‘Poisons in our community’: Man found guilty of drug trafficking, officials say
THIS IS WYFF NEWS FOUR TODAY. COMING UP UPSTATE POLICE SEARCH JESSICA BARNES’S HOME. THE 20 YEAR OLD, WHO WENT MISSING IN AUGUST AND THE LATEST IN THE CASE JUST UP AHEAD. PLUS, NEARLY A MONTH AFTER A MASSIVE FIRE IN CLINTON AND THE COMMUNITY IS HELPING THOSE IMPACTED. A FUNDRAISING EVENT THAT YOU CAN JOIN IN ON. GOOD MORNING. I’M PEYTON FURTADO. THANK YOU. SO, SO MUCH FOR JOINING US HERE ON YOUR SATURDAY MORNING, 7 A.M. LET’S TAKE A LOOK FROM OUR ASHEVILLE SKYCAM A VERY CLOUDY MORNING OVER IN ASHEVILLE. 60 DEGREES OVER THERE. THAT’S NEARLY A TEN DEGREE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HERE IN GREENVILLE AND IN ASHEVILLE. WE’VE GOT SYDNEY SULLIVAN IN THE STUDIO WITH US. SYDNEY. I KNOW TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF SUMMER. DO WE HAVE SUMMER LIKE, TEMPERATURES TODAY? YEAH, I MEAN, IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT WE’RE FINALLY CLOSING OUT THE SUMMER SEASON, AND IT IS GOING TO FEEL LIKE SUMMER. IN FACT, THE OFFICIAL START OF FALL, WHICH BEGINS TOMORROW, IS ALSO GOING TO FEEL LIKE SUMMERTIME. THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS HERE IN THE SOUTH. SOMETIMES WE CAN GET THOSE WARMER TEMPERATURES LASTING A LITTLE BIT LONGER, BUT IT IS GOING TO COME WITH BEAUTIFUL CONDITIONS. RIGHT NOW, THOUGH, TRACKING SOME FOG AND LOW VISIBILITY BECOMING SLIGHTLY MORE WIDESPREAD THAN IT WAS ABOUT AN HOUR AGO. WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VERY LOW VISIBILITY FROM FRANKLIN INTO CULLOWHEE, HENDERSONVILLE, ASHEVILLE NOW ALL THE WAY OVER TOWARDS UNION, GAFFNEY, LAURENS, SPARTANBURG, GREENWOOD AND ABBEVILLE. ALSO LOOKING AT SOME PATCHY FOG BEGINNING TO DEVELOP SO THAT CAN MEAN THAT YOU MIGHT NOT NECESSARILY BE ABLE TO TRAVEL QUITE AS QUICKLY ALONG THOSE ROADWAYS AS THAT FOG MIGHT BE IMPACTING YOUR DRIVE. IF YOU’RE OUT ON THE ROADS EARLY THIS MORNING. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS YOU’RE NOT DEALING WITH ANY RAIN OUTSIDE. THINGS ARE LOOKING NICE AND DRY FOR THE TIME BEING. SHOULD BE A BEAUTIFUL START TO THE WEEKEND. MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES, BUT TEMPERATURES BACK ON THE RISE RIGHT NOW. WE’RE SITTING IN THE UPPER 50S TO THE LOW 60S FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. THE REST OF US MID 60S TO THE UPPER 60S. SO IT IS A BIT OF A MILDER START. YOU MIGHT NOTICE A LITTLE BIT MORE HUMIDITY STARTING TO KICK ON IN AS WELL. SO OVER THE NEXT 12 HOURS, ONCE WE BREAK THROUGH SOME PATCHY FOG, YOU CAN EXPECT A MIX OF SUN AND CLOUDS WITH TEMPERATURES TOPPING OUT IN THE UPPER 80S. WITH WARMER DAYS IN STORE FOR US. COMING UP, I’LL MAP OUT HOW LONG THE SUMMER-LIKE TEMPERATURES WILL STICK AROUND. PEYTON. THANK YOU. SYDNEY. A SOUTH CAROLINA INMATE IS DEAD AFTER THE STATE’S FIRST EXECUTION IN 13 YEARS. FREDDIE OWENS DIED YESTERDAY SHORTLY BEFORE 7 P.M. FOR THE 1997 MURDER OF GREENVILLE GAS STATION CLERK IRENE GRAVES. OUR NATE STANLEY REPORTS FROM COLUMBIA. ACCORDING TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, OWENS BEGAN RECEIVING DRUGS THROUGH AN IV AROUND 630 FRIDAY NIGHT AND WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD 20 MINUTES LATER AT 6:55 P.M. THREE MEDIA WITNESSES GAVE THEIR ACCOUNT OF THE EXECUTION VIA LETHAL INJECTION. JEFFREY COLLINS WITH THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAYS OWENS WAS CONSCIOUS FOR CLOSE TO A MINUTE. ONCE DRUGS ENTERED HIS IV, COLLINS SAYS OWENS BREATHING EVENTUALLY SLOWED AND WITHIN TEN MINUTES HE STOPPED MOVING. A DOCTOR PRONOUNCED HIM DEAD SHORTLY AFTER THAT. IRENE GRAVES SON AND SON IN LAW WERE BOTH THERE, WATCHING OWENS AS HE DIED. COLLINS EXPLAINS HOW OWENS SEEMED PRIOR TO HIS DEATH. NO SIGN OF ANY DISCOMFORT. FREDDIE OWENS THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH, HAD MAYBE, LIKE A SMALL SMILE OR CERTAINLY NOT A GRIMACE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. DURING THE TIME THAT HE APPEARED TO STILL HAVE CONSCIOUSNESS WHEN THIS WAS GOING ON EARLIER IN THE DAY, PROTESTERS GATHERED OUTSIDE VOICING THEIR CONCERNS. I THINK THAT IT’S JUST SOMETHING THAT OUR SOCIETY SHOULD NOT DO. YOU KNOW, IF A PERSON IS ARRESTED AND CONVICTED FOR A CRIME, A MURDER, THEY SHOULD NOT BE EXECUTED. DECADES, YEARS, MONTHS LATER, AND THE STATE IS SET TO EXECUTE RICHARD MOORE OF SPARTANBURG NEXT. THAT WON’T HAPPEN FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER FIVE WEEKS. REPORTING IN COLUMBIA, NATE STANLEY, WYFF NEWS FOUR, A BUNCOMBE COUNTY MAN HAS BEEN CONVICTED ON ANIMAL CRUELTY CHARGES. DEPUTIES SAY THEY RESPONDED TO CRAGMONT ROAD IN BLACK MOUNTAIN LAST NOVEMBER. THEY FOUND SOME DECOMPOSING REMAINS OF TWO DOGS THERE. THEY SAY THE DOGS APPEARED TO BE ABANDONED AND STARVED TO DEATH. TYSON, T.J. HOLLOWAY WAS CONVICTED SEPTEMBER 12TH, AND A GREENVILLE COUNTY MAN WILL SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIFE BEHIND BARS. A JUDGE HANDED JOHN BLAUVELT HIS SENTENCE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. THE JURY FOUND HIM GUILTY OF MURDER AND POSSESSION OF A WEAPON DURING THE COMMISSION OF A VIOLENT CRIME, JURY RULED BLAUVELT STABBED HIS WIFE, KATY, TO DEATH ON OCTOBER 24TH, 2016, IN AN ABANDONED HOUSE IN SIMPSONVILLE. BLAUVELT SPENT THE NEXT SIX YEARS ON THE RUN BEFORE HE WAS CAPTURED IN OREGON. KATY’S FAMILY MEMBERS SAY THEY’RE GRATEFUL TO THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. HE DOESN’T NEED TO BE OUT IN SOCIETY. HE NEEDS TO BE LOCKED UP. VERY PROUD OF THE JUSTICE SYSTEM TODAY. THEY DID AN EXCELLENT JOB. BLAUVELT WAS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE. AND THE LAURENS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS THEY’RE SEARCHING FOR A TEEN ACCUSED OF MURDER. THE CORONER SAYS THIS HAPPENED THURSDAY AFTERNOON ON GEORGIA ACRES ROAD. WE’RE TOLD NIGEL SMITH WAS SHOT AND KILLED. AND DEPUTIES SAY 17 YEAR OLD KAMARI CUNNINGHAM IS WANTED. DETAILS SURROUNDING THAT MURDER HAVE NOT BEEN RELEASED. AND IN SPARTANBURG COUNTY, CREWS ARE INVESTIGATING A PLANE CRASH NEAR THE SPARTANBURG AIRPORT. OFFICIALS REPORTED THIS AROUND 345 YESTERDAY