The News-Journal
The Hoke County News - Established 1928 ^ The hoke County J<
Volume LXXV Number 40 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA $10 PER YEAR 25 CENTS
Thursday, January 26, 1984
Further Sandhills
Probe
Unlikely
By Sherry Matthews
Although a state audit showed
over six months ago that approx
imately $1.1 million in state tax
funds was allegedly "misap
propriated" by directors of the
Sandhills Mental Health Center,
no further investigation into the
matter has been initiated or is ex
} pected, a spokesman for the
Department of Human
Resources(DHR) said this week.
The primary interest of DHR is
to insure that state funds, which
were misappropriated, are return
ed to the department, spokesman
Bryant Haskins said.
Despite repeated recommenda
tions that other agencies further in
| vestigate the mishandling of state,
federal and local funds in a DHR
audit, it is highly unlikely that a
probe will be conducted or that
any charges will be filed,
authorities say.
The state tax funds will ap
parently be replaced with funds
derived from local tax-supported
projects.
?
Around Town
By Sun Morris
The weather is still cold and we
have just had only one month of
winter. The forecast is for the
. temperatures to rise into the 50s
r for the remainder of the week.
Now this suits me fine for my golf
game is getting rusty. It has been
several years since I have missed as
much golf as this year.
Let's hope that the next two
months of winter will feel like
spring!
) Mrs. Ellen Willis of the Home
Extension Service was by the office
last week and said that the Home
Extension ladies were the caterers
for the reception for Judge Warren
Pate last week.
We stated in this column that
Mrs. Willis was in charge and we
regret the error.
* ? *
^ Monday, January 16 was my
birthday and I received a card
from my good friends Sam and
Barbara Hiser. They now live near
Greenville, S.C. and Sam is now
retired.
A note on the bottom of the card
said, "Time marches on as we
recently became great grand
parents. Sam and I are enjoying
retirement. He really has retired
' from his field."
Thanks for the note and 1 know
that your Hoke County friends will
be glad to know you are both get
ting along fine.
* * *
Mary Myers works in the com
posing room here at Dickson
Press. She also draws the cartoons
that appear each week on the
| editorial page of The News
Journal.
The Myers family lives on Third
Avenue near Hoke High School.
They have lived in Raeford for ap
proximately two years. Her hus
band is Staff Sergeant Gordon C.
Myers, and he is stationed at Fort
Bragg.
Recently SSgt. Myers received
the Bronze Star Medal for his par
} ticipation in action in Grenada. He
was Survey Party Chief, Head
quarters and Service Battery, 1st
Battalion (Airborne), 319 Field Ar
tillery.
This award is given for excep
tionally meritorious achievement
in support of the action against a
hostile force.
We congratulate SSgt. Myers for
hit outstanding service for his
country and we are proud to have
I people like them make their home
in Hoke County.
? ? ?
The feeling I had about the
Raiders winning the Super Bowl
must have been right.
? ? *
Last Friday afternoon as I left
| (See A RQUND, page 2A)
According to the audit:
?Center employees funneled
public money into corporations
which they controlled.
?At least one worker resigned
to become the director of one
center-staff controlled corporation
and was hired back by the center as
a consultant at a higher salary.
?A center-staff controlled non
profit corporation was paid rents
which constituted a profit.
?Construction costs for a new
Moore County center building
were inflated by center employees
and lower bids were ignored by the
staff.
"The center has agreed to pay
back the money we feel they owe
the state," Haskins said.
"We are only interested in get
ting the state's money back. Any
further investigation or charges
will be left up to the center and the
county," Haskins added.
"As far as I know, there is no in
vestigation going on," present
Sandhills Center Director Michael
Watson sard.
Watson replaced Dr. Steven
Dingfelder, who resigned in May
following the state's audit.
Dingfelder was allegedly in
violation of state conflict of in
terest statutes.
"There are no trial charges be
ing filed against Dr. Dingfelder or
the center," Watson said.
"We have agreed to pay the
state. I think that is all we will be
required to do," he added.
Funds derived from local tax
supported activities will be used to
pay off the mishandled state tax
funds, Watson said.
Two weeks ago, Watson and
other Sandhills directors agreed to
repay $229, 000 that the state audit
claims was misused by the center in
1982 and 1983.
