, 23, with 2nd Degree Burglary and Filing a False Police Report. Both men have a Hayesville address and were taken into custody the same day. Investigators say the men were involved in the Burglary of a Shooting Creek residence on the night of Friday, 1/20/2017. Patrol deputies, responding to a call from neighbors, disrupted their activities that night and they escaped on foot from the scene without being identified. A vehicle was discovered at the scene and was seized as possible evidence.

A few hours later, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office received another call, this time from Moss, whom reported being “car jacked” at gun point. The Moss’ alleged they were made to drive the man to the top of Franklin Mountain at which time their vehicle was stolen and they were left standing there. The vehicle that was alleged to have been stolen was the same one discovered previously at the Burglary in Shooting Creek. Moss could only identify the perpetrator as being a black male and gave a vague description of clothing.

Deputies and Investigators knew this to be a strange coincidence as the suspects from the nights earlier Burglary had fled the scene leaving their vehicle behind. Investigators interviewed the men extensively on their unfortunate experience of being robbed at gun point only to have their story change multiple times. It was finally discovered the men created the story as a ploy to cover up their burglary attempt.

Sheriff Davis said, “While one could see the humor in this case, it is a very serious matter. These men fabricated an outright lie, one that implicated an innocent person. Even though the innocent person didn’t exist, the nature in which they reported the false crime to have been perpetrated with a firearm could have set in motion a chain of events ending in tragedy. Not to mention the resources pulled away to chase a fictitious, potentially violent, criminal”.

Both men were booked into the Clay County Detention Center where they are both still in custody under a $10,000 secured bond. They have a February 6, 2017 court date.