ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Looting since Hurricane Helene flooded Asheville businesses last fall has been a frequent criminal offense in the area. Three looters were arrested over the weekend near Biltmore Village.
The offenders, Timothy Lynn Wilds, 61, Kevin Shawn Smiley, 59, and Pamela Kent Smiley, 58, were taken into custody without incident and charged with felony trespassing and drug possession.
Asheville Police Department officers arrested the trio after suspicious person call around 2:06 p.m. on Saturday, March 8 at a business on Thompson Street. The business owner had reported Wilds and the Smileys after spotting them in security footage.
The three were located in a truck at the rear of the property loaded with construction gear. Each of the offenders was in possession of drugs. Several stolen construction goods were recovered in the arrest, though the investigation into their origin remains ongoing.
“The Asheville Police Department urges businesses and homeowners rebuilding to prevent theft by securely storing construction materials, tools, and equipment when not in use,” said APD public information officer Rick Rice in a statement.
Wilds and the Smileys were each charged with felony trespass during emergency and felony possession of a Schedule II controlled substance and checked into Buncombe County Detention Facility without opportunity for release.
If you have any information about illegal activity, contact APD at (828) 252-1110. You can also send an anonymous tip using the TIP2APD app or by texting “TIP2APD” to 847411.