MARBLE
Armed robber gets 15 years
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Jason William Burrell, 42, of Murphy, was sentenced to 36-56 months in the N.C. Department of Adult Corrections, with credit for 617 days, for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, breaking and entering, and larceny of a motor vehicle for an armed robbery by Judge William Coward in Cherokee County Superior Court on Feb. 21.
Burrell was also sentenced to serve 95-126 months, which will start at the expiration of the previous sentence, according to a release.
On Jan. 22, 2020, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office was notified that the Quick Pantry in Marble had been robbed at gunpoint, and Burrell was identified as the individual who committed the robbery. On Jan. 28, 2020, Burrell became involved in a vehicular chase, where he ended up flipping his car on Junaluska Road in Andrews.
“Burrell will have a long time to think about robbing another store,” Chief Deputy Joe Wood said in a release. The sheriff’s office “worked tirelessly to capture a very dangerous individual.”
HANGING DOG
Man indicted in solicitation
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Walter Leland Watkins, 71, of Murphy, was indicted for charges stemming from his online solicitation of a minor to engage in sex acts during the Cherokee County grand jury session Feb. 21, according to a release.
In September 2021, the Cherokee County Internet Crimes Against Children investigator conducted an investigation into allegations that Watkins had been soliciting a juvenile girl with the intent to meet and engage in sex acts. After the juvenile was interviewed, the investigator engaged Watkins in continued computer conversations.
Watkins was arrested in Hanging Dog on Sept. 28, 2021. He made bond a short time later.
After the District Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and deemed additional charges were appropriate, the case was presented to the grand jury, which handed down the indictments. Watkins was arrested at his residence without incident and taken to the Cherokee County Detention Center in Murphy.
The magistrate set a $300,000 secure bond on charges of solicitation of a sex offense, two counts of indecent liberties with a child and four counts of solicitation by computer and appearing. Watkins’ next court date is Monday, May 2.
CHEROKEE COUNTY
2 more die from COVID
In the last week, two more local residents died from COVID-19 – one in their early 80s, the other in their mid-70s.
From Feb. 28 through Monday, 23 local residents tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Cherokee County Health Department. Of the 26,004 tests handled through the department since the pandemic began in March 2020, 18,912 were negative, six are pending and 7,086 were positive. Of those cases, 30 are active, 6,937 have been released and 119 are deceased.
As of March 1, there have been more than 2.5 million cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina, killing at least 22,600 people. More than 1,500 people infected with the disease are hospitalized. Health Director
David Badger encourages everyone who has not
been vaccinated or needs a booster to set an appointment online at https://novelhealth.ai/practice/cherokee-county-health-department-287668.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is removing mandatory mask requirements for most state agencies beginning next week. The new policy makes masks optional in most cases, though the executive order allows agency heads to continue required masking in “high-risk” settings, such as long-term care facilities, correctional facilities, homeless shelters and health-care settings.
The change took effect Monday, though required weekly COVID-19 tests for unvaccinated employees remain in place. The new guidelines, however, allow employees to use at-home rapid antigen tests to meet the testing requirements, in addition to the PCR tests that are accepted.
MURPHY
Drug dealer sentenced
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Haley Nicole Farr, 22, of Blue Ridge, Ga., was given an active sentence of 70-93 months in the N.C. Department of Adult Corrections on drug trafficking charges by Judge William Coward on Feb. 25 in Cherokee County Superior Court.
In addition, Farr was given a $50,000 fine, according to a release.
On Sept. 1, 2020, detectives with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office initiated a vehicle stop with a Toyota Highlander displaying a fictitious registration number plate. Upon speaking with the driver, Haley Nicole Farr, it was discovered she had a digital scale and about an ounce of suspected methamphetamine in her bra.
A later search was conducted, with a total of 248 grams of suspected meth separated into seven bags and a stolen firearm recovered from Farr’s bra.
To report suspicious activity and suspect violations of the law, call 837-1344 or email a tip to crime.tips@cherokeecounty-nc.gov.
HAYESVILLE
Man admits to shooting
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District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said a Hayesville man admitted last week in Clay County Superior Court that three years ago he shot and killed Jordan Ramon Garcia, 20.
Caleb Ellis, 20, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, according to a release. Welch said she accepted his plea because of a constitutional issue that involved the defendant’s confession.
Following his arrest, Ellis signed his confession; however, the officer mistakenly used an adult-waiver form and not the juvenile-waiver form that state law requires.
“The mixup was inadvertent, but it did factor into the decision to accept a second-degree murder plea,” Welch said.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office learned on May 28, 2019, that Garcia was missing. A few days later, Garcia’s grandmother reported smelling an odor at her home in Hayesville. Law enforcement discovered Garcia’s dead body in a gully under metal roofing.
The release says it appeared Ellis had set fire to the body in a failed attempt to dispose of the evidence. In his confession, Ellis said he had been using meth-
amphetamine.
Ellis claimed he shot Garcia because, in his drug-induced paranoia, he feared Garcia would shoot him. Garcia died from a gunshot to the base of his skull.
Chief Resident Superior Court Judge Bill Coward sentenced Ellis to serve a minimum sentence of 157 months in prison and a maximum of 201 months. He has 996 days in pretrial confinement. The judge also ordered the defendant to pay a total of $19,358 in attorneys fees and $3,948.80 in restitution.
MURPHY
Twins Car Wash sold
Express Wash Operations LLC – doing business as Magnolia Wash Holdings, an express conveyor car wash chain – successfully completed the acquisition of four Twins Car Wash locations on Feb. 25, according to a release.
The Twins Car Wash acquisitions include the following locations:
- 251 King St. in Murphy.
- 32 McKinney Road in Blue Ridge, Ga.
- 705 Noah Drive in Jasper, Ga.
- 4860 North Wickham Road in Melbourne, Fla.
This acquisition brings Magnolia to 57 operating locations in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
“The leadership of Twins Car Wash created a premium brand in a growing market within our main focus area of the Southeastern U.S.,” said Andy Agostini, Magnolia’s VP of operations.
“We are thankful to have the opportunity to continue to serve customers the premium level we pride ourselves on.”
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Public meetings
THIS WEEK
- Cherokee County Board of Education meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Central Office, 911 Andrews Road in Murphy.
- Cherokee County Department of Social Services Board meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the DSS conference room, 4800 U.S. 64 W. in Ranger.
COMING SOON
- Andrews ABC Board meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 21, in the Facilities Building, 85 Fourth St.
- Cherokee County Board of Commissioners meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 21, in the multi-purpose room of the Cherokee County Courthouse, 75 Peachtree St. in downtown Murphy.
From staff reports.