Two Unrelated Axe Threats Result in 2 Separate Arrests

Two Unrelated Axe Threats Result in 2 Separate Arrests

Ashe County, N.C. – Sheriff B. Phil Howell announces the arrest of two individuals
in Jefferson and Lansing over the weekend.

On Saturday, December 17, Ashe County 911 Dispatch received
a call about a male subject walking around the West Jefferson
area carrying a hatchet. Later that afternoon, Sheriff Deputies
arrested 32-year-old Thomas Lee Howard Jr. “TJ” of Crumpler,
NC, for drug-related charges. Howard was charged with one
count of Possession of a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance, one
count of Manufacture Schedule 1 Controlled Substance, and one
count of Maintain Vehicle/Dwelling Place Control Substance.
Howard is currently held at the Ashe County Detention Center
under a $40,000 bond.

On Sunday, December 18, Ashe County 911 Dispatch
received a call reporting a male subject armed with a hatchet
causing damage to storefront buildings and residential
apartments in downtown Lansing. Sheriff Deputies Johnson
and Wingler began a search of the immediate area and were
able to locate the subject. 34-year-old Jason Dwayne Bennett
of Wytheville, VA, was arrested and is currently held at the
Ashe County Detention Center under a $10,000 bond. Many
businesses and residential properties, including the Lansing
Post Office, sustained several thousand dollars of damage.
Bennett was initially charged with four counts of Injury to
Personal Property and one count of Going Armed to Terror of
the Public. Additional charges are expected in the immediate
future.

Damages to businesses