MOMPHARD CLEARED IN KNIBBS SHOOTING
District Attorney Greg Newman cleared Deputy Sheriff Momphard of any criminal prosecution in the shooting death of Scott Knibbs in his home on April 30, 2018. A press release follows: (spelling and grammar retained)
MACON COUNTY DEPUTY CLEARED IN SHOOTING INCIDENT
Macon County Deputy Sheriff Anthony Wade Momphard, Jr. has been cleared by District Attorney Greg Newman of any criminal prosecution in the shooting death of Michael Scott Knibbs on May 1, 2018. “I accepted this case from the District Attorney for Macon County, Ashley Welch, when she advised me that she wanted to avoid any potential conflict of interest or an appearance of impropriety. I studied the evidence provided by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, consulted with the SBI agents involved, as well as senior members of my investigation staff and lawyers, and have concluded that Deputy Momphard was justified in his use of force that resulted in the death of Mr. Knibbs, “ said Mr. Newman. “North Carolina law permits all law enforcement officers in our state to use their firearms to defend themselves and this deputy had the barrel of a shotgun pointed at his head at close range. He reacted in the only way that he could given the circumstances,” added Newman.
Deputy Momphard was sent by the sheriff’s office to Pheasant Drive in Franklin just minutes before midnight on a report of a dispute between neighbors. Records show that he arrived at 164 Pheasant Drive at 11:55 pm. He had to stop his marked cruiser due to an obstruction in the roadway. The deputy described the obstruction as two boards stacked on top of one another. He then saw several boards in the roadway that appeared to be carefully measured between each other. Momphard approached the front of the Knibbs’ residence at 164 Pheasant Drive and announced his presence as “Macon County Sheriff’s Office.” When he received no response, he walked to the back of the home and knocked loudly on the back door and again announced that he was with the sheriff’s office. Again, there was no response, and the deputy saw the next door home up the hill and approached it on foot. The actual caller to the sheriff’s office lived at that home, which is 224 Pheasant Drive. One of the residents, Shelton Freeman, met the deputy and explained that the call came from him because one of his friends could not drive on the roadway due to the boards placed there by Scott Knibbs. Mr. Freeman and his two roomates, T.J. Brown and Tiffany Austin, had only lived at the residence for less than a month.
According to Mr. Freeman, his two roomates and him were having a cookout that evening. Most of his friends had arrived earlier in the evening, but one of his friends came at around 11 pm and mistakenly drove into Mr. Knibb’s driveway. Scott Knibbs came out of a shed and asked the person if he was there to buy pills. The person said he was looking for his friend’s home and Mr. Knibb’s became aggressive and told him to get off his property. Knibbs kicked this person’s car as he drove off. According to the interview of Knibbs’ wife, Mr. Knibbs told her that he shoved the young man back into his car.
At approximately 11:30 pm, one of the visitors at the cookout left to go home, only to return to 224 Pheasant to state that she could not leave due to several boards with nails placed in the roadway in front of Knibbs’ home. Mr. Freeman and at least two of his friends walked down the road to inspect the situation and observed at least four rows of double stacked boards placed in the road as speed bumps. There were nails visible in the boards, but they were not sticking straight up like a stop strip. The decision was made to call the Sheriff’s department instead of removing the boards. Mr. Freeman later told investigators that in the short time he had lived at Pheasant Drive, there had been some uncomfortable contacts with Mr. Knibbs. These included Knibbs telling the residents to shut their dogs up from barking or he would shut them up, showing up intoxicated at Freeman’s home and also making an obscene gesture to the person mowing the yard for Freeman.
After speaking with the deputy sheriff about the road obstruction, Deputy Momphard and Mr. Freeman walked towards the Knibbs’ residence. Mr. Freeman was going to remove the boards and the deputy attempted a second contact with the Knibbs. When approaching the front door, Deputy Momphard again announced himself as “Macon County Sheriff’s Office.” This was corroborated by both Mr. Freeman and by Knibbs’ wife, who told SBI agents that she heard the deputy identify himself.
As Deputy Momphard approached the door, he heard someone “rack” a round in a shotgun. Momphard immediately shouted for the person to put the weapon down. He shouted this instruction at least three times. This admonition was heard by everyone up the road at 224 Pheasant, as well as Ms. Knibbs inside residence. The deputy stepped to the side of the door and shined his flashlight into a window next to the door. He saw a man pointing a shotgun at his upper torso or head. The deputy backed away and began shooting through the window. He then entered the Knibbs’ home and saw Mr. Knibbs face down on the floor. Ms. Knibbs came into the room screaming and the Knibbs’ daughter came in screaming as well. The only light in the room at the time came from Momphard’s flashlight. He told the two women to stand back and to keep their hands where he could see them. He called for backup and EMS and then allowed Ms. Knibbs to approach and to check on her husband.
