CHEROKEE COUNTY
Citizens can help sheriff
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office is developing a Citizens Academy to train the public about law enforcement operations and develop a pool of volunteers.
Specifics about the plan were not ready for release, but in general the academy will be spread out over a few weeks and teach citizens about various components of the sheriff’s office, including administration, criminal investigation, jail operations and investigations.
Sheriff Dustin Smith said graduates of the academy who express interest could be used as volunteers to assist the sheriff’s office in a variety of non-law enforcement ways, such as administrative staffing at the sheriff’s substation in Hiwassee Dam during regular business hours and assisting with Shop with a Cop, Coffee With a Cop and fishing derby events.
Citizens academies are held at law enforcement agencies around the nation and in larger communities could be extensive and comprehensive. Smith said he envisions five to six people attending a shorter academy in Cherokee County.
The sheriff’s office has had citizens academies in previous years, he said.
“The goal is to help the public understand what we do,” Smith said.
Details will be released as plans for the program gel.
CHEROKEE COUNTY
$75K grant in emergencies
Cherokee County received a $75,000 grant from the N.C. Community Foundation to help the county prepare for future disasters.
The grant will be used to enhance communication capabilities in the county via Voice Interoperability Project for Emergency Responders radios and Starlink kits. The grant was recommended by the Cherokee County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the N.C. Community Foundation.
Funds are used to address unmet or long-term recovery needs related to Hurricane Helene in Cherokee County, or to address efforts to increase preparedness for future disasters.
BLUE RIDGE, Ga.
Obit scam across area
The Fannin County (Ga.) Sheriff’s Office is warning citizens of a new scam that surfaced on March 5.
Someone is going through the obituary notices, calling loved ones of the deceased claiming to be the funeral home and demanding payment for the funeral. At least one family has reported making a one-half payment.
Anyone who receives such a call should contact the sheriff’s office and the funeral home where the service was organized. Only pay the funeral home in person.
Details: Call the sheriff’s office at 706-632-2044.
HAYESVILLE
Naked man gets arrested
Detectives with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office observed a white Chevrolet Trail Blazer parked at the Lake Chatuge recreational area on March 19.
According to a release, an unclothed man – later identified as Harrison Leslie Thorpe, 79, of Towns County, Ga. Thorpe remained in his vehicle and was observed masturbating while watching three women and three children enjoying an afternoon at the lake.
After verifying Thorpe’s actions, detectives approached the man, who was completely nude, and took him into custody without incident. Thorpe was taken to the Clay County Detention Center, where he was charged with three felony counts of indecent exposure and three misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure.
Thorpe is being held in the Clay County Detention Center on a $225,000 secured bond.
HIAWASSEE, Ga.
Photos might just be illegal
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested and charged Towns County volunteer firefighter Scott Kerlin with misdemeanor obstruction on March 17.
Kerlin, 42, of Hiawassee, is accused of taking photos of the Lewis twins’ death scene and sharing them publicly this month. He is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The GBI has been investigating the deaths of twin brothers Qaadir Malik Lewis and Naazir Rahim Lewis, both 19, of Lawrenceville in Gwinnett County. The investigation began after hikers reported finding the twins deceased with gunshot wounds at the top of Bell Mountain on March 8.
A GBI medical examiner has completed autopsies for the twins, but the official ruling and results are pending additional forensic tests, according to the GBI.
The preliminary investigation has revealed the deaths to be a murder-suicide, though the death investigation remains active and ongoing, per the GBI.
Compiled by Publisher David Brown and Editor Randy Foster. Shawn Jarrard of the Towns County Herald contributed to this report.