A distressed hiker’s 911 call leads to a homicide investigation, deputies say
THIS IS WYFF NEWS FOUR TODAY. COMING UP, A BENEFIT CONCERT THANKING FIRST RESPONDERS AND VOLUNTEERS AFTER HURRICANE HELENE. AND SOME SOUTH CAROLINA TEENS VOTING IN THEIR FIRST ELECTION FACING REGISTRATION HURDLES. A JUDGE’S DECISION ON WHETHER THEY CAN VOTE. GOOD MORNING. I’M PEYTON FURTADO. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US HERE. 701 ON YOUR SATURDAY MORNING, LET’S TAKE A LOOK FROM OUR PARIS MOUNTAIN SKYCAM. CAN WE SEE ANYTHING YET? NO, IT’S STILL DARK OUT THERE. 59 DEGREES. I KNOW IT’S ALWAYS DIFFERENT GETTING USED TO WHEN THE SUN IS COMING UP. ESPECIALLY WHEN WE GET TO THIS TIME OF YEAR. NICE AND CHILL OUT THERE. NICE AND COOL. WE COULD SEE THE SUN ANY MOMENT. WE HAVE SYDNEY SULLIVAN IN THE STUDIO WITH US. SYDNEY, I KNOW I THINK THINGS ARE CLEAR RIGHT NOW, BUT THAT MIGHT NOT LAST FOR PARTS OF OUR AREA, RIGHT? THAT’S CORRECT. AND LIKE YOU MENTIONED, THE THIS TIME OF YEAR, IT’S HARD TO REALLY SEE OUTSIDE JUST YET. I WILL SAY NEXT WEEK THOUGH, REMEMBER OUR CLOCKS DO FALL BACK AN HOUR, SO WE’LL START TO SEE OUR HOURS OF DAYLIGHT CHANGE EVER SO SLIGHTLY. BUT AS FAR AS OUR CONDITIONS RIGHT NOW, WE ARE NICE AND DRY AND QUIET FOR THE TIME BEING. MOST OF US ARE WAKING UP TO TEMPERATURES ABOUT TEN DEGREES ON AVERAGE WARMER THAN YESTERDAY MORNING. STILL A LITTLE BIT ON THE CHILLY SIDE, SO YOU MIGHT NEED A LIGHT JACKET HEADING OUT AND ABOUT ON THE EARLIER SIDE, ESPECIALLY THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. BUT ONCE THE SUN IS UP, IT IS GOING TO HEAT US UP VERY QUICKLY. EVEN WITH SOME CHANGES THAT WILL BE HEADING OUR WAY LATER. LATER TODAY AND INTO THE AFTERNOON. AS FAR AS OUR CONDITIONS NOW, NICE AND QUIET, WE’VE GOT CLOUDS AND A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS FURTHER NORTH AND NORTHWEST OF US THAT WILL EVENTUALLY HEAD OUR WAY LATER THIS AFTERNOON. AND IT’S ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD FRONT THAT WILL BRING US SOME MAJOR CHANGES. NOW, OVER THE NEXT 12 HOURS, WE START OUT MAINLY DRY NOW THROUGH ABOUT 1:00 THIS AFTERNOON. ONCE WE GET INTO THE LATER PART OF THE AFTERNOON, OUR RAIN CHANCES DO BEGIN TO RAMP ON UP AND THAT IS GOING TO COME WITH A MAJOR CHANGE IN OUR TEMPERATURES. IF YOU’RE ANXIOUS FOR A COOLDOWN, WE’VE GOT THAT AHEAD. I’LL HAVE A CLOSER LOOK AT WHERE TEMPERATURES GO FROM HERE AND HOW LONG THE RAIN WILL STICK AROUND. PEYTON. THANK YOU SYDNEY, WE’RE FOLLOWING SOME BREAKING NEWS OUT OF CHEROKEE COUNTY THIS MORNING WHERE AN OFF DUTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTY HAS DIED AFTER AN ATV CRASH. NOW, ACCORDING TO THE CORONER, THIS HAPPENED AT AROUND 245 THIS MORNING ON PONDFIELD ROAD NEAR GAFFNEY. THE CORONER SAYS 28 YEAR OLD BRANDON TYLER PARKER WAS DRIVING AN ATV AND HEADING SOUTH ON PONDFIELD ROAD. PARKER WAS REPORTEDLY SPEEDING WHEN HE LOST CONTROL AND RAN OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD BEFORE BEING EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE AND HITTING SEVERAL TREES. WE’RE TOLD HE WAS EJECTED BECAUSE HE WAS NOT WEARING A SEATBELT. MOVING INTO GREENVILLE COUNTY NOW, DEPUTIES ARE INVESTIGATING AFTER A MAN WAS FOUND SHOT IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD. THEY SAY THIS HAPPENED AT AROUND 1130 LAST NIGHT ON CARLIE DRIVE IN PIEDMONT. LAW ENFORCEMENT SAYS THEY FOUND A 32 YEAR OLD MAN WITH AT LEAST ONE GUNSHOT WOUND TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD. HE WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. HE IS ALIVE. HE’S BEING TREATED FOR HIS INJURIES. WE’RE TOLD AN ARGUMENT WITH SOME UNKNOWN SUSPECTS LED TO THIS VICTIM BEING SHOT. THEY