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Henderson County News

LOCAL BRIEFS: SNIP is working, United Way kickoff, Rescue Squad

County library honored for improving technology The Henderson County Public Library has received national recognition from the Urban Libraries Council for addressing technology needs across the county and improving services for each of the county’s unique populations.Edge is an initiative led by the Urban Libraries Council and developed by a national coalition of leading library and local government organizations with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Edge Initiative is dedicated to helping libraries improve public technology services.By using the Edge Toolkit, the library identified three main areas that needed attention: internal culture and services for individuals with disabilities, digital literacy services and community partnerships to address workforce and economic development. The resulting improvements in all three areas earned them recognition in this month’s Edge Newsletter. For more information, contact library director Trina Rushing at 828-697-4725 or visit http://www.libraryedge.org/ to read the article.Memory Care supervisorreceives N.C. Hero AwardLisa Banks, supervisor in charge for the Memory Care Unit at Carolina Reserve of Hendersonville, was one of three recipients of a Hero Award from the N.C. Assisted Living Association. The awards go to direct caregivers who exhibit exemplary service and care in protecting each resident’s right to privacy, fostering independence, nurturing the spirit of and promoting the individuality of each resident. “Lisa has a soft spot in her heart for residents who either have no family or very little family,” David Fardulis, executive director of Carolina Reserve, said in a nomination. “Not only does she help to provide personal items, with her own money, but she also has been known to sit with terminally ill residents, on her days off, to bring them comfort. The commitment that she demonstrates is truly remarkable and is a role model for all staff.”Formerly Spring Arbor, Carolina Reserve was purchased this year by Navion Senior Solutions. It is a 61-bed community with 24 memory care beds. Playhouse wins $30,000 grant for family theater The Flat Rock Playhouse has been awarded a grant of $30,000 by the Community Foundation of Henderson County to help underwrite theater’s educational initiative and family programming known as Studio 52.In recent years, Studio 52 has produced family shows with such notable productions as The Wizard of Oz, James and the Giant Peach, and most recently, Disney’s The Little Mermaid.“It is a wonderful honor to have been awarded this grant from the Community Foundation of Henderson County in recognition of our new Studio 52 Family Series Programming,” says Lisa K. Bryant, Producing Artistic Director for the Playhouse. “Our 2017 season is the litmus test for this new initiative and so far the results have been extremely encouraging.”“Importantly, this generous grant will allow us to grow our Family Programming further so that we may continue to provide quality theatre and training at an affordable cost to both the students involved and the audiences coming to see them. We are encouraged by the Foundation’s generosity, and overjoyed for their support.”There are three shows remaining in the 2017 Studio 52 Family Series — You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Pinkalicious The Musical, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.“After the recent completion of the strategic plan by the Flat Rock Playhouse, we are excited to help implement the Studio 52, children and family component of this plan,” said McCray Benson, president of the Community Foundation. “The work the Playhouse has completed thus far has placed them on the path for a very positive direction. This is particularly significant for such a key charitable organization in our community.” Volunteers install 133 smoke alarms in homes The city of Hendersonville, its fire and police departments, American Red Cross and the Hendersonville Housing Authority teamed up Saturday, Aug. 12, to install free smoke alarms. Four groups went door to door offering to check the condition of existing smoke alarms, replacing batteries and old non-functional alarms, and providing information about fire prevention. Volunteers included local Red Cross and Hendersonville Housing Authority volunteers, Council member Jeff Miller, Assistant City Manager Brian Pahle, as well as firefighters and police officers.In all, they installed 133 smoke alarms and visited more than 150 homes. There was no charge for the alarms or for the installation. The Hendersonville Fire Department reminds everyone to check the manufacture date of your alarms and to replace them if they are over 10 years old. Smoke alarms are some of the cheapest insurance you can buy when it comes to protecting the lives of your family members. To have your alarms checked by the fire department call 828-697-3024. Partnership makes gains in spay-neuter services Henderson County, the city of Hendersonville and Blue Ridge Humane Society have partnered to provide low cost spay-neuter services for dogs and cats in our area since early July 2017. To date, the program is