FOUR AREA MEN ARRESTED FOR SENDING PORNOGRAPHIC IMAGES BY CELL PHONE TO UNDERAGE FEMALE

Adam Wilkins

Chad Phillips

Dillon Burnette

Jonathan Whitemore

Murphy, NC— In a cooperative investigation the Graham County Sheriff’s Office and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office were able to identify and arrest four local men that had been sending lewd pictures to an underage female by cellular phone.

            Graham County Sheriff’s Office investigators received a call from a mother that a Graham County resident was sending lewd pictures to an underage female in Cherokee County. Graham County Sheriff’s Office investigators contacted Cherokee County Sheriff’s investigators and a joint investigation was undertaken. Additional information uncovered during the investigation that at least two of the adult males had actually met with the underage female in person at least one time and sexually assaulted her.

The following individuals were identified and charged as follows: Dillon Kyle Burnette a 18 year old Andrews North Carolina resident Disseminating Pornographic Material to a Person under 16 years of age,  Chad Clayton Phillips a 22 year old Robbinsville North Carolina resident Disseminating Pornographic Material to a Person under 16 years of age and Indecent Liberties with a Child, Jonathan Paul Whitmore, a 22 year old Marble North Carolina resident Indecent Liberties with a Child, Solicit Child by Computer, and Disseminating Pornographic Material to a Person under 16 years of age, and Adam Emory Wilkins a 21 year old Culberson North Carolina resident Indecent Liberties with a Child and Soliciting a Child by Computer. Additional charges are anticipated in this case.

            This case is a continuing effort of Operation Western Shield which is a cooperative effort by Western North Carolina law enforcement agencies and the North Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children’s Task Force to combat child exploitation crimes and ensure compliance with the North Carolina Sex Offender registration laws as well as the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office is a member of the North Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children’s Task Force.

            All four individuals have posted bond and have a court date for early February 2011.

MURPHY MAN CHARGED WITH BURGLARY

John Anthony Hill

On 01/11/2010 Deputies were dispatched to a residence on Upper Peachtree Road to a reported Burglary. The victim reported that someone had broke into her home during the night (while she slept) and taken approximately $2,000.00 in currency. Detective Helen Malinowski was dispatched to the scene and after interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence, developed a suspect in the case. John Anthony Hill (W/M 03/07/1971 of Peachtree) was arrested later in the day and charged with one count of First Degree Burglary.

Hill is confined under a $25,000.00 secured bond and remains in the Cherokee County Jail.

ANDREWS MEN CHARGED WITH ADDITIONAL THEFTS



On 01/04/11 Detectives interrupted a Larceny in progress at a property of Gipp Creek Road in Andrews. Detectives found Stacy Dills and Travis Heathe Lee removing industrial parts that were stored on the property. William Mcdougal (w/m 06/09/1949 of Andrews) was also present in the area. Dills and Lee were arrested and charged with Felonious Larceny and Felonious Possession of Stolen Goods and Larceny of a Motor Vehicle. Mcdougal was arrested the next day and charged with 2cts of Felony Larceny, 2cts of Possesion of Stolen Goods and one count of Larceny of a Motor Vehicle. Mcdougal was released after posting a $10,500.00 secured bond. The Larceny of a Motor vehicle charge that the three are charged with is the result of an investigation into a van that was stolen off of Webb Creek road in December 2010.

During the course of this investigation two Atvs (four-wheelers) and two small utility trailers have been recovered. The atvs and one trailer were stolen from a Peachtree Street residence in Murphy on Christmas night. Charges are pending in that case and arrests are imminent. The other trailer is approximately 8ft in length and has been modified. It appears to have been originally designed to carry a boat or jet ski. Detectives are trying to identify the owner this trailer. Anyone with information on this vehicle can contact Detective Sean Matthews or Detective Randy Cook at (828)837-2589.

Dills was given a $15,000.00 secured bond which he later made. Lee and McDougal are still confined under a in the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office.

ANDREWS MEN CHARGED WITH LARCENY AND BURGLARY

 

T ravis Lee

 

Stacey Dills

On 12/30/2010 Detectives of the Cherokee County  Sheriff’s Office arrested Stacy Joe Dills (w/m 11/30/73 Andrews) and Travis Heathe Lee (W/M 07/25/85 of Andrews) and charged them with two counts each of Felonious Possession of Stolen Goods. These charges were the result of two separate investigations. One of which occurred when a motorcycle was stolen from a residence in the Peachtree Community in mid-December and the other stemmed from a case where a car, a child’s go-cart and a chain saw were stolen from a Fairview Road residence sometime in mid-December. The go-cart, motorcycle and chainsaw were recovered. It was discovered that the stolen vehicle had been sold as junk to a recycling dealer in Morganton Ga.

Dills and Lee were confined under a $10,000.00 secured bond which they satisfied later that same date.



ROBBINSVILLE MAN PLEAS GUILTY TO SOLICITING ON INTERNET FOR SEX WITH A MINOR

Murphy, NC— David Marlin Shuler, a 39-year-old Robbinsville North Carolina man plead guilty in Cherokee County Superior Court to one count of Soliciting a Minor by Computer to Commit Unlawful Sex Acts on January 5^th, 2011.

            Shuler was arrested by detectives of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s office on November 02, 2009 as a result of an investigation that revealed that Shuler engaged in Internet Messaging (IM) and email conversations with what Shuler believed to be a local child. The intent of the conversations was to “solicit the minor for the purpose of committing a sexual offense.” As information became known, members of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and Cherokee Tribal Police were present at a prearranged meeting and Shuler was arrested without incident. At no time was a child or other citizen of Cherokee County placed in danger

            Shuler is currently incarcerated in the Cherokee County Detention Center serving 60 days of a split sentence. Upon release Shuler will be on supervised probation for 36 months, and will be required to register as a sex offender and to enroll in Satellite Based Monitoring for a minimum of 10 years.

The Cherokee County Sheriff's office is a member of the North Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children (NC ICAC) Task Force. The ICAC Task Force is comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents. The purpose of the ICAC task force is to investigate complaints of child exploitation.