Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / May 26, 1988, edition 1 / Page 1
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| Crime Du Brunswick County law second crime-flghtlng McGruff's efforts to "t crime" on Page 15-c. I rn HOAG' I I SPRIN I ta h 8 5 Hi v .mil? " "" " "' I SBiM**' WHKmlttwwN"' Shoreline Erosion Control workers w Beach Tuesday morning, but it was a bags. The Ocean Isle Beach company, rell, was hired by the N.C. Departm sandbag and fabric barrier to protect Harrell said he expects to complete th his crew and another from Nag's Ilea tan, porous, sun damage-resistant hi , . ? I Lawmer I After Sh< BY BAHN ADAMS A Shallotte man who was indicted I last month on cocaine trafficking charges in Brunswick County apparently drowned last week in Surry County, Va. According to Snrrv Onnntv Sheriff W.C. Andrews, the body of Robert Dale Clemmons, 35, was found in the James River about five miles from Surry, Va., Sunday around 9:30 a.m. Andrews said Tuesday that a couple walking on the shore found Clemmons about two-tenths of a mile down Democrats * Brunswick County Democrats who didn't bother to vote on May 3 get a second chance on May 31, when polLs open for voting in two second primaries. Seeking the Democratic nomination for the District 3 seat on the Brunswick County Board of KducaI . - tion are the board s current chairman, James R. Forstner, and a retired educator, Jonathan Hankias. The winner of the primary will face Republican Robert Slockett of Yaupon Beach in November. Hankins led a three-man field in the May 3 primary, with Mack Aman trailing, but failed to obtain a majority of the vote. The second question on the ballot determines the Democratic nominee Prosecu BY RAHN ADAMS "Drug trafficke^ctiiui 11 A ^jv?.-i 'JL*U m" Wolak said I 'ast wce'< ?' l',c i investigations f&fc Ok 2?8 lliat led to the wdak conviction of DcCarol Williamson for (Iron of I men have added a i canine. Read about | ake a bite out of & SONS BOOK BINDERY 12731 /S*fiF'f'lC'T M t a . ? ill 43io4 % Sandbagging Tc ere jumping up and down at Holden II in a day's work as they filled sandowned by James Russ and Dave Harent of Transportation to construct a Ocean Boulevard East from erosion, e job this week. Working 12-hour days d wiii place approximately 308 of the igs along a 440-foot area. Each bag i Find No Si< % llotte Man river from the mobile home park where the victim lived. Clemmons and his brother, George M. Clem mons of Shallotte, were working at Virginia Power Company's Surry Nuclear Plant, the sheriff said. On Sunday, the body was sent to the state medical examiner's office in Richmond, Va., for autopsy. Andrews said the autopsy report, which was not available Tuesday morning, may take up to two weeks to be completed. Must Choose lor a seat on the N.C. Court of Appeals. Both William L. Davis III and John B. (Jack) Lewis Jr. arc seeking the seat for a term that will expire Dec. 31, 1992. All county polls will be open from G:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The deadline for one-stop voting at the Board of Elections office is May 27, while absentee ballots must be returned no later than May 30, according to the Brunswick County Board of Elections. Only those voters who were eligible to vote in the May 3 primary can cast ballots on May 31. The registration books are closed until after the primary. Forstner, a 41-year-old general practitioner from Ixmg Beach, has tor Outlines ii fenses that occurred four years ago in Brunswick County. Williamson, 37, of Ocean Isle Beach, pleaded guilty last week in Brunswick County Superior Court to conspiracy to traffic in more than 400 grams of cocaine and trafficking by possession of more than 400 grams of cocaine. On a recommendation by the state, Williamson?a former Ocean Isle Beach town commissioner and the L<A>t r?r t~?~ *? ? .ion ifi i/tcaii imu nuacn ucvciopcr Otlell Williamson?was sentenced to ^^upplement includ JSWI - ? - - -- . i .. v. '; /EM / 5 Protect Road holds about three tons of sand, and wh them, the bags allow receding waters t beach, said Harrell. In the fall, the U pected to add more fill to the area, foil public beach accessway by the town. Fi of Nag's Head, Tucker Cully of Brick La Beach, Kirk Ksaffle and John Saunders project is $75,000. gnsOf Foul Drowns In ^ However, the sheriff indicated that lawmen have found no signs of foul | nlay in their investigation. Drowning ! was the apparent cause of death, he i said. i Andrews said Clemmons was last i seen last Thursday night at his : residence, which was located on a i bluff overlooking tlie river. George Clemmons reported