Anson County Emergency Services

05/05/2026

Great team work by all agencies involved.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 5, 2026

Anson County Sheriff’s Office Announces Arrest of Morven Fire Chief

Anson County, NC — The Anson County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of William N. Stubbs on April 27, 2026, following an investigation conducted by the Sheriff’s Office.

Mr. Stubbs has been charged with the following offenses:
•Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon
•Felony Conspiracy (3 counts)
•Felony Trafficking in Opioids
•Felony Malicious Use of Explosives Causing Property Damage (2 counts)

Following his arrest, Mr. Stubbs was transported to the Anson County Magistrate’s Office, where he was served with all warrants. He was issued a $42,500 secured bond.
This investigation remains ongoing, and additional arrests are expected.

The Anson County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the following agencies for their assistance in this investigation:

North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI)
Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM)
North Carolina Department of Insurance (NCDOI)
Anson County Fire Marshal’s Office
Charlotte Fire Department
North Carolina Forest Service (Law Enforcement Branch)

Willliam N. Stubbs

04/27/2026

Burn Ban remains in effect for Anson County and NC.

The statewide burn ban remains in effect until further notice despite weekend rain in some areas. Persistent dry weather and increasing rainfall deficits from the last several months have left most of the state needing 10 inches of rain or more.

“While the rainfall we received over the weekend was a welcome sight, it offered little to no relief from widespread drought conditions while being nowhere near enough to reduce our wildfire risk,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Even the areas that received the heaviest amount of rain will quickly dry out from the sunshine and warmer temperatures. Until we get some additional rain and see more green-up in our forests, holding the burn ban in place statewide is the best option right now.”

While green-up and leaf-out are progressing at normal rate, low soil moisture, dry surface fuels and persistent low humidity are contributing to wildfire activity. For Western North Carolina, excessive forest fuels from Hurricane Helene are more available now than they were in 2025, low water levels in coastal areas have helped produce intense fire behavior where ground fire will likely be a long-term issue, and the Piedmont experienced 87 new wildfire starts over the weekend alone. Extended attack and mop-up efforts will be taxing and long-winded until drought conditions improve.

Read news release: https://bit.ly/497dNht

04/10/2026

This a reminder the the Burn Ban is still in effect for NC. NO OUTDOOR burning is allowed. This includes burn barrels and fire pits. Citations are be issued for any outdoor burning.

04/06/2026

03/28/2026

A Burn Ban is affect until further notice. NO OUTSIDE burning is allowed until further notice.

03/28/2026

The NWS has issued a Red Flag warning for today. Please postpone all outdoor burning

Effective Saturday, March 28 at 8 a.m., the National Weather Service has issued a ** 🚩🚩RED FLAG WARNING🚩🚩** for some North Carolina counties. For counties that aren’t under a red flag, fire danger is still critical. Review weather alerts for North Carolina at weather.gov.

A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures will create dangerous fire behavior.

While open burning is permitted during a red flag, it is NOT advised. Please postpone ALL outdoor burning. If there was ever a time to show you can follow instructions the first time they are given, it’s now.

Careless debris burning is the leading cause of wildfires in North Carolina, and you are our best defense against wildfire. For wildfire readiness and prevention tips: preventwildfirenc.org

03/15/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Anson County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Scott Howell

March 14, 2026

Missing Juvenile Located Safe

Anson County, NC — On Friday, March 13, 2026, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Aliyah contacted deputies with the Anson County Sheriff’s Office and informed them that she was safe and unharmed. During the initial conversation, Aliyah advised deputies that she was with a friend in Mississippi.

Through further investigation, detectives determined that Aliyah was actually in Burlington, North Carolina. Detectives later spoke with Aliyah again, at which time she confirmed that she was safe and not in any danger. Aliyah provided detectives with an address where she was staying. The Burlington Police Department was immediately notified and responded to the location, where they successfully located Aliyah safe and without harm.

Sheriff Scott Howell would like to thank the community for its overwhelming support during the search for Aliyah. Sheriff Howell also asks that the community continue to keep Aliyah and her family in their prayers.

The Anson County Sheriff’s Office would also like to remind the public that our agency often conducts multiple investigations at the same time. Ongoing operations or other enforcement activities do not take away from detectives continuing to work active cases. Our detectives remain dedicated to pursuing each case without interruption until it is resolved.

At times during an investigation, law enforcement may have more information than what can be immediately released to the public. This is done to protect the integrity of the investigation and to prevent jeopardizing the case. The Anson County Sheriff’s Office will always continue to work diligently and effectively on every case, just as we did in Aliyah’s case.

03/11/2026

Please help us find Aliyeh. If you see or know where she is please call 911.

MISSING PERSON – HELP US LOCATE

On March 10, 2026, at approximately 9:45 a.m., 19-year-old Aliyeh Smith walked away from her caretaker’s residence located at 506 South Leak Street in the Morven area of Anson County.

Deputies with the Anson County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Sheriff’s Office Bloodhound Tracking Team, searched the surrounding area for several hours but were unable to locate Aliyeh.

During the course of the investigation, detectives learned the caretaker did not realize Aliyeh had left the residence until 1:50 p.m., at which time the Sheriff’s Office was notified.

Sheriff Howell is asking anyone who may have seen Aliyeh or who knows her whereabouts to please contact Anson County 911 immediately.

Description:
• African-American female
• 19 years old
• Last seen wearing a tan hoodie with orange graphics on the back
• Black backpack
• Black bonnet
• Dark-colored pants
• Yellow Crocs

If you have any information that could assist in locating Aliyeh, please call Anson County 911.

02/25/2026

🚨 STOLEN ATV – PLEASE SHARE 🚨

On February 18, 2026, a 2024 Kawasaki Pro FXT 1000 (camouflage) ATV was stolen from a residence in the Strawn Road area of Peachland.

If you have seen this ATV or have any information regarding its whereabouts, please contact the Anson County Sheriff's Office immediately, at 704-694-4188.

Residents in the Strawn Road and surrounding areas are also asked to review any home surveillance footage that may have captured suspicious activity around February 18th.

Your assistance could make a difference in recovering this stolen property. Please share this post to help spread the word.

02/20/2026

Hwy 74 in Peachland near E Passaic St is down to 1 lane in both directions due to a MVC. Use caution in the area and expect delays. Avoid the area if possible.

02/18/2026

Hwy 74 W bound in front of Plank Road Sopping Center is down to one lane. Use caution in the area as workers work to clean the area. Expect delays.