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Press Release
On June 15 at around 7:55 p.m., Clay County Sheriff’s Officer Donovan Burke responded to an
area near the intersection of Piney Road and Qualla Road after a report that William Vincent
Cody, 43 years of age from Hayesville had hit someone with his pickup truck.
Upon his arrival, Officer Burke found Dustin Henderson’s blue Harley Davidson motorcycle lying in the grass at 255 Qualla Road. A witness nearby told Officer Burke that he had seen a red truck, later identified as Cody’s truck, chasing the motorcycle when it wrecked.
As Officer Burke was talking to the witness, Cody drove up in his red truck. Cody had a bottle of pills in his pocket and admitted to drinking at a bar, and was eventually secured in the back seat of Officer Burke’s patrol vehicle.
While at the scene, Dustin and his wife, Nicole Henderson arrived. They explained that they had seen Cody at the Aztec store, saw that he had been drinking, and tried to get his truck keys away from him. After a brief altercation, Dustin and Nicole left. Dustin was riding his motorcycle and Nicole was driving her white truck with her children inside.
Cody began following them while aggressively driving his red truck. Cody hit Nicole’s truck while passing her in an attempt get to Dustin. Cody then ran into Dustin on his motorcycle causing him to wreck. After wrecking his motorcycle and fearing for his life, Dustin jumped into the back of Nicole’s truck and left the scene to call 911 for help. Officer Burke arrested Cody and transported him to the Clay County Detention Center.
After Cody was taken inside, Officer Burke conducted a routine search of the back seat of his patrol vehicle. Officer Burke found a metal smoking pipe and a tin foil packet containing a purple compressed powder that field tested positive for Fentanyl. Cody was charged with Felony Possession of Fentanyl, Assault with a Deadly Weapon (truck), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. No bond was issued for Cody’s release.
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.