County News Update
I will go into deeper details after Christmas…
- Another pedophile is getting a deal from DA- Milton Fletcher, who is now a judge. Ten under-age children have come forward as victims.
- GoFundMe grifters exposed: Why are the assessments for the Marshall Town businesses lower than those for the rest of the county? Forest Gilliam, town administrator and former county manager, will not answer the question.
- The town of Marshall wants Madison County Taxpayers to Go Fund Them…
- Madison County’s tax office has not mailed all the tax appeal requests, but are you surprised?
- The County Courthouse is to be built and located temporarily at the new Economic Development grounds- You just can’t this up anymore. Honeycutt claims FEMA won’t pay to fix the courthouse- He is an incompetent idiot, but we all knew that, right?
- Madison County marks December 20 as “Michelle Quintero Day. ” When will these Commissioners mark a day as “Mike Boone Day?” I mean, that is only fair, right? What about recognizing the man who jumped into the creek to save Quintero? He almost lost his life trying to save hers. Mike Boone earned his Law enforcement appreciation through hard work and diligence, not through nepotism or other means.
- Buddy Harwood, Madison Sheriff, is no longer getting inmate drugs from local sources; instead, he has chosen his new source in Alabama. Now, why would Old Harwood go outside the state to get these drugs? Because folks, he doesn’t have to account for them when Coy boy sells them on the street.
I am going to focus on a few stories from the above list today; let’s start with the pedophile and those who helped him get off with just a slap on the wrist while ignoring ten other victims.
Donald Allen Hensley of Shelton Laurel was scheduled for a court date on December 19, 2024, but now he gets a plea deal and is back on the streets of Madison in time for Christmas. He was charged with indecent liberties with a child. The SBI investigated this case, and the Madison County Grand Jury indicted him, so why is this story not on the front page of the Sentinel?
Who is this guy, and what is his connection to John Ledford, Buddy Harwood, Denny Goforth, Larry Leake and the Madison County Sheriff’s Department?
Ledford’s chief deputy, Denny Goforth, bailed him out of the Madison County Sheriff’s Department. Harwood and Goforth were involved in drug and gun running in Madison County for Ledford, which included Buncombe – Henderson Counties and Unicoi County in Tennessee.
Don’t forget, folks, the rape at the juvenile detention center under Harwood’s authority. It happened, and Buddy knows it. I am not so sure he didn’t watch it on his cell phone.
Donald Hensley was an informant for the Ledford regime, which included Harwood and Goforth.
According to the source, around ten more victims came forward, and Hensley hired Larry Leake to defend him. If Hensley could not bail himself out of jail, how could he afford to hire Larry Leake?
Or is Larry Leake now defending those in the Pedo-Club pro bono? He has met the criteria as a member right?
The ADA, who started with this case, resigned, and the new ADA gave the defendant a plea deal, which only included pleading guilty and sentenced to 48 months of probation, and having to register as a sex offender for 30 years. Ten children whose lives will never be the same and this bastard gets probation PRICELESS…
The new ADA – Milton Fletcher, refused to charge Hensley with any new charges after more victims came forward; these ages ranged from seven to eight years of age to sixteen.
One was 20 years old and accused him of rape back in 2003. At the same time, Denny Goforth and Buddy Harwood worked for John Ledford.
John Boy Ledford and Hensley were big hunting buddies, and John frequented the family’s home. Below are Hensley’s priors; he liked to hit women and violate NC hunting laws. Sounds like a Coy and Buddy tag team…
Per ADA Milton Fletcher’s statements, he did not include the other victims because he had to take a judgeship. He is a real beauty or is this Seth Banks issued?
His name is Milton Fletcher. He was one of the three candidates who ran with Baby Leake in unopposed Judgeships for Prosecutorial District 35 -24th Judicial District Court of North Carolina. I wrote about this strange election a year ago. See the story below.