AFTERNOON ON CAROLINA DRIVE. THEY TELL US THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO GET OUT SAFELY. NO ONE WAS HURT. THE PLANE WAS FOUND UPSIDE DOWN IN A SUBDIVISION THAT IS STILL BEING BUILT. SO THERE WERE NO RESIDENTS IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA. OFFICIALS DESCRIBED THE PLANE AS A SMALL, SINGLE PROP PLANE. WE STILL DON’T KNOW WHAT CAUSED THIS CRASH. AND PENDLETON POLICE SAY. AUTHORITIES SPENT YESTERDAY INVESTIGATING JESSICA BARNES’S HOME. THE 20 YEAR OLD HAS BEEN MISSING SINCE AUGUST 1ST. YESTERDAY, POLICE WITH PENDLETON AND SLED WERE BOTH SEEN AT HER HOME ON LAUREL DRIVE. THE POLICE CHIEF SAYS THEY’RE LOOKING FOR CLOTHING, PHONES. ANY ARTICLES LEFT BEHIND? THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, LAW ENFORCEMENT SEARCHED A WOODED AREA NEAR THE TWIN LAKES BOAT RAMP. CHIEF SAYS JESSICA AND HER HUSBAND OFTEN WENT DOWN THERE TO FISH AND CAMP. HE SAYS JESSICA’S HUSBAND IS NOT A SUSPECT IN THIS CASE, AND A PIEDMONT MAN IS FACING CHARGES IN CONNECTION WITH A DEADLY ASSAULT IN GREENEVILLE. POLICE SAY THIS WAS EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING IN FRONT OF CITY TAVERN ON NORTH MAIN STREET. WE’RE TOLD WILLIAM SANDERS PUNCHED JASON HANEY, WHO THEN FELL AND HIT HIS HEAD ON THE SIDEWALK. THE CORONER SAYS HANEY LATER DIED AT THE HOSPITAL. SANDERS IS CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER. AN ASHEVILLE POLICE SAY THEY NEED YOUR HELP TO FIND A SUSPECT IN AN ARMED ROBBERY. WE’RE TOLD THIS HAPPENED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AT A GAS STATION ON SMOKEY PARK HIGHWAY. NOW, POLICE SAY AN EMPLOYEE TOLD THEM A MAN ENTERED THE STORE, HELD THEM AT KNIFEPOINT AND DEMANDED THE CASH REGISTER BE OPENED. AND THEN THAT MAN RAN AWAY. POLICE RELEASED THESE SURVEILLANCE PICTURES OF THE SUSPECT. IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS CASE, YOU’RE ASKED TO CALL ASHEVILLE POLICE. AND IT’S BEEN NEARLY A MONTH SINCE A LARGE FIRE DESTROYED SEVERAL BUILDINGS IN THE HEART OF CLINTON’S DOWNTOWN. CITY OFFICIALS SAY THEY STILL DON’T KNOW WHAT CAUSED THIS FIRE. BACK ON AUGUST 27TH, THE HOUSE OF PIZZA, AN OPTOMETRIST’S OFFICE, AND ASPEN AND FIX AN ARTISAN MARKET ALL HAD THEIR STOREFRONTS DESTROYED. THIS SUNDAY, THERE’S GOING TO BE A MUSIC FESTIVAL FUNDRAISER OVER ON MUSGROVE STREET. IT’S GOING TO GO FROM NOON TO 8 P.M. ORGANIZERS SAY THE PROCEEDS WILL GO TO HELPING BUSINESSES IMPACTED BY THIS FIRE. AND THIS SUNDAY, AND FOR THE RECORD, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT YOUNG VOTERS, WHAT’S PUSHING YOUNG PEOPLE TO THE POLLS THIS FALL, WHAT’S KEPT THEM FROM GETTING INVOLVED BEFORE, AND WHAT ARE SOME ISSUES THEY THINK ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THIS YEAR? ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT COMES TO MIND IS THE ECONOMY. LIKE OBVIOUSLY WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT GEN Z AND MILLENNIALS, YOU’RE SPANNING A WIDE RANGE. 18 YEAR OLDS ARE GOING TO BE VOTING FOR THE FIRST TIME AND THEY HAVE DIFFERENT ISSUES LIKE NO TAX ON TIPS FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. HIS HIS VIEWPOINT. THERE IS REALLY BIG DEAL FOR THE YOUNGER 18 TO 25 YEAR OLD WHO MIGHT BE IN A SERVICE JOB OR OLDER, BUT THE YOUNGER VOTER, THAT’S A HUGE DEAL. THE ECONOMY, THOUGH, FOR THE A LITTLE BIT OLDER, YOUNG VOTER, IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY ARE LOOKING AT BUYING THEIR FIRST HOME. JOIN US SUNDAY MORNING AT 1130 FOR THE FULL
