News

Prominent real estate agent charged with misdemeanor sexual battery

By Lightning Reports, Published: February 1, 2019

A prominent Hendersonville real estate agent has been charged with a misdemeanor sexual battery after an alleged incident that took place on New Year’s Eve or early New Year’s Day in the city.

Noah C. George, who touts his real estate team as one of the top producers in Henderson County, was charged on Thursday with one count of engaging “in sexual contact by touching the victim’s vagina and buttocks,” an arrest warrant said. The alleged victim was “physically helpless” at the time, the warrant said, and “the defendant knew and should reasonably have known” that she was helpless.
Reached on Friday afternoon, George, 37, said he could not comment on the arrest, referring questions to defense attorney Roy Neill. Neill’s office said he was “out of town taking some time off” and unavailable for an interview. George was booked at the Henderson County jail and released on a $4,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Henderson County District Court on Feb. 26.
“I don’t wish to say anything,” the 31-year-old victim said in a telephone interview. “I’m in law enforcement and it’s already bad enough for me that I’ve had to file this. I don’t think that I should make any statements. We’re not supposed to talk to any media even if it’s something personal that happened to us.”
It was unclear why 30 days passed from the time of the alleged incident to the arrest.
“Sometimes these investigations take time because you want to be thorough,” said Chief Herbert Blake, emphasizing that he had no specific knowledge of the George arrest. “If there’s no immediate or imminent threat to someone’s bodily harm then the detectives are certainly going to be as thorough as they can and sometimes it just takes a while to talk to people and get what you need to move forward and to have a warrant. But I don’t know, I’m speaking in general terms. I just don’t know about this specific case.”
George, who is married with children, is perhaps the most visible real estate agent in town through regular media appearances and advertising pitches. He broadcasts weekly radio shows on both WTZQ and WHKP, promoting his real estate business. He says he and other agents on the Noah George Team at Keller Williams sold 154 homes in 2018.