Deputies: Man accused of fraud found with stolen vehicles while doing Helene cleanup

By Kelly Doty

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    HENDERSON COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — A man wanted on fraud charges now faces additional charges after deputies say he was found with multiple stolen vehicles while doing hurricane debris cleanup work in Henderson County.

The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office said Sammy Clayton Weaghington, 57, of Greenwood, South Carolina, was first investigated by the office in 2024 when deputies say he fraudulently bought a trailer from a Henderson County business using a closed bank account.

Warrants were issued for his arrest on charges of felony obtaining property by false pretense and felony worthless check, but deputies said he fled the area and could not be found.

On May 6, 2025, deputies said they discovered Weaghington had returned to the area and was working for a debris removal company in Fletcher in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Weaghington was taken into custody without incident and was found in possession of a trailer reported stolen out of Rhode Island, according to deputies.

Further investigation led authorities to the Gerton community, where they said they found a stolen camper and two other stolen vehicles, each reported missing by separate agencies in Tennessee.

The trailer that was fraudulently purchased in Henderson County in 2024 was not recovered and is believed to have been sold out of state, the sheriff’s office said.

Weaghington was booked into the Henderson County Jail on his original felony fraud charges and will remain in custody as the property crimes unit continues its investigation into the recovered stolen property. He then faces extradition on outstanding warrants from two law enforcement agencies in Tennessee and four in South Carolina.

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