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Defendant in Toineeta murder faces additional charges

Defendant in Toineeta murder faces additional charges

Brandon Tyler Buchanan, 25, of Cherokee is now facing new criminal charges in addition to the first-degree murder charge he faces in the death of Kobe Toineeta, also a 25-year-old from Cherokee. 

According to a Facebook post from the Cherokee Indian Police Department, both Buchanan and Ashlee Blaine Smith, 28, who shared a residence at the address where Toineeta died, are charged with possession with intent to sell/deliver schedule II, possession with intent to sell/deliver schedule IV and possession with intent to sell/deliver schedule VI. 

During the homicide investigation, police executed a search warrant at the home and found 387 oxycodone 30-milligram pills, 99 clonazepam 2-milligram pills, more than 300 grams of marijuana, two firearms and $13,000 cash. 

The homicide occurred between 4 and 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, at 868 Big Cove Road in Cherokee. Buchanan is accused of shooting Toineeta with a gun, killing him. The investigation is ongoing. 

An obituary describes Toineeta as “an old soul who never met a stranger.” A 2015 graduate of Swain County High School, Toineeta was a talented all-around athlete who especially loved football, receiving MVP on the Cherokee Braves JV football team and All Conference his junior year on the Swain Maroon Devils football team. He was a partner in a local drywall company and enjoyed hunting, giving much of the fish and bear meat he got to Cherokee elders. 

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