From hurricanes to handcuffs: Sheriff Wilke recaps a whirlwind year
Haywood County Sheriff Bill Wilke speaks to commissioners on April 8. Haywood County government photo
In a year-in-review summary report released this week, Haywood County Sheriff Bill Wilke outlined key accomplishments and challenges from 2024, marking a year of operational growth, community engagement and the continuing fight against crime and drugs.
“Nothing remains static, particularly in the law enforcement world,” Wilke told commissioners April 8. “So much changes over time, but the trick is to stay healthy during those changes and stay up to date with things and ensure that our approaches and our policies are in conjunction with those changes.”
The 2024 report provides a comprehensive look at patrol operations, detention data, narcotics enforcement and support services while acknowledging the efforts of deputies, staff and volunteers who contributed to public safety and well-being over the past year.
Maintaining adequate levels of staffing, not only in operations but also in detention and in the 911 call center, appears to be going well, with the office currently looking at an 8% vacancy rate.
“We’ve had some real experience retire this year, and I will tell you, I had some concerns about that because you had folks that had been in that office for decades, and there’s a ‘season’ to a career in office,” Wilke said. “I’m pleased to tell you that we have some young folks in there who have come in and really stepped up to answer the call.”
Although turnover can be expected in any business or government agency, Wilke reported 74 out of 79 operational positions as filled, as of the county’s last payroll period.
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Patrol deputies, organized into four 12-hour rotating squads consisting of seven people each, responded to 3,046 reported incidents in 2024 — more than eight per day — resulting in 1,046 arrests.
The detention center is down seven employees out of a total of 48, but the school resource officer program and the 911 call center currently have no vacancies.
Calls surged to more than 180,000 in 2024. Wilke said that “most” of the increased call volume is attributable to Helene; however, the increase is part of a trend since 2022, when the office logged 160,000 calls. In 2023, HCSO reported 170,000 calls.
Over that same period, the Sheriff’s Office budget has remained relatively flat, growing less than 2.1% to the current $8.8 million.
Deputies performed a wide range of duties beyond law enforcement in 2024, including mediating neighbor disputes, responding to involuntary commitments and assisting with missing persons searches — not to mention operating under extreme circumstances during Hurricane Helene.
The Civil Process Division’s five dedicated deputies served 5,751 civil papers, generating $125,446 and managing various orders, from tax warrants to child custody matters.
In the courthouse, six full-time deputies screened 65,745 citizens through metal detectors and supported 518 court sessions, ensuring secure judicial proceedings throughout the year. But just two weeks ago, the entire office sprang into action for an incident that was somewhat out of the ordinary.
“We had a bomb threat just before lunch at our courthouse. Courthouse was cleared by 2:00, an arrest was made and someone was sitting in Haywood County jail by 6 p.m. that evening,” Wilke said. “That is a great testament to the courthouse deputies working with our criminal investigations division.”
The Criminal Investigations Division handled 574 cases, executed 76 search warrants, and recovered more than $1.6 million in stolen property. CID investigators addressed crimes ranging from child abuse and sexual assault to fraud and homicide. Eight investigators and one evidence technician make up the team.
Evidence management remained a priority, with 365 new cases logged, 182 disposed of, and 207 items sent for forensic analysis.
The two teams of the Crime Suppression Unit, a specialized team focused on narcotics and high-crime areas, logged 214 arrests, including 65 trafficking charges. They executed 43 search warrants targeting nuisance locations and worked collaboratively with investigators and residents to develop long-term solutions.
Wilke’s office also recorded significant narcotics seizures throughout the year.
Methamphetamine continues to plague the region, with officers confiscating more than 5,470 grams, or about 12 pounds. Deputies also seized almost 17 pounds of cannabis, 1.25 pounds of fentanyl and smaller amounts of heroin, LSD, cocaine and morphine.
“That’s enough fentanyl to kill Haywood County’s [63,000] citizens three times over,” said Wilke.
Commissioner Tommy Long asked Wilke for more details on the drug data.
