BLUE RIDGE, Ga.
Teenager hit by lightning
An 18-year-old man from Cherokee County, N.C., has been released from Blue Ridge Medical Center after being struck by lightning on the Fourth of July.
Fannin County Emergency Management Agency Director Patrick Cooke said the victim was riding a jet ski in the cove across from the Lake Blue Ridge Marina when the lightning strike occurred. The victim, who was accompanied by another jet skier, suffered a direct hit and was knocked into the water. Several persons witnessed the strike.
Destin LeSesne left from the marina, got the injured jet skier in his boat and returned to the marina, where the victim was picked up by a Fannin County ambulance crew. He was taken to Blue Ridge Medical Center, where he was treated and released, Cooke said.
The victim’s name was not released.
Cooke said the lightning strike occurred during an unexpected pop up thunderstorm. Though no such weather had been forecast, the storm brought heavy rains and intense lightning.
Cooke urged everyone to always keep an eye on the weather this time of year. Storms such as the one Friday can “come out of nowhere, creating serious dangers,” he added. “Thunder is a warning that lightning is close by. Please be careful.”
BRYSON CITY
Disgraced sheriff quits
On the same day Curtis Cochran made his first court appearance related to a June 27 arrest on four charges related to alleged sexual misconduct, he retired as Swain County’s sheriff.
The 72-year-old Cochran was suspended the same day of his arrest. A review of the suspension was scheduled to be held in Graham County Superior Court, but his retiring negated the hearing.
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Cochran ran as a Republican, meaning the Swain County Board of Commissioners will consult with the local GOP and appoint a replacement within a 30-day window of the vacancy. He first took office as sheriff in December 2006 and successfully ran five re-election campaigns. His last came in 2022.
The office of District Attorney Ashley Welch filed a petition June 27 to have Cochran suspended after he was arrested and charged with felonious restraint, assault on a female, sexual battery and solicitation to commit prostitution. Cochran was also charged with three violations of the Cherokee code: two counts of oppression in office and one count of abusive sexual contact.
The alleged incidents occurred on June 22-23. Both were on the Qualla Boundary, and each instance allegedly involved Cochran picking up a female passenger under the guise of providing transportation. Cochran allegedly went on to ask the two victims for oral sex, which both objected to. Eventually, both were able to get away from Cochran.
Swain County Chief Deputy Brian Kirkland assumed the role of sheriff after Cochran was suspended.
Compiled by Publisher David Brown. The News Observer and The Graham Star contributed to this report.