Escaped Inmate Sentenced, Live Music, and Early Voting - Asheville Local Frequency

Good morning, this is your Asheville Local Frequency for Thursday, February nineteenth. We start with a major criminal justice development from McDowell County. A man who escaped from a state prison work crew last year and forced a woman to drive him to Asheville has been sentenced to over thirty years behind bars. Billy Lee Smith was found guilty of second-degree kidnapping, breaking and entering, and escape from state prison. The forty-four-year-old walked away from a worksite at Marion Correctional Institution in February of last year while on work release. After escaping, he forced his way into a Marion home, abducted the woman living there, and compelled her to drive him to Asheville. He later released her unharmed and fled into wooded areas in Buncombe County before law enforcement apprehended him. The case required coordination across multiple jurisdictions and agencies, and Sheriff Ricky Buchanan praised the teamwork that brought it to a successful conclusion. On the lighter side, if you're looking for something to do this evening, Asheville has some great entertainment happening. Zoso, the Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience, is performing tonight at The Orange Peel at eight o'clock. If you prefer live instrumentation, Saxsquatch is playing at Eulogy, also at eight. And basketball fans should know that UNC Asheville is traveling to High Point tonight for an ESPNU broadcast of their game against the High Point Panthers at seven p.m. For those interested in the arts, the Asheville Art Museum is hosting Third Thursday tonight, which features live music with Jenna Jaffe. And if you're a creative type, the North Carolina Glass Center is offering a three-hour workshop called A Feel for the Furnace, starting at ten in the morning on Roberts Street, along with a clay figure workshop with local artist Katie Croft. Also happening today, early voting for the twenty-twenty-six primary election continues at Buncombe County voting sites from eight in the morning until seven thirty in the evening. As we move into late February, remember that Asheville has plenty more happening this winter. The Asheville Truffle Experience runs this weekend with tastings and classes, and Bluegrass First Class returns February thirteenth through fifteenth at the Crowne Plaza. This has been Asheville Local Frequency. We'll see you tomorrow with more local updates. For more http://www.quietplease.ai Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.