News

Absher charged with trafficking children

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 Wednesday handed down indictments charging Absher with human trafficking involving children.

By Amy McCraw, Published: October 16, 2025

The founder and operator of a homeless shelter for youth in Henderson County is now facing human trafficking charges that accuse him of holding children in sexual servitude, court records show.

In addition to numerous previous charges of sexually abusing children, a grand jury indictment handed down this week in Henderson County charges Michael Lee Absher, 36, with three counts of human trafficking involving children.
Each count involves children identified by separate initials. The charges accuse Absher of holding the children in sexual servitude. The offense date of the first charge is listed as July 2024 while May of this year is listed as the offense date for the remaining two charges.
District Attorney Andrew Murray on Thursday declined to comment on the human trafficking charges filed against Absher.
“It’s an ongoing investigation. We just go where the facts lead,” he said. Absher remained in Henderson County’s jail on Thursday under a $1,720,000 bond. That amount could increase as additional charges are filed, according the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office.
After an investigation by the 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 and indictments filed in August charged Absher with several additional sexual crimes involving children, including sexual exploitation of minors.
Absher, a former member of the Henderson County School Board, is the founder of the Only Hope shelter for homeless youth in Henderson County. He was the operator of the shelter at the time of his arrest in July and some of the crimes he is accused of occurred at the 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.