Buncombe Deputy Anthony Packett Crashes in Barnardsville While Responding to Assault

Deputy Anthony Packett of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office crashed his patrol vehicle into a tree on Stoney Fork Road in Barnardsville at about 1:30 a.m. while responding with lights and sirens to a reported assault on a woman, local accounts say. The North Carolina Highway Patrol is leading the investigation into the single-vehicle collision.

Multiple local reports identified Packett by name and placed the response near Barnardsville; one account specifically locates the crash on Stoney Fork Road and another indicates the vehicle struck a tree while the deputy was responding to the emergency call. The approximate time of the incident is reported consistently as roughly 1:30 a.m., though official crash documents have not yet been released.

The Highway Patrol has not released a full crash report or detailed findings for the Barnardsville incident. Initial public fragments and community posts do not state whether Packett suffered injuries or was transported for treatment, and no charges related to the response or collision have been announced. County dispatch logs and the State Highway Patrol report will be central to confirming whether lights and sirens were activated and what role speed, road conditions or other factors played.

Separately, authorities are investigating a distinct fatal crash that occurred on New Stock Road on Nov. 12 in which Officer Emmanuel Joseph Bader, 23, of Barnardsville, died after his vehicle crossed the center line and struck a rock structure, causing the car to overturn. North Carolina Highway Patrol Sgt. Robby Baker provided the account of that Nov. 12 crash and the sheriff’s office released a statement saying, “Our hearts and prayers are with the families of our officers.” The Nov. 12 New Stock Road collision is being treated as a separate incident and should not be conflated with the Barnardsville patrol-vehicle crash.

Investigators with the State Highway Patrol have handled the initial scene work in both cases, and the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office has not published a detailed bulletin about the Packett incident as of the latest accounts. Reporters and officials expect the Patrol’s formal crash report to specify the time, location, investigator name and any contributing factors; that report will also confirm whether body-worn or dash camera footage exists from the deputy’s vehicle.

Neighbors on Stoney Fork Road and community posts identified the early-morning response and the deputy involved; local emergency and sheriff’s office channels remain the best sources for any update on Packett’s condition and the status of the assault investigation that prompted the response.