Sheriff’s Office Disputes Social Media Claim That a Woman and Baby Were Left Stranded

Staff Report

HAYESVILLE, NC — The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is pushing back against a Facebook post that accuses local law enforcement of refusing to help a woman and her baby after they ran out of gas on a back road.

In a post from Shooting Creek, a Facebook user posting as Arthur Maynard wrote that “the Sheriff Office was called the other night around 9:30” after a woman ran out of gas while traveling with a baby. He said she asked for a gallon of fuel so she could get home, was told no extra gas was carried and that she would have to find someone else, and that she had no cell service. Maynard said she later stopped at his house, used his phone to call for help, and that he drove the woman and child home.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement saying the account circulating on social media is false.

“We are aware there is a story floating on another social media page stating a stranded female with a baby was left unassisted by our office. This is completely false,” the office said. “The only stranded motorist call we had last week involved a male who was in fact assisted by our officers.”

Officials said deputies regularly help motorists who are out of fuel, need a ride home, have a vehicle that must be pushed from the roadway, or need someone to wait with them until help arrives.

“Many of us at the Sheriff’s Office have spouses and children so we completely understand the expectation of law enforcement assisting,” the statement continued. “We have, we do, and we will continue to serve our community in every way possible.”

The original post does not identify the woman, the exact road, or the night of the call. It also names two different agencies. There is no such force as the Hayesville Police Department.

No official incident report, dispatch log, or independent confirmation of the woman’s identity or location has been released. The Sheriff’s Office says its records for last week show one stranded-motorist call, involving a man who received assistance.