Editor's Note: The following article contains sensitive material and descriptions of a violent crime, including kidnapping and sexual assault
The 26-year-old Winston Eccleston will stay at the Haywood County Detention Center, where he has been detained since his May 29 arrest.
Twelve counts of first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, possession of a handgun by a felon, and possession of a firearm with an altered serial number are among the serious allegations against Eccleston.
A woman was found had reportedly been abducted from Asheville in January and held captive for almost five months. Eccleston was arrested in May, which marked the beginning of the investigation. Investigators have detailed a terrifying experience, and there is evidence that the woman was repeatedly sexually assaulted while being shackled and kept in a metal box. To preserve the victim's privacy, we are not naming her.
Greg Newman, Eccleston's lawyer, advocated for a bond to be set during the court hearing on September 15, calling his client "not a flight risk" and calling the accusations "sensational." However, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch and Assistant District Attorney Kate Robinette strongly opposed imposing bond. According to Robinette, the evidence gathered against Eccleston was "voluminous," giving the court a clear picture.
A sequence of events and specifics of the objects that law enforcement collected are detailed in search warrants that were made public in July. During her captivity, the victim was allegedly moved around Haywood County, including being taken in a trash can, to a campground, to Eccleston's father's home, and to Haven on the Hill, a temporary housing facility.
The Haywood County Sheriff's Office discovered a metal box in a room that was being watched by many cameras when searching Eccleston's camper, Officers said that the box, which was packed with blankets, rugs, and a chain, smelled like human waste and that the contents were "wet to touch." To secure the chains, eye bolts with locks were affixed to its roof.
A face mask, gloves, zip ties, a whip, a revolver with a scratched-off serial number, and an AR-15-style assault weapon were among the other items discovered in the camper, one of two Eccleston maintained on the property. Robinette claimed the man made her put on a gas mask and a dog shock collar. "The camper has provided police with video evidence," Robinette said.
Robinette read from a statement from the victim, "When it comes to making a decision concerning Winston's request for bail, I hope that his actions following my requests to go home are considered," woman, received by the DA's office. "My requests to leave were denied and my physical attempts to leave were met with violence, lies and manipulation."
Editor's Note: A criminal charge is an accusation, by law, a person accused of a crime is innocent until proven in a court of law.
WNCTimes
Image: NC Judicial Branch