Assessing latest Asheville Police Department scandal

As the search for the mysterious Dianty, continues, let’s see where we stand with the latest Asheville Police Department scandal. Why is this important? Simply put, this case calls into question the level of trust the public should have in Chief William Anderson:

-The Apology: Last week, Asheville Police Chief William Anderson apologized for how he handled the initial investigation into a single-car crash on Montford Avenue from a couple of weeks ago. Anderson was the registered owner of the car, and his son, Chad Anderson, was in the car. The events of the rest of the night are unclear. Chad Anderson told police he was a passenger in the car and that a person he only knew was “Dianty” was the driver. Chad Anderson left the scene of the wreck, and he says Dianty did too. In the press conference, the chief appeared in wrinkled civilian clothes and apologized for not calling in an outside agency to investigate, an action that Buncombe County District Attorney Ron Moore took by calling in the SBI.

-The DA: Ron Moore started the investigation, and he really hasn’t held back in talking about how ridiculous it was to have the police department investigating itself in this matter. In a telling comment to the newspaper, Moore said it wasn’t the first time for Anderson. Noting another case of a now-former police department officer being charged with child abuse, Moore said that Anderson told him an agency that can’t investigate itself is no police agency at all.

-The Gun: A gun was found in the wrecked car, a fact that nobody said a word about until the Asheville Citizen-Times obtained a search warrant that showed a handgun was found. So far, there’s no further information about who owns the gun, and Chief Anderson declined to comment when asked about it.

-The Black Box: The car involved in the wreck – it was driven over a median and into a road sign – has a “black box” that will give investigators critical information. Namely, seat sensors should be able to tell investigators how many people were seated in the vehicle.

-The Administrative Investigation: The city of Asheville first said it was launching its own investigation into Anderson’s handling of the situation, then said it would be holding off until the criminal investigation was complete. Then last week, Assistant City Manager Jeff Richardson said the administrative investigation would continue. Word around City Hall is that there is no love lost between the city manager’s office and the office of the chief.

-The Reporter: On the day of last week’s press conference, WLOSer Mario Boone, who I already consider a loose cannon, tweeted that a high-ranking lieutenant had resigned in the wake of the car crash investigation. WLOS went so far as to post to its website a news story naming the officer, Lt. Bill Wilkie. The station later took the story down and backed away from the original report on Twitter. But several folks are urging Wilkie to consider suing the station. Meantime, I’ve heard other folks question the unusually warm relationship between Boone and Anderson. I’ve heard that Boone has some sort of law enforcement background, which could be grounds for a closer relationship, and that Anderson and Boone generally appear more than cordial in person.