Page 10-A?THE BRUNSWICK BE/
Health Bo
BY TERRY POPE
A policy authorizing Brunswicl
County Animal Control officers t
carry guns for protection and fo
humane killing of animals was ap
proved by the Brunswick Count;
Board of Health Monday night.
During the budget hearings witl
the county commissioner1' Ini
month, a question was raised ovei
the carrying and use of firearms b;
the animal control staff. At a latei
Judae C
_ Owner
"
BY TERRY POPE
A Inland property owner has beer
ordered to clean up his lot within 1'
days after neighbors complained th(
dump site was infested with rats.
Ralph Gatlin Jr. of Wilmington wa;
charged with unlawful dumping
under the county's litter ordinance
(Ordinance No. 40) at a lot or
Graham Road in Iceland, just off the
old U.S. 74-76 highway near the
Iceland Volunteer Fire Department.
In court Monday, District Courl
Judge D. Jack Hooks Jr. ol
Whiteville issued a prayer for judg
mcnt in the case, but ordered Gatlir
to have the lot cleared within 14 day.1
or else face sentencing and fines
County Utter Control Officer Marths
Britt charged Gatlin with the viola
lion after complaints were filed b>
Joan Milligan and Nancy Harrow
who live near the lot that is scattcrec
with roof shingles, tree limbs ant
other debris.
Assistant District Attorney Wands
Bryant said after complaints wert
filed, Gatlin was notified by both the
county health department and the
solid waste department tliat the lol
Sunset
Involve
BY TEIUtY POPE
An Ocean Me Bench developer hua
filed suit against the owners of a pro
posed condominium project near
Sunset Bench, claiming he lias not
been paid the more thun $18,000 thut
is owed him.
Stuart Cooke, of Cooke Development
Company, filed suit against Joe
C. Brooks Sr., Joe C. Brooks Jr. and
Marshside Enterprises Inc. last Friday
in Brunswick County District
Court seeking payment plus interest
and attorney fees.
According to the lawsuit, Cooke
was hired by the Brooks find Marsliside
Enterprises of Route 3, Box
2152, Shallotto, on Dec. 1, 1S84 under
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ICON, Thursday, July 11, 1985
ard Examine
commissioners' meeting, the word
k "slain" was deleted from an amendo
ment to the animal control ordinance
r upon Commissioner Grace Beasley's
" request.
Y However, the board voted
unanimously Monday night to ask
ti commissioners to replace the word
t "stain" in the ordinance. They also i
r adopted a policy that outlines when j
f and how firearms should be used by i
r the animal control staff.
)rders ProDe
I
Fo Clean Up
constituted a health hazard and must
i be cleaned.
1 "The court can take notice of the
- fact that rats constitute a health
hazard," Ms. Bryant said. "Cats i
' were there feeding on rats. That's the
! reason complaints were filed in the
: first place." i
1 The case was the second brought
' into the Brunswick County cour
troom since county officials began
their get-tough policy on littering this
1 year. Ms. Britt also won a conviction
f in May against a Long Beach man i
who pleaded guilty to illegal dumping |
1 on a Beach Road lot. i
> In court Monday, Gatlin told Judge
Hooks he did not believe he was in
1 violation of a county ordinance since (
" "the only thing there was limbs and [
' trees." {
"I'm quite sure the cats can pick
I up rats in other areas," he added.
I Gatlin supplied photographs of the j
lot to Judge Hooks and said he saw r
' "at least 15 other spots that was t
worse than this," on his way to court (
Monday morning. But Judge Hooks (
replied that other dump sites were
not the ones on trial. I
Condo Proj<
id In Lawsuil
contract to help develop the property
In the Seaside subdivision known us i
the "Brooks Estate." i
Cooke was to perform certain ser- !
vices for the Brooks, the lawsuit
states, including 1) locating prospective
investors for the defendant's
condominium project; 2) obtaining a
zoning change for the development
property; 3) obtaining options for additional
development property; and
4) preparing various feasibility
studies.
Cooke appeared before the Sunset
Beach town council on several occasions
representing the Brooks Estate
before the site was rezoncd by the
board last February. The unanimous
vote to rezone the MH-1 (mobile
nome) zone to MB-1 (mainland i
i business) to accommodate multifamily
development was approved c
I despite an attempt by surrounding c
landowners to squelch the move by t
petition. I
Our South Brurm
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?s Use Of h
Under the new policy, there are
three situations in which the handguns
issued to animal control officers
may be used: 1) to kill animals
that are struck along the road and
arp hevond recovery: 2) while searching
for animals which are
marauding in packs and likely to attack:
and 3) while searching for an
animal that is suspected of having
rabies.
