Budget 'embraces polar opposite' of conservative goals, Meadows says

Henderson County News

Law officers make major cocaine bust in county

Law officers seized 4½ pounds of cocaine and $1,950 cash after they observed drugs while serving an arrest warrant at 13 Cureton Place off Asheville Highway near I-26 last Thursday. The Asheville Police Department requested the assistance of the Henderson County Sheriff's Office’s Drug Enforcement Team in apprehending fugitive Boevino Antwane Hammond, 36, at his Cureton Place residence. A state grand jury in Buncombe County indicted Hammond on multiple felony drug trafficking charges. When the sheriff's office SWAT team and drug enforcement deputies executed a search warrant at 13 Cureton Place, deputies saw drugs in plain view. After arresting Hammond on the outstanding charges from Buncombe County and securing the residence, Henderson County detectives obtained a search warrant based on the plain view observations. During the subsequent execution of the search warrant, detectives seized approximately 4.6 pounds of cocaine, more than 10 grams of marijuana and $1,950 cash. Asheville police with assistance from the FBI charged Hammond with three felony counts each of Trafficking Cocaine by Possession, Trafficking Cocaine by Transport, Selling Cocaine, possession with Intent to Sell and Deliver Cocaineand Possession of Cocaine. Hammond was charged in Henderson County on felony counts of Conspiracy to Trafficking Cocaine, Trafficking in Cocaine,  Possession with Intent to Manufacture, Sell and Deliver Cocaine, Possession with Intent to Manufacture, Sell and Deliver Marijuana, Conspiracy to Sell/Deliver Schedule VI Controlled Substance, Maintain Vehicle/Dwelling/Place for Controlled Substance and misdemeanor counts of Possession of Marijuana Paraphernalia and Misdemeanor Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Hammond was jailed in Buncombe County under a $438,000 bond.   Dalton Britney RoseBritney Rose Dalton, 29, who was also at the residence, was charged with felony counts of conspiracy to Trafficking Cocaine,  Trafficking in Cocaine, Possession with Intent to Manufacture, Sell and Deliver Cocaine, Possession with Intent to Manufacture, Sell and Deliver Marijuana, Conspiracy to Sell/Deliver Schedule VI Controlled Substance and Maintain Vehicle/Dwelling/Place for Controlled Substance, and misdemeanor counts of Possession of Marijuana Paraphernalia and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Dalton was released from the Henderson County Jail after posting a $155,000 secured bond.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