Other officers, including Macon County Sheriff Holland, arrived and medical personnel attended to Knibbs, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Momphard fired six shots from his service revolver. The shotgun possessed by Knibbs was loaded and taken by law enforcement as evidence. The medical examiner conducted an autopsy of Mr. Knibbs’ body at the Harris Regional Hospital and confirmed the cause of death to be two gunshot wounds. One wound was in the right chest and one through the upper right arm.
“Three things stand out to me in this case, “ stated Mr. Newman. “ One, we want people to call law enforcement in these situations to avoid confrontations with neighbors or anyone else. So I applaud Mr. Freeman for requesting the intervention of the sheriff’s department. Two, Deputy Momphard’s actions were justifiable in every aspect. His only option was to defend himself given that Mr. Knibbs racked his shotgun and pointed it at the deputy after repeated commands to drop the weapon. This incident took place in the middle of the night with little to no lighting. Third, Ms. Knibbs stated in her interview that she heard the deputy announce himself as her husband walked toward the door and racked his firearm.”
“This entire incident is a tragedy and the deputy certainly did not anticipate these events,” added Newman. “ In his interview with the SBI, the deputy said that he expected this call would be simple to address. He had responded to right of way disputes before and thought this occasion would be routine. He would speak to the participants and hopefully resolve the issue. The use of his firearm is not what he intended, but he handled the situation in the only way he could. These deputies are called into service in the middle of the night, usually alone, and are at great risk for their safety. Deputy Momphard has a wife and two children and he deserves to finish his shift and return home to his family. I appreciate the dedicated service to our communities of Deputy Momphard and all law enforcement officers, wherever they serve,” said Newman.
The District Attorney further added, “I have contacted the attorney for the Knibbs’ family and advised him of my decision. As always, I will make my file available for review to him and members of the Knibbs family if they so choose. I have recommended to Sheriff Holland that Deputy Momphard be returned to active duty whenever he feels it appropriate.
KNIBBS FAMILY ATTORNEY RESPONDS
“I would just say we are disappointed with the decision and I plan to meet as soon as possible with Mr Newman to obtain more information. At that point the family will decide the best course of action.”
Melrose cannot indicate at this point whether the family will be filing a civil suit because they have not reviewed the SBI report. The family, he added, has the right to pursue other remedies despite the lack of a criminal indictment.
The news (in both instances) was broken by Trappalachia, an internet News Outlet operated by Davin Eldridge, who is also a reporter for the Macon County News. DA Press Release: [LINK]
Macon Media was not notified by either District Attorneys Office of the press release.
Previous coverage of this incident can be found at the following links, in reverse chronological order:
May 8th: Rally in Support of Scott Knibbs http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/rally-in-support-of-scott-knibbs-may-8.html
May 1st linkage to WYFF-TV Story that relays the family's side of the story (not mirrored on this website until now)
https://www.facebook.com/MaconMediaNews/posts/1718654301514033
May 1st Weather Briefing, Lead Story
http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/wx20180501.html
Facebook Mirror
https://www.facebook.com/MaconMediaNews/posts/1718014978244632
----------------
April 30th Weather Briefing, Lead Story
http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2018/04/wx20180430.html
Facebook Mirror
https://www.facebook.com/MaconMediaNews/posts/1717036971675766
LOCAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
A broad area of low pressure will persist across the Tennessee Valley to our west through at least Friday. This low will transport deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and produce abundant cloud cover and continued rounds of precipitation, which will hold high temperatures below normal. A slow increase in temperatures and decrease in precipitation is expected over the weekend as high pressure builds back in.
WEATHER SPONSOR
Adams Products, a Division of Oldcastle is underwriting the daily weather briefing & public safety updates for the month.
Open 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, M-F, located at 895 Hickory Knoll Road, Franklin, NC. Visit our Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/Adams.Oldcastle.Franklin.NC/
All your masonry needs are available. Our phone number is 828.524.8545, the public is welcome, we’ll help you with your with your next project.
Weather Almanac for August 2nd (1872-2016)
Record weather events for this date in Macon County
Highest Temperature 94°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1999
Lowest Temperature 45°F in Highlands in 1895
Greatest Rainfall 3.66 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1948
Record Weather Events for August (1872-2017)
Highest Temperature 99°F in Franklin on August 9, 1980
Lowest Temperature 40°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on August 29, 1968
Greatest Rainfall 9.68 inches in Highlands on August 13, 1940
WEATHER FORECAST MAPS
Forecast maps for 8 am, 2 pm, and 8 pm.