You scratch my back, Republicans, and don’t run anyone against my unqualified daughter, and I will make sure you have no opponents running against you. Typical Madison County Rot…
Interesting that this happened one year ago at Christmas.
My big question I always had was why Larry got Cooper to appoint Baby Leake in August of this year? She was unopposed in her election just like the other two why appoint her in August did it have something to do with this case? Why would you want to put a rookie on the bench before an election?
This Hensley guy is another pedophile from Shelton Laurel; what is going on over there? Why are they all friends of Coy Phillips and Buddy Harwood?
See below Coy calling him his friend
Out with the Pedophiles, now onto the Grifters…
I have been waiting to see if the town of Marshall’s elite would start begging the Madison taxpayers for monetary assistance, and right on cue, they have not disappointed. Below is a report from Johnny Casey at the Sentinel public comments from the Marshall Bohemians…
Make sure you read every little word of this arrogance and then ask yourself, do you care if Marshall turns into a ghost town?
During the public comment portion of the Madison County Board of Commissioners Dec. 10 meeting, a number of businesses owners implored the commissioners to explore funding opportunities for business owners who were impacted by Tropical Storm Helene.
Josh Copus is owner of Zadie’s Market and Old Marshall Jail in downtown Marshall.
“I’m here to represent any business owner, resident or person who cares about Marshall who couldn’t come here to speak tonight,” Copus said. “I’m going to speak for my own experiences tonight. I know that a lot of people are hurting — in Hot Springs, and people lost their homes throughout. But I’m going to speak specifically about my experiences in downtown Marshall.” Copus urged the commissioners to think about the next steps for the town’s recovery.
“The initial cleanup and remediation I feel like was very obvious,” Copus said. “We had a lot of volunteers. Honestly, it was pretty cheap to do. Right now, what I think we’re faced with is that everyone in downtown Marshall is trying to figure out how to put their businesses back together.”
But Copus said putting these businesses back together is going to take “a ton of money.”
“So, I just am asking our county commissioenrs and anyone who’s listening tonight that anything that you all can do to help us, we’re doing a great job with the resources that we have, but we need funding,” Copus said. “We need tons and tons of money to put this town back together. “I appreciate all that you all have done, and I look forward to working with you guys in the future. Just any help that our county can give us, I believe in government’s ability to help the citizens of this county, and I really would love to see that happen.”
Alex Webber, owner of On your Bike a bakery, coffee shop and bike repair business in downtown Marshall, went before the board to advocate for funding opportunities for the businesses along downtown Marshall’s South Main Street.
“We are a community facing a critical moment, one where decisions made today will determine whether we rebuild as a vibrant town or risk becoming a ghost town,” Webber said. Webber lived in Louisiana during the rebuilding process in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
“I’ve seen firsthand how small businesses can make or break a community’s recovery,” Webber said. “In New Orleans, the rebuilding efforts weren’t just about restoring buildings. They were about restoring the heart of the city — its culture, its identity and the businesses that gave the city its soul.”
In Webber’s words, Marshall is at the same crossroads now.
“We have our own unique character and charm, but without a concerted effort to support small businesses, we risk losing the very things that make this town special. If we don’t act now, we will see more empty storefronts along Main Street and complete voids in the south end of town, which as you know was hit really hard.” Businesses along the south end of town include Ponder’s Auto, The Depot, the tag office and The Noodle Hole. According to Webber, losing these businesses would not only impact local commerce but would also be a big blow to the town’s culture, as locales such as Ponder’s Auto and The Depot have been landmarks in Marshall for many decades.
“We need help attracting new businesses to this part of Marshall so it doesn’t stay empty and forgotten,” Webber said.
Rhesa Edwards co-owns with her husband MadCo Brew House and Marshall Pizza Kitchen, which opened in 2016.
“We have enjoyed living and in the county and we hope to continue to do so, but we need more grant funding,” Edwards said. “We know that our businesses bring people into our county to spend money which leads to tax revenue. Without us, that tax revenue will decline.”
