Violent Crime Remains Elevated, Property Crime Hits New Low in Randolph County

ASHEBORO N.C. (ACME NEWS) —Randolph County is seeing two very different crime trends. Countywide numbers show fewer break-ins, thefts, and stolen cars than at any point in the last five years — but violent incidents remain high, even after a slight dip last year.
Using numbers from the Randolph County Sheriff's Office's public crime dashboards and Asheboro Police Departments annual reports we can get a look at crime trends across Randolph County.

County Trends

The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office logged 1,401 property crimes in 2024, including burglary, larceny and motor-vehicle theft. That equals 969 property crimes per 100,000 residents — about one for every 107 people — nearly 20 percent lower than in 2021 and down from 1,250 per 100,000 in 2020.

Violent crime has followed a different path. The county’s violent crime rate climbed steadily from 360.4 per 100,000 residents in 2020 to 547.2 in 2023 before easing to 529.9 in 2024. Deputies reported 766 violent crimes last year, and nearly eight in 10 of those were aggravated assaults.

Sheriff Greg Seabolt credited the declines in property crime and the slowdown in violent crime to “the dedication of deputies, county support, and strong collaboration with the community.”

“While challenges remain, these declines show that our efforts are making a difference,” Seabolt said. “Working together, we will continue building a safer Randolph County.”

Inside Asheboro

Asheboro’s numbers show an even steeper drop in overall crime. The police department recorded 883 Part I crimes in 2024 — which include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson — down 31 percent since 2021 and the lowest total in five years.

From 2020 through 2022, the city averaged about 1,200 Part I crimes each year before totals fell by 23 percent in 2023 and another 11 percent in 2024.

Not every category is moving in the same direction. Burglaries and larcenies, which make up most property crimes, have fallen steadily. Burglaries have been cut nearly in half since 2021, and larcenies are down by more than 200 cases. Motor vehicle thefts bounced around, dipping to 54 in 2023 before edging up to 63 last year. Arson cases also declined, from five in 2022 to just one in 2024.

Aggravated assaults, however, went against the overall decline. Police reported 65 cases in 2024, up from 48 the year before — a 35 percent increase and the highest total in four years. That makes aggravated assault the largest share of violent crime in Asheboro.

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Violence in Context - A report from the N.C. Department of Public Safety’s Office of Violence Prevention found that 63 percent of homicides in the past decade involved firearms. About half of female homicide victims were killed in domestic-violence situations.
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What It Means

Break-ins have become less common in Randolph County over the past three years, while violent crime has grown more frequent. Sheriff Greg Seabolt says the county is making progress on property crime through stronger enforcement and community partnerships, but acknowledges that violence remains a pressing challenge.