[click on any image in this article to enlarge]
(These images replace the three-day forecast maps)
THREE DAY OUTLOOK
FRANKLIN AREA
TODAY
Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 10am. Patchy fog before 1pm. High near 74. Light east wind. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
TONIGHT
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 10pm, then showers likely. Patchy fog after 9pm. Low around 64. Light north northeast wind. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
FRIDAY
Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79. Light south wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
FRIDAY NIGHT
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
SATURDAY
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 82. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
SATURDAY NIGHT
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
OTTO AREA
TODAY
Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 10am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Patchy fog before 3pm. High near 72. Light east wind. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
TONIGHT
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 10pm, then showers likely. Patchy fog after 8pm. Low around 63. Light east northeast wind. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
FRIDAY
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 1pm, then showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 1pm and 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
FRIDAY NIGHT
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
SATURDAY
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
SATURDAY NIGHT
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
HIGHLANDS AREA
TODAY
Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 10am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Patchy fog before 3pm. High near 67. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
TONIGHT
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Patchy fog after 9pm. Low around 60. South wind around 7 mph becoming west northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
FRIDAY
Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69. Southwest wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Showers and thunderstorms likely before 1am, then a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. Light south southwest wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
SATURDAY
Showers likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 72. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
SATURDAY NIGHT
Showers and thunderstorms likely before 2am, then a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
NANTAHALA AREA
TODAY
Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 10am. Patchy fog before 2pm. High near 72. South wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
TONIGHT
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 10pm, then showers likely. Patchy fog after 9pm. Low around 61. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three-quarters of an inch possible.
FRIDAY
Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73. South wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
FRIDAY NIGHT
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. Light south southeast wind. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
SATURDAY
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 75. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
SATURDAY NIGHT
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
GOES-16 GeoColor - True Color daytime, multispectral IR
1:17 am to 3:12 am this morning
HAZARDS
Heavy rain is possible today and conditions will remain favorable for localized heavy rainfall each afternoon into Sunday. Meanwhile, the thunderstorms will be capable of dangerous cloud to ground lightning.
Macon County is under Flash Flood Watch until Friday morning. A copy of the watch is posted below for your convenience:
Flash Flood Watch
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
1027 PM EDT Wed Aug 1 2018
...THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL AND ASSOCIATED FLASH FLOODING ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...
.A low-pressure system stretching from the Midwest to the central coast of the Gulf of Mexico will transport deep moisture across the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia through the week. Several rounds of heavy rain showers and thunderstorms will result from this influx of moisture. As the ground moistens and stream levels rise, the threat of flash flooding will develop with any heavy downpours moving repeatedly over the same location.
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...
The Flash Flood Watch continues for Macon County through Friday morning
* Showers and thunderstorms producing periods of heavy rainfall will continue through at least Friday morning. Expect widespread storm total rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches across the mountains and immediately adjacent foothills, with localized amounts up to 6 inches possible. While rainfall will be less over the Piedmont closer to the Charlotte Metro area, 2 to 3 inches of rain is likely with locally 4 inches possible. Of course, realize that just one hour of repeated thunderstorms over a location could quickly produce 2 to 3-inch rainfall totals. As soils saturate, flash flooding will become increasingly likely across the area.
* The heavy rainfall may produce flooding on area streams and creeks, and possibly on some main stem rivers by later in the week. Pay close attention to rainfall totals in the mountains this week since locations with steep slopes will see an increase in the potential for isolated landslides once rainfall exceeds five inches.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Flash Flood Watch means that conditions may develop that lead to flash flooding. Flash flooding is a very dangerous situation.
You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued.
Macon Media maintains a Severe Weather Preparedness Page at http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/p/breaking-news-hub.html for those who are interested.
As always, you can check to see what advisories, watches, and warnings are in effect for Macon County by visiting http://is.gd/MACONWARN
GOES 16 - Band 15 - 12.3 µm - Dirty Longwave Window - IR (Precipitation)
3:17 am this morning
TROPICAL OUTLOOK
Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Thur Aug 2 2018
For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days.
MACON CALENDAR
If you have an event you wish to be added to this calendar, please send the information, along with a flyer in pdf format or a high-quality photo, to editor@maconmedia.com. If you want text published, please include a paragraph with your photo, flyer or graphics. Please include date(s) and time(s).
There is no charge for civic, educational or nonprofit groups, except for groups or events that receive funding from the TDA, TDC, and EDC, where full rates apply.
Organizers of political events must make themselves available for a video interview at least 7 days before a political event they wish Macon Media to promote. Two weeks is the preferred time frame to maximize awareness.
