News

City's ACE team nabs burglars in stolen car

By Bill Moss, Published: July 10, 2015

A new “proactive” squad of the Hendersonville Police Department caught two suspects early Friday and charged them with a business break-in, burglary and car theft.

Officers on patrol spotted suspicious activity at an interior design business in a strip center at 2550 Chimney Rock Road just before 1 a.m.
While the officers were investigating, two men drove off in a vehicle that turned out to be stolen from the interior design shop along with iPads and other items, said Police Capt. Bruce Simonds.
When officers stopped the car on Sugarloaf Road, the two occupants jumped out and ran away.
“They were able to catch the passenger right away,” Simonds said. “He identified the driver.”
With help from sheriff’s deputies, the officers learned that the driver, Tyler Farmer, 18, lived in Alpine Woods, the trailer park off Howard Gap Road. He was arrested there without incident. Farmer and the passenger, Derek Nix, 27, were charged with breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, breaking and entering into a motor vehicle, theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen car and resisting police officers. Farmer was also charged with driving with a revoked license. Both were jailed under a $31,000 bond. Simonds credited sheriff’s deputies for providing the background information on Farmer and knowing where he lived.
The police department formed the ACE team — it stands for Ad hoc Community Enhancement — in June after residents of Green Meadows complained of repeated gunfire in the neighborhood. The squad patrols hot spots and focuses on crime trends. One of the things the four-officer unit has done, Simonds said, is crack down on car burglars who walk around shopping center parking lots checking for unlocked cars. The ACE team was also part of the quick law enforcement response that resulted in the arrest of a bank robber last month.
The unit is made up of Sgt. Brandon McGaha, detective Nathan Smith and officers Robert Cantwell and Pete Laite.
“They’ve done a tremendous job,” Simonds said. “They’ve made all kinds of arrests over the summer. They’ve been proactive instead of reactive.”