Last Updated on May 20, 2013 1:27 pm
On May 15th, 2013 Officers with the Avery County Sheriff’s Office and the Newland Police Department responded to the Elk Park area to assist Officers with the Carter County Sheriff’s Office in stopping a stolen vehicle traveling into Avery County from Roan Mountain. The vehicle was spotted inside Carter County by Deputies from the Carter County Sheriff’s Office but the driver (a sixteen year old Tennessee male Juvenile) refused to yield to their attempts to stop the vehicle.
Once inside Avery County Deputies deployed “stop sticks” and after striking the instruments the vehicle came to a stop in a tree field on Davis Street in Elk Park. The male suspect was apprehended after a short foot chase in the tree field. The stolen vehicle (a 1995 Toyota 4 Runner) was returned to the owner in Roan Mountain. The vehicle sustained damage to the tires as a result of running over the stop sticks.
On May 16th, 2013 at approximately 11:30 PM Officers with the Avery County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call on Cow Camp Rd involving a man on a local woman’s porch asking her to call 911. Deputies arrived on scene accompanied by an Officer from the Newland Police Department.
The man, who was identified as James Henry Slawter stated that his father had attempted to kill him and his sister inside their home located on Will Robbins Lane. Mr. Slawter stated that he was able to escape the home and run down the road in an attempt to find help but his sister was still trapped inside the home. Supervisors with the Sheriff’s Office quickly mobilized the Avery County Special Response Team (STR). The SRT is a multi- juridical team composed of officers from four different law enforcement agencies inside of Avery County including the Avery County Sheriff’s Office, Banner Elk Police Department, the Beech Mountain Police Department and the Seven Devils Police Department.
The SRT made contact with the Father with the use of a Megaphone in an attempt to get the occupants outside of the residence. The father and sister complied and followed all commands without incident. After securing the residence investigations took over the scene and interviewed the father and sister only to find out that Mr. Slawter had provided false information to the initial responding Officers. Deputies released the father and sister and charged Mr. James Henry Slawter with providing false information to a Law Enforcement Officer.
