Watauga County

Well, um, I had a buddy...

So, so Christmas trees, Watauga and Ashe County, um, and, and, you know, some of the other, Alleghany and some of the other counties around here too, we're- are like, from what I understand, we're the Christmas tree capital of North America.

Mm-hmm.

Of, of America for sure.

Where is it again? I do not know.

Watauga? Yeah, Watauga County.

Huh.

Dang, I don't hear nothing about that.

Within hours, North Carolinians mobilized to help.

Michael Watley, then serving as the chairman of the Republican National Committee, joined forces with Samaritan's Purse to help Watauga County, where Watley grew up, to help deliver supplies to those in need.

Watley also called President Donald Trump during his 2024 campaign to assist those who were suffering.

Watley was the, quote, number one advocate for Helene recovery, according to Trump.

The

stop order, Watauga County?

Yeah.

And they wouldn't let them be put on the people's land.

That's right.

But not up in Watauga County.

You haven't seen any water spouts up there? We had a

hurricane one time way back there when I was – they had been moved from one house from – one mountainside to another mountainside.

Boone had a triple homicide investigation, which was rare.

The investigation quickly grew beyond the Boone Police Department as the Watauga County Sheriff's Office and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation became involved.

Investigators began with the people who could tell them anything about the Durham's final hours, and that included Troy Hall.

Virginia's telephone call made his account particularly important.

Jerry Quesada remained accused of murder.

Chandler also remained in custody, although the proceedings at that stage treated his alleged role differently.

In September 1972, their cases went before a Watauga County grand jury, and the grand jury returned murder indictments against both men.

That represented an important change for Chandler.

And a lot of that would occur, um, around Craven gap and out towards rattlesnake lodge.

Um, and then a lot of work also in McDowell County and Watauga County at by Boone.

Um, what's not clear from that press release is, um, actually what we'll actually say.

So they, they said that they're going to do, um, stay away from heavy equipment in that 500 acres if it's practical.