showing signs of being highly successful. In the month of July, 36 cats and 38 dogs were spayed or neutered through SNIP. “I’m impressed by how well this program started,” Henderson County Animal Services Director Brad Rayfield said. “I didn’t anticipate any major problems, but did expect some bumps. So far, the program has gone smoothly, the staff at Blue Ridge Humane Society and Henderson County have done an excellent job of getting this program underway. In July a total of 77 animals were spayed or neutered through the Spay Neuter Incentive Program.” For more information about SNIP or to find out how to receive services for your four-legged friends, visit Henderson County Animal Services at 828 Stoney Mountain Road, call Blue Ridge Human Society at 828-698-4481 or email snip@blueridgehumane.org. For more information visit www.blueridgehumane.org/community-services/snip/. Republicans to gather at Southern Appalachian Henderson County Republicans will host a meet and greet 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, at the children- and pet-friendly Southern Appalachian Brewery on Locust Street.The meet and greets are held roughly every four to six weeks and offer an opportunity for those who are unable to make regularly scheduled events to attend, become informed and involved in Republican Party activities at the local, state and national level. For more information call 828 329 4971 or email noirs@aol.com. Mountain Showcase recognized for growth Mountain Showcase Group Inc., local family-owned-and-operated custom cabinetry manufacturer, has been recognized on Inc. Magazine’s 2017 list of America’s 5000 Fastest Growing Companies. In the last three years alone, Mountain Showcase experienced a growth rate of 73 percent and created 13 new jobs. “It is exciting and we feel extremely blessed to have such a great network of employees and customers to get us on the list of the U.S.’s 5000 fastest growing companies of 2017. If we keep things up, we hope to also be on next year’s list,” said Chris Casto, son of founder Dan Casto and employee at Mountain Showcase. “I am proud to be a part of this family legacy and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.” Founded in 1997, Mountain Showcase is the product of one man’s ambitions and desires, backed by the support of family and mentors. Dan Casto began his journey into woodworking at the age of ten. Working in his uncle’s woodshop in Ohio as a boy, Dan went from building birdhouses to fulfilling a lifelong passion. After falling in love with Hendersonville during a family vacation years later, Dan decided to move his family from Ohio to Western North Carolina to start Mountain Showcase Group Inc. Rescue Squad celebrates 60 years The Henderson County Rescue Squad is celebrating 60 years of service to Henderson County this year and we would like to invite the public to help us celebrate this milestone.In conjunction with the Henderson County Heritage Museum, the Rescue Squad will host an exhibit of the history of the Rescue Squad from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday Aug. 26. The program will include equipment displays and demonstrations for the public located out front of the Historic Courthouse.Rescue demonstrations times are scheduled for 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Henderson County Rescue Squad personnel will be on hand during this event to answer any questions. Apparatus on display will include ambulances, rescue trucks, dive trailer, boats and various equipment. The event is free. For more information visit www.hendersoncountyrescue.org. Sheriff's Office announces drug take back days Henderson County Sheriff’s Office along with TRIAD Henderson County, Hope Rx, and other community partners are continuing to offer free Document Shred and Drug Take Back Days in 2017 across Henderson County. Locations and dates: • Mills River Town Center, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, 24 Town Center Drive, Mills River.• Blue Ridge Community College, 9 a.m.-noon Thursday, Sept. 21, 180 W. Campus Drive, Flat Rock, during fourth annual Aging in Place Conference. Document Shred & Drug Take Back.• Blue Ridge Community College, 9 a.m.-noon, during the fourth annual Aging in Place Conference. Drug Take Back Only. • Etowah United Community Bank, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, 50 United Bank Drive, Etowah. Document Shred & Drug Take Back. • Flat Rock Town Hall, 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Oct. 14, Flat Rock Village Town Hall. Document Shred & Drug Take Back. • Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, 100 North Grove Street, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, National Pill Take Back. Drug Take Back Only The public is always welcome to bring their unused/expired medications to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office lobby located at 100 North Grove Street during regular business hours (Monday-Friday 8 a.m-5 p.m.). Prescription pills, capsules, ointments, vitamins, liquids in their original containers, inhalers and patches are accepted. Radioactive chemotherapy medications and sharps/needles/EpiPens cannot be accepted.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Man charged with felony sex counts

