News

Man faces 27 charges in string of burglaries

Byron Shane Ward

By Bill Moss, Published: May 21, 2013

A local man faces 27 charges in connection with a string of break-ins and thefts across four counties and into South Carolina, the Henderson County sheriff's department said.

Byron Shane Ward, 42, of 211 Shepherd St., was jailed in Henderson County under $102,000 bond after his arrest as part of a crackdown on rural break-ins under Sheriff Charlie McDonald.
Based on information they obtained, officers with a newly formed unit specializing in burglaries targeted Ward as a person of interest. Agents identified Ward as a suspect not only here but in Transylvania, Buncombe and Polk counties and across the state line in South Carolina. Working with detectives from other local agencies, Henderson County investigators made a case that charged Ward with thefts from construction sites, homes, businesses and motor vehicles.
He is charged with three counts of felony larceny, seven counts of felony breaking and entering, three counts of obtaining property by false pretense, two counts of conspiracy, one count of possession of methamphetamine, one count of felony probation violation, one count of possessing stolen property, one count of misdemeanor breaking and entering, two counts of misdemeanor larceny, two counts of misdemeanor possession of stolen property, one count of damage to personal property, two counts of trespassing and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
More charges against Ward and the arrests of multiple co-conspirators are pending as the investigation continues, the sheriff's department said.