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Flim-flam
thwarted
An attempt by an apparent
"flim flam" man to swindle ? a
clerk at B & W Food Mart in
Raeford, backfired last Tuesday.
According to a Hoke County
Sheriff's Department report, a
black male entered the store at 9
p.m. and purchased SI. 04 worth of
merchandise from clerk Mrs. Tam
my Collazo.
The unidentified man gave Mrs.
Collazo a $20 bill, and the clerk
counted out change giving the man
a $10 bill, a $5 bill and four $1
bills.
Then the man gave the clerk five
$1 bills and a $5 bill, and asked
Mrs. Collarzo for a $10 bill.
The S10 bill was handed to the
customer, but he gave it back to
the clerk and demanded his $20 bill
back.
Mrs. Collarzo stood her ground
and told the man that the $10 bill
was all he was getting.
The man began arguing with the
clerk.
Another woman behind the
counter, Mrs. Jan Webb, told the
man to leave.
When the man refused to go,
Mrs. Webb called the sheriff's
department.
On his way out of the store, the
flim flam man yelled "God will get
you for this."
The case is currently under in
vestigation.
In an unrelated case, a total of
$490 worth of goods were reported
missing Monday from the home of
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Davis, Rt. 2,
Raeford.
(See BREAK-IN, page 2A)
Food for breakfast
Breakfast food can be scarce on a cloudy, wet
morning, but these blackbirds managed to find a
substantial breakfast in this Hoke County hay field.
iPkolo h> Mrphrn HIM
One by one they flew in for a meal, then went on to
other places to find more things to eat.
SBI investigates
arrest incident
An assault complaint filed
against the Raeford Police Depart
ment is apparently being probed
this week by agents with the State
Bureau of Investigation (SB1), The
News-Journal has learned.
The assault allegations ap
parently stemmed from an arrest
of Willie Howard Graham, 27, of
Rt. 3, on October 3, following a
high speed chase, involving
Raeford Police officers and Hoke
County Sheriff's deputies.
It is the second SBI probe of
Hoke County law enforcement
authorities in the last month.
Although the results have not
been announced, SBI agents
recently concluded an investigation
into a hanging death in the Hoke
County Jail.
Graham was sentenced to as
much as 18 months in jail after be
ing convicted in District Court of
carrying a concealed weapon,
resisting arrest, hit and run proper
ty damage, no operators license
and failure to stop for a blue light
and siren.
The sentence is being appealed
and was continued until the
January session of Hoke County
Superior Court, records show.
According to an unnamed
source, Graham claimed he was
repeatedly hit in the head while be
ing arrested by a Raeford Police
officer.
The investigation was requested
by the District Attorney's office,
assistant District Attorney Jean
Powell confirmed.
However, Powell would not say
who was under investigation or
which department, and would not
comment about the nature of the
charges.
"We asked for the SBI to assist
us in investigating a complaint fil
ed by Willie Howard Graham,"
Powell said.
The investigation is underway
and findings would be reviewed to
determine if any criminal prosecu
tion would be takep, Powell said.
Agents are expected to conclude
the investigation during the next
two weeks, Powell said.
The SBI recently completed an
investigation into the death of
Robert Lee Chappelle, 28, who
was found hanging from the bars
in his cell on October 15.
Findings from that investigation
will be turned over to District At
torney Ed Grannis, who will deter
mine if the results will be made
public, Hoke County Sheriff Dave
Barrington has said.
Barrington has urged Grannis to
open the files on the case.
Graham was arrested along with
three other persons following a
chase and altercation with a
sheriff's deputy.
Deputy Clarence Patterson was
bitten on the shoulder, and his
patrol car was damaged in the af
fray.
Patterson is not believed to be
the target of the SBI probe,
sources said.
Commission rethinking use of library for deeds office
By Ron Anderson
A request to reconsider a plan
ned move of the Register of Deeds
office to the Hoke County Library
while the courthouse is being
renovated, was tabled Monday
night by members of the Hoke
County Commissioners.
A decision on the move is ex
pected during the December 2
meeting of the commissioners.
The plan calls for the offices to
be housed temporarily in the
library conference room beginning
at the end of December and to re
main there until renovations are
completed in August.
"We really and truly feel this
will set our library program back,"
Sandhills Regional Libraries Direc
tor William G. Bridgmand told the
commissioners.
Copies of letters from various
civic and educational organiza
tions urging that the library not be
used as the temporary location for
the Register of Deeds office were
given to the commissioners.
A letter from Sandhills Com
munity College Hoke County
Branch Director Betty High en
couraged the commissioners to
find another location for the of
fices "so that the meeting room of
the Hoke County Public Library
can remain available to the com
munity."
Even though the community col
lege doesn't use the facility for
classroom space, it does use it for
important meetings and work ses
sions, the letter stated.
The Hoke County Public
Library Trustees went on record as
saying they do not favor the use of
the all-purpose room for the deeds
office.
During the last 12 months
12,572 county residents have used
the room without charge.
Hoke County taxpayers will not
be getting a full return on their in
vestment in the public library pro
gram of quality, the trustees said.
"We just so strongly need the
use of this room and would ap
preciate so much your help in find
ing an alternative location," said
Charlotta King, a member of the
library board.
