Charlotte woman charged after confrontation with Mitchell County deputies

Exclusive details: Court records describe hotel disturbances, release restrictions and a delayed hearing

A Charlotte woman charged with trespassing and resisting Mitchell County deputies was ordered to stay away from Switzerland Inn, according to court records reviewed by WCAB News.

The records provide additional details about the allegations against Erica Michelle Strein, 42, and reasons for a postponed court appearance.

Strein was arrested Oct. 5 on one misdemeanor count of second-degree trespassing and two misdemeanor counts of resisting a public officer. A magistrate set a $7,500 secured bond.

The Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to an establishment where a disorderly person was refusing to leave. Deputies witnessed management ask Strein to leave, but she refused, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies described Strein as intoxicated and said she pulled away and began fighting with them when they attempted to arrest her. Deputy Trevor Brewer is listed as the complainant in court records.

The sheriff’s office said Strein was transported to the McDowell County Jail. The release order includes law enforcement statements describing repeated disturbances at a hotel.

“There have been ongoing issues all day at the hotel with this female causing disturbances,” the order said.

The magistrate recorded observations of apparent impairment and said Strein gave contradictory answers to questions.

As a condition of release, the magistrate ordered Strein “not to be on or about the property of Switzerland Inn" in Little Switzerland.

Court minutes dated Oct. 7 provide another detail: A first appearance was continued after McDowell jail personnel reported Strein was in a restraint chair and being uncooperative.

Judge Milton Fletcher appointed an attorney on the court’s own motion and scheduled her next first appearance for 9 a.m. Oct. 12. Court records identify William Donald Bomar as her appointed attorney.

A further court date is listed for Nov. 2 in Mitchell County District Court, according to case number 26CR423718-600.

The charges remain pending. Strein is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Little Switzerland is a scenic unincorporated community sitting at an elevation of 3,468 feet along the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 334 in McDowell and Mitchell Counties. It was founded in 1909 by North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Robert Heriot Clarkson and the Switzerland Company to create a peaceful mountain resort.