Murphy – A vehicle stop led to the largest methamphetamine seizure in the history of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office were involved in a pursuit with a BMW passenger vehicle that had committed a minor traffic violation on July 13. The pursuit was concluded after one of the involved detectives performed a Precision Immobilization Technique maneuver.
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After the driver’s arrest, detectives searched the involved vehicle and located 73.4 grams of meth, 37.4 grams of fentanyl, 3 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, $700 cash and a loaded firearm.
The driver and passenger of the suspect vehicle were interviewed after their arrest, and information was obtained that a large quantity of meth was being manufactured at a camper light was green. He observed that the driver appeared unconscious at the wheel and stopped to assist, before being aided by an unknown driver in a state government van.
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“We opened the door, and I immediately just put the car in park and turned it off because her foot wasn’t on the brake or anything and the car was still running,” he said. “She came to and kept telling me that her and her mom had just switched driving, but there was nobody else in the car, so I was just asking her questions about her mom. She wasn’t sure who she was at first, wasn’t sure where she was.”
Cherokee County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Chris Wood said Germaine told a deputy who responded to the scene that she had been in town to visit Harrah’s casino. Wood dispelled rumors that a “silver alert” had been issued for the woman. Silver alerts notify the public of missing older adults with a documented mental condition who may have wandered, such as those with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Beneke said he probably would not have approached the vehicle in the manner he did without his emergency responder training. He believes the incident is a good reminder for drivers to avoid assuming the worst on the road and call 911 if something does not seem right.
“I personally don’t need any recognition or thanks for just being a decent human being and helping someone,” Beneke said.
“I would just advise people to slow down and pay attention to what’s going on. It wasn’t somebody sitting at a red light texting, it was a lady having some sort of a medical emergency.”
Beneke has been a volunteer firefighter on and off for the better part of 10 years, beginning in his native state of Hawaii. He moved to Hayesville less than two months ago and works in Murphy, while also volunteering for the Grape Creek Fire Department along with three other members of his family.
In November 2021, Beneke found himself in a much more dangerous emergency situation while working for a hotel in Greensboro, after a man began acting erratically outside the lobby.
“We had called local (police) and they were trying to get there,” Beneke said. “He ended up kicking the entrance door to the lobby open and started to attack a co-worker of mine.
“I got into the middle of it, and he turned on me with a hammer. I got hit six times in the head and face.”
Beneke said he spent the better part of a week in the ICU and needed 16 screws, two plates and seven teeth implants to help mend his injuries.
“He’s been through a lot,” said his stepfather and fellow volunteer firefighter, Rickey Webb, who recently moved to the Hanging Dog area from Franklin.
Beneke said he was out of work for about two months while going through a rehabilitation process. Today, his only lingering side effect from the attack is difficulty regulating his body temperature due to the head injuries her received.
“In the beginning, I had a lot of speech issues, a lot of stuttering issues,” Beneke said. “That went away within a couple of weeks. If it’s summer, if it’s super hot outside, I have to regulate my body temperature, but that’s been my only (ongoing) effect.”