The
ews
IH
I ournal
Hoke County^s newspaper since 1905
No.46Vol.llO
Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, January 20,2016
Ethanol plant shuts down, lays off staff
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
TheTyton Biofuels ethanol plant in Dundarrach.
The Tyton Biofuels ethanol plant in
Dundarrach went idle last week due to
hnancial difficulties caused by fluctuations
in the energy market, according to com
pany officials.
Tyton Biofuels, a branch of a larger
energy corporation based in Danville, Vir
ginia, bought the plant about 18 months
ago and announced intentions to invest
millions into the local economy and create
dozens of jobs. The company was work
ing with Cross Creek Seed to develop a
special kind of tobacco that could be used
as a feedstock to produce biofuels but
in the meantime began using corn as a
feedstock.
However, as was the case with its
predecessor Clean Burn Fuels, high corn
prices and other factors apparently forced
the company to cease production.
“Unfortunately, anticipated shifts in the
global commodity markets have dealt us a
severe blow with respect to the economics
of operating our plant profitably,” accord
ing to general manager Richard Brehm in
a letter given to laid-off employees. “The
high cost to buy and transport corn and
the low prices for ethanol are key elements
in this commodity shift. Because of this,
we lose more money operating the plant
than we do in placing it in an idle state. In
neither circumstance do we make a profit.”
The plant was shut down for over four
years after Clean Burn Fuels went bank
rupt, and the new owners invested
(See ETHANOL, page 4)
Raeford ‘buUionaire’
pleads to counterfeiting
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
A man from Raeford who called himself “BuUionaire” on
line pleaded guilty in federal court last week to charges that
he was part of an international counterfeiting operation.
Robert T. Dent, 30, of Raeford pleaded guilty to charges
of transferring counterfeit currency and conspiracy. The case,
USA V. Dent, is being handled in United States District Court
in the Western District of Pennsylvania.
The United States Attorney charged that, from December
2013 until November 2014, Dent participated in an operation
that made counterfeit $20, $50 and $100 bills in Uganda and
then advertised them for sale on Dark Web marketplaces.
Another American living in Uganda allegedly created the
fake bills and then worked with Dent and others in the
United States to ship the bills into the country. The counter
feiting ring shipped over $1.4 million in fake US. currency,
according to prosecutors.
Dent allegedly worked as a re-shipper, receiving bills from
Uganda and then treating them to make them look more
authentic before sending them off to other members of the
(See BULLIONAIRE, page 4)
Couple wins $890,000
Although no one in
Hoke County hit the $1.4
billion Powerball jack
pot last week, one couple
cashed in big time on a dif
ferent game of chance.
John Dooley and his
wife Tanja Phillips, both
of Raeford, won $890,583
in the Cash 5 jackpot last
week.
This Week
Called Into Action
is back
Page 4
Browsing the Files 2
Classifieds 9
Deaths 10
Editorials 3
The couple bought the
winning ticket for the Janu
ary 12 drawing at the Alco
station on Rockfish Road
in Hoke County. After
required state and federal
tax withholdings, they took
home $616,729. The couple
claimed their prize within 12
hours of the drawing.
Their win marks the
third time in three months
that tickets bought in Hoke
County stores have won
big. A newlywed couple
won $750,000 in the Jumbo
Bucks game in November,
and a construction supervi
sor from Laurel, Mississippi
won a $150,000 prize in a
scratch-off game in
(See WINNERS, page 6)
American Foreign Legion Post 20 member Freddie McPhaul shows some of the toy cars being donated. (Ken
MacDonald photo)
Man donates 5,000 toy cars for kids
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
A local man recently donated his
collection of more than 5,000 toy
cars - some of them very valuable -
to the American Foreign Legion to
help local children.
US. Army soldier Edward J.
Sullivan and his father, John Nor
man, started collecting miniature
cars about 20 years ago. It quickly
became a family affair with the
two spending weekends searching
through stores and flea markets, and
Sullivan’s mother, Caroline, driving
long distances to find a particular
car for the collection.
Then Sullivan grew up and joined
the military, and recently decided
he wanted the cars that he and his
father enjoyed collecting to bring joy
to others.
“Now they’re going back to the
community to help,” Norman said.
Sullivan donated about 5,000
(See TOY CARS, page 10)
Sheriff’s office faces wrongful death lawsuit
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
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The family of a man shot and
killed by a Hoke County Sheriff’s
Office deputy in 2014 has filed a
wrongful death lawsuit against the
office and Sheriff Hubert Peterkin,
according to court documents.
The suit, filed in Hoke County
court last week, alleges that the fatal
shooting of 33-year-old Sandy Mc
Call by Sgt. Samuel Morant of the
sheriff’s office was wrong.
McCall was shot around 1 a.m.
May 31,2014, while walking in the
Scurlock community in the area of
Rockfish Road and Highway 401
Business. Morant was reportedly
investigating a call about a suspicious
person in the area. In an unknown se
ries of events described as an “alter
cation,” Morant fatally shot McCall.
The North Carolina State Bureau
of Investigation has been looking
into the shooting since it happened,
but has not released any findings in
the case or information about why
Morant used deadly force. McCall
was a black man, and both Morant
and Peterkin, who is named in the
lawsuit, are black men.
Attorney Allen Rogers of Fayette
ville is representing McCall’s father,
Marvin McCall, in the case. Rogers
and the McCall family were part of
a rally last July held in downtown
Raeford that expressed concern over
the shooting.
“The (district attorney) has access
to the investigation, the police have
access to the investigation, but the
family does not, and there’s some
thing wrong with that picture,” Rog
ers said.
The family still doesn’t know why
Morant made the decision to shoot
McCall, Rogers said. McCall was
shot in the groin and bled to death
while handcuffed, his father said.
Peterkin dechned to comment on
the lawsuit because it is still pending
in court. “Because this is pending
litigation, no matter how groundless it
is, we do not comment on such pend
ing litigation,” he said.
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