From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A 29-year-old man, Dillon James Curtis, was arrested on May 23 morning in Henderson County and taken into custody on warrants stemming from charges of an alleged assault on a female, false imprisonment, interfering with emergency communications, and communicating threats. 

The arrest followed an incident in the Bent Creek Experimental Forest, south of Asheville, where a female runner reported being attacked.

On May 21, Emily Sutherland, an Asheville-based outdoor content creator, reported that a man followed her in his car, parked on a trail, and then aggressively approached her on foot. He reportedly attempted to punch her, yelled incoherently, and threatened to “knock me out and drag me into the woods.”

Sutherland screamed for help, and the attack was ultimately interrupted when two mountain bikers drove up in their truck, causing the suspect to back off, and provided her with a ride back to her car.

Sutherland documented the ordeal on social media platforms like Reddit and Instagram. Commenters identified Curtis, noting he frequented the Bent Creek area. She formally filed a report with the Asheville Police Department and worked with the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office to secure warrants.

Curtis was taken into custody on May 23 and held at the Buncombe County Detention Facility in downtown Asheville.