Morning raid nets fugitive in Cherokee County, N.C.

Benjamin Lee Stanley
Benjamin Lee Stanley
photo Benjamin Lee Stanley

A Cherokee County, N.C., man was arrested Saturday for domestic violence and firearm violations.

Benjamin Lee Stanley, 39, of Topton, was charged with domestic violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a news release.

Deputies searched his home on Saturday morning and discovered Stanley was trying to escape by hiding in a crawl space until deputies found him.

The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office had several interactions with Stanley over the past several months, including evading arrest on charges of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

There were two active warrants for the arrest of Stanley for violations of protective orders. Stanley had also evaded arrest several times, including a Friday morning encounter where Stanley led investigators on a chase, eventually losing them after, taking an off-road trail with a Jeep.

Stanley was charged on indictments with being a felon in possession of a firearm and is being held on $15,000 bond. He also was placed on a 48-hour no bond condition for a domestic protective order violation. A third charge was for resisting obstruction and delay, which had a 3,000 secure bond, authorities said.

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