The trustees suggested three
facilities within walking distance
of the courthouse which could be
used as alternative locations.
The least expensive of the three
is the McDonald Building located
next to the Raeford-Hoke
Chamber of Commerce, owned by
Allen McDonald.
A study by County Manager
William K. Cowan projects that
the cost of renting the building and
paying utility bills for a period of
eight months would cost the coun
ty approximately $3,600.
Commission Chairman John D.
Balfour told the representatives
from the library that he was con
cerned about the additional cost of
locating the office in another loca
tion.
The cost for renovating the
courthouse is currently 580,000
(See MONUMENT, page 2A)
Around Town
By Sam Morris
^ The weather for the past few
days has felt like summer is not go
ing to leave us this year. The nights
are not very cold and it warms up
in a hurry when the sun comes out.
The forecast is for it to get cold
er by the weekend. I don't care if it
cools off some, but 1 don't want
any snow or freezing rain for
Thanksgiving.
The Annual Community-wide
Thanksgiving Service will be held
on Wednesday night, November
27th. The service this year will be
held in the First Baptist Church
and will start at 7:30 o'clock. The
Rev. Frank Lloyd, pastor of
Raeford United Methodist
Church, will bring the message this
year.
? This is a fine time for people of
other churches in the community
to hear Rev. Mr. Lloyd. He has
just recently become pastor of the
Methodist Church. So come out
and give him a real Hoke County
welcome.
1 imagine an announcement will
appear elsewhere in the paper and
will give the information about the
singing for the service.
I
Tht News-Journal will come out
a day early next week so that the
employees can take the Thanksgiv
ing holiday. This will mean that all
deadlines must be moved up one
day.
So start preparing now to get
your ads, news and pictures into
the office. The paper must be in
the post office on Tuesday to get
* into the mail before the holiday.
(See AROUND, page 2A)
IOO-.
United Way
United Fund
nearing goal
The Hoke County United Fund
for 1985 should reach its goal of
$28,853, according to Ken
Whitherspoon, president of the
local fund drive.
"Contributions continue to
come in, and the goal looks ob
tainable," Whitherspoon said in a
telephone interview on Tuesday.
The drive was begun during the
second week of October and will
end on December 4 with a victory
celebration.
"The spirit of the community
has been particularly high this
year," said Witherspoon.
Businesses, community organ
izations and individuals have
responded to the campaign.
"We've had a number of in
dividuals contribute over the last
couple of weeks," said Wither
spoon.
"We anticipate an extremely
successful campaign this year," he
added.
Effect of new law on suits being eyed
By Ron Anderson
Defense attorneys are assessing what effect legislation signed last
week by President Ronald Reagan will have on law suits recently fil
ed against Hoke County seeking overtime payment for employees.
The suits were filed by five former and current sheriff's deputies
against the county after the Supreme Court ruled last February that
state and local governments were required to pay overtime to all
employees who worked more than 40 hours a week.
The legislation signed by the president allows state and local
governments to continue offering time off in lieu of overtime pay,
"We just got the legislation; we have it under review. We are
assessing its impact on litigation," said Greensboro attorney Mike
I
Kelly, who specializes in labor and employment law.
Kelly is with Smith, Moore, Smith, Schell and Hunter, the firm
hired to represent Hoke County in the case.
Suits were filed by deputies Ed Harris and Jimmy Riley and
former deputies Craig Hart, J.W. Jones and Ronnie Odom.
All seek back pay for previously worked overtime.
Under the new law, employees would be given compensatory time
off for time worked over 40 hours per week.
The time off is to be assessed at the rate of one and half hours off
for every hour of overtime, according to the new law signed by the
President last Wednesday.
The new bill is expected to save state and local governments $3
billion annually.
Crash scene
A wall and the back door of a den at the residence
of Mr. and Mrs. Eddie C. Brock Jr. of Rockflsh
were knocked down by a 1974 Vega allegedly driven
by Sherrie Tolar Johnson, 1800 Cameron Road,
Hope Mills. According to the Investigating officer,
Johnson apparently ran off of Rural Paved Road
1406 and into the Brocks' home at 11:50 p.m. last
Thursday. Brock and his wife were home at the time
of the Incident and were not Injured. Johnson
allegedly borrowed the car from her father, a
mechanic who was working on the alternator for
the vehicle's owner, Donnie Elton Smith, Hopedale
Street, Fayetteville. A woman and an unknown
male fled from the scene on foot, witnesses said.
A 'C Highway Patrolman Ken Weston, investigating
officer, said a warrant has been issued for
Johnson 's arrest.
Five years
is sentence
for break-in
A Raeford man was sentenced to
five years in prison after he plead
guilty to charges of breaking and
entering into the Main Street
Western Auto Store on September
15.
When Terry Dyrant McGregor,
25, of Rt. 5, was arrested by
Raeford Police inside the store last
month, he had $57 cash and a gold
ring in his pocket.
McGregor was charged at the
scene with breaking, entering and
larceny.
The state dropped the larceny
charge after McGregor plead guilty
to the breaking and entering
charges in last week's session of
Superior Court.
in an unrelated case, John L.
Locklear, Paddlewheel Road,
Fayetteville, was sentenced to three
years after he plead guilty to a
charge of selling a controlled
substance.
(See SENTENCE, page 2 A)