Government turnover, alcohol sales validated in busy year
Even as the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic raged on, Graham County – as a whole – continued to experience both positives and negatives in 2021.
From unusual vehicle chases to department head changes, sports triumphs to regional awards, there has simply been no shortage of news from our small slice of Western North Carolina over the last 12 months.
Here are some of the top stories in Graham County from January through December 2021.
Department shuffles
In an exclusive interview with The Graham Star, Becky Garland revealed her intention to resign as Graham County manager. Garland informed the board of commissioners of her decision Jan. 19, but retained her role as the county’s finance officer. Graham County Project Manager Jason Marino eventually accepted the position as county manager and continues in the dual role.
Since Garland’s announcement, two other department heads have changed: Cris Weatherford stepped down as the Graham County Department of Social Services director on June 22, accepting the same position in his native Jackson County. Amy Seay – formerly of Swain County DSS – replaced Weatherford in September.
Finally, after a 26-year stay with the department, Larry Hembree resigned as Graham County Emergency Medical Services director on Sept. 30. The position was filled by Phillip Boyle on Oct. 18.
COVID interrupts school, sports
Robbinsville – The global pandemic forced several branches of academia to start-and-stop.
The Lady Knights’ basketball team was forced into a quarantine the day after their season opener against Rosman on Jan. 5, due to exposure. Robbinsville’s football team was a mere two games into its second season of the year – another victim of the pandemic was a reshuffled sports calendar, which saw two football seasons play out across a span of 10 months – and had to quarantine along with the rest of the Graham County school system, due to a late-summer COVID surge. The district alternated between remote learning and mandatory mask policies throughout the year, as well.
As of Tuesday, only 28 deaths in Graham County have been attributed to COVID-19 and 1,436 residents have tested positives. Those numbers rank 90th and 94th, respectively, out of North Carolina’s 100 counties.
Ripple Effect
Fontana Dam – One local collection of water was so pristine, that it received a regional award.
The Fontana Village Marina was afforded the 2021 Ripple Effect Award – due to its yearly cleanup efforts, held each November. The award, which is only given to one group in the Tennessee River Watershed, is backed by Yamaha RightWaters.
Death attributed to alcohol
Tallulah – Megan Marie Vaughn, 30, was pronounced dead in the early hours of April 7 after what officials later deemed an accidental stabbing.
Vaughn’s autopsy would later reveal that she had 120 milliliters of ethanol in her system at the time of her passing. She was at a residence on State Shed Road on April 6 when a male friend took a bottle of alcohol away from her, which led to Vaughn playing with a “medium-size, fixed-blade knife.” The blade soon went through her upper-right thigh, severing her femoral artery.
She was pronounced dead at 1:31 a.m. April 7.
2 counties, 1 Humvee
Robbinsville – Bobby Kays has since told officials he has no recollection of what transpired May 8.
But the local resident was charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a government official; two counts of reckless driving; two counts of fleeing/eluding arrest with a motor vehicle; resisting a public officer; larceny of a motor vehicle; breaking and entering a motor vehicle; unauthorized use of a motor vehicle; injury to real property; driving while license revoked; and driving left of center.
What did he allegedly steal? The Graham County Sheriff’s Office’s Humvee, which was kept in a locked lot adjacent to the precinct.
Security cameras reviewed later saw a man fitting Kays’ description gain access to the lot and drive off in the Humvee, before trying to get gas at the neighboring 76 Food Mart and soon smashing through the front entrance to Robbinsville Pharmacy. A chase ensued, which rolled through Cherokee County and ended just shy of the Macon County line. Four vehicles were damaged in the pursuit. Kays tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine, marijuana, fentanyl and alcohol in his system following his apprehension.
Seven state champions
Robbinsville cleaned up at the conclusion of the 2020-21 sports season, with seven athletes capturing state titles across two weekends.
Aynsley Fink won the 1A women’s wrestling title June 19, while Brock Adams captured the 110-meter hurdles June 25. Six more Knights grapplers added to the collection June 26, with Luke Wilson (106 pounds), Jayden Nowell (126), Kage Williams (182), Kyle Fink (195) and Ben Wachacha (220) all reaching the championship pinnacle.
Aynsley and Kyle Fink are the first set of siblings to win a state championship in both the same sport and season in history.
Officer-involved shooting
Tallulah – A routine traffic stop June 20 escalated into the death of a Dickson, Tenn., resident.
Graham County sheriff’s Deputy Courtney Heaton shot and killed 31-year-old Mickey Ray Rice at the end of Anderson Creek Road after Rice fled from a traffic stop near Robbinsville’s Five Points intersection. A high-speed pursuit began, which ended when Rice reached a dead end and turned the 2005 Nissan Altima around, before ignoring officers’ orders to exit the vehicle.
Once he did, Rice brandished what was believed to be a deadly weapon – later discovered to be a BB gun – leading to Heaton firing the fatal shot. District Attorney Ashley Welch cleared Heaton of any wrongdoing in the incident at the end of November.
Haney convicted
Robbinsville – After a nearly two-week trial, a jury found 39-year-old Casey Adam Haney guilty of two counts of indecent liberties with a child and one count of statutory rape of a person 15 years or younger, by a person more than six years older than the victim.
The incidents took place in 2017 and 2018 in the Wolf Creek community. Haney will serve between 272-406 months as part of his conviction.
Jury deliberations lasted less than an hour. The trial was the first to be held in Graham County since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Diner burns
Stecoah – A county staple burned to the ground Aug. 2, when an electrical fire destroyed Stecoah Diner on N.C. 28.
Crews were dispatched to the scene around 9:30 p.m. – roughly 45 minutes after the restaurant had closed for the night – and fought the blaze until the early hours of Aug. 3. Since the fire, the location has been cleared, and no plans to rebuild have been announced.
Moist county; new mayor
Robbinsville – Constituents made their voices heard in the Nov. 2 general election, which resulted in Graham County dropping its status as a “dry” county.
When the ballots were all tallied, it was decided that Robbinsville would be allowed to sell malt beverages and unfortified wine within the city limits. Graham County is now considered “moist,” as the entire county itself is not wet. Sales are expected to begin next year.
In addition, Robbinsville Alderman Shaun Adams unseated two-term mayor Steve Hooper, while an outcry at Lake Santeetlah over election results led to challenges being filed at both the local and state level.
Santeetlah’s results overturned three-fifths of the council, and both challenges were dismissed.