Asheville police: Men in ski masks tie up and rob couple on Town Mountain

It's rare that you see this kind of crime up on Town Mountain, which is populated with million-dollar homes with million-dollar views. Note that this happened on Sunday morning.

From the Asheville Police Department's web site:

Detectives investigate first-degree burglary

ASHEVILLE - Asheville police detectives are investigating a reported first-degree burglary of a couple's residence on Sunset Summit that occurred this morning (Jan. 11). Police received a call at 9:43 a.m. that two white males wearing all black clothing and ski masks had entered the residence shortly after the husband left the residence to get breakfast. The two suspects had been dropped off at the scene by a white female driving an older model dark green 4-door Buick with a sunroof. The two suspects entered the house, displayed a handgun, and made the wife lie down as they searched the residence.

The husband returned and both he and his wife were taken to a bedroom and tied up. The suspects took firearms, jewelry, cash, and bank cards. The two suspects left the scene in the couple's gray Subaru Legacy. The man and woman were not injured.

At the time of this posting, detectives are conducting several interviews in the case. Any updates will be transmitted via media release and/or updated on this page.

Update on Monday, January 12, 2009 by Ash

Police make arrests:

ASHEVILLE – Asheville police have charged three people in a first-degree burglary that occurred Jan. 11 at a residence on Sunset Summit Drive.

Police received a call at 9:43 a.m. Jan. 11 that two white males wearing all black clothing and ski masks had entered the residence shortly after seeing the husband leave the house. The two suspects had been dropped off at the scene by a white female driving an older model dark green Buick with a sunroof. The two suspects entered the house, displayed a handgun, and made the wife lie down as they searched the residence.

The husband returned and both he and his wife were taken to a bedroom and tied up. The suspects took items including firearms, jewelry, cash, and bank cards. The two suspects left the scene in the couple's car. 

The man and woman were not injured.

A regional broadcast describing the suspects was immediately sent to law enforcement when the home invasion was reported. Buncombe County deputies quickly responded with information that was later used to positively identify the suspects.  

Asheville police took the suspects into custody this morning at the Hampton Inn on Tunnel Road without incident. The majority of the stolen property has been returned to the victims.

Charged were:

Jessica Starr Thomas, birth date 5/24/1991, of Asheville, with:

First-Degree Kidnapping x 2

Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon x 2

Felony Breaking & Entering x 2

Bond was set at $120,000 secured.

Blake Fran McGrath, birth date 11/5/1983, of Hickory, with:

First-Degree Kidnapping x 2

Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon x 2

Felony Breaking & Entering x 2

Larceny of Motor Vehicle x 2

Bond was set at $130,000 secured.

Christopher Matthew Hassell, birth date 7/3/1984, of Leicester, with:

First-Degree Kidnapping x 2

Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon x 2

Felony Breaking & Entering x 2

Larceny of Motor Vehicle x 2

Felony Possession of Cocaine

Served with Outstanding Warrant for Driving While License Revoked

Bond was set at $94,000 secured.

Comments

[Lesley]

Ash,
Ahem...the only homes I've personally visited on Town Mountain have been older bungalows, diy renovations, and a couple of rondells. I know there are rich people up there too, but...

[judgeyall]

Talked to my buddy who lives up there and luckily the armed suspects were caught hours later. The woman driving the car had stolen her mom's car, the two masked guys were apparently stoned, smoked the whole time. and stayed two hours! what a nightmare!

[Ash]

Lesley, I looked up the property tax listings for Sunset Summit, and you're right. Instead of million-dollar homes, they're mostly half million dollar homes.

But they're all rich. I'm not sure which houses you were visiting...

[Lesley]

Maybe I just have a knack for finding pockets of struggling people in otherwise wealthy neighborhoods, but I can take you on tour! The rondells are especially charming (rondell = low rent deltec home). :-)

[Jenny Graves]

Town Mtn is not all rich and huge homes. Some yes, but others are definitely not that high end. It's an old neighborhood and a mixed bag to be honest.

This sort of crime can happen anywhere. The fact that it happened on Town Mtn does not make it any more dramatic.

[Ash]

Lesley, i'd love a tour! :) i need more blog fodder!

Seriously, Lesley and Jenny, you are correct, and I should have been more specific. Town Mountain is more of a mixed bag than I stated in my post -- i overstated.

But the homes on Sunset Summit, where the robbery occurred, have tax values of anywhere from $320,000 to $783,000, with lots of homes in the $400,000s and $500,000s.

That's a wealthy neighborhood, by my standards. But as a lowly reporter, my standards are pretty low.

[b.c.w.]

Your standards aren't low, Ash... with the way the real estate market has tanked (or LEVELED, depending on your perspective) a $4-500,000 home is pretty upper crust now. Home prices are finally coming back to reality. Remember, for the landed gentry of Asheville, anything around a million or below was seen as a 'fixer-upper' before the poo hit the fan. For $500,000 I'd buy the house and sell half of it to someone else.... less to clean and worry about. hah!

[Weather Watcher]

Strange that the suspect (Hassell), with the additional charges of cocaine possession and a felony warrant for driving with a revoked license, had the lowest bond.

[Matt Howard]

Im frankly suprised this hasent happeded sooner. And I expect it to happen again. These people were idiots, but next time someone smart might pull it off. Or even more chilling, someone more unbalanced.