MURPHY
Man found dead here
Police are waiting for autopsy results after a Murphy resident was found dead in woods behind a house in the 1000 block of Joe Brown Highway.
Murphy assistant police chief Ryan Cunningham said the remains were identified as Matthew Dockery, 32. He said Dockery had died four or five days before his remains were discovered on April 20 amid hillside woods behind homes on the block.
There were no signs of foul play, Cunningham added. Dockery is survived by his parents, Leon and Tracey Dockery; a sister, Courtney Dockery; two brothers, Joshua Mingus and friend Erin and Leo Dockery; and a niece and nephew, Brihanna and Braylon Sudderth.
A private family graveside service will be held later.
MURPHY
Sex offender back in jail
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A paroled sexual predator from Murphy, N.C., is going to prison for a new crime, according to the 10th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Seth Tate, 37, pleaded guilty to rape. Details of the case have not been released.
Tate was on probation as a registered sexual predator for a 2007 conviction. His 2009 registry listed him as a resident of U.S. 64 West in Murphy as late as 2016.
Tate is expected to serve 30 years in the Tennessee Department of Corrections. This case was a combined effort of the Hennepin County (Minn.) Sheriff’s Department, Cleveland Police Department and State of Tennessee.
HAYESVILLE
Child killed in car wreck
A young woman and her twin boys were air-flighted to regional hospitals after a wreck on U.S. 64 at 4:30 p.m. April 18. Tragically, one of the twins died Monday.
A 2022 Kia Cordova van – driven by Kaci Jones, 22, of Murphy – was struck in by a 2020 Ford pickup driven by Samuel Lee Edward Stamey, 48, of Hayesville, according to N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper Charlie Cheeks. Jones was traveling east when she stopped to turn left onto Forysthia Lane and Stamey’s pickup collided with the rear part of the van.
Jones’ passengers included her twin 4-year-old boys, along with her other young child. One twin was taken via helicopter to Scottish Rites Hospital in Atlanta, the other to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Jones was initially taken by ambulance to Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital in Peachtree, then to Chattanooga for observation, Cheeks said. The third child in the van was not sent to the hospital.
Stamey was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, Ga. Cheeks said charges are pending against Stamey for failure to reduce speed.
MURPHY
Utility scam hits county
A new phone scam was reported last week by a local retired resident.
The scam goes like this: A caller says you have a refund coming from your utility company; all you need to do is press No. 1. If you do that, you’re then asked for your name, address and Social Security number – a big red flag, according to law enforcement officials.
“I just don’t want to see any of our seniors lose their money in a scam like this,” the resident told the Cherokee Scout.
From staff reports.