Woman sentenced to at least 4 years for string of barn burnings

By Dean Hensley

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    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — Following barn fires that occurred in November 2021, two of the three individuals who pleaded guilty to setting the barns on fire are still behind bars.

Nearly two years after Blake Cameron Williams and Anthony DeWayne Boyd were sentenced to a minimum of 3 1/2 years in prison, the third person, Ashley Debra Neal, 30, has been sentenced. According to a news release from Buncombe County District Attorney Todd Williams, Neal has been found guilty by a jury on multiple counts related to a series of arsons that occurred in the Sandy Mush and Leicester communities in November 2021.

Superior Court Judge Alan Z. Thornburg sentenced Neal to serve an active term of no less than four years in the custody of North Carolina prisons and a maximum term of 87 months (7 1/4 years). Neal will be released to probation upon the completion of her term of imprisonment, the release said.

Neal was convicted of the following charges:

Burning certain buildings (three counts) Felony conspiracy to commit the arsons (four counts) Burning personal property (five counts) Malicious use of explosive device (five counts)

According to the release, these charges stem from a series of fires that occurred in the early morning hours of Nov. 3, 2021, affecting multiple barns and hay sheds in the Sandy Mush, Newfound, Sugar Creek and Leicester communities.

Each structure was a complete loss, impacting family farms and livelihoods, the release said.

The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, working in conjunction with local fire departments, the State Bureau of Investigation and community members, conducted an extensive investigation that led to the identification and arrest of Neal and two co-defendants, Williams and Boyd, on Nov. 15, 2021.

Williams and Boyd previously pleaded guilty to similar charges on May 18, 2023, and both were sentenced to a minimum of 44 months and a maximum of 82 months in the N.C. Division of Adult Corrections, as well as $50,000 in restitution.

Assistant District Attorneys Kyle Sherard and Meredith Mercer presented the State’s case to the jury, the release said.

“I thank the diligent and collaborative work of multiple law enforcement agencies and appreciate the strength and patience of the Leicester community as we sought justice and accountability in this case. We hope this verdict brings some measure of justice to all affected by these devastating fires,” District Attorney Williams said in the release.

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