Howell Arrested for Kidnapping, Charged with Attempted Murder

29-year-old Robbie P. Howell, of Grassy Creek, was arrested by the Ashe County Sheriff's Office on Friday,

Nov. 14, and charged with one count of first degree kidnapping. Howell was originally arrested in Caldwell County and transferred to the Ashe County Jail in Jefferson.

On Thursday, Nov. 20, the Sheriff's Department added four additional felony charges: first degree sexual offense, maiming without malice, attempted first degree murder and another charge of first degree kidnapping.
Ashe County Sheriff James Williams said that the charges are the result of two separate incidences, one in April 2008 and one in early November, in which Howell, a professional trucker, took two different female victims out of the county against their will on long-distance trucking trips. The women were the subjects of various physical and sexual assaults on the trips.

"It's one of the worst cases I've ever seen," Williams said.

Howell is currently being held at the Ashe County Jail under a $300,000 bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009.

-Joel Frady