‘Poisons in our community’: Man found guilty of drug trafficking, officials say
The Yancey County Sheriff’s Office announced a man has been found guilty of drug trafficking after numerous tips led to his arrest.(Video above: WYFF News 4 Morning Headlines)Deputies said on Tuesday, Sept. 17, David Brown Banks was found guilty by a Yancey County jury of trafficking in opium or heroin, maintaining a dwelling place for the purpose of a controlled substance, and possession with intent to sell or deliver a schedule II controlled substance.According to law enforcement, the investigation stemmed from community complaints of Banks distributing drugs. When detectives interviewed Banks, he admitted to delivering controlled substances to individuals in the community.Authorities then found a trafficking amount of oxycodone in Banks’ home which deputies said he had no lawful reason to possess.Superior Court Judge Gary Gavenus sentenced Banks to a minimum of 8 years to a maximum of 11 years and five months in the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections. Judge Gavenus also ordered for an additional 30 months probation following Banks’ release from prison. District Attorney Seth Banks stated, “My office remains committed to doing everything that we can to combat the distribution of these poisons in our community.”
BURNSVILLE, N.C. —
The Yancey County Sheriff’s Office announced a man has been found guilty of drug trafficking after numerous tips led to his arrest.
(Video above: WYFF News 4 Morning Headlines)
Deputies said on Tuesday, Sept. 17, David Brown Banks was found guilty by a Yancey County jury of trafficking in opium or heroin, maintaining a dwelling place for the purpose of a controlled substance, and possession with intent to sell or deliver a schedule II controlled substance.
Yancey County Sheriff’s Office
According to law enforcement, the investigation stemmed from community complaints of Banks distributing drugs. When detectives interviewed Banks, he admitted to delivering controlled substances to individuals in the community.
Authorities then found a trafficking amount of oxycodone in Banks’ home which deputies said he had no lawful reason to possess.
Superior Court Judge Gary Gavenus sentenced Banks to a minimum of 8 years to a maximum of 11 years and five months in the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections. Judge Gavenus also ordered for an additional 30 months probation following Banks’ release from prison.
District Attorney Seth Banks stated, “My office remains committed to doing everything that we can to combat the distribution of these poisons in our community.”