Edwards said she hoped to see the commissioners explore securing grant funding for downtown Marshall businesses. “We can’t do this without your help,” Edwards said. “I need downtown Marshall. Businesses need downtown Marshall. Residents need downtown Marshall. My 19 employees need downtown Marshall. My boys need downtown Marshall, and the county needs downtown Marshall.”
Rick Molland, who served on the Madison County Board of Adjustment for years, advocated for Marshall small businesses on behalf of his wife, Connie Molland, co-owner and founder of Flow Gallery, which opened in 2010.
According to Molland, Flow Gallery is particularly reliant on holiday shopping, as the October through December months account for 40% of its annual revenue.
Molland said while Connie Molland intends to reopen Flow Gallery in the spring, 25% of artwork in the gallery was lost in Helene’s floods.
Molland pointed to the lack of grant funding for small businesses in North Carolina, a point alluded to by Gov. Roy Cooper during his visit to downtown Marshall in October. But Molland said the county needs to keep enticing visitors to come and shop, as there is a symbiotic relationship between business owners and visitors.
“Flow needs the town’s visitors and the town’s visitors need places to shop like Flow,” Molland said. “We need the buying public to return to Marshall. I praise you, the commissioners, for bringing in the state and federal ‘big guns’ to tour the flood brackage downtown business area and pledge their support and commitment, that they have our backs and that Marshall won’t be forgotten.
“We need that, and the financial infusion it suggests. We need to know that was not just political rhetoric.”
Joel Friedman owns Zuma Coffee, and told The Citizen Times earlier this month he plans to reopen the coffee shop in April 2025. Friedman opened Zuma 23 years ago in downtown Marshall.
“In that 23 years, I’ve seen community build, and I’ve seen it happen through downtown Marshall,” Friedman said. “I’ve seen it happen through small businesses. I’ve seen it happen through the residents who live there, and who’ve made Marshall what we like to call ‘Magictown’ now.
Johnny Casey
Rod Homer Honeycutt responded – “Now we just need our federal and state representatives to take care of us.”
Wechtel said if the county does not receive sufficient funding, Honeycutt and the county will plan to return to Washington to “take another bite of the apple.”
I didn’t make these statements up, folks; it happened, and the patheticness of making a statement that we need the Feds and the State to take care of us is embarrassing at a minimum. Who pays for this ignoramus to go to DC anyway? We do- don’t forget that.
This is comical and painful to watch; it is only an opportunity for a photo op for a man—Honeycutt—who dreams of being elected congressman. Honeycutt did not get a bite of an apple last time. Madison County, by far, had less damage than other counties in WNC.
Look below at the official photo from this. They even pushed him to the side, and he didn’t make the picture. What makes you think these vultures will share it with you, Rod?
It looks like Honeycutt photo-bombed the picture.
Remember, the French Broad Bohemian Bourgeoisie was the first to post on GoFundMe, begging for money before the water even had a chance to recede.
Don’t forget that the Liberal motto has always been, “Never let a serious crisis go to waste.”
I wish these commissioners would work as hard for those of us who pay our full value in taxes as they do for those who get handouts. Why are the buildings in the town of Marshall paying less taxes than the rest of the Madison County taxpayers?
This Copus Jail guy renovated a building. Notice what he pays in taxes. He has almost 5,000 square feet of commercial property that he rents out daily, and it is only assessed at $310,000.
Did you get this deal on your property? Madison County tax payers saw an increase of 50 to over a 100 percent this year in the assessment yet these so-called artists pay very little…
Oh, and by the way, Copus’s latest SBA loan requires him to have Flood Insurance.
Look at all the money this grifter has collected from the gullible public. Why not disclose you had flood insurance?
This guy and all the rest in Marshall choose to live in a flood plain and on the river. They took the risk, and I don’t care if they want to be stupid and build back, but I care that these grifters arrogantly assume Madison County Taxpayers should pay for it.
