Franklin man enters a guilty plea for drug trafficking
News, Press Release April 19, 2021
District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said a Franklin man will spend 70 to 96 months in prison for his role in a two-state distribution of large quantities of illegal drugs.
James “Jimmy” Steele, 47, pleaded guilty to continuing criminal enterprise, a class C felony. Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Bill Coward handed down the sentence Monday in Macon County Superior Court.
Steele’s plea comes as part of Operation Jawbreaker, a targeted investigation launched after the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigation started investigating distribution of controlled substances.
They soon identified leaders of the drug ring: Steele and the late Wade Thomas Ennis of Highlands, who died in September 2020 of a heart attack.
The investigation also led to the arrest of Arthur Scott Reynolds Potts, another suspected leader; his case is pending in Macon County Superior Court.
In all, more than 25 people were arrested as part of the operation.
Investigators say the drug-trafficking organization was responsible for the transport of controlled substances from the Atlanta area to Macon County and, from there, into other Western North Carolina counties, as well as North Georgia.
“Thanks to a lot of hard work and hours of investigation, the majority of players in Operation Jawbreaker have been convicted and sent to prison,” Welch said. “That’s a good outcome – not only for prosecutors and law enforcement, but for everyone who lives in and cares about this community.”
Assistant District Attorney John Hindsman Jr. prosecuted the case.
Feature image courtesy of District Attorney.
Franklin man admitted to sexually abusing a child
News, Press Release April 19, 2021
District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said a Franklin man admitted this week in court to sexually abusing a child. He will serve at least nine years in prison.
Michael Bruce Thompson, 52, pleaded guilty in Macon County Superior Court to attempted first-degree statutory sex offense and taking indecent liberties with a child.
Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Bill Coward ordered Thompson serve a minimum sentence of 108 months up to a maximum sentence of 190 months in the N.C. Department of Corrections.
Additionally, Thompson will be listed for 30 years on the publicly available and searchable North Carolina sex-offender registry.
Welch said Thompson molested a child between Nov. 1, 2018, and May 13, 2019. A separate incident took place on May 15, 2019.
Assistant District Attorney Jason Arnold prosecuted the case.
Franklin man admits to break in and sexual assault
News, Press Release April 1, 2021
A Franklin man admitted in Macon County Superior Court to forcing his way into a woman’s house and to sexual assault, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said.
Wednesday, Cody Road resident Jacob Loftis, 34, pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary and second-degree forcible sex offense.
Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Bill Coward sentenced Loftis to 62-87 months and 58-130 months, respectively, with the sentences to run consecutively.
This means Loftis will spend at least the next 10 years in prison.
Additionally, for 30 years, he will be listed on North Carolina’s sex-offender registration, a publicly available, searchable database.
Assistant District Attorney John Hindsman Jr. prosecuted the case.
Hindsman said at about 2 a.m. on Sept. 17, 2019, the victim, who was asleep in her bedroom, woke to find her former boyfriend looming over her bed and pulling off the blanket.
Loftis attempted to sexually assault the woman.
Prior to this – that same month – he had sexually assaulted her; plus, Loftis attempted an earlier break-in and sent the victim a series of threatening and lewd texts.
Operation Jawbreaker suspect sees bond revoked
News September 8, 2020
In a press release, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said a key figure in Operation Jawbreaker, a sweep two years ago of suspected local drug dealers acting in concert on a two-state level, was arrested Tuesday and charged with harboring a fugitive.
Wade Ennis, 60, is accused of helping James Steele, 47, elude law enforcement after Steele skipped a $2.5 million bond. He did not show up in June as ordered in Macon County Superior Court.
Steele also faced arrest in Operation Jawbreaker.
Ennis and Steele were arrested again Aug. 3, this time in Transylvania County. They were charged with possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor drug paraphernalia.
Additionally, Steele was charged with providing fictitious information to an officer.
Operation Jawbreaker targeted a well-organized criminal enterprise involved in distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin – not only in Macon County, but in Western North Carolina and North Georgia.
In the April 2018 sweep that resulted in 25 arrests, Ennis was charged with continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to traffic opium/heroin, conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, trafficking opium/heroin, possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver methamphetamine, maintaining dwelling/place, possession of heroin, possession of methamphetamine.
Steele was arrested for continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to traffic opium/heroin, trafficking opium/heroin, possession of heroin, deliver heroin X2, possession controlled substance on jail premises.
Prosecutors Tuesday requested Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Bill Coward revoke Ennis’ bond.
Ennis’ defense attorney, Wade Collins, argued against the bond revocation, saying the allegations from Transylvania County are, at this juncture, unproven. His client has not fled the jurisdiction since being charged in Jawbreaker, and he would not flee now, Collins told the judge.
The judge set a $700,000 bond for Ennis for the harboring a fugitive in addition to previous bond.
Feature image courtesy of district attorney’s office.