DON’T HAVE ANYONE IN CUSTODY AT THIS POINT. AND OVER IN EASLEY. NOW, POLICE SAY A CHILD AND AN ADULT WERE CLIPPED BY A CAR WHILE TRICK OR TREATING. OFFICERS TELL US THIS HAPPENED AT ABOUT 7:00 LAST NIGHT ON WEST MAIN STREET. AT THE TIME, THE TREATS ON THE STREET EVENT WAS GOING ON, AND POLICE SAY A FOUR YEAR OLD CHILD AND A WOMAN WERE IN THE CROSSWALK WHEN THEY WERE BOTH CLIPPED. BOTH OF THEM WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL WITH MINOR INJURIES. THE DRIVER WAS CHARGED WITH FAILURE TO YIELD FOR PEDESTRIANS AT A CROSSWALK AND NO DRIVER’S LICENSE. AND NOW TO LAWRENCE, WHERE POLICE SAY A KIDNAPING SUSPECT IS IN CUSTODY. INVESTIGATORS SAY THIS HAPPENED LAST SATURDAY MORNING. THEY SAY A SUSPECT FORCIBLY ABDUCTED A FEMALE VICTIM. SHE WAS FOUND BY AUTHORITIES THAT DAY IN SIMPSONVILLE. POLICE TELL US JORDAN TREVION SWEENEY WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY IN GREENVILLE COUNTY. NO OTHER DETAILS HAVE BEEN RELEASED. AND A MASSIVE THANK YOU TO HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS AND FIRST RESPONDERS WHO BROUGHT RELIEF TO WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. IT’S THE PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE BENEFIT CONCERT AT THE TRYON INTERNATIONAL EQUESTRIAN CENTER AND OUR NATE STANLEY HAS THE DETAILS. GEOFF AND ALLYSON A CONCERT FULL OF REFLECTION AT THE TRYON INTERNATIONAL EQUESTRIAN CENTER FRIDAY IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE HELENE, THE VENUE TURNED INTO A DISTRIBUTION CENTER FOR PEOPLE AND ANIMALS ALIKE. WE OPENED OUR DOORS TO RECEIVING DONATIONS AND THEN GETTING PRODUCT AND SUPPLIES OUT TO THIS LOCAL COMMUNITY. BUT THEN MANY, MANY, MANY HARD TO REACH LOCATIONS. JEREMIAH THEORY WAS ONE OF A THOUSAND VOLUNTEERS. HE CAME TO TRY ON TO WORK LOGISTICS AT THE DISTRIBUTION CENTER. I DID A LOT OF THE INTAKE, SO I TOOK IN A LOT OF THE STUFF AND SO TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO DROVE UP HERE FROM LOUISIANA AND MISSISSIPPI AND ALL OVER THE COUNTRY TO DROP OFF THINGS ON FRIDAY, THE VENUE HOSTED A BENEFIT CONCERT CALLED PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE, FEATURING A FREE VOLUNTEER DINNER. EVERYBODY WAS JUST SO PASSIONATE AND SO HELPFUL. AND WE JUST WE COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT THEM. THEORY SAYS THERE ARE STILL SO MANY IN NORTH CAROLINA WITHOUT BASIC RESOURCES, AND SAYS MORE STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE IN THE STATE. WE DON’T REALLY THINK ABOUT THEIR DAY TO DAY EVERY DAY BECAUSE WE’RE BACK TO OUR DAY TO DAY. IT WORKS OUT FOR THE COLLECTIVE GOOD OF EVERYBODY, AND IT FEELS GOOD AT THE END OF THE DAY THAT YOU HELP SOMEBODY ELSE AND YOU WEREN’T JUST THINKING ABOUT YOUR OWN NEEDS. THAT WAS NATE STANLEY REPORTING AND THIS MORNING, TRYON WILL HOST A VENDOR FAIR FEATURING BUSINESSES IN CHIMNEY ROCK THAT WERE HURT BY THE STORM. THAT STARTS AT 10 A.M. MEANWHILE, SOME OF THE BIGGEST ARTISTS IN THE GAME WILL BE IN CHARLOTTE TODAY FOR A CONCERT TO HELP WITH HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF CONCERT FOR CAROLINA BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM FEATURES A LIST OF PERFORMERS, INCLUDING THOSE FROM WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA LIKE LUKE COMBS AND ERIC CHURCH, AND FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN, AND NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR ROY COOPER TRAVELED TO ASHEVILLE YESTERDAY, MEETING WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS HELPING STORM RECOVERY. THIS COMES AS THE GOVERNOR SIGNED A $604 MILLION RELIEF BILL TO HELP REBUILD PARTS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. STATE