Three individuals from Tennessee have been accused of renting an Airbnb property with the intention of causing harm to the Western North Carolina community. The trio allegedly hosted a party that resulted in significant damage to the property and caused a disturbance in the neighborhood. The incident has raised concerns about the safety of short-term rentals and the need for stricter regulations to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future. The suspects have been arrested and face charges related to vandalism, disorderly conduct, and conspiracy.
Madison County Sheriff’s Office has apprehended three individuals, namely Noah Lee Runyon, Kevin Phillip Craig, and Breanna Nicole Leach, for their involvement in multiple vehicle and residential burglaries that took place in the Laurel community and Mars Hill over the past few weeks. The office shared a photo, depicting the suspects, who were taken into custody.
The county of Madison in North Carolina has recently made headlines.
Three individuals have been taken into custody by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office for allegedly causing terror in the community for a number of weeks. According to reports, the suspects had rented an Airbnb nearby.
On June 5, the Madison County Sheriff, Buddy Harwood, announced the arrest of the trio.
According to him, there have been more than 48 instances of breaking and entering in the past month. These incidents have occurred in various locations throughout the county, targeting cars and outbuildings.
According to him, detectives have viewed multiple videos and have deduced that the group was involved in the crimes between the hours of 2 and 4:30 am.
Three individuals from Tennessee have been accused of renting out an Airbnb property in an effort to cause terror within a western North Carolina community.
Harwood’s decision to shift all detectives to the late night shift proved to be a wise move as they were able to track down the suspects at a gas station in Mars Hill last Wednesday.
He said, “Those folks were ID’ed by my detectives who immediately recognized them as the ones responsible for the recent break-ins in the county.”
Upon apprehending the trio, Harwood revealed the discovery of a stolen firearm from Kentucky inside the suspects’ vehicle.
According to Sheriff Harwood, after the arrest, his office uncovered that the trio had been renting an Airbnb in Barnardsville and were reportedly causing havoc in Madison County.
On June 12, 2024, three individuals who rented a nearby Airbnb were arrested by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office for terrorizing the community for several weeks. The photo credit goes to WLOS Staff.
According to him, their preferred criminal activity was breaking into cars to steal hand tools or any other easily accessible items that they could toss into the back of their truck. Additionally, he stated that they had a supplier to whom they were selling the stolen goods.
According to Sheriff Harwood, the individuals involved in the case are originally from Elizabethton, Tennessee. Furthermore, he also mentioned that they were suspected to be involved in breaking and entering cases in Tennessee.
Harwood stated that although 39-year-old Kevin Craig is a convicted felon, he is the oldest suspect and the relation between the three is currently unknown.
“They were a group of individuals who came from Tennessee and went on a crime spree in North Carolina,” he explained.
According to Harwood, the problem of individuals using Airbnb’s as a platform to carry out criminal activities has been on the rise in the Madison County community.
According to him, it’s a perfect hideout for criminals looking to carry out their unlawful activities. They can easily come and go within a couple of days without being noticed.
Although the apprehension of these suspects has brought a sense of relief to both Harwood and the community, he urges any residents who do not currently have a security camera system installed in their homes to consider doing so.
He said that whenever a crime occurs, they make our jobs much easier.
The Madison County Jail is currently holding all three suspects in custody.