About $120,000 is scheduled to
be paid back to the state over the
next three months, with the
balance paid in July 1985 under a
payback schedule proposed by the
state Division of Mental Health's
regional office, Watson said.
"We arrived at a compromise
that seemed to suit everyone in
volved," Haskins said.
"We intend to pay back the
money we owe," Watson said.
"The payback will come out of
our fund balance appropriation...
money we earn through contracts,"
Watson said.
"It's not going to be easy," he
added.
Despite the $229,000 payback
agreement, there is another
$800,000 in state funds that have
not been accounted for.
"That money was not a
misallocation of funds," Haskins
said.
"Most of it came from the pur
chase of lands for the center," he
added.
"We just transferred the land
back to the center. That took care
of the vast majority of exceptions
we found in the audit," Haskins
said.
"This is not the first health
center to have to pay back
money," Haskins said.
"We always find some excep
Possible toxic waste site
In this area behind the Big Star Truck Stop, Depart- tests indicate that 10.2 parts per million of the
ment of Human Resources and local health officials cancer-causing substance was found in the soil,
have begun testing for possible PCB-laced soil. Lab
New Toxic Dumps Found
By Sherry Matthews
State and local health
authorities are investigating
two new Hoke County sites
which were apparently used as
illegal dumps for hazardous
waste.
Preliminary tests taken
from both sites, which are
located along U.S. Highway
401 north of Raeford indicate
that low levels of cancer
causing Polychorlorinated
Biphenyls (PCB) were
dumped.
However, other sources
close to the investigation say
that health officials are more
concerned about lead concen
trations suspected to have
been dumped in the area.
Authorities were unsure
Tuesday who might be respon
sible for the apparently illegal
dumping.
A soil analysis taken from
one site, located at the old Big
Star Truck Stop on Highway
401 just outside of Raeford,
thus far shows low level
readings of PCB's.
Another site, behind Virgil's
Restaurant on Highway 401 is
being tested for possible con
taminating lead, DHR Solid
and Hazardous Waste
spokesman Richard Gay con
firmed Tuesday.
Test results from lead
samples taken at the Virgil's
site have not been completed
yet, Gay said.
The Big Star site contained
PCB concentrations of 10.2
parts per million while the
Virgil's site contained less than
.8 parts per million, he said.
The federal Enviromental
Protection Agency (EPA) con
siders 49 parts per million
hazardous while some other
state laws put the safe level at
10 parts per million.
A "storage tank" holding
over 500 gallons of oil, was
also tested, according to Gay.
(See TOXIC, page 9A)
Board Of Ed Member Has Low Marks
By Sherry Matthews
During the last calendar year, a
member of the Hoke County
Board of Education had the worst
attendance of any elected official
in the county, a recent check of
meeting records showed.
School Board Vice Chairman
Mina Townsend had the worst
record, missing seven of the
board's 21 regular and special
meetings held between January 1
and December 31.
Townsend, who had not filed
for re-election as of Monday, at
tended about 66*79 of the meetings.
On the other side, County Com
mission Chairman John Balfour,
commission member Neil McPhat
ter, school board Chairman Bill
Cameron, board member Bobby
Wright and city councilman Joe
Upchurch, all had perfect atten
dance during the year.
Although he missed more
meetings than Townsend, Hoke
Commissioner James Albert Hunt
had the second worst record in the
county, making only 75^# of the
sessions held.
During the year, Hunt missed
eight of 32 meetings and was late a
total of six times.
School board member Ruth
McNair finished third, attending
85V? of the time.
McNair was present at 18 of the
board's 21 meetings.
City Councilmen Graham Clark
and Benny McLeod tied for the
fourth lowest attendance records
(See OFFICIALS, page 9A)
tions in the audits we do," he add
ed.
"The Sandhills Center just turn
ed out to owe us one of the largest
sums of money," Haskins said.
"Once the money has been paid
back, our investigation will be
complete," Haskins said.
The state audit, which was com
pleted in July, showed "several ex
ceptions" involving "conflict of
interest" violations by the Sand
hills area director, business
manager and an Employee
Assistance Program (EAP) consul
tant.
According to the audit, all three
Sandhills employees were "active
in the operation of Growth In
stitute, Inc."
