A grand jury returned several bills of indictment Dec. 15, which led to a busy – and, at times, dangerous – span of arrests for the Graham County Sheriff’s Office.
Joseph Aldridge
Meadow Branch – The initial investigation into charges brought against 42-year-old Joseph Dillon Aldridge were initially dismissed earlier this year, but authorities once again arrested Aldridge shortly after the indictments were handed down Dec. 15.
Aldridge has been charged with three counts of statutory sex offense with a child by an adult, as well as one count of indecent liberties with a child. He was being held on a combined, secured bond of $715,000.
Obtained by The Graham Star, a warrant for his September arrest alleges that Aldridge committed the acts with the child from May-August 2020. Authorities later revealed the female minor was age 6 at the time the alleged offenses took place.
The investigation was spearheaded by sheriff’s Sgt. Jordan Hughes.
Brody Birchfield
Tallulah – Deputies also arrested 22-year-old Jaron Brody Birchfield on Dec. 15 and charged him with second-degree forcible rape as well as second-degree forcible sex offense. Birchfield received a secured bond of $100,000.
The charges were filed after an investigation into an alleged Aug. 19, 2022 encounter, which is said to have occurred at Birchfield’s residence on Tallulah Road. The unnamed victim was 25 at the time of the incident.
Det. Graham Page told the Star the victim reported the alleged rape the night of the encounter after seeking medical treatment at an area hospital. He added that a rape kit was performed, and a DNA match to Birchfield was found.
“I told the grand jury that I felt bad for them because it was really a sex-case grand jury,” Page said. “Almost everyone of us had some graphic details that we had to present in our cases.”
Christopher Rabb
Santeetlah – Perhaps the most eventful arrest that occurred in the fallout from the indictments was 23-year-old Christopher Nathaniel Rabb. He was charged with three counts of felony intentional child abuse inflicting serious physical injury. Once the parole office had learned of his indictment, a violation was issued
No details about the injuries themselves were released by the sheriff’s office, but securing Rabb at his Graham Estates residence proved to be a difficult task.
Det. Travis Brooks recounted the Dec. 15 apprehension of Rabb to the Star, which started with Rabb fleeing out the back door of the home and into the woods. Once he reached the Cross Creek area, however, authorities were waiting – stationed just in case Rabb tried to take off.
Chief Deputy Cody George spotted Rabb standing in a driveway on a cell phone and attempted to place him under arrest. Rabb began to resist and took off on foot again, before George caught up to Rabb and a scuffle took place.
The two rolled down a 30-foot embankment and landed in a ditch just off Cross Creek Road, where Rabb struck George in the shoulders, arms and chest. Sgt. Randy Price arrived soon thereafter and helped George finally place Rabb under arrest.
The altercation led to the additional charges of assaulting a government official/employee, as well as resisting a public officer. He received a secured bond of $450,000 after being taken to the Graham County Detention Center; his parole violation resulted in a no-bond hold.
Rabb was on post-release parole for his July 28, 2021, arrest, in connection with the almost month-long kidnapping and assault of Hiawassee, Ga., resident Grace Berrong. Rabb held Berrong against her will, physically injured her face, head and body, and also struck Berrong with a motor vehicle during the span from June 30 to July 26, 2021.
Benjamin Laney
Page added that four counts of felony larceny of a motor vehicle, five counts of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, two counts of felony larceny, two counts of felony breaking and entering, and felony for being a habitual felon were attributed by the grand jury to Benjamin Gary Laney.
Authorities say Laney was on a spree centered around the Fontana Dam community that included the theft of a Chevrolet 2500 truck, a dump trailer, two Gators, a four-wheeler, machetes, knives, flashlights and stole items off boats parked in the Fontana Marina.
His original charges came following an incident on Yellow Branch Road, where Laney allegedly committed over $140,000 in damages while committing larceny, breaking and entering, and damage to property.
“All of these cases were big,” said Page. “I know all of us detectives are glad to get some closure to these cases.”
All told, there were 12 individuals charged with a total of 57 bills of indictment.
Another bill acted upon Dec. 15 by deputies was the arrest of 27-year-old Katie Shae Queen, who was charged with felony death by vehicle. The case was investigated by Trooper Kosal Thach with the N.C. Highway Patrol.
For details on her arrest and the case itself, the Star’s office at 720 Tallulah Road has additional copies of the report from its Dec. 21 edition.