“Can you kind of tell us the trajectory of how it compares to last year, year before last, the year before that, and what are you seeing?”
Wilke said some trafficking seems to be down from the previous year, because from an economics standpoint, the cost of fentanyl and meth in Haywood County is “more than twice what costs just going one county to the east, and I think a lot of that has to do with the enforcement effort [in Haywood County].”
Last year, Wilke presented drug numbers only for a nine-month period, so the totals can’t quite be compared to this year’s 12-month tally; however, the numbers seem to support Wilke’s assertion — during those nine months in 2023, the office had seized more than 2.1 pounds of fentanyl, for instance.
Alluding to recent legalization of cannabis on the Qualla Boundary, Wilke reiterated his stance against it.
“This is not good, and this sheriff will never agree that marijuana is a harmless drug or that it should be legalized. Now, I understand that there are arguments for it, but I’ve seen too much destruction that it has caused,” he said. “It is a gateway drug for several people, maybe not everybody, and that’s not a popular opinion in certain sects of our community, but I’ve seen it cause too much destruction. It’s also a delivery mechanism for other drugs. You don’t know what you’re getting today. Years past, if you bought marijuana, it was grown in someone’s backyard, it had a percent of THC that I think was close to 5 to 7%. These days, you’ve got it in gummies, cookies, brownies, I mean, it’s being purveyed and sold in packages in stores. You don’t know what you’re getting. You’re getting overdoses and finding that this is a CBD gummy, and it’s laced with fentanyl or some sort of opiate.”
The K-9 unit logged 200 training hours, conducted 80 vehicle searches, six suspect or subject tracks, nine school searches and 25 inter-agency assists. All dogs are trained in narcotics detection and evidence recovery. Two of the six dogs are certified full patrol K-9s, trained for suspect apprehension. The department also mourned the loss of K-9 Axe in 2024, who served over six years and was credited with assisting in the seizure of significant quantities of drugs, 159 firearms, and nearly $94,000 in cash. Axe’s contributions, alongside his handler Deputy Hayden Green, were praised in the report as life-saving.
The 13-member Special Response Team answered five callouts and logged 144 hours of tactical training. SRT operations included warrant services, search-and-rescue missions and barricaded suspect interventions.
Haywood County’s detention center processed 1,954 male and 878 female inmates in 2024. Officers conducted more than 77,000 head counts, 169,000 special watches and 621,000 cell checks — a reflection of both diligence and the facility’s heavy workload.
Among the top charges for inmates were failure to appear (1,449), probation/parole violations (277), and drug trafficking (245). Wilke said he was committed to reducing the number of FTAs through a “helpful reminder” program but admitted that it didn’t really have an impact on people in the “lifestyle” who were committed to absconding.
“Until we change that lifestyle, we’re really not going to change that number,” he said.
Reintegration efforts included 244 support meetings in coordination with outside groups such as Narcotics Anonymous and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Additional referrals were made to recovery court, residential treatment and veteran-focused programs.
The Sheriff’s Office also maintains a full-time victim advocate to support individuals impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault. In 2024, the office assisted with 33 protective orders, while the nonprofit REACH of Haywood County helped secure 82 more.
The department also marked awareness events in April (Sexual Assault Awareness Month) and October (Domestic Violence Awareness Month), reinforcing its commitment to supporting survivors.
Staff processed 388 new concealed handgun permits and 839 renewals, collecting more than $23,000 in associated fees. Deputies also conducted 118 sex offender residence checks, resulting in one criminal charge.
Administrative staff handled public inquiries, fingerprinting, and front-line communication while managing nearly $50,000 in fee collections from civil services and fingerprinting.
“We are a strong and solid office, and every day, those folks come to work with the greater good in mind, and it’s because they have your support as well. And it’s important that you know that; I relay that to them all the time, and they see it, and they saw it during [Helene], and they saw it during the wildfires. They see it when it really matters.”
The full 2024 report is available through the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office.
