Avery County Sheriff's Office Newland North Carolina

09/03/2026

08/21/2026

Press Release

08/18/2026

PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE/ SCHOOL TRAFFIC

The Avery County Sheriff's Office wants to alert the public in reference to our new school year beginning on Wednesday, August 19th. Obviously there will be an increase in traffic, both pedestrian and vehicular, in and around all of our schools. We ask that the public use caution when you are around these areas and pay close attention to your speed. Please understand that potential delays may occur particularly during your morning commute and possibly at the end of the school day. The hours of concern will be 0730 am to 0830 am and 230 pm to 330 pm.
NOTE: One area of concern this year will be the Avery County High School traffic as well as Avery Middle. Unfortunately, our bridge construction on High School Road will not be completed for the first week of school. Our hope is that the bridge construction will be completed by Monday, August 24th and back to a regular traffic pattern on this date. Please be patient as we are trying to make this first week a smooth transition into our new school year.
We are going to have some additional personnel in this area to assist with traffic and the improvised traffic pattern we will utilize during this week. We are anticipating an additional influx of traffic in the Newland area that will be affected due to only having one ingress and egress from High School Road onto Millers Gap.

08/17/2026

AVERY COUNTY SHERIFF OFFERS SAFETY REMINDERS FOR THE BACK-TO-SCHOOL SEASON

The Avery County Sheriff’s Office hopes this school year gets off to a great start! Many parents may be nervous going into the school year, especially if their little one is attending school for the very first time. To help ease their minds, we have some practical tips and skills that parents can share with their kids before they start the school year.

Summer break is coming to an end in Avery County, and we are so excited to see students get back to the books, we work hard to ensure our schools and students are safe, but there are ways that students and their parents can work together to help make them aware of potential dangers.

Before they head off to campus, we suggest that parents check the location sharing settings on their children’s electronic devices to make sure that their location is not being shared with any unwanted applications or individuals. This is also a great time to remind students of the dangers of sharing personal information on social media or other platforms. It is important to teach young people that sharing certain information, especially their location, may put them and their classmates at risk.

Take some time to give the following tips to your children before they head off to school for the academic year:

Before starting school, young children should:
Know the phone number of a parent or guardian
Know how to reach their parent or guardian at work
Know their home address
Know how to dial 911 in an emergency

If your child walks to school, make sure they:
Walk with a buddy
Stay on sidewalks
Obey traffic signals and stay in designated crosswalks

If your teenager is driving to school, make sure they:
Wear their seatbelt
Never use their cell phone while driving
Have up to date insurance and registration information in their vehicle

Children should try to avoid engaging with strangers, and follow these guidelines:
Never talk to strangers
Never accept a ride from someone you do not know
Establish a family code word. If someone claims to know your family but does not know the code, leave the situation immediately.


Taking the time to educate children about these situations can help ensure their safety throughout the school year and into the future. On behalf of The Avery County Sheriff’s Office, have a safe and productive school year!

07/02/2026

REMINDER FOR A SAFE INDEPENDENCE DAY FROM AVERY COUNTY SHERIFF

06/23/2026

The Avery County Sheriff’s Office wants to make the public aware of some unusual activity involving “door to door” sales in our community. On June 22, 2026 at approximately 630pm we were alerted to this type of activity in the Three Mile Community. The first complainant advised that a male subject approached her door and attempted to convince her to purchase some cleaning supplies, which she rejected and informed him she was not interested. The second complaint involved 3 males and 1 female who approached a residence attempting to sell vacuum cleaners.
Deputies responded to the area and successfully located the vehicle and the four individuals involved. The individuals were identified, all the appropriate checks were performed and no criminal violations had occurred as a result of their activity. Other similiar incidents were reported the following day.
If you encounter this type of activity in your community and you have interest in what they are selling, ask for a business card or a company name. It is not recommended that you allow anyone inside your residence and you should keep your door locked as you communicate with them. If you are not interested in what these individuals are selling, simply tell them you are not interested and instruct them to leave your property. If they do not comply and leave your property in a timely manner, contact the 911 center for a law enforcement response.

05/22/2026

On this week approaching Memorial Day the Avery County Sheriff’s Office would like to honor all members of our armed services who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. We also want to thank and honor all of our Gold Star Families who have endured overwhelming pain with the loss of a loved one. We as citizens of this great country must always remember that the freedoms we enjoy as a nation, do not come without a significant price. Thank you and may God bless you.

05/01/2026

The Avery County Sheriff's Office wants to make the public aware that you may see our new Inmate Litter Crew working around the county. This inmate crew will consist of armed detention officers and a crew of inmates who qualify and have been selected to perform this type work while serving misdemeanor sentences in our detention facility. This will be a more productive way to serve out their sentences while giving back to the community.

04/30/2026

On 29 April, 2026, Deputies with the Avery County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Newland area in reference to a sighting of a wanted person. A citizen contacted law enforcement after observing the individual near Big Mikes Campground in Newland. Deputies arriving in the area observed the wanted individual along with a juvenile female who was entered as a missing and endangered runaway. After a short foot pursuit, Avery County Sheriff's Office Canine Handlers and Drone Operators were able to track and locate the fleeing individuals in a wooded area above Hardees in Newland. Banner Elk Police Department also assisted in the search with their Drone Unit. Both individuals were taken into custody without incident.
The wanted male suspect is identified as Joshua John Childers, w/m, 45 years of age of Newland. He is charged with Possession of Stolen Goods, Misdemeanor Probation Violation, Two counts of a violation of a Domestic Violence Order, Felony Abduction of a Child and Felony First Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. A first appearance hearing was completed and Bond is set at 655,000.00. The runaway juvenile was placed into the custody of NC Juvenile Justice.
The Avery County Sheriff's Office would like to acknowledge the assistance of the NC State Bureau of Investigation Criminal Apprehension Team.

04/30/2026

Runaway juvenile. Seventeen-year-old Abbigayle “Abbie” Richardson has been located and is safe. Thank you to the public for your assistance.