Heath Director Thomas Blum said
rty
Lot
The lot contained a "half house of
shingles" that were torn off during
Hurricane Diana, Gatlin said, along
with tree limbs. He was ordered to
dispose of the shingles at the
Brunswick County I-andfill in Supply
within 14 days and to clean up the
other debris, by burning or hauling it
away, during the same period.
Both Ms. Milligan and Ms. Barrowsaid
they were pleased with the
judge's order to have the lot cleaned
Monday. Ms. Barrow added that with
the right backing, "maybe more people
will do this," or carry the cases to
court.
Under county ordinance No. 40, no
>wner or occupant of public or
jrivate property will lie allowed to
iccumulate debris on the premises,
'creating a health hazard."
When they first filed the com>laints,
Ms. Milligan said, they
eceived "the run-around from every
lepartment at this (government)
:omplex" until Ms. Britt took the
use.
"I don't think they're getting the
lacking they need," she added.
3Ct
\
In the lawsuit filed by attorney Edmund
tiles of Southpori, Cooke
states he also met on several occasions
to "assist and advise the defenfants
in connection with the conlominium
development." Cooke "extended
his personal funds on behalf
>f the defendants" and also worked
n excess of 540 hours on the project,
he lawsuit states.
Other expenses incurred included
elephone expenses, document extenses
and land option expenses.
'ookc is seeking $18,328 plus interest
roin April 15, 1985, costs of court and
ittorney fees.
Cooke states he laid demanded
layment of the expenses and has also
trovided the Brooks with an itemized
iccount of the charges.
"Despite the plaintiff's repeated
lemands for payment, the defenlants
have failed and refused, and
ontinue to fail and refuse to pay the
tlaintiff," the lawsuit states.
ick Islands
iCNS
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A
VTON
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wnrvTT^*^l
Jandguns C
it is not known when animal control
officers were first issued guns, but a
policy adopted in 1979 is "clearly
written to reduce the use of the handgun
to a minimum."
Since he became health director in
1983, Blum added one additional
guideline to the policy, stating "In
any situation where the animal control
officer beiieves a weapon may be
needed before embarking on the
situation, the officer is to call the
ohcriff'c dcpcrtm?.* cr z ^
ficer to accompany them." The
board voted Monday to keep that as
part of the existing policy.
Without a policy stating that
animal control officers have
authorization to use guns and to kill
animals in a humane manner, "we
are just begging for a lawsuit," Blum
added.
Revisions in the policy approved by
the health board Monday state an
animal control officer may not
"carry an armed handgun into the
field without having received hand
gun training in a formal education
program. This provision is intended
to have the hand gun used by persons
properly trained."
Blum said the most common actual
use of the handgun is to put an animal
that has been struck on the road out
of its misery. The department's experience
last year of searching for a
rabid fox near Southport was an example
of when officers needed handguns
for protection, he added.
"I can't think of any time since I've
been in Brunswick County that
firearms have been used on animals
and brought to my attention," said
board member Bill Rabon, a county
veterinarian. "I think if it had happened,
it would have brought a roar
from the public."
Rabon said the use of guns to kill
animals that are beyond help is the
quickest, most humane manner. A
policy outlining the use of firearms in
destroying animals was adopted in
October 1979, following methods ap
?
; '
*- - - v # 4*
Ski T?*
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'' ^
Sheila Lancaster's cotton
for summer days at the I
comfortable
BEACI
Ttwi Store W
T BEACHWEAR GROCERIES ME
JEWEIRY?HOUSEV
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)n Animals
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i Society.
"I think if we send people out into
the field," Blum said, "we should
send them fully equipped. No one has
i raised any problem since I've been
here over the use of the gun."
i Blum also said Monday that Long
Beach officials plan to ask county
commissioners if the county animai
control department can take over the
town's animal control services. A
* n 1. * - - * - - 1
LA/llg UVOCII (11 111 1 Id 1 LV1IU ut vitivvt
has resigned, he said.
In other business Monday, the
health board approved a list of family
planning fees as established by the
state. The state's new sliding fee
scale has changed due to federal
poverty guideline adjustments, but
the county's charges will remain the
same, Blum said.
The board also approved a service
contract between the health department
and Brunswick Technical College
that will provide health services
for approximately 50 to 60 students in
the college's Jobs Training Partnership
Program.
The health department will provide
a series of lab tests for the students
while Dr. James Mulholland of
Shallotte will provide other examinations
under the new program.
The board also learned that funds
to initiate a teenage pregnancy
prevention program may be
available from the state afterall. It is
not known how much money will be
available to the county, but the state
increased funding for the maternal
child health program from $2 million
to $6 million last month, Blum said.
Brunswick County's additional
MCH allotment will be used to fund
the teenage pregnancy program,
Blum said.
The board also officially adopted
the Robert's Rules of Order for
health board meetings Monday night.
Before, it was not known if there was
an official parlimentary procedure
for health board meetings.
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