HAYESVILLE
Search leads to 2 arrests
Clay County sheriff’s Lt. Tyler Faggard and Investigator Brandon Coker stopped a Nissan Xterra at George’s Hardware for an expired license plate on Sept. 2.
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Mary Anne Leatherwood, 38, of Murphy, was the driver. Wayne Bruce Odom, 46, of Hayesville, was a passenger in the vehicle, according to a release from the sheriff’s office.
When asked for her driver’s license and vehicle registration, Leatherwood was reported to be nervously shaking. When asked if she had anything in the vehicle that could be of danger, she had a gun in her purse and handed it to Coker.
N.C. Highway Patrol Troopers A.J. Gordon and Charlie Cheeks arrived to assess Leatherwood for driving while impaired. A search of her purse yielded a High Point semi-automatic pistol and cigarette pack containing suspected marijuana.
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During the vehicle stop Faggard said he observed Odom stepping out of the front passenger seat of the vehicle. At first, Odom attempted to throw something beneath the Xterra. He then got out of the seat while putting something in the side compartment of the door.
In the passenger compartment, Faggard found a silver cylinder containing a quantity of a crystal-like substance that ultimately field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
When questioned, officers said Leatherwood admitted to using meth the day before. She said the meth found within her vehicle was not hers. A thorough search of the vehicle yielded two open containers of alcohol and a gray pouch containing a glass smoking pipe wrapped in blue paper towel and a clear baggy containing a crystal-like substance, which also field-tested positive for meth, the release says.
Odom and Leatherwood were both arrested and taken to the Clay County Detention Center. Odom was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine, while Leatherwood was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine, felony maintaining a vehicle for drugs, carrying a concealed weapon and driving while impaired.
MURPHY
Meeting for a new auxiliary
The next meeting of the proposed Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Auxiliary is set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at the sheriff’s office, 577 Regal St.
The first meeting was held on Aug. 28. Sheriff Dustin Smith and Capt. David Williams said the department is seeking to establish an auxiliary program.
The extra help will allow sheriff’s personnel to focus on providing other needed services. The auxiliary is divided into two programs:
u Sheriff’s Volunteer Auxiliary Program – clerical and support positions.
u Citizens Action Program – an enhanced mobile neighborhood watch.
Details: Call the department at 828-837-2589.
Compiled by Publisher David Brown.