Henderson County News
More than 250 people turned out on Thursday night to honor the 2016 Education Hall of Fame inductees during the 14th annual Education Celebration at Blue Ridge Community College.
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Henderson County News
A federal judge sentenced a 48-year-old Henderson County marijuana grower to 4½ years in prison on Thursday after his conviction on charges that he operated a pot farm with high-tech lighting, air filtration and hydration systems.
U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger handed down the sentence for Gary Maxwell Lee, of Hendersonville. Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, announced the sentence. Lee was also ordered to remain under court supervision for three years after his release from prison.
Rose was joined in the announcement by Daniel R. Salter, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which oversees the Charlotte District Office; Janie Sutton, Acting Director of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation; and Sheriff Charles S. McDonald of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office.
According to filed court documents and sentencing hearing, in May 2015 law enforcement began their investigation into Lee, after receiving information that he was operating an extensive indoor marijuana growing operation behind his home on Stardust Lane off Evans Road in southern Henderson County. Investigators say Lee ran the marijuana grow house from two structures located next to the main home owned by Lee. Court records indicate that as part of the investigation law enforcement searched Lee’s house and the two structures located on the property, seizing 66 marijuana plants, 10.4 pounds of marijuana in various stages of drying and processing, and $4,245 in cash.
One of the structures was used as a “nursery” for the younger plants, whereas the larger, more mature plants were stored in the second structure. Lee had set up in the structures extensive lighting, air filtration, and hydration systems to assist in the growth of the plants. Law enforcement also seized numerous firearms, including shotguns and semi-automatic rifles, as well as twelve ammo cans containing thousands of rounds of ammunition, authorities said.According to court records, Lee took steps to avoid detection of his marijuana grow operation by law enforcement, including taking his trash to the dump or burning it, and using carbon filters to cut down on the odor emanating from the grow. Court records show that Lee has a previous conviction in Florida related to the manufacture of marijuana.Lee pleaded guilty in December 2015 to manufacturing marijuana and being a felon in possession of firearms. He is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to custody of the Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. Federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.DEA, SBI, and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Kent of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville handled the prosecution. Read Story »
Henderson County News
The county acted. The Bearcat Nation mourned.
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Henderson County News
Even someone as cheerful as Bernie Linder fought dark thoughts when he headed into a chemotherapy treatment room at Pardee Hospital.
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Henderson County News
From their humble beginnings, Charlie’s Angels Animal Rescue in Fletcher has become one of the fastest growing animal rescue agencies in the area, saving 898 dogs and cats in 2015.While that number is impressive on its own, what makes the no-kill rescue’s story so compelling is that it accomplished this with no paid professional staff and a facility that has space for just 20 dogs and 12 cats.The nonprofit also focuses significant attention on saving dozens of dogs and cats that are not easily adoptable. Of the 898, dozens were very old, sick, pregnant or so young they needed bottle feeding.“We owe our success to an exceptionally dedicated group of volunteers that puts in countless hours every week and to our focus on creating innovative programs to find adoptive families,” says Kim Smith, Charlie’s Angels president.“For example, we were one of the first, if not the first, rescues in Western North Carolina to transport dogs to the Northeast where demand for adoptable animals is high,” said Smith. “Now many groups do it.”The organization also collaborated on a unique program ongoing with boutique hotel Aloft Asheville Downtown, which has been recognized by news media worldwide, including Fox News Network, the Meredith Vieira Show, NBC Nightly News and People magazine, among many others.The process begins with the Aloft fostering a dog from Charlie’s Angels. The dog, of course, is selected from one of our area shelters. After the requisite spay or neuter and any other necessary medical treatment, the dog takes up residence at the hotel, where it helps greet guests until it steals someone’s heart. Nearly 60 dogs have found new families through the program since it began in summer 2014.The program has been so successful that rescues and hotels elsewhere around the country have asked Charlie’s Angels to help them replicate the concept. Similar programs have been launched elsewhere in North Carolina and in Florida, Maine, South Carolina and Wisconsin. Additional programs are under consideration in other states.“We have no intention of resting on our laurels next year,” said Smith. “There are thousands of additional homeless animals and we want to rescue even more of them in 2016 than we did in 2015.”Charlie’s Angels invites the public to get involved with the organization by adopting, volunteering, fostering or donating. The facility, located at 5526 Hendersonville Road., next to Smiley’s Flea Market, is open seven days a week from 10 a.m.to 6 p.m. Read Story »
Henderson County News
Mary Cervini imagines the day local animal shelters are empty.
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Henderson County News
The Henderson County Board of Commissioners authorized a grant application for a new park and hiking trails in Green River on Wednesday but not before Commissioner Grady Hawkins rebuked the board for committing to new public lands while other park improvements remained unfinished.
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Henderson County News
When she first met Sam, a six-month-old puppy that someone dropped off at the Saluda Veterinarian Hospital, Nancy Weinhagen had no way of knowing that the sad-eyed lab mix would bring so much joy and comfort to so many.
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Henderson County News
Blue Ridge Humane Society provides second chances for homeless animals in Henderson County every day.
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