Violent crime up in Asheville
Rape reports triple; property cases decline

by Jon Ostendorff, jostendorff@citizen-times.com, and Adam Behsudi, abehsudi@citizen-times.com
published September 26, 2007 12:15 am

ASHEVILLE – Violent crime rose in Asheville and in several Western North Carolina cities last year, according to the FBI’s annual crime report.

The increase of 9 percent in Asheville is almost seven times the national average but still better than most similar-sized cities in North Carolina, a police department official said.

In one of the starkest increases, the number of rape reports climbed from 16 in 2005 to 49 last year.

Property crime in Asheville, which touches the largest number of people, was down 28 percent. The overall crime rate in Asheville, which takes into account all crimes, was down 20 percent from last year, according to state statistics that the FBI used to compile its annual report, released this week.

Chief Bill Hogan said the city’s spike in violent crimes, including recent shootings, is most likely attributed to drug-related activity among emerging gangs.

In a recent case, a gunman fired shots inside a crowded recreation center, although some people there Tuesday night said they consider it an isolated case.

“They (police) handled it really well,â€