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Widow Sues County Over Fatal Wreck Caused by Releasee
30 Jul
Summary
- Widow sues Buncombe County alleging program failures led to husband's death.
- Deceased retired police chief killed by releasee charged with attempted murder.
- Lawsuit claims program ignored electronic monitoring alerts and staff misconduct.
A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Buncombe County by the widow of retired Marshall Police Chief Mike Boone. Jennifer Hughes Boone alleges that the county's pretrial release program was managed incompetently, leading to her husband's death on August 2, 2024. Chief Boone was killed in a head-on collision on I-26 by Ryan "Ricky" Houston, a client of the county's program.
Houston had been jailed for attempted murder and assault on a law enforcement officer after shooting a deputy. The lawsuit claims that Buncombe County's Pretrial Release Services Program failed to conduct a risk assessment or obtain Houston's criminal history before releasing him on a $1.6 million bond. Additionally, his assigned case coordinator allegedly engaged in a sexual relationship with Houston, violating program policies and failing to report numerous electronic monitoring violations.
Despite over 244 alerts regarding tampering and restricted zone violations between August 2023 and August 2024, these were reportedly not reported to the court. The lawsuit further alleges that Buncombe County operated its program without statutory authority and falsified signatures for grant funds, which were then allegedly used for diversity and inclusion initiatives rather than victim safety. This negligence, the suit contends, resulted in Houston's fatal rampage and Chief Boone's death just two days after his retirement.
