ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Three defendants have been sentenced in separate Buncombe County criminal cases this week, including a woman who fired a gun while in custody at the Buncombe County Detention Facility, a Swannanoa man tied to a multi-day crime spree and the final defendant in a multi-jurisdictional vehicle burglary investigation along the Interstate 40 corridor.
The Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office announced the cases Thursday, saying the convictions reflect its ongoing efforts to hold violent offenders and repeat criminals accountable.
Nineteen-year-old Angel Blanding pleaded guilty to three counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill stemming from a March 8, 2026, incident at the Buncombe County Detention Facility sally port.
Prosecutors said Blanding discharged a firearm while in custody, damaging law enforcement vehicles. She was sentenced at the top of the presumptive range to 25 to 42 months in the North Carolina Division of Adult Correction.
Bryan George Coleman, 51, of Swannanoa, pleaded guilty to nine felony charges that were consolidated into a single first-degree burglary conviction for sentencing.
The charges stemmed from what prosecutors described as a multi-day crime spree between Feb. 3 and Feb. 5, 2026, investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office’s IGRANT task force.
Coleman was sentenced to 97 to 129 months in prison, also at the top of the presumptive sentencing range.
In a third case, 29-year-old Decario Davis, identified by prosecutors as the final defendant connected to the “I-40 Jeep burglar” investigation, pleaded guilty to felony breaking and entering charges.
The convictions resulted in three consecutive active sentences totaling 47 to 84 months in prison. Prosecutors said the sentencing concludes a multi-jurisdictional investigation into organized vehicle thefts targeting the I-40 corridor.
“The resolution of these cases is a testament to the dedicated work of our local law enforcement partners,” Buncombe County District Attorney Todd Williams said in a statement. “By securing these sentences, we hold accountable those who threaten our community through violence and criminal activity.”olence and criminal activity.”
