HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — A former Henderson County School Board member and the founder of Only Hope WNC Inc. is seeking a reduction of his $2.2 million bond after being charged with multiple child sex offenses and human trafficking.
Michael Lee Absher was arrested in the summer of 2025, accused of multiple sex offenses involving minors. Additional charges were filed Sept. 16, including one count of indecent liberties with a child and seven counts of statutory sexual offense with a person 15 years of age or younger. In October, a grand jury indicted Absher on three counts of human trafficking of child victims.
The bond on the charges totals about $2.2 million, according to a motion for bond reduction filed by Absher’s counsel Feb. 2, 2026.
The request for a bond reduction argues that Absher is not a flight risk, is the primary caregiver for his mother and has no prior criminal record…