MARBLE
Man accused
in kidnapping
A 20-year-old man was being held without bail, charged with felony kidnapping and misdemeanor false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon and assault on a female.
Jalen Xavien Little of 184 Ladd Branch Road, which is off Vengeance Creek Road on Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians territory, was arrested on Feb. 27 stemming from a Jan. 19 offense.
Charges are:
- Kidnapping: Little allegedly kidnapped a woman and confined her without her consent for the purpose of involuntary servitude.
- Assault with a deadly weapon: Little allegedly assaulted the victim with a knife while shoving her to the ground.
- False imprisonment: Little allegedly detained the woman without her consent.
- Assault on a female: Little allegedly grabbed the woman and held onto her despite her screaming for him to let her go.
His first court date is today.
MURPHY
Leash law violation set
Murphy police arrested a Postell Road resident for alleged violations of the town’s leash law.
Billy Joe Derreberry, 68, was arrested Feb. 23, a week after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He posted $500 unsecured bond the same day as his arrest.
Murphy police alleged that Derreberry “unlawfully and willfully” violated the town’s leash law by allowing his dogs to roam freely around the area of McDonald’s restaurant and First Baptist Church in Murphy.
“Derreberry has been informed multiple times to not have his dogs loose in city limits without a leash,” according to court documents.
Dogs from his property have even been discussed at a Cherokee County Board of Commissioners meeting in September 2024, when commissioners were discussing animal control issues.
MURPHY
Inmate with drugs at jail
An Andrews resident being held at the Cherokee County Detention Center for trespassing was charged with another crime while in custody – possession of a controlled substance on prison/jail premises.,
Crisin Elise Stinchcomb, 45, of 395 Minnow Farm Road in Andrews, was charged when a grand jury returned a true bill of indictment on the felony charge. She was booked on Feb. 23 and released on Feb. 25 after posting $5,000 secured bond.
Stinchcomb was being held on a misdemeanor charge of second-degree trespass that occurred on Jan. 8 at Walmart Supercenter.
CULBERSON
Live grenades found at home
A local family located two live grenades while cleaning out property belonging to a deceased relative.
On Feb. 26, deputies and a Narcotics Agent responded to the residence and found a smoke grenade and an MK2 fragmentation grenade, often called a “pineapple grenade” because it resembles a pineapple. Both devices appeared to be live but in stable condition, according to a release from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
“The scene was secured and agents with the State Bureau of Investigation Bomb Squad responded to the scene and removed the devices before rendering them safe and disposing of them,” according to the release.
No other devices were located, and no charges were expected.
MURPHY
BOLO subject gets arrested
A Cherokee County man described as armed and dangerous and the subject of an area-wide “be on the lookout” (BOLO) notice since Feb. 13 was arrested in Tennessee on Feb. 24.
Kevin Garrett Ledbetter, 31, of 75 Bison Lane, was taken in to custody in Unicoi County, Tenn., Cherokee County Sheriff Chris Wood announced in a release. In the original notice, Ledbetter was described as a white male, about 5-feet 11-inches tall with red hair and was previously seen wearing a black hoodie and pajama pants in the area of Fall Branch Road and Hendrix Road.
“If seen, DO NOT APPROACH,” the original release said. “Ledbetter is to be considered armed & dangerous!”
Authorities did not say what prompted the search for Ledbetter, who has a long record of felonies, misdemeanors and infractions including possession of stolen goods, car theft, breaking and entering and drug cases.
Wood thanked Tennessee law enforcement for their assistance “in ensuring that those who victimize our citizens and communities don’t escape justice by crossing state lines.”
PEACHTREE
Blood drive set March 12
A Blood Assurance drive will be held from 10 a.m. p.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at Tri-County Community College, 21 Campus Circle off of U.S. 64 East Alternate.
Donors will get “lucky me” socks.
Details: Schedule your appointment at bloodassurance.org/tricounty.
RALEIGH
State settles with Walmart
N.C. Attorney General Jeff Jackson and a bipartisan group of attorneys general, along with the Federal Trade Commission, have reached a $100 million multistate settlement with Walmart over allegations that the company deceived customers and drivers who participated in its Spark Driver Program.
Walmart will pay drivers in North Carolina about $2 million they lost because of Walmart’s alleged actions, according to a release.
Walmart has run the Spark Driver program since 2018. Customers can use the Spark App to order products from Walmart for home delivery, and people can sign up to be drivers on the app.
The settlement resolves allegations that Walmart misrepresented pre-tip amounts, base pay and incentive pay to drivers. Walmart also failed to pay drivers for completing incentives by not disclosing full incentive requirements.
Compiled by Publisher David Brown. Editor Randy Foster contributed to this report.