Detectives from the violent crimes unit of the Henderson County Sheriff's Office chargeda 56-year-old Hendersonville man with two felony counts of Crime Against Nature and two felony counts of Statutory Sex Offense with a Child under 15. Richard Kevin Chambers, of Corn Mountain Road, was arrested Monday and jailed under a $100,000 secured bond. His first appearance was scheduled for Wednesday in Henderson County District Court.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Don't miss this week's Hendersonville Lightning (135)

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

Henderson County News

Warrants detail intensity of manhunt, murder probe

Phillip Michael Stroupe II got out of prison in May 2015 after serving 15 years for three armed robberies in McDowell County. Just as he never had before, he couldn’t stay out of trouble. He was charged on June 28 in Buncombe County with second-degree kidnapping. A known gang member with a violent past, according to Buncombe County sheriff’s detectives, Stroupe was believed to be involved in a breaking and entering in Mills River on Saturday morning, July 22. The Henderson County sheriff’s office broadcast a “be on the lookout” (BOLO) alert for the silver SUV Stroupe was driving. The vehicle belonged to his father, Phillip Michael Stroupe, who would figure later in a dramatic manhunt and criminal investigation that came to a sorrowful end when searchers from the Skyland Fire Department found the body of Thomas A. “Tommy” Bryson in a cornfield in Arden.A review of search warrants, arrest warrants and other records by the Hendersonville Lightning showed that law officers deployed every means possible to find Stroupe during the five-day manhunt, that they tracked him using old-school tactics and heat-seeking helicopters, getting close once; that his father and other relatives attempted to help him escape; and that Stroupe, caught and jailed after one last attempt to run from law officers, pleaded with his father to retrieve and hide Bryson’s body.Eventually, trained law enforcement personnel and volunteers from at least 37 agencies joined the manhunt for Stroupe, who goes by Michael. Small-framed but wiry, with a large menacing tattoo running down his chin to his neck, Stroupe if nothing else possessed an iron-willed determination to avoid capture and, once captured, a habitual felon’s instinct to avoid responsibility. In jail at last, he made post-Miranda admissions that the murder of Bryson “was not ‘premeditated,’” according to a search warrant application. Aware of the massive search across two states for Bryson, Stroupe demanded “a deal with all the district attorneys.” Massive manhunt The manhunt would shut down Pisgah National Forest and its heavily visited tourist attractions for five days. Although the phrase “armed and dangerous” gets used a lot in police news releases, the description turned out to be starklystarted when Transylvania County Deputy Nathan Whitmire spotted the silver SUV described in the BOLO. Stroupe sped away, leading the deputy on a chase down a forest road that narrowed and turned to gravel. Stroupe stopped the vehicle long enough to steal a mountain bike at gunpoint, toss is it in the back of the SUV and drive off again. He turned the SUV sideways so it blocked the road, jumped out and rode away on the stolen mountain bike.Henderson County SWAT team members, who had joined the manhunt, found bicycle tire tracks and a hex-patterned tread from “a smaller sized shoe.” The officers believed “that the tracks were made by Stroupe II.”After vanishing into the thick woods of the national forest, Stroupe avoided capture for several more days. Then deputies got a call from a man who reported seeing the fugitive off of North Mills River Road walking along the bank of the Mills River. The SWAT team members began searching that area and found what appeared to be Stroupe’s footprints near an abandoned barn. A search helicopter “picked up an object on thermal imaging that they believe could be a person but they were not 100 percent sure.” At daybreak, searchers start at the area of the possible thermal imaging hit near L.L. Moore Road. Using K9s, they pick up fresh tracks along the riverbank but lose them after about 2 miles. Accessory after the fact Investigators believe that Bryson did not survive for long after Stroupe kidnapped him. Once he was caught, Stroupe denied killing Bryson, saying that he had last seen him at his mailbox. But the detectives knew otherwise when they watched what happened when Bryson’s father came to visit Michael at the McDowell County jail.Investigators knew that Phillip Stroupe had a history of helping his son run from the law. Phillip parked his car on the Blue Ridge Parkway while his son was at large, flashing his lights and honking his horn in an effort to rendezvous with Michael and help him escape. Henderson County Detective Michael Lolley had received a warrant to place a GPS tracking device on the senior Stroupe’s Ford Focus. But it was Michael Stroupe’s decision to drive the stolen Honda Ridgeline close to his father’s house in Burnsville that cost him his freedom.SBI agents watching the area spotted the Ridgeline and gave chase. Stroupe drove off again until stop sticks disabled the car in McDowell County. He jumped out and ran. Law officers formed a perimeter and started hunting for the fugitive. This time they caught him and arrested him.Two days later, on Saturday, July 29, Phillip Stroupe visited his son at the jail. The two talked through a telephone handset. The conversations are recorded and signs are posted notify visitors of that.Michael Stroupe began speaking urgently to his father.Michael: “I need you to, uh, I don’t have anybody else and I need you to do this, OK?”Phillip: “If I can.”Michael: “You can and if you can’t get Mama. You tell her she can.”Michael told his father to stand, coaching him to move in a way that would block a video camera. He urged him to move closer and read something in his hand.“Take a left and go to the next one,” Michael said.Phillip confirmed that he saw the words. “What’s your lawyer saying?”Instead of answering, Michael again pressed his father to read the directions: “Do you get this? Do you know where it’s at?” Of the attorney, he said: “She’s saying as long as they don’t have him, they don’t have nothing. Bottom line.”Deputies watching the father and son conversation were immediately suspicious. They listened to the tape and checked Michael’s cell for maps or notes. They found nothing but when they asked to see his hands he resisted and had to be restrained. They saw smeared words on his palm and made out one, “exit.”His father apparently didn’t pursue the job to move the body.The next day, Sunday, July 30, Cpl. Aaron Lisenbee of the Henderson County sheriff’s office and SBI agent Chuck Vines charged Phillip Stroupe with accessory after the fact of murder.Searchers found Bryson’s body that night.On Monday, July 31, Lisenbee arrested Phillip Michael Stroupe II for first-degree murder.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