Suminski Family Books Summer Film Fest for Families
All ticket sales sold by FROG volunteers benefit:
FRIENDS OF THE GREENWAY, INC.
Location: Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts
Start time for each movie: 7:00 PM
Save When You Pre-Buy Your Tickets!
Single Ticket $5 for each movie (pre & at the door)
Season Pass $15 1 ticket to each movie Family of 4 Season Passes $50 4 tickets to each movie
Movies and Dates:
Paddington 2 on July 12, 2018
Hidden Figures on July 19, 2018
Peter Rabbit on August 19, 2018
Wonder on August 26, 2018 (benefits Friends of the Greenway)
Purchase at FROG Quarters, 573 E. Main (next to new bridge) Hours: Wed-Fri, 9 AM-2 PM
There are 3 other non-profits involved: Folk Heritage Association of Macon County NC, Grandpa’s Woodshed Project, Women’s History Trail, and Read2Me. The FROG-specific specific movie is Wonder, but our members can pre-sell tickets to all movies.
Franklin Health & Fitness 30th Anniversary Celebration [LINK]
http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2018/07/franklin-health-fitness-announces-their.html
Uptown Gallery classes
(These are on-going classes – repeat weekly)
Free classes and open studio times are being offered at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Join others at a painting open studio session every Tuesday from 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm or on Thursday from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm.
Bring your own materials and join an on-going drawing course led by gallery artists on Fridays, from 11am – 2 pm. For information on days open, hours and additional art classes and workshops, contact the gallery on 30 East Main Street at (828) 349 – 4607.
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Appalachian South
Meets each Thursday at 7pm
The First Methodist Church Outreach Center
at the intersection of Harrison Ave. and West Main Street
(directly across from Lazy Hiker Brewery)
Come join our weekly support group for anyone suffering from mental illness and their family or friends. This includes Depression, Bipolar,8chizophrenia, PTSD, Substance Abuse, Etc.
Here you will find:
— others living with mental health challenges YOU ARE NOT ALONE
- learn coping skills and ?find hope in shared experience
- help learning how to break down stigma and guilt surrounding mental health
- how to live life with the expectation of a better a better future
Kay (706)970-9987 Denise (828)347-5000)
SYRINGE EXCHANGE PROGRAM
On January 1, 2017, the Syringe Exchange Program of Franklin began operating a comprehensive harm reduction program to address the opioid epidemic that is impacting western NC. Opioid overdose reversal kits including naloxone are available free of charge. If you have any questions about our services or if you know someone interested in volunteering, please contact Stephanie Almeida at 828-475-1920.
Sun and Moon
Sun
Begin civil twilight 6:16 a.m.
Sunrise 6:43 a.m.
Sun transit 1:40 p.m.
Sunset 8:36 p.m.
End civil twilight 9:03 p.m.
Moon
Moonrise 11:33 p.m. last night
Moon transit 5:41 a.m.
Moonset 11:55 a.m.
Phase of the Moon on August 2, 2018: Waning Gibbous with 71% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
Closest Primary Moon Phase: Last Quarter on August 4, 2018 at 2:18 p.m. (local daylight time)
Sky Guides for this week
Sky and Telescope Magazine
Astronomy Magazine
There will be three solar and two lunar eclipses in 2018. [LINK]
Heavens Above has an Android App that will assist you in observing the sky and even has a satellite tracker that will let you know when the International Space Station and dozens of other satellites are overhead. [LINK]
Stellarium is also an app that will assist you in observing the sky. It is available in both Android [LINK] and iOS versions. [LINK]
CROWDFUNDING OR DAY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
If you receive value from what Macon Media provides to the community, please consider becoming a supporter and contribute at least a dollar a month.
If you have a business or event you are interested in sponsorship opportunities or underwriting coverage, send an email to editor@MaconMedia.com for more information. Serious inquiries only. Macon Media rewards early sponsors/underwriters with lifetime guaranteed low rates while newer sponsors/underwriters pay higher rates based on the date they first support Macon Media.
Thank You to the people who have been sending in donations and those businesses who are underwriting coverage of news and events. You have kept Macon Media online.
Published at 3:40 am on August 2, 2018
#WNCscan #MaconWx #MaconSafety
Data and information sources: Sources (except where otherwise credited): heavens-above.com, Ian Webster's Github, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, The National Weather Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, National Hurricane Center, Penn State University Electronic Wall Map, The State Climate Office of North Carolina, Storm Prediction Center, U.S. Naval Observatory, University of Utah Department of Atmospheric Sciences, and the Weather Prediction Center.
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