LAWMAKERS UNANIMOUSLY PASSED THAT SECOND ROUND OF FUNDING LAST NIGHT, AND WITH THIS MEASURE, MONEY WILL GO TOWARD WATER AND WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE. CASH FLOW LOANS FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, AND ADDRESSING NEEDS THAT ARE NOT COVERED BY INSURANCE. AND TWO LANES OF INTERSTATE 26. IN TENNESSEE, DAMAGED BY HELENE, ARE EXPECTED TO REOPEN SOON. TENNESSEE D-O-T CREWS ARE WORKING TO RESTORE TWO WAY TRAFFIC. THERE WILL BE A LANE OPEN IN EACH DIRECTION WHERE THE TENNESSEE AND NORTH CAROLINA STATE LINES MEET. THAT PORTION IS EXPECTED TO REOPEN IN TWO WEEKS, BUT A TENNESSEE D-O-T SPOKESMAN SAYS IT’S POSSIBLE IT COULD OPEN SOONER. AND IN COMMITMENT 2024. AS WE COUNT DOWN TO ELECTION DAY EARLY VOTING ACROSS THE CAROLINAS AND GEORGIA CONTINUES. MORE THAN 511,000 PEOPLE TAKING PART IN DEMOCRACY, CASTING THEIR BALLOTS IN SOUTH CAROLINA. EARLY VOTING RUNS UNTIL SATURDAY, NOVEMBER SECOND IN NORTH CAROLINA. MORE THAN 2.2 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE VOTED IN THAT STATE. EARLY VOTING ALSO RUNS UNTIL NOVEMBER 2ND IN GEORGIA. WOW, 2.4 MILLION BALLOTS HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED, SO FAR. THE LAST DAY TO EARLY VOTE IN GEORGIA IS NOVEMBER FIRST. MEANWHILE, A SOUTH CAROLINA JUDGE HAS DENIED THE ACLU’S REQUEST TO REOPEN VOTER REGISTRATION FOR NEARLY 1900 TEENS. THE CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATION FILED A LAWSUIT ALLEGING A GLITCH IN THE DMV’S COMPUTERS DID NOT IDENTIFY THE TEENS AS QUALIFIED TO VOTE. WHEN THEY GOT THEIR DRIVER’S LICENSES, THEY WERE 17 WHEN THEY COMPLETED THEIR VOTER REGISTRATION, BUT WOULD HAVE TURNED 18 BY ELECTION DAY AND WOULD HAVE BEEN ELIGIBLE TO VOTE. THE STATE ELECTION COMMISSION SAYS AROUND 6000 TEENS AFFECTED WERE STILL ABLE TO REGISTER BECAUSE OF THE GOVERNMENT’S CONDUCT. YOUNG, FIRST TIME VOTERS ARE WRONGFULLY EXCLUDED FROM A HISTORIC ELECTION. THE CIRCUIT JUDGE WROTE THAT THE RELIEF SOUGHT BY THE ACLU IS TOO DRASTIC AND WOUL
A distressed hiker’s 911 call leads to a homicide investigation, deputies say
Updated: 5:45 PM EDT Oct 26, 2024
Monroe County, Tennessee, deputies said a man wanted for first-degree murder has ties to South Carolina and several other states.(Video above: WYFF News 4 Morning Headlines)Around 11:30 p.m. Oct. 18, Monroe County Emergency Communications received a transferred 911 call from Polk County Emergency Communications regarding a distressed hiker.The caller, who claimed to be Brandon Andrade, told the dispatcher that he fell off a cliff while running from a bear. He claimed to be injured and partially in the water, officials said. Dispatchers pinged the call to the Charles Hall bridge area on the Cherohala Skyway in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, and emergency services responded. Search-and-rescue teams searched the area and found a dead man with the identification card for Brandon Kristopher Andrade on his person. The body was then transported to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center.Detectives with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division and Violent Crimes Task Force reviewed the scene and discovered the ID card that was found on the body did not belong to the deceased man. Upon further investigation, detectives found that the ID card had been stolen and used on multiple occasions. Additionally, authorities found that the man who was using the stolen ID card was 45-year-old Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, who is wanted for parole violation in the state of Alabama.According to officials, Hamlett used a false name when speaking with law enforcement in Knox County after the distressed hiker call. Before his real identity was discovered, authorities believe Hamlett fled his home in Tennessee.Deputies said the man who was found dead has yet to be identified and is being referred to as John Doe. Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are working to develop a sketch of Doe to be released for the purpose of identification.An arrest warrant has been issued for Hamlett for first-degree murder out of Monroe County.Authorities are searching for Hamlett and said he is known to use multiple aliases, including Andrade. Law enforcement considers Hamlett to be “dangerous and potentially armed.”Officials said Hamlett is reported to have ties in the states of South Carolina, Alaska, Kentucky, Montana, Alabama and Tennessee.Hamlett is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall and 170 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.Officials ask that you do not approach Hamlett and that you call 911 immediately or call Monroe County dispatch at 423-442-3911.
Monroe County, Tennessee, deputies said a man wanted for first-degree murder has ties to South Carolina and several other states.
(Video above: WYFF News 4 Morning Headlines)
Around 11:30 p.m. Oct. 18, Monroe County Emergency Communications received a transferred 911 call from Polk County Emergency Communications regarding a distressed hiker.
The caller, who claimed to be Brandon Andrade, told the dispatcher that he fell off a cliff while running from a bear. He claimed to be injured and partially in the water, officials said.
Dispatchers pinged the call to the Charles Hall bridge area on the Cherohala Skyway in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, and emergency services responded. Search-and-rescue teams searched the area and found a dead man with the identification card for Brandon Kristopher Andrade on his person. The body was then transported to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center.
Detectives with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division and Violent Crimes Task Force reviewed the scene and discovered the ID card that was found on the body did not belong to the deceased man. Upon further investigation, detectives found that the ID card had been stolen and used on multiple occasions. Additionally, authorities found that the man who was using the stolen ID card was 45-year-old Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, who is wanted for parole violation in the state of Alabama.
According to officials, Hamlett used a false name when speaking with law enforcement in Knox County after the distressed hiker call. Before his real identity was discovered, authorities believe Hamlett fled his home in Tennessee.
Deputies said the man who was found dead has yet to be identified and is being referred to as John Doe. Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are working to develop a sketch of Doe to be released for the purpose of identification.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Hamlett for first-degree murder out of Monroe County.
Authorities are searching for Hamlett and said he is known to use multiple aliases, including Andrade. Law enforcement considers Hamlett to be “dangerous and potentially armed.”
Officials said Hamlett is reported to have ties in the states of South Carolina, Alaska, Kentucky, Montana, Alabama and Tennessee.
Hamlett is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall and 170 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.
Officials ask that you do not approach Hamlett and that you call 911 immediately or call Monroe County dispatch at 423-442-3911.