Timeline of manhunt for Michael Stroupe

Here is a timeline of the manhunt for Phillip Michael Stroupe II, the kidnapping and murder of Thomas A. “Tommy” Bryson, the capture of Stroupe and the investigation by law officers. Phillip Michael Stroupe II is referred to as Michael Stroupe, which is what family call him. His father is referred to as Phillip Stroupe. • Saturday, July 22: After Henderson County sheriff’s office issues a BOLO (be on the lookout) for a silver SUV driven by a wanted fugitive, Transylvania County Deputy Nathan Whitmire spots the vehicle in Pisgah National Forest initiates a traffic stop. Phillip Michael Stroupe II speeds away on Avery Creek Road until he spotted a man on a mountain bike. Stroupe jumps out of the SUV, steals a bike at gunpoint, throws the bike in the back of the SUV and drives off. The pursuit continues for several miles until Avery Creek Road narrows and turns to gravel. Stroupe slides the SUV sideways —blocking the road — hops on the mountain bike and rides into the forest. Whitmire has to push the SUV out of the way before he can continue the pursuit. By then Stroupe has vanished into the woods. Multiple agencies organize a search that closes much of Pisgah National Forest. • July 22: Henderson County SWAT team members spot a set of footprints and bicycle tire treads where Stroupe was last seen. The SWAT team members spot another set of shoeprints around a barn and determine they’re a match for the ones Stroupe left at the start of his escape on foot. Using K9s and visually identifying the shoeprints, they track him along the bank of the Mills River, losing the trail near Village Drive and South Mills River Road. • July 22: A woman driving on Yellow Gap Road sees Stroupe, who is sitting on a rock with his hand behind his back. He signals her to stop. She keeps driving and calls law enforcement. • 8:15 a.m. Sunday, July 23: Stroupe comes across a man fishing at a stream near Wolf Den Campground. Stroupe asks him a cigarette. The fisherman tells Stroupe he knows who he is. Stroupe lifts his shirt to reveal a revolver and asks the fisherman to give him a ride out of the forest. Before they reach the man’s campsite, Stroupe turns around and walks off. • Monday, July 24: Stroupe’s aunt, Norma Stroupe Goforth, 62, of Leicester, is arrested inside the search perimeter and charged with a misdemeanor count of resisting, obstructing and delaying of a public officer. Deputies arrested her after disregarded “a lawful order and multiple warnings” to leave the search area.• 2 a.m. Tuesday, July 25, and 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, July 26: Law officers spot Stroupe’s father, 65-year-old Phillip Michael Stroupe, on the Blue Ridge Parkway. During the manhunt for Michael Stroupe, law officers observed the father “flashing his headlights and honking his horn” in an apparent effort to give his son “a landmark to travel to” and escape capture. “It was evident … that Phillip had been actively searching” for his son. The father was known by Buncombe County investigators “to pick up Stroupe and harbor him when he was in trouble.” On July 25 Michael Stroupe turned 39 years old. • 8:35 a.m. July 26: Thomas Bryson, 68, leaves his home at 146 Wolf Pack Trail to pick up his sister and take her to a medical appointment. When Bryson fails to show up, family members become concerned — knowing that not keeping an appointment would be “extremely out of character” for Bryson. They file a missing person report. • 8:41 a.m. Wednesday, July 26: Surveillance video from the Valley Ag store on N.C. 280 shows Bryson’s 2007 Honda Ridgeline making a left turn from South Mills River Road onto on N.C. 280 toward Asheville. Four minutes later, according to Verizon Wireless, Bryson’s cell phone is powered off. The last ping was traced to the Grace Community Church area on N.C. 280 at Cardinal Road. • Wednesday, July 26: Superior Court Judge Jeff Hunt grants a request by the SBI to track the senior Stroupe’s cell phone. • 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 26: Armed with a court order allowing a GPS tracking device on the senior Stroupe’s 2010 Ford Focus, Henderson County Sheriff’s Detective Michael Lolley calls Phillip Stroupe and asks to “speak with him about the sightings and see if he may know any places where his son may try … to hide in that area.” Stroupe agrees to meet at Starbucks at the Asheville Mall. After Lolley and two other deputies watch Stroupe park and walk in to the Starbucks, Lolley attaches the tracker to Stroupe’s vehicle. The deputies then walk into the coffee shop and meet with Stroupe, who denies having had any contact with his son. • Wednesday, July 26: Stroupe drives west to Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and the Johnson City in East Tennessee. Three days later, investigators locate surveillance video from a Wal-Mart in Sevierville that shows Stroupe arriving at and leaving the store. • July 26: A tipster calls the Buncombe County sheriff’s office to say he was at Hawkins’ home that day and was “120 percent sure” that Stroupe was there, as was the Honda Ridgeline. The other people there were later identified as Jennifer Hawkins, her boyfriend, Frederick Badgero and her nephew Larry Hawkins III. Stroupe “kept asking (Hawkins III and Badgero) to follow him somewhere but he would not advise where they were going,” the tipster said. The caller saw Stroupe drive off in the Ridgeline, followed by the Hawkins in a 2016 Toyota Camry. Buncombe deputies later charge Jennifer Hawkins, Larry