A Henderson County man, identified as Dillon James Curtis, has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a runner in the Bent Creek Experimental Forest.
Published: May 24, 2026 11:44 PM IST
A Henderson County resident, identified as Dillon James Curtis, was taken into custody on May 22 after allegedly assaulting a runner in the Bent Creek Experimental Forest, according to the Citizen Times.
Who is Dillon James Curtis?
Authorities said Dillon James Curtis, 29, from Etowah, was taken into custody by the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office on misdemeanor charges including assault on a female, false imprisonment, communicating threats and interfering with emergency communication.
According to allegations made by Emily Sutherland, 27, Dillon James Curtis followed her in his vehicle on May 21 before attacking her during a run in a well-known recreation area within Pisgah National Forest.
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Matt Marshall told the Citizen Times that Dillon James Curtis was transferred from Henderson County to the custody of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office on May 23. He is currently being held in Buncombe County jail under a $5,000 bond.
What had happened?
Speaking to the Citizen Times on May 22, Emily Sutherland said, “He looked like he was trying to find a place to park. He finally parked near the Laurel Creek Trail and started running toward me. Initially, I assumed he was warning me about a bear.”
“Whenever he got close to me, he started yelling at me and went to punch me. I backed up. I was like, ‘What’s your problem?’ He started calling me other girls’ names. He started screaming at me. It wasn’t super coherent. He came at me again. I backed up again,” she recalled. Sutherland then called 911.
“He told me he was going to knock me out and drag me into the woods. That’s when I just started screaming as loudly as I possibly could for help,” she said. “Probably three, four minutes, I was screaming. He was just threatening me and lunging at me.”
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Two mountain bikers who identified themselves as Trevor and Harvest later came to Emily Sutherland’s rescue. They approached in a pickup truck and offered her a ride back to her vehicle.
Sutherland took to social media to write about her experience. People online identified Curtis, who has some distinctive tattoos, including the numbers “828” on his torso.
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