Growth Institue, a "for-profit"
organization was incorporated oh
December 11, 1V81 with the Center
area director and a Center staff
psychologist listed as corporate
stockholders, according to the
audit.
Audit records show that the
original purpose of the corpora
tion, "as explained by the area
director," was to "control outside
private practices of Center
employees."
The audit disclosed that:
?The area director was presi
dent, board member and
"authorized check signer" for
(Growth Institute.
?The Center's EAP consultant
was executive director, stockholder
and "authorized check signer" for
Growth Institute.
?The Center's business officer
was Growth Institute's book
keeper.
The audit recommended that
"further investigation into Growth
Institute be initiated."
The audit also found that "con
tractual arrangements and transac
tions" were entered into "without
legal basis or state approval"
relating to the Center's EAP pro
gram.
The EAP program was set up at
the center to provide mental health
education that would assist
(See SANDHILLS, page 9A)
Youth Receives
12 Years In Jail
For Armed Robbery
A R?f S5erry Ma,lhews
A Raeford youth, charged with
ed !,oyi 5rniCd robb?ry. was sentenc
Hoke Supcfior CounSwe^
Despite the" testimony " against
IV a second Hoke County tin
rnhhi W"h the same Ju|y armed
after ft Waj f0und "n?<
after his case was tried before a
Ka Seen Geonti Sterling, 19 0f
Lamont Street, received a 12-y'ear
~ 3fter P|ead'ng guilty to
he July armed robbery at Huff
Raeford'rOCery 'OCa,ed at Rt' 3
Sterling, who apparently con
fhK? ? !?u- county authorities
? dTa8 arrCSt Member,
could have received up to 40 years
for the robbery.
Willie Tyrone McPhatter, 19
who was also arrested and charged
with the Huffman armed robbery
plead not guilty to the charges. '
A jury of five men and seven
women acquitted McPhatter ,Zt
Wednesday of those charges
hT l?r?,ny from s"?ng
the robbery3"' "
The defense offered no witnesses
SLW* did 'alee the
stand in his own behalf.
Sheriffs reports indicated that a
man wearing a toboggan over his
'ace and armed with a pistol
entered the store and demanded
money from the owner. manded
Murder, Drug
Probes Stalled
State and local law enforcement
authorities have uncovered "no"
new leads in the month-old in
RaS?Vn,? thC slay'"8 of a
St?e bJJ >US,rn?SS man' ^nior
Bureau of Investigation fSRH
gen, Frank Johnson'^"?
C()"We are still working," he add
f?^kth?Ugh no arrests appear to be
or hcoming. Johnson he w^
be solved cut w'"
Raeford Police Chief Leonard
Wiggins also said he believes a
murderer will be found.
tv TJkiT* is S,i" our toP Priori
ty. I think we will come ud with
something," Wiggins ?,Up W"h
We "? '"'ing around,
thi. working toward solving
this case," Johnson said. 8
SHI." \hC Peccmbcr shooting,
aty highway
patrol and rescue squad members
"^?'"?f'ock^heTn^
(See MURDER. p,ge 3A)
v.
Between S40 and $50 was taken
during the incident, reports show.
McPhatter was released after
court Wednesday, while Sterling
has been committed to the North
Carolina Department of Correc
tions as a youthful offender.
In an unrelated case, a Burling
ton man was given a three-year
active sentence after pleading guil
ty to possessing $521 in stolen
goods.
Joseph Anthony Weatherford,
31, plead guilty to having 60 car
tons of cigarettes, 30 cans of beer
and a battery charger reported to
have been stolen from Parks
Grocery Store on Highway 211.
Superior Court Judge James H.
Pou Bailey ordered Weatherford
confined for three years but
recommended "immediate" work
release.
Weatherford could have receiv
ed up to 10 years on the charge,
records show.
Two Sandhills Youth Center in
mates also received active
sentences last week in Superior
Court after pleading guilty to
felonious escape charges.
Ricky Lee Amons, 20, and
Gregory Fisher, 18, both received
one-year sentences.
Both Amons' and Fisher's
sentences are to begin at the ex
piration of the sentence they are
presently serving, Judge Bailey
said.
Inside Today
Cold survival
Many Hoke residents rely on
wood or oil burners to keep
the family warm. We take a
look at their lives and how
they survive in sub-20?
weather on page ohe of Sec
tion B In today's News
Journal.