A man accused of attempting to run down a homeless man and his cat in May 2021 in Asheville was found guilty of two felonies and several misdemeanors Friday, July 1 by a Buncombe County jury.
Scott Everett Ford, 42, was found guilty of Felony Obstruction of Justice and Felony Cruelty to Animals.
“It’s an absorbed and senseless crime,” Buncombe County district attorney Todd Williams said.
The jurors also convicted Ford of the following misdemeanor crimes: Simple Assault, Failure to Remain at the Scene of an Accident Involving Property Damage and Reckless Driving.
Evidence presented at trial showed that on May 17, 2021, around 4:40 p.m., Ford drove a 2005 Ford F-150 and attempted to run down the victim, who was standing on the side of the exit ramp near Smokey Park Highway and I-40.
"I have plenty of people talk crap,” Alex McPherson, the unhoused man Ford tried to run over told NEWS-13 during an interview back in 2021.” But try to run over me with a truck and run over my cat, c'mon dude, that's not cool. I mean that's just dangerous and deadly."
Video of the event was captured by a bystander witness’s cell phone video camera.
Investigators with the Asheville Police Department (APD) determined that the vehicle was owned by Classic Event Rental, which is owned and operated by Ford and sought search warrants authorizing searches of Ford's business, truck, and phone.
Ford obstructed investigators by destroying business documents identifying the driver of the F-150.
Ford obstructed investigators by disposing of business documents officers requested which could have identified the driver of the F-150.
At trial, Ford testified and acknowledged that he was the driver of the truck. He also testified that he was looking for an unhoused person to harass and that he intended to throw a golf ball at an unhoused person. Investigators were able to recover a golf ball from the victim.
“I’m very glad we were able to achieve some modicum of justice in this case,” Williams said. “What I’m very gratified [about is] securing the accountability that we were able to get in this case for a cat and an unhoused person.”
Superior Court Judge Alan Thornburg sentenced Ford to serve an eight-month active sentence, to be followed by a suspended sentence and be placed on supervised probation for a term of 24 months. Judge Thornburg further ordered Ford to have no contact with the victim.