Latest news with #WaynesvillePoliceDepartment
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Veteran K-9 bomb-sniffer comes out of retirement to serve with Waynesville PD
May 14—Teco is a handsome devil and a very good boy. But don't let those roughish good looks fool you. The 8-year-old Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd mix is a highly skilled K-9 officer and Waynesville's newest bomb sniffer — only the third in the department's history. "We hadn't had a bomb dog since we lost K-9 Luke to retirement," said Lt. Billy Benhart of the Waynesville Police Department. K-9 Luke served on the force for the better part of a decade until his retirement in January of last year. After K-9 Luke's retirement, then-Assistant Police Chief Brandon Gilmore told The Mountaineer that "Everyone knows that we don't get a tremendous amount of calls for service regarding explosives, but the value of what (a bomb sniffing dog and handler) provides to a community is efficiency in searching a location where a threat has been made as well as the feeling of security that a complete and through search has been conducted and everything is safe." So the department was looking to add another K-9 officer to its ranks — even before last month's Historic Courthouse bomb-threat, when a bomb-sniffing dog had to be brought in from Buncombe County to lend a paw. To fill the gap permanently, Master Patrol Officer Craig Cimaszewski suggested Teco. The partners went all the way back to Officer Cimaszewski's days as a police officer in Florida. When Cimaszewski retired from the Tampa Police Department in 2022, Teco was a more experienced dog than anyone else on the force could handle, Cimaszewski explained. So the TPD gave Teco to Cimaszewski, and the pair traveled up to Western North Carolina to enjoy their retirement. A few years later, Cimaszewski joined the Waynesville Police Department while Teco stayed home. But when the town started casting about for another bomb-sniffer, it just so happened that Cimaszewski had a perfect candidate waiting in the wings. "The town benefited enormously from having a fully trained dog at no cost to Waynesville," Cimaszewski told The Mountaineer. That's because buying and training a new dog from scratch could have cost the town over $20,000. By contrast, Teco only had to brush up on some skills he'd lost during retirement (and get certified in the state of North Carolina), at a cost of around $1,200 to the town, Cimaszewski said. "He was on the street in two weeks," Cimaszewski said of the dog, who is certified in apprehensions and patrol as well as explosives. Cimaszewski reckons that given his mixed-breed heritage, Teco has four or five years of patrol work and odor detection left in him. That's good news from a taxpayer and a safety standpoint. As for Teco, he's back doing what he was born to do — and loving every minute.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Waynesville officer uses motorcycle skills as force for good
May 14—Master Officer Tyler Howell has been riding motorcycles of one sort or the other nearly his entire life. But when the Waynesville detective found himself at the North Carolina State Highway Patrol Motor Officers Course in April, his existing knowledge wasn't quite the asset he'd thought it would be. "They said, 'How many guys have ridden anything the majority of their life?' And basically every student we had in there raised their hand. And (our trainer) said, 'I'm either gonna break those bad habits or break you, and you'll end up going home,'" Howell recalled of his first day at the school in Raleigh. "Long story short, it was a very difficult school." Prior to Howell's time at Motor Officer School, Waynesville Police Department's two motorcycles were mostly ceremonial in function — "parades, funeral escorts, the stuff to look pretty," Howell said. But the department wanted to start using the bikes' maneuverability, size, and speed for enforcement and traffic purposes. To do that, somebody would have to be motor officer certified. They call it earning your wings, after the winged motorcycle wheel pin you get to wear after you ace the rigorous training. "Prior to going through the motor school, I could never understand why (the pin) was so guarded by these guys," Howell said. But down there in the Raleigh heat, he began to understand. Howell and his fellow students spent two weeks being put through their paces. To pass the training, they'd need to excel at a variety of tests, including: a tightly-wound cone course, a pursuit test, and a harrowing high-speed braking exercise, among other things. Despite having some bad habits that needed breaking — as almost every motorcycle rider does — Howell was grateful for his lifetime of experience on two wheels. "It became so physically demanding that it became a mental game," he said. "But I'm thankful for the riding experience that I had prior to going down there, because if somebody tries to go down there with no riding experience, there's little to no chance that they'll pass." But pass Howell did. " I'm just thankful to the Waynesville Police Department for allowing me the opportunity to go earn those those wings that I now will guard as well. They don't give those away, I can tell you that," Howell said. The officer is looking forward to using his new skills for the betterment of his community. One of the ways he'll do that is by teaching a program called Bike Safe, a free course for riders that includes book work and hands-on instruction. "We will essentially assess the riders and basically grade them," he said. "It's not a pass or fail, but it's saying 'Hey, here's some things you could do differently while you ride, just to be a little more safe about what you are doing." Howell, whose career in law enforcement spans 17 years and a variety of specialties, is currently serving in a community policing and public relations capacity. It's a job he loves, and he sees the bike as the perfect tool to further his aim of connecting with the people he serves. "It's not all about speeding tickets and running people down," he said. " A lot of the public, especially in Western North Carolina, relate to motorcycles. So I'm fortunate to be in the position that I'm in and be able to use this as a tool to reach out to the community and reach out to the public and let them know, 'Hey, we're human too. We're not robots. And we want to be a part of the community.'"
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
Wilmington man accused of going across state to rape toddler, sentenced for child porn: DOJ
CHARLOTTE, N.C. () — A Wilmington man has been sentenced in Charlotte to over 12 years for the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), according to United States Attorney Russ Ferguson, who represents the Western District of North Carolina. According to court documents, 35-year-old Joseph Lee Barnes of Wilmington, N.C., was in an encrypted chatroom known for exchanging CSAM and talking about the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. In February 2024, Barnes shared three CSAM files and an undercover agent monitoring the chatroom saw this. The undercover agent started talking one-on-one with Barnes. In that conversation, the agent claimed to be an adult with access to a child. Barnes reportedly said he would be interested in illegal sexual acts with the child and arranged a time to meet the undercover agent in order for this type of abuse to take place. Officials say Barnes told the undercover agent that he had previously sexually abused children in the United States and abroad. Barnes kept in contact with the agent and sent additional CSAM. On March 14, 2024, Barnes traveled from Wilmington to the Western District of North Carolina to rape the child. The Western NC District includes 32 counties, mostly between Alleghany, Cherokee and Mecklenburg counties. Deputies use robot to de-escalate situation in Rowan County Barnes was arrested at the meeting spot and his phone and tablet were seized. Both devices reportedly had child pornography on them. The same day, Homeland Security Investigations agents in Wilmington searched Barnes' apartment with a warrant, seizing several other devices and two external hard drives. Officials say Barnes had an 'extensive library of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse ofchildren.' On October 30, 2024, Barnes pleaded guilty to the distribution of child pornography. On Tuesday, April 15, he was sentenced to 12 years and 7 months. Once he is released from prison, Barnes must register as a sex offender and will be on supervised release for the rest of his life. In addition, Barnes was ordered to pay $89,000 in restitution. This case was part of , a nationwide effort to address the sexual exploitation and abuse of children. The United States Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Waynesville Police Department helped Homeland Security Investigations in this investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
