GAINESVILLE, Ga.
Murphy trio get busted
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Hall County Sheriff’s Office investigators seized fentanyl and methamphetamine worth a combined $19,000 on the street during a multi-agency investigation resulting in three arrests last week, according to a release.
Investigators arrested David Nathaniel Jones, 45; Andrew Carter Ownby, 25; and Hope Dockery, 19, all from Murphy, N.C., during a traffic stop in the 400 block of Jesse Jewell Parkway on Feb. 14. Investigators obtained arrest warrants for one count each of trafficking fentanyl and trafficking meth for each sus
During the stop, investigators seized about 40 grams of fentanyl, 90 grams of meth, a handgun and roughly $3,000 cash. Investigators also charged Jones with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
Hall County worked in tandem with the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office, Cherokee County (N.C.) Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State Patrol, Gainesville Police Department K-9 Unit and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Atlanta Division on the case.
All three suspects remained in the Hall County Jail without bond Thursday. Additional arrests are not anticipated.
HAYESVILLE
Arrest made in ABC fire
The investigation into a fire at the Clay County ABC Store on Feb. 12 resulted in the arrest of a 17-year-old male in Cherokee County, according to a release from Sheriff Mark Buchanan.
The fire was reported at 2:18 p.m. Clay County Fire & Rescue arrived within minutes and extinguished the blazes. The fire was concentrated in an alcove on the southeast corner of the building’s exterior.
“The exterior of the building suffered obvious damage, and the interior suffered significant smoke damage,” Buchanan said.
The initial investigation revealed that boxes and other materials were stored in the area, and the fire had been intentionally set. Investigators reviewed video surveillance, which showed no vehicles entering the area during that time frame.
Further investigation resulted in evidence indicating at least one person had recently entered the property from undeveloped acreage just north of the scene. Buchanan said investigators used crime mapping and
historical data to develop leads in the case, which led to the identification of a suspect.
On Feb. 13, Investigator Paydon Shook and Lt. Tyler Faggard traveled to Cherokee County to interview the suspect, who reportedly had ties to Clay County.
“After a very brief interview, the suspect confessed to setting the fire,” Buchanan said.
Because of legislation called the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act, the identity of the 17 year old is not being released. However, the alleged offender was taken into custody by juvenile authorities “for a spree of other crimes that were committed in Clay County,” the release says.
ROBBINSVILLE
Area woman found dead
An unusual chain of events over the weekend led to officers linking together a burning car and a deceased resident, at two different locations.
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On the night of Feb. 4, a call was received that a car was burning on Tatham Gap Road. Responders and Graham County sheriff’s deputies secured the scene and awaited the opportunity to investigate the seemingly-random blaze at daybreak.
But the case escalated quickly around 9 a.m. Feb. 5, when officers were dispatched to the River Breeze Trailer Park off Five Points Road. The deceased body of 27-year-old local resident Carley Walls was discovered once deputies arrived.
Graham County Sheriff Brad Hoxit called for assistance from District Attorney Ashley Welch’s office – as well as the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Forest Service – as the burning vehicle on Tatham Gap Road the night before was found to be registered to Walls. Deputies later searched both locations and seized an unknown amount of items to help with the investigation.
An autopsy was scheduled to take place Feb. 8 at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, Hoxit said.
From staff reports.