Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Tuesday’s news was about the same as yesterday’s news, according to WLOS. So here you go – from dart attacks to horny Boy Scout troop leaders to people falling off motorcycles, here you go:
When darts attack
Sheraldo, back in Hendersonville as usual, said that somebody has been shooting darts at people in Hooterville. The attacks happened Monday night, first at about 8 p.m. and then a little later. The four-inch long needles were fired from a blow gun or a modified paint gun, said Sheraldo. If that weren’t bad enough, he had to hype the story by saying the attacks “could have been fatal.”
One person was hit on Highway 25 North. The other was hit on Highway 176. A motorcyclist who stopped to look at a map was hit in the arm, and a driver was hit in the chest. The person hit in the chest drove to the hospital, where the dart was removed – it had penetrated flesh and gotten stuck in a bone.
Sheraldo’s live shot at 6 didn’t work initially, so Larry “Gloryhole” Blunt went to the tape, then came back to Sheraldo, live.
Ashvegas budget
Ashvegas residents had the chance to speak out about City Council’s proposed spending plan on Tuesday night. The proposed property tax rate is 41 cents per $100 of valuation. It will be rolled back because this year was a property revaluation year, but they never roll it back far enough. The tax rate now is 53 cents per $100 of valuation. There’s no way council will decide to go all the way down to 41 cents, but we’ll see.
Busted
Did we mention that JJ Redick was busted on a DWI charge?
Motorcycle death
Conan Ford, the guy arrested and charged in connection with the death of Rachel Ledford had his first court appearance on Tuesday. Rachel was the girl who, about a week ago, fell off the back of a motorcycle on the interstate and was run over and killed by several cars. The guy charged is the guy who was driving the motorcyle. Court documents say the driver just took off after Rachel fell and had to be brought back to the scene, according to Michelle Boudin, who waved the documents at us.
Boudin also quoted the MySpace account of a friend of Rachel’s who was following behind her the night she fell off the bike. Boudin, quoting the MySpace posting, said the friend saw Rachel standing on the back of the bike with her arms in the air. Quoting a MySpace posting is pretty thin ice, Michelle.
Boy Scout troop leader, military man arrested
WLOSers had more reaction to the arrest of a Jackson County Boy Scout troop leader and Air Force recruiter. Joseph Germain has been charged with 34 counts of molestation. Russ Bowen said the guy was charged with making a 12- or 13-year-old girl dress up in lingerie and touching her inappropiately.
Russ talked to the pastor at the First United Methodist Church in Sylva, which sponsored the troop that Germain led. The pastor said “our hearts are broken” but this is the world we live in. The church said it does background checks on everyone, and that there are always two adults around when kid activities are happening. Russ said Germain is in jail under $250,000 bond.
Remember that crashed building on Merrimon?
Remember that Merrimon Avenue building that was severely damaged last year when a car hit it there in the Woolsy Dip? Well, the city has given the building owner until July 15 to either repair the building or completely tear it down. Nothing has happened because the building owner has been trying to work things out with the insurance company.
Dead man found in river
On Monday, a man was found dead in the Swannanoa River underneath the bridge that leads to the Circut City down off Tunnel Road. Police say the guy might have gotten into a fight on Saturday night. He was last seen at the Trophy Club, one of Ashvegas’ fine titty clubs. The worked at Mountain View Tire. Police said there was no obvious trauma to the body and they continue to investigate.
Lake Julian campground oepn
The Lake Julian campground closed for 14 years has been reopened. There are 10 sites. The cost $15 a night. Check it out.
In other news…
A man wanted for robbing three convenience stores has been busted. He alleged held up stores in Fletcher, Ashvegas and Barnardsville. Cops told WLOSers that the guy would go to a cooler, get a drink, pay for it with two dollars, then show a gun when the cashier opened the cash drawer and demand all the cash… There was a fire in Brevard on Azalea Avenue. Nobody was injured… Asheville Fire Department Battalion Chief Jack Clark will be laid to rest on Wednesday. He died in a car wreck last week in Nevada. He’d been with the fire department for 25 years… The city of Ashvegas will hold two meetings this week to tell people how it will handle its reservoir this storm season. Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at All Souls Epsicopal Church is the first meeting, with the second at 6 p.m. at the public works building, 106 Montreat Road, in Black Mountain. In 2004, city officials were criticized for not opening the reservoir flood gates soon enough when we were hit by the remnants of four hurricanes… Bailey Mountain in Madison County will be preserved from development. Seven years ago, a group of locals bought 200 acres to save the mountain, and they just recently paid it off with help from a $10,000 gift… Overlook Road, a popular short cut, will be closed to all but local traffic from June 22-25 as road work continues down there on Long Shoals Road.
If the Robert Johnson who owns the dilapidated building on Merrimon is the same one I rented from fresh out of college, it’s not because he’s wrangling with the insurance company. It’s because he’s trying to get out of paying for it by possibly skipping town. The last month we lived there, a cop showed up and told us we needed to send our rent check to the city from now on because he owed so much in back taxes.