Officers in Kloepfer shooting won’t face charges

special prosecutor tasked with examining the investigation into a 2022 police shooting that severely injured Jason Harley Kloepfer at his home in Cherokee County has concluded that no criminal charges are warranted against any of the officers involved. 

Reduction in federal funding for crime victims hits home

The holidays are often viewed as an opportunity for families to gather together and share seasonal cheer, but when there’s domestic discord, many seek help from nonprofit legal or social service organizations.

Cherokee man arrested in cold case murder

Nearly a decade after 26-year-old Marie Walkingstick Pheasant’s body was found in a burned-out vehicle in Cherokee’s Big Cove community, her husband Ernest Dwayne Pheasant, 46, has been arrested for her murder. 

Trusting the numbers: Stats show drop in WNC crime, but can the figures be trusted?

There’s an old mantra in law enforcement: don’t take credit for the good times unless you’re willing to take equal responsibility for the bad. 

Whittier man charged with attempted kidnapping

A Whittier man could spend the rest of his life in prison after he allegedly threatened a woman at gunpoint in an attempted kidnapping at the Waterrock Knob Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway, where he had tracked her using social media. 

Defendants get prison time following trafficking investigation

Eight people charged in Haywood County with trafficking and possessing illegal drugs are now serving active time in state prison, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said.

The allure of gambling money

What’s behind Republican leaders’ insistent push to legalize multiple forms of gambling – from online sports betting to casinos and video poker kiosks — despite resistance from caucus members, core Republican voters, pastors and sheriffs? What happened to concerns about crime, addiction and victimizing the poor?   

Waynesville man sentenced for illegal machine guns

Jacob Ryan McClure, 25, of Waynesville. was sentenced to 33 months in prison followed by three years of supervised released for possession of machine guns.

DA finds Lambert Wilson shooting was self-defense

M M  at his motel in Cherokee, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch has announced that the South Carolina resident who pulled the trigger will not face criminal charges. The man fired in self-defense after Wilson brandished a handgun, the investigation found.

Couple calls out FedEx after driver admits to 17 break-ins

A couple that owns a home near Highlands is speaking out after they say FedEx failed to act even after warned that one of its drivers was likely robbing several homes along his route.

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