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Grand jury hands down additional indictments charging Absher

Michael Lee Absher appeared in court in August on charges he sexually abused children at the shelter for homeless youth he founded. A grand jury on Monday handed down indictments charging Absher with additional child sexual abuse crimes.

By Amy McCraw, Published: September 15, 2025

The founder and former operator of a shelter for homeless youth in Henderson County is facing additional charges of sexually abusing children, according to indictments filed on Monday.

A grand jury in Henderson County handed down the indictments charging Michael Lee Absher, 35, with one count of taking indecent liberties with a child and seven counts of statutory sexual offense with a child 15 years old or younger, according to court records.
Some of the new indictments involve a different child than previous charges filed in the case, District Attorney Andrew Murray said on Monday after the indictments were issued. Some of the charges also involve the production of and possession of child pornography, he said.
The indecent liberties indictment issued Monday involves an incident that occurred in February of 2024, while the statutory sexual offense indictments involve incidents that occurred in July, August, September, October and November of 2024, court records showed. Indictments also allege that one of the statutory sexual offense crimes occurred as late as June this summer.
After an investigation by the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, Absher was charged in July with two counts of first-degree statutory sexual offense of a child younger than 15. Additional warrants filed in August charged Absher with two counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and seven counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
The grand jury on Monday also indicted Absher on the sexual exploitation charges. A grand jury last month indicted Absher on the charges the sheriff’s department filed in July.
Absher, a former member of the Henderson County School Board, remained in the county jail under a $650,000 secured bond on Monday. Some of the crimes he is accused of occurred at the Only Hope shelter he founded 13 years ago. Absher also lived at the shelter at 416 Allen Road in East Flat Rock, according to search warrants issued in the case.