his brother missing on Saturday evening. i I-ast month, Robert Dale Clem- < mons was among 48 individuals in- 1 dieted on drug charges by a 1 / School Boarc served as chairman of the school I board since his election to it in 1984. I In seeking re-election, he has said he I wants to continue focusing the | system's attention on children and I their education through continued strengthening of the curriculum, in- J creased professionalism of staff and < elimination of such problems as : drugs and weapons on school cam- i puses. < 1 The current board has tackled such | concerns as AIDS education, drugs ; on campus, teacher performance, \ transition to adult-only bus drivers ; and implementation of the state's Basic Education Plan. Requirements ( of the plan are reflected in the expan- < sion of the Union and Lincoln < nvestigations a $10,000 fine and two years in prison. But according to a Department of Corrections official, Williamson could possibly be granted work release within the next several weeks i and return to the Brunswick County area to serve what could amount to no more than nine months in jail. "I believe that sentence was warranted," Wolak said in an interview Friday, three days after Judge Giles H. ('lark sentenced Williamson and seven other defendants who were involved in the same conspiracy. p t f - ^ --..W wmrz =. m-j-.... STAFF PHOTO BV SUSAN USHfP lie retaining sand inside and behind o filter through, helping to build the .S. Army Corps of Engineers fa exowed by construction of an east-end rom the left above are Mark Garrett mdlng, Steve Brinsfield of Ocean Isle of Nag's Head. Estimated cost of the I.#... Play y/irginia Brunswick County investigative grand jury. He was charged with conspiracy to traffic in cocaine, possession of cocaine and transporting cocaine?all three counts involving more than 28 grams of the controlled substance. The offenses allegedly occurred in Jan. 1985. ITlinQril orrnnitAr?/v-?? f ~ * uiibiat aiiaugClUCUU IU1 Llt'IUTions were incomplete Tuesday, according to a spokesperson at Coble >Vard-Smith Funeral Sendee in Suppy. / Nominee Primary campuses and plans for poth a proposed primary school in he Supply area and the proposed expansion of South Brunswick High School. Hankins, 61, a Southport native, is i former teacher and served as principal of various county schools for 26 tears. The former Southport aldernan said he has the time to continue contributing to education in 3runswick County. He advocates improving public relations and securing idequate personnel, which he said vould result in upgraded standards ind better education. He is also concerned about student iiscipline and funding for the schools, as well as adequate controls pn how those funds are spent. I _ a _ I A / 11 inTo vvmiami Williamson received the longest active prison time. Wolak, who prosecuted Williamson, defended the state's recommendation in the case by pointing out that the offenses occurred four years ago; that the defendant "got in and out of (cocaine trafficking) on his own;" and that Williamson provided "substantial assistance" to investigators. In fact, Williamson helped set up a "sting" operation last December at ins laiauasn goll course, Pearl Ciolf BBBM^HBBBB3E3XBSS5CEBBBSDi I ?M#I? I kCXI IVI3 I During a week of ovei Sunset Beach Pier ang king of the season, a i fishing reports on Pa<. fklrii*? County A Propose Tax Rate BY RAHN ADAMS With just over a month to make their decision, Bruaswick County Commissioners mast either raise property tax rates by a staggering 16'2 cents or find some other means to balance the county's proposed $31.8 million budget. During a 1'2-hour special meeting Monday in Bolivia, County Manager John T. Smith presented commissioners with his proposed 1988-89 budget?a document he also referred to as a "working budget," admitting he was "not so naive to think you (commissioners) will adopt a 67-cent tax rate." AU five board members apparently agreed by indicating they did not supnort thp nrnnncpH tav mto inprnaea 'It's a starting point," Chairman Grace Beasley commented after the meeting. "It's a proposed budget for us to work on." That work will begin June 1 at 10 a.m. in commissioners' chambers, when the board holds an initial budget work session. At Smith's recommendation, commissioners also scheduled a public hearing on the proposed budget for June 7 at 7 p.m. in Bolivia. A copy of the budget is open for public inspection at the county administration offices. Problem Outlined Responding to questions from board members and the public, Smith explained that his 16?i!