SYLVA
Man guilty in traffic deaths
A Jackson County man pleaded guilty Thursday in Haywood County Superior Court to killing one person and injuring two others on July 21, 2021, after he intentionally drove into oncoming traffic, District Attorney Ashley Welch said.
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Fleeing law enforcement officers and, his lawyer said in court, while “strung out on methamphetamine” after abusing the drug for days on end, Dalton Suttles’ westbound vehicle slammed head-on into an eastbound pickup truck on U.S. 23/74.
Zenen Lopez-Guzman, 46, died in the wreck just inside Jackson County near the Haywood County line.
District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said that Suttles, 21, pleaded guilty to:
- Second-degree murder.
- Flee to elude.
- Trafficking in methamphetamine from 28 grams up to 200 grams.
Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Bradley Letts consolidated the charge of flee to elude with the second-degree murder charge for the purposes of sentencing. He imposed a 194-month minimum prison sentence up to a 245-month maximum sentence.
At the expiration of that prison term, Suttles will serve an additional, consecutive prison sentence of 70-93 months for trafficking in methamphetamine. Additionally, Letts ordered Suttles to pay two fines, $1,000 for second-degree murder and $50,000 for trafficking, as well as $13,321 in restitution.
Letts thanked N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper Samantha Hyatt “personally for her excellent work.” Other agencies involved were the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Waynesville Police Department.
“He didn’t just make poor decisions, he made malicious decisions,” assistant district attorney Jeff Jones said to Letts about Suttles prior to sentencing. Jones co-prosecuted the case with assistant district attorney Chris Matheson.
The event started to unfold after Haywood County Detective Micah Phillips spotted Dalton Suttles, wanted on outstanding felony warrants, driving a Chevrolet Tahoe on N.C. 209. The vehicle has a fictitious plate.
Phillips attempted a traffic stop on U.S. 23/74. Suttles fled, driving at speeds that at times exceeded 100 mph. On the highway, Suttles drove into oncoming traffic, weaving around several cars before slamming into the pickup truck.
In court and before the sentencing, he apologized to the surviving victims and family members of Lopez-Guzman.
FRANKLIN
Man guilty of drug charges
A Swain County man pleaded guilty Aug. 29 in Macon County Superior Court to trafficking illegal drugs, District Attorney Ashley Welch said in a release.
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Casey Wayne McKeehan, 40, of Bryson City, fled last week when his case was called for trial, resulting in a court order for his arrest. The following day, his bail agent handed him over to authorities. Then came his plea.
McKeehan received a minimum prison sentence of 70 months in prison up to a maximum sentence of 93 months in prison. Superior Court Judge Robert Bell also ordered McKeehan to pay a state-mandated $50,000 fine for trafficking in meth-
amphetamine.
On Sept. 7, 2021, Franklin police Officer Randy Dula was patrolling on Georgia Road when he noticed a driver acting suspiciously. He initiated a traffic stop after running the vehicle’s plate and discovering it was fictitious.
A K9 alerted on the truck, and methamphetamine was discovered after the subsequent search. Assistant district attorney John Hindsman prosecuted the case.
From staff reports.