Man charged with looting $70K worth of historic rifles, unique knives following Helene

By Dean Hensley

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    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — An Asheville man has been arrested and charged for looting a local business on Patton Avenue immediately following Tropical Storm Helene.

The Asheville Police Department announced in a Nov. 5 news release that Michael William Plummer, 55, was arrested after a thorough investigation. Plummer was located on Nov. 1 by police and charged as a suspect in the theft of historic 1886 Winchester rifles and more than two dozen unique custom-made knives.

The total amount the rifles and the knives were worth was estimated to be $70,000, police said. The items have still yet to be recovered, police said.

APD officers responded to the 600 block of Patton Avenue in West Asheville around 7:44 p.m. on Sept. 28 to investigate the breaking and entering of a business, according to the release. When officers arrived, they found that the suspect had forced entry through a basement door, taking the items.

Third person charged for ethic intimidation in West Asheville Library incident When Plummer was located on Nov. 1, he was taken into custody without incident, police said. Plummer was charged with the following:

Felony breaking and entering Larceny after breaking and entering Felony trespass during emergency Possession of burglary tools Plummer was booked into the Buncombe County Detention Facility under a $10,000 secured bond.

Anyone with any information about this break-in or any other illegal activity can contact the APD at 828-252-1110. Tips can also be sent by using the TIP2APD smartphone application (search “Asheville PD” in the app store) or by texting TIP2APD to 847411.

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