Hawkins III and Badgero with harboring Stroupe. In a search warrant application, Detective Lolley says the paint on the grass “is a possible match” for the black paint on the Ridgeline. • 11:47 p.m. Wednesday, July 26: SBI agents conducting surveillance near the senior Stroupe’s home spot Michael Stroupe driving the Ridgeline, trailed by the Camry owned by Jennifer Hawkins. The SBI agents pursue Stroupe, who speeds away and eludes the officers until stop sticks disable the vehicle on U.S. 70 in Marion. Stroupe jumps and runs and officers chase him on foot. They catch him near a mobile home park and later recover Stroupe’s silver .38-caliber Smith & Wesson Special. • Thursday, July 27: Interviewed by SBI agent Casey Drake and Buncombe County sheriff’s Capt. John Elkins, Stroupe confesses to stealing Bryson’s vehicle when the victim was at his mailbox. He claims to have not seen him since. • Thursday, July 27: Lolley and two other Buncombe detectives knock on the door of Jennifer Hawkins’ doublewide mobile home at 4 Rocky Lane, in Barnardsville. Her nephew, Larry Hawkins III, claims not to know who lives there and says he doesn’t Michael Stroupe is. While that interview is going on, two detectives walking along the driveway spot black paint on the grass. When Lolley asks Larry Hawkins to look at the grass, Hawkins said “he had no idea what was on the ground. I then asked him if he had ever seen black grass before, and he stated, no, he had not, and that be believed that the substance was in fact paint. • Friday, July 28: Superior Court Judge Marvin Pope of Buncombe County grants a search warrant for the home of Jennifer Hawkins’ home. • Saturday, July 29: In “post-Miranda admissions” to investigators in Marion, Stroupe tells interrogators that the murder of Bryson “was not ‘premeditated’ and demanded a ‘deal with all the district attorneys.’” • Saturday, July 29: Phillip Stroupe comes to the Marion County jail to visit his son. During a recorded telephone conversation between a glass partition, Stroupe asks his father to retrieve and hide Bryson’s body. Aware of the conversation and apparent attempt by Stroupe to enlist his father to hide the body, deputies search Stroupe’s cell for a map or notes he may have shown to his father. They find nothing. “When the jail staff attempted to look at Phillip Michael Stroupe’s hands, he resisted and had to be restrained.” They see that Stroupe had obliterated the writing on his hand. They can make out the word “exit … on the side of his palm.” They photograph his smeared word. • Saturday, July 29: Phillip Stroupe makes numerous calls and sends text messages to others, including Michael’s mother, Patricia Fender. • Sunday, July 30: Henderson County Detective Aaron Lisenbee obtains a warrant charging Phillip Stroupe with accessory after the fact of first-degree kidnapping. Lisenbee and SBI agent Chuck Vines arrange to meet Phillip Stroupe at a picnic area near Stroupe’s house in Burnsville. Stroupe admits that his son “was asking him to further conceal Thomas Bryson’s body and provided directions that were written on his hand and a small piece of paper.” Stroupe claimed he couldn’t read the writing “even though he verbally acknowledged on the visitation recordings that he did.” The officers arrest Stroupe on the accessory charge and seize his cell phone. • Sunday night, July 30: Searchers find Bryson’s body in a cornfield off Glenbridge Road Southeast in Arden. • Monday, July 31: Jennifer Hawkins, 40, Frederick Aurther Badgero Jr., 45, and Larry Jay Hawkins III, 23, all of 4 Rocky Lane, Barnardsville, are charged with harboring an escapee and accessory after the fact of first-degree murder. They remain jailed in Buncombe County under $200,000 bond. Phillip Stroupe is charged with accessory after the fact of first-degree murder. • July 31: An autopsy shows Bryson died of a gunshot wound to the face and that a bullet remained in his skull. Phillip Michael Stroupe is charged with first-degree murder. He also faces charges in Henderson County, of first-degree kidnapping and motor vehicle theft; in Transylvania County, of possession of a firearm by a felon, driving on an unopened road, reckless driving to endanger the public, armed robbery and fleeing to elude arrest; and in McDowell County, for possession of methamphetamine, fleeing to elude arrest, failing to stop for flashing red lights, reckless driving to endanger the public, resisting a public officer and possession of a firearm by a felon. • Aug. 1: During a first appearance, a judge appoints Henderson County Public Defender Paul Welch to represent Stroupe in the capital murder case. • Aug. 3: Fire believed to be arson destroys the Barnardsville home of Jennifer Hawkins, her nephew and boyfriend — the three people charged with harboring Michael Stroupe. The fire is still under investigation. • Aug. 21: Grand jury indicts Michael Stroupe for first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and armed robbery and indicts Phillip Stroupe for accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Sources: Search warrant applications filed in Henderson County for permission to search Thomas Bryson’s vehicle and the home of Jennifer Hawkins and to obtain a DNA sample from Michael Stroupe; inventory of evidence listed in returned search warrants; arrest warrants; N.C. Department of Correction records, Henderson County court records, Henderson County sheriff’s office news releases, interviews with law enforcement agencies.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

