UPDATE: Buncombe Sheriff Miller hospitalized, misses testifying in trial of ex-chief deputy
ASHEVILLE - Sheriff Quentin Miller has been admitted to the hospital, forcing him to miss testifying in the trial of a friend.
Miller's hospitalization was announced in the Dec. 16 Buncombe County Superior Court case of his friend and former chief deputy Don Eberhardt.
Eberhardt's attorney, Sean Devereux, said the sheriff had been scheduled to testify but instead was admitted to the hospital.
A jury that day acquitted Eberhardt of felony charges of gun theft and possession of stolen goods after he testified he mistakenly left a store with the gun in a tactical bag that he bought. Eberhardt said he was attempting to return the pistol but was doing so discreetly to protect the employee who put the gun in the bag.
Sheriff's Office spokesperson Aaron Sarver said he spoke to Miller in the late afternoon and that he was fine. Sarver invited a Citizen Times reporter to call the sheriff.
Miller did not respond to a call but did reply to a text, saying, "I'm fine. Here for routine test."
More: Ex-Buncombe chief deputy testifies he was trying to return gun he's accused of stealing
He did not respond to follow-up texts asking what type of problem he was dealing with, if the test had been scheduled or if he was staying overnight. Miller sent the text at 5:08 p.m.
In a second text sent at 5:45 p.m. he said he believed he would have another test in the morning and would be back to work the next day.
In a Dec. 17 email Sarver said the sheriff did return to work. He and Miller did not respond to a message seeking more information about Miller's condition.
Eberhardt was charged July 6 following a State Bureau of Investigation probe. He resigned from the Sheriff's Office though in court said if acquitted he wanted to return to law enforcement.
At the time of Eberhardt's resignation, Miller issued a statement saying while he would be expected to distance himself from his friend of 21 years, he would not, calling him a "good man" and a "good law enforcement officer" and thanking him for his service to the community.
Miller, a Democrat was, elected in 2018 and made history as the county's first Black sheriff. He currently has one primary challenger, Democrat David Hurley of Asheville, who has said he wants to be a "constitutional sheriff."
Following a challenge to new Republican-drawn congressional lines, the state Supreme Court suspended candidate filing and pushed the March 8 primaries back to May 17.
More: Not guilty: Jury acquits ex-Buncombe County Sheriff's deputy Eberhardt of felony charges
Before the suspension, two Republicans filed to run for the county's top law enforcement position, Adrian "AJ" Fox of Leicester and Jeff Worley of Asheville.
Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Sheriff Miller was admitted to the hospital forcing him to miss trial