-cent rate hike request is directly related to a shortfall in county revenue, not greatly increased expenditures. Last year, commissioners adopted the current $30.3 million budget and 50'^-cent (per $100 of property valuation) tax rate by allocating $4.68 million from the county's fund balance?monies which were carried over from the previous year. "It is my opinion that when a fund balance is appropriated, it should be only for a one-time expenditure item and never for operations or other expenditures that require annual appropriations," Smith told commissioners in a three-page, prepared budget message. Smith warned that if a sizable portion of the county's current $3.2 million fund balance is appropriated in the 1988-89 budget, the county "will have serious cash flow problems from June through December 1989," because each fiscal year begins in July and property tax payments aren't due until the following January. He also noted several large expenditures that are not listed in the proposed budget, including improvements to the county water system, a new landfill and convenience sites, expansion of facilities at the county complex and renovation of the county-owned Bolivia Shopping Center. >on's Drug Trc Links, that resulted in the arrest of his supplier from Florida, Wolak said. "DeCarol was cooperating with our investigation, and he called his supplier," Wolak explained. He added that Williamson tape recorded telephone "negotiations" with tarry David Andrews of Starke, Fla., for several months before Andrews delivered a kilogram of cocaine to Williamson at the Pearl on Dec. 19, 1987. "DeCarol was there, but all of the V ?\ ^ !' "1 / ' AN) EBBBCgg/T^ugHgasgar; acrasasH 3ig Fish I "all fine fishing, a ler landed the biggest I 52-pounder. The 3e 14-B. Aanager A s big 5 Hike In addition, the county's debt service will increase by $1.1 million in 1988-89, while a decrease in utility values next year will cost the county more than SI million in revenue, he said. Smith suggested that commissioners "explore" other means of producing additional revenue, such as increasing user fees where service is provided on request; implementing new user fees for specific services being provided; and implementing a real estate transfer fee with 1 _1 1 -'?? * icvcuuca iu ut* biliirca Wild 10WTIS where the transfer takes place. Proposal Explained The county manager's proposed 67-cent tax rate per $100 of property valuation would provide an estimated $24.5 million in ad valorem taxes, with each cent of the rate producing $200,520 for hudgct purposes, he said. Brunswick County's estimated property valuation is $3.85 billion. According to Smith, the proposed budget reflects only a five percent i$1.5 million) increase in expenditures over the current budget. Over the past few weeks, Smith whittled $35.1 million in departmental requests down to the $31.8 million proposal. He said the largest percentage increase is the 50-percent rise in the county's group insurance premiums, which increased by $4S7,loG. The proposed budget also includes a 2.5 percent, across-the-board pay increase for the county's more than 400 employees. A total of 40 new partand full-time employees are recommended, including nine positions in the health department; five for social | services: and four each for the jail, landfill and water department. Some 51 current positions would be reclassified, with 40 of that number (See TAX HATE, Page 2-A> School's Out On June 10 The Brunswick County Board of Education is reminding parents that the last day of school for county students has been changed. Because schools were closed for several snow days this winter, the board had extended the end of school to Monday, June 13. At their May board meeting, however, the board changed the last day of school to Friday, June 10. This was possible, said Jean Parker, public information officer, because of current legislation that allows a third day to be excused for hazardous weather conditions if the last day of school is on a Monday. ill iv-r\n ivj other men in the room were federal and state agents," the district attorney said of the sting operation that led to the arrests of Andrews and two other men, Larry Charles Green and Robert Darrell Carter, both also of Starke. Andrews, Green and Carter all pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking charges in January and are now awaiting sentencing. Wolak said those arrests led to the April indict(See IMtOSF.O.TOH. I'age2-A)
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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May 26, 1988, edition 1
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