Here is another one: Dee Dee Buckner. She lives in Rollins on the river in Marshall. Her sister took out this GoFundMe for her.
The Buckners have flood insurance but did not disclose it to the public in this GoFundMe. They just closed on this specific property. She overpaid; it was high interest, and the bank made her purchase flood insurance and rebranded her trailer as real estate, not DMV property. This should be disclosed to the public in this GoFundMe.
Rollins area should not get any county tax revenue. Emergency personnel couldn’t even get them to leave. The Tipton guy who died was asked four times to leave his trailer, and its foundation was moving on the fourth request, yet his relatives are still blaming Madison and Marshall emergency responders for his death on social media.
This speaks volumes about what the Rollins community is and has been for years …
I want to know which of you Marshall beauties sent this to WLOS recently? I have noticed photos online from this same vantage point posted by the Concious Homesteader Sustainable Madson clan in Marshall, when they have spied on the Asphalt Plant in the past…
My point is that these Marshall grifters want we, the taxpayers, to use our assets to help them become whole and refurbish their businesses their homes and this putrid town because, in their arrogance, they think Madison County depends on them.
Well, folks, the truth is that tourism can collapse quickly, as you have noticed. Economic development must be diversified to work, and this Asphalt plant and rock quarry will carry this county throughout the following year—not the inept, immoral, satanic art and lifestyle in the town of Marshall.
Yet these Marshall reprobates still do everything they can to taunt those who provide tax revenue to this county; it speaks volumes about who they are!
I have an idea for all you beggars in Marshall: go venture into the French Broad River and ask the Mermaid you worship so highly to pony up the bucks.
If you want to build back, you pay for it. Your town is getting a Matt Wechtel—Michael Garrison waterline. Why should taxpayers have to pay for this unplanned boondoggle when your water problems stem from years of neglect, theft, graft, and incompetence by Marshall leaders?
Every person in this Marshall area could have received flood insurance, but only 1 percent did.
What about the people who lost everything and didn’t live in a floodplain? They couldn’t even receive flood insurance if they wanted, but you grifters could. I say we focus on those who deserve our help, not those who want to build back with no assurances that their build-back will not end up back in the river.
Now, onto the true Grinches of our area. I tried to warn you months ago about getting your Christmas packages early if you were having them shipped.
Amazon chose to use USPS as a shipping partner this year. What a mess this has created for our area, and you can’t blame the flood folks. USPS is not logistically equipped to handle this amount of packages. Especially in Madison County, they don’t want to work that hard. If your packages are not arriving, they are probably sitting at the Weaverville hub.
Now, FedEx, it is even worse. A contractor is servicing our area out of Johnson City, TN. These contractors can’t keep help because they hire the worst, don’t pay them, and treat them like animals.
The trucks they use are constantly failing, whether because they are old or so small they can not keep up with the number of packages. This has been going on for years, I know because I have raised concerns with FedEx about this for years.
I even had one of their drivers who would not deliver my packages to my gate because I had a Trump flag on it. He wrote me a letter and put it in my mailbox, stating he felt unsafe coming to my gate because of my flag. It would be comical if it weren’t so pathetic.
Kimberly King- WLOS even did a story about this recently. See below:
FedEx admits to delivery delays in Asheville as frustrated customers voice concerns
According to this story, FedEx is in a complete cover-up. There is more coming on this. The guy below should resign. I even asked him to do so; he is the one who has covered up for these contractors and not held them accountable over the years.
And here we are; this is what happens when you don’t hire a competent workforce.
On a higher note, UPS is doing well because it pays its employees and can logistically handle a surplus of packages. USPS and FedEx can’t.
Mitchell Suttles I Pick-Up & Delivery Mgr I FedEx Ground
ZFLE 259 I 620 Ferncliff Park Dr I Fletcher, NC 28732
828.734.3931 I fedex.com
Have a Merry Christmas, folks!-CH