A Graham County man recently pleaded guilty to felony littering of hazardous waste for throwing used needles on the ground in a local park, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch announced.

Jeffery Charles Heid, 53, of Robbinsville, also pleaded guilty to assault on a law enforcement officer and communicating threats. 

Four Western North Carolina sheriffs were honored with a congressional recognition from Sen. Ted Budd. 

Transylvania County Sheriff Chuck Owenby, Haywood County Sheriff Bill Wilke, Henderson County Sheriff Lowell Griffin and Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller received the honor — which was read aloud on the Senate floor  — for their participation in Operation Uptown Funk earlier this year, which led to the seizure over 30 pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl, as well as 30 arrests related to drug trafficking. 

On July 4, the Haywood County Sheriff’s office announced that Kelly Diane Shelton, 42, and Charles Edward Morris, 56, both of Clyde, were arrested June 29 on multiple felony drug charges following an investigation by the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office. 

Two people in unrelated cases pleaded guilty to trafficking charges in Cherokee County, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said.