A 29-year-old man from Etowah, Dillon James Curtis, has been arrested and charged with assault on a female, communicating threats, false imprisonment, and interfering with emergency communication after allegedly attacking a runner in the Bent Creek Experimental Forest.
The victim, Emily Sutherland, an Asheville content creator and avid hiker, reported that Curtis followed her in his car before attacking her while she was running in the popular recreation area in Pisgah National Forest on May 21.
Sutherland managed to call 911 and was eventually rescued by two mountain bikers who gave her a ride back to her car.
Curtis was arrested on May 22 and transferred to Buncombe County jail, where he remains under a $5,000 bond.
