NANTAHALA
Man charged in sign shots
Exactly 3½ weeks after a sign supporting President Donald Trump was torn down and a gun was fired in the direction of a business owner, authorities with the Swain County Sheriff’s Office apprehended a suspect in the incident.
Benjamin Michael Campbell, 38 of 1101 Riverbend Club Drive in Atlanta, was arrested around 8 p.m. Sept. 30 off Johnsons Ferry Road in Cobb County, Ga., and charged as a fugitive from justice, a felony. Campbell was extradited back to Swain County, where he faces charges of felonious assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflicting serious injury; discharging a firearm within enclosure to incite fear; and willful and wanton injury to personal property.
In CCTV footage later released to the public via YouTube, Campbell’s vehicle was identified as the one involved in a Sept. 6 incident at Paddle Inn Rafting Co. on U.S. 19/74. A Smoky Mountain Times report from Sept. 16 said a deputy was dispatched to a call about shots being fired near 14611 U.S. 19 W. around 5:52 p.m.
The deputy reported nothing suspicious at the scene, and no damage was cited.
The footage’s release three days later painted a harrowing picture. The suspect – believed by authorities to be Campbell – was shown ripping down a pro-Trump banner on the property. The Times reported that Paddle Inn owner Mark Thomas saw the incident and fired two shots in the air; in response, the suspect opened the sunroof of his vehicle and fired two shots of his own.
Swain County detectives were able to identify the license plate from the CCTV footage and made a trip to Marietta, Ga., on Sept. 30, to work with Cobb County police to arrest Campbell. The department’s Major Crimes Unit, Viper Unit and SWAT Team – as well as the Dunwoody (Ga.) Police Department – assisted in the execution of a pair of search warrants on two homes and the vehicle used in the incident, after which Campbell was placed under arrest.
CLAYTON, Ga.
Murphy man faces charge
A Murphy, N.C., man is behind bars following a kidnapping investigation in Georgia.
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According to the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office, Austin Fleming, 31, was taken into custody on charges of kidnapping, aggravated assault, theft by taking – felony, possession of tools for commission of a crime, entering automobile with intent to commit one and possession of firearm or knife during commission or attempt to commit a felony.
Investigators say Fleming entered the victim’s car and hid inside back on Sept. 30.
When the victim entered the car, he told them he was armed and instructed the victim to drive him to his own vehicle. He also took their electronic device.
Investigators say Fleming threatened the victim and told them to follow him in his vehicle to another location. After Fleming was dropped off at his vehicle, the victim spotted a Rabun County sheriff’s patrol vehicle and immediately pulled over to contact the deputy.
According to jail records, Fleming was taken into custody later that same day following a BOLO alert.
Compiled by Publisher David Brown. Kevin Hensley, publisher/editor of The Graham Star, contributed to this report.