GRAND JURY INDICTS STROUPE FOR MURDER

A Henderson County grand jury indicted Phillip Michael Stroupe II for first degree murder on Monday in the death of Thomas Andrew Bryson, 68, of Mills River on July 26, District Attorney Greg Newman announced. Stroupe, 39, was also indicted on charges of robbery with a Dangerous Weapon and First Degree Kidnapping. His father, Phillip Michael Stroupe, Sr., was indicted on a charge of Accessory After the Fact to First Degree Murder and remains in the Henderson County Jail on a $500,000 bond. Both men are scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Hendersonville on Monday, Oct. 9. They will be advised of these charges and their attorney status will also be discussed." "This is the first step of a lengthy process," Newman said. "I met with Mrs. Bryson and one of her sons and explained to them that the legal process requires endurance and we have a considerable amount of work ahead of us just to get this case to trial. On the 9th of October, we hope to hold a conference with Judge Powell whereby I will announce the grounds that I believe exist to pursue the death penalty upon a conviction of the murder charge. We will also discuss the defendant’s legal representation. North Carolina law permits two court appointed lawyers in a case where a crime is punishable by death.” Mr. Newman added: “ The investigation in this case is still being conducted. Though Stroupe II is charged, he is not yet convicted. There remains much to be done in bringing him to justice. Members of my office, in conjunction with numerous sheriff’s departments and the NC State Bureau of Investigation, continue to diligently work to obtain evidence in these cases.” In addition to the newly indicted charges in Henderson County, Stroupe II faces multiple felony charges in Transylvania, Madison, Yancey and McDowell counties.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Moon turns day into night