County warns of tax increase to cover school security

Having committed to major investments in school safety, Henderson County commissioners are warning taxpayers that the security will come at a high cost. “It’s going to be expensive but it’s going to be the No. 1 priority, safety in the schools,” Commissioner Charlie Messer said. “We can be the model for the state once we get this in place. We’re going to do what we have to do to make our schools safe and give the kids the best education they can get.” Messer's comments came after Sheriff Charlie McDonald and School Board Chair Amy Lynn Holt outlined safety measures they have already put in place. Holt said she and School Board members were "blown away" by the quick and decisive action McDonald, County Manager Steve Wyatt, school administrators and the Board of Commissioners had taken in the take of the Parkland High School shooting that left 17 children and faculty members dead. Commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution seeking $2.1 million from the state to cover the cost of putting sheriff's deputies in all 23 public schools fulltime next school year.That would not cover social workers the School Board wants or one-time security upgrades like new doors and security cameras. Currently, the state provides a total of $151,352 from the state for school security ast four high schools, or $37,838 per high school. Using that figure, the county would receive $681,084 to help staff security at each of the county schools, although that amount is well short of the $120,000 a year the sheriff has calculated as the true cost of one deputy. Providing a school social worker in every school, at a cost of $60,000 each, would cost $1.4 million, for a total of $2.1 million. “We’re hopeful that we can get $2.1 million out of Raleigh but I’m a pessimist by heart,” Commissioner Bill Lapsley said. “The chances that we get all of this are slim and none, the chance of getting part of this, maybe.” A big part of the cost is likely to fall on county taxpayers in any event. “We’ve got $2.1 million here, we’ve got the additional cost of now 23 schools, that may be another $2 million and then we’ve got to deal with security,” Lapsley said. “The point I’d like to make and have the taxpayers put on their radar screen is that when we get in budget session we will probably know if something’s going to happen in Raleigh and this board is going to be put in a position of having to provide a tax rate for the school board.” The total may approach $5 million “above what we have already been contributing. That is a huge number and it may be several cents on the tax rate,” Lapsley added. “We need to put on the radar screen that this may be coming.” One cent on the tax rate raises about $1.2 million. Commissioner Grady Hawkins pointed out that a sheriff’s deputy and social worker in every school will embed permanent costs in the county’s budget. “These costs are recurring costs,” he said. “Along with a great spike in our debt service on almost $110 million of borrowing, we’re going to have a real tight budget session.” Commissioners approved a current-year budget amendment of $187,200 to cover 6,240 hours of law officers' coverage in the schools. Later, in an interview Wednesday afternoon, Wyatt downplayed the projection of a property tax increase. “It comes down to this. It’s about priorities,” he said. “I’ve had the conversations with Bo (Caldwell) and Amy Holt about what the priorities are and there are different strategies that we can undertake but the priorities have to be real and if we budget based on priorities I believe we can get through this without a tax increase. But remember, if everything’s a priority then nothing’s a priority. If it comes down to replacing iPads or putting family social workers in the schools those are priority decisions that have to be made.” He said it’s possible, too, that Congress and the state Legislature would allocate money to local school systems for security. “Based on what Chuck McGrady has told us but also what Congressman Meadows has told us, they are going to make it a priority so there’s going to be more people pulling the wagon than just the county taxpayers,” he said. Last week, during a news conference on school safety, McGrady thanked the sheriff and county officials with organizing a response quickly and pledged to work for funding to support security. “He has been in contact with me and basically he’s made the statement — and we’re going to hold him to it — that when the Legislature addresses this issue, from the standpoint of funding he wants Henderson County to be at the front of the line," Wyatt said. "And to me he has said we need to know what we’re talking about financially." Wyatt also ruled out funding of volunteers or schoolteachers for security responsibility. “It’s the consensus of those including the superintendent, the sheriff, all those involved, that the quality and qualifications of the individuals that are being charged with the job of keeping our schools safe require a great deal of training, vetting and experience because these are the most responsible folks we can put out there," he said. "We are not talking about arming volunteers, or teachers or others." McDonald agreed with Holt's suggestion that mental health workers in the school system would be more effective at attacking the root of the problem. “Where teachers are asked to do the impossible we’re trying to do the almost impossible right now," he said. "We’re the mop and bucket. From the sheriff’s standpoint, we’re cleaning up the mess. If we don’t get that faucet shut off somehow, we’ve got problems that will continue to grow.”     Read Story »

Henderson County News

County recognizes 'We Are Hope' antidrug abuse effort

In partnership with HopeRx, students in four middle and six high schools in the Henderson County school system are taking a public stand against substance abuse during the week-long “We Are Hope” campaign March 26-30. The campaign – and the students leading the substance abuse awareness events in their schools – were formally recognized Wednesday by the Henderson County Board of Commissioners. It's the fourth year the schools’ student government organizations and leaders have organized the campaign with HopeRx, and this year several community agencies have shown great support for the initiative. Since the first “We Are Hope” Week in 2015, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, Henderson County EMS, Blue Ridge Health and local free clinics have increased their active participation in planning the annual campaigns. As in years past, “We Are Hope” Week will also include assemblies at each school featuring locals in the community who have either personally overcome substance abuse or seen firsthand the devastating effects of addiction. Daily awareness activities will stress the importance of remaining substance free and throughout the campaign, each school will have students signing pledge banners bearing the school’s mascot and a pledge to be substance free, sponsored by Park Ridge Health and Champion Comfort Experts. “#WeAreHope stickers will be available for all students who sign a banner to remain substance free and white ribbons will be placed on trees at school campuses to represent the pledge,” said Julie Huneycutt, director of HopeRx. Students will sign the banners throughout the week, and the “We Are Hope” Week will culminate at 12 p.m. Friday, March 30, when all 10 banners will be hung from the Henderson County Historic Courthouse pillars. In conjunction with the schools’ “We Are Hope” Week, HopeRx will be partnering with the Henderson County government to host an evening with Sam Quinones on Thursday, March 29, at Blue Ridge Community College. Award-winning journalist and author of Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic, Quinones will share the importance of a community response to the opioid epidemic that is sweeping our nation and affecting our surrounding communities. The ticketed Dreamland event is open to the public and will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Blue Ridge Community College Conference Hall. Contact hoperxhc@gmail.com for tickets. HopeRx is a coalition designed to unite community leaders, parents, educators, students, healthcare providers, EMS workers and volunteers, law enforcement, the judicial system, civic organizations and faith groups throughout Henderson County to work collaboratively to address the issues of prescription drug abuse, one of the top three health problems in the county.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (166)

You won't want to miss this week’s Hendersonville Lightning.   Read Story »

News Archive

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