WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. - The Ashe County Sheriff's Office is announcing telephone number changes to its local Crimestoppers program and non-emergency telephone line. The change to the Sheriff's Office non-emergency number also will affect a few local organizations, which have utilized the same telephone number.

The new telephone numbers are scheduled to be in effect beginning Monday, November 12. The telephone number for Crimestoppers, which solicits anonymous tips from the public on unsolved crimes, will change from 246-4188 to 846-4188. The non-emergency number for the Ashe County Sheriff's Office will change from 219-2600 to 846-5600. The following local organizations who have utilized the same non-emergency number in the past also will change to 846-5600: Fleetwood Fire/Rescue; Lansing Fire/Rescue; Warrensville Fire/Rescue; West Jefferson Fire Department; Glendale Springs Fire Department; Ashe County Rescue; and the West Jefferson Police Department.

To allow residents and businesses time to adjust to the new telephone numbers, they may reach these locations by dialing either the new numbers or the former numbers over the next few weeks. The mandatory dialing date of the new telephone numbers will be announced in December, in conjunction with additional number changes for other county offices. These number changes are a result of the change of local telecommunications service for some county offices to SkyBest Communications, Inc., a subsidiary of SkyLine Membership Corporation.