Commissioners Approve Jail P!ans/ Smith's Plan To Rearrange Offices
BY RAHN ADAMS
Brunswick County Commission
ers took steps Monday night to ease
overcrowding at the county govern
ment center. They approved plans
for an addition to the county jail as
well as the county manager's pro
posal to move eight offices out of
the Bolivia complex.
That action was taken during
Monday's four-hour regular board
meeting, attended by all five com
missioners. The meeting included a
one-hour, 45-minute executive ses
sion requested by Commissioner
Grace Bcaslcy to discuss "industrial
location and expansion, and person
nel."
Commission Chairman Frankic
Rabon said no action was taken
during the closed-door meeting.
However, the beard's final action
before adjournment was to allocate
S300.000 from the county's operat
ing reserve fund for the Brunswick
County Economic Development
Corporation.
When contacted immediately
after the meeting, none of the com
missioners would comment on how
the 5300,000 would be spent by the
economic development organiza
tion. It was announced Tuesday that
the corporation will use the money
to purchase an industrial site in
Lcland Industrial Park (see related
story).
Representatives of the Raleigh
engineering and architectural firm,
Pcirson and Whitman Inc., present
ed plans for the jail expansion,
which will add 30 beds to the over
crowded 44-bcd facility. Estimated
cost of the addition is $385,000.
Construction bids arc expcctcd to
be received late next month.
Pcirson and Whitman Executive
Yicc President Douglas D. Vaughn
told commissioners that the plans
have been approved by the N.C.
Division of Facility Services. The
plans call for the addition of 10
individual cells and a dormitory
area containing 20 beds.
Sheriff John Carr Davis said the
plans were "acceptable to me, and
the big thing is, they're acceptable
to the state."
Moves Approved
Without a vote, the board con
sented to County Manager John
Smith's plan to relieve overcrowd
ing elsewhere at the county com
plex by movsng eight offices into
two facilities near Bolivia and
Supply.
The county manager said the
moves would be made "as soon as
possible." But he emphasized that
the departments "aren't all going to
be moving tomorrow" and that the
changes would be made gradually
as new office space is prepared.
Smith's proposal was presented
to the commissioners in a memo
randum they received on Aug. 7.
No objections to it were expressed
1 6-Year-Old Girl Is Raped
By Two Men Near Souihport
No arrests were reported as of
Monday in connection with the rape
of a 16-year-old Southport girl early
Saturday in the Soulhport area.
According to reports on file at the
Brunswick County Sheriff's Depart
ment, the sexual assault occurred
Saturday around 12:30 a.m. on
Bethel Church Road of! N.C. 87.
The suspccts are two unidentified
white men believed to be a father
and son. Dct. I-arry Joyner said the
victim did not know the two men.
One was described as being about
40 years of age and having short
blondish-brown hair with traces of
gray on the sides. He had a brown
mustache and week-old beard. The
other man appeared to be about 20
years old, with shoulder-length,
blondish-brown hair and blond
highlights.
The girl told officers thai a friend
dropped her off at home Friday
around 11:30 p.m., after the two left
a local party together. The victim,
however, started walking back
toward the site of the party and ac
cepted a ride from the two suspects
near the intersection of N.C. 87 and
N.C.211.
After taking the Dosher Cut-Off
Road off N.C. 211, they turned onto
Bethel Church Road and pulled off
the road. The suspects* vehicle was
a tan, mid-sized car.
Threatening to kill the girl if she
resisted, the older man ordered her
out of the car and told her to take
off her pants. According to the
report, ihe other suspect then report
edly said, "Don't hurt her. Dad."
After both men raped the girl,
they left her lying on the ground
and drove away from the scene, she
said. The victim was able to walk to
a Iricnd's residence and caii authori
ties. The incident was reported to
the sheriff's department Saturday at
2:34 am.
Normal Temps, Rain Forecast
Seasonable weather conditions
are expected in the Shallolte area
over the next several days, accord
ing to Shallolte Point meteorologist
Jackson Canady.
Temperatures through the week
cKai?M o' mro cte* fmm omnnH 1 C\
V,,U ? . w
at night to the upper 80s during the
day. Precipitation is expected to
measure about three-quarters of an
inch.
For the period of Aug. 15
through 21, the daily average tem
perature was 79 degrees, which
Canady said was one degree below
normal.
The daily average high tempera
ture was 87 degrees, and the nightly
average low temperature was 71
degrees.
The maximum high temperature
during the period was 90 degrees on
Aug. 20. The minimum low tem
perature was 68 degrees on Aug.
16.
Canady measured 0.49 of an inch
of rain during the seven-day period.
Board Asks For Time
(Continued From Paee 1-A)
mo?t of therr. frcm the ?uiu?
school district served by over
crowded Union Primary and Shal
lotte Middle schools.
The timetable outlined Monday
by the two architects calls for the
$286,000 planning and design phase
of the project to be completed by
May 1990; the $19,500 bidding
phase by June 1990; the $5.2 mil
lion construction and inspection
phases by January 1992.
Slockett explained that no addi
f i r\n 1 1 /?Ann'o ???^??1/1 Un
LI on J : COuiu; uiiut>uuuiid wuuiu uv
? ? 1 I *1 it. -
I1CCUCU UI15 U^Cdl jrvoi, Willie uiv
school board this year would car
mark $800,000 in half-cent sales tax
revenue for the project.
During the 1990-91 fiscal year
and the first six months of the 1991
92 fiscal year, the county would
make monthly payments of
$152,750, according to the school
board's plan. In turn, the schools
would allocate sales tax revenue of
$950,000 in 1990-91 and $1 million
in 1991-92.
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by the board Monday.
All but one of the office reloca
tions are expected to be temporary,
lasting no more than two years until
a proposed new Social Services
Building is constructed and the
county-owned former Bolivia Plaza
Shopping Center in Bolivia is reno
vated.
The two vacant facilities that will
be utilized in the upcoming moves
are the old Agricultural Extension/
Brunswick Community College
building on U.S. 17 near Supply
and the old Alternative School on
Old Piney Grove Road near
Bolivia.
According to Smith's plan, the
Supply building will house the
Brunswick County Emergency
Management office and eventually
a 911 emergency telephone system;
the N.C. Employment Security
Commission; and the N.C. Depart
ment of Revenue.
Offices that eventually will move
to the old Alternative School arc the
Volunteer and Information Center,
School Bus Traffic Safety, Parks
and Recreation and Aging. A new
department. Clean County, also will
be housed in the school building.
Road Funds Outlined
Also at Monday's meeting, N.C.
Department of Transportation Dis
trict Engineer Jim Cook brought
commissioners up to date on
changes in the county's secondary
roads construction program for the
coming year.
Cook noted that his office origi
nally estimated that Brunswick
County would receive an extra
$757,613 for secondary toads if the
General Assembly passed a High
way Revenue Bill this year. After
the bill's passage, however, Bruns
wick County's additional portion
was $419,798.
Approved by commissioners, his
recommendations were to use the
additional allocation and reserve
funds to pave the following roads:
one mile of Tar Landing Road, esti
mated cost $90,000; 0.30 of a mile
of Zion Hill Road, $30,000; 0.80 of
a mile of Rourk's Landing Road,
$80,000; 1.10 niiles of Maultsby
Road, $110,000;
Also, 0.90 of a mile of Live Oak
Circle (includes state roads 1214,
1215 and 1216), $81,798; 0.31 of a
mile cf Cedar Lane (incluucs siaic
roads 1262, 1263 and 1264),
$30,000; 0.33 of a mite of Summer
Piacc Drive, $30,000; and 0. 1 5 of a
mile of Booncsboro Road, $14,000.
Appointments Made
In other action, commissioners
made appointments to four county
boards and one regional board.
Appointments to three of the five
boards were contested. Commis
sioners deviated from their usual
practice of simply rubber-stamping
individual commissioners' nomina
tions to fill board scats for their
own districts.
On split votes, the commission
appointed Elon King of Ash and
Rudolph Simmons of Vamamtown
to District 1 and District 2 seats,
respectively, on the Brunswick
County Utility Operations Board.
Appointed to three-