From hurricanes to handcuffs: Sheriff Wilke recaps a whirlwind year
In a year-in-review summary report released this week, Haywood County Sheriff Bill Wilke outlined key accomplishments and challenges from 2024, marking a year of operational growth, community engagement and the continuing fight against crime and drugs.
Cherokee man sentenced following murder plea
U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn, Jr. sentenced Brandon Tyler Buchanan to 30 years in prison for second degree murder, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
The state of JCSO: Overdoses decline, detention center at max capacity
Jackson County Sheriff Doug Farmer gave his annual report to his county commissioners last week, and while overdose deaths have declined dramatically, the agency is facing difficulties housing inmates in a crowded jail.
Man sentenced for sexual contact with minor
Rogelia Vega Evans, 26, of Lexington, North Carolina was sentenced to 180 months in prison for engaging in sexual contact with a minor by force in Cherokee, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Three dead in alleged Haywood County murder-suicide
The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a possible murder in the Panther Creek area of Clyde.
Jackson County man sentenced on drug and gun charges
U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced John Allen Wise, 45, of Cashiers, to 121 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for distribution of methamphetamine and illegal possession of firearms, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Two plead guilty to drug trafficking in separate cases
Two people in unrelated cases pleaded guilty to trafficking charges in Cherokee County, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said.
Officers in Kloepfer shooting won’t face charges
A special prosecutor tasked with examining the investigation into a 2022 police shooting that severely injured Jason Harley Kloepfer at his home in Cherokee County has concluded that no criminal charges are warranted against any of the officers involved.
Reduction in federal funding for crime victims hits home
The holidays are often viewed as an opportunity for families to gather together and share seasonal cheer, but when there’s domestic discord, many seek help from nonprofit legal or social service organizations.
Cherokee man arrested in cold case murder
Nearly a decade after 26-year-old Marie Walkingstick Pheasant’s body was found in a burned-out vehicle in Cherokee’s Big Cove community, her husband Ernest Dwayne Pheasant, 46, has been arrested for her murder.