ROSMAN — The moon blocked the sun on Monday afternoon, briefly turning day into night, in an astronomical show that was totality awesome.Hundreds of people who gathered at Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute did some wishing, some groaning and some cheering as intermittent cloud cover veiled the once-in-a-life time view. But in the end everyone got a good look at the moon entering the sun’s path and then emerging out the other side.“Pretty spectacular,” said Anthony Love, a research associate at PARI and geologist from Appalachian State University. “As somebody who studies meteorites and other planets for a living, it’s amazing to see.”The event at PARI, which included presentations on astronomy and eclipse history and shuttle ride to the mountaintop Optical Ridge for the celestial show, was a gift to the skywatchers from Don Cline, the owner of PARI.“His mission is to make accessible to the masses, and I can’t imagine a better way to do that than what he’s put together today.”Built in the early 1960s as NASA’s east coast satellite tracking station, the facility was turned over to the Department of Defense in 1981 and was used to collect sensitive satellite tracking before closing in 1994. In 1998 Don Cline and his wife, Jo, bought the satellite station. Since that time the Clines and donors have poured more than $25 million into improvements in the science education center.Cline provided both the play-by-play and color commentary of the event, repeatedly reminding guests not to look at the sun without protective eyewear, explaining wind direction and cloud movement and pointing out a blimp and hot air balloon that were conducting scientific experiments.The skies grew cloudy after the eclipse started. A cloud cover as the sun emerged from the moon’s shadow made for a good photo opp.The sky was not pitch black during 100 seconds of totality but dark like late dusk. The wind came up and it got cooler for the 100-second duration of the blackout.“We captured a lot of data. We’ll have to look at and we’ll be publishing it and it will be on our website,” Cline said. “As you can see, it makes for some good photographs with the clouds. I’m glad to share this facility and to have a place for people to come see this — people of all ages." He made a pitch for science fans to help fund the institute. "A lot of people think we’re funded by the government because they were for so long," he said.“PARI is the only place in the world where the total eclipse will occur directly over some of the most advanced astronomical equipment in the world: two 26-meter radio telescopes, a 4.6-meter radio telescope and a 12-meter radio telescope,” the organization said. “Because of this unique convergence, PARI will be able to conduct scientific study of a total eclipse that has never before been possible.”   Read Story »

Flat Rock News

Flat Rock opens charging station for E-vehicles

FLAT ROCK — Electric car drivers now have a new convenient charging station in the Village of Flat Rock. Funded by Duke Energy, the two EV stations are among more than 200 the utility is installing in partnerships with cities and towns that have public space available. The charging stations are in the Village Hall parking lot. "We expect our out-of-town visitors and local residents to take advantage of the new stations," Mayor Bob Staton said. "Not only will they be available 24-7 but they're easy to use." Drivers should register at chargepoint.com to open an account. A $10,000 grant from Duke covered most of the cost of the installation, which was coordinated by Vice Mayor Nick Weedman. According to Advanced Energy, a nonprofit group, there are about 7,330 electric vehicles and 938 public charging ports in North Carolina. "Adoption of EVs depends on a robust infrastructure for consumers," Duke President David Fountain said in a statement.     Read Story »

Henderson County News

E DAY: Send us your eclipse pix and stories

The Hendersonville Lightning is covering the eclipse and we bet lots of you are too. Be a part of our coverage by sending us photos and short accounts of what you saw, where you were, what was amazing, funny or inconvenient. We're interested not only in the astronomical event but how you were able to get to your watching place, what were the crowds like, what was your reaction. Send photos and words to news@hendersonvillelightning.com. Please put eclipse in the subject line. We'll feature the best photos and stories in this week's print issue and on Hendersonvillelightning.com. Thanks in advance for joining the volunteer reporting corps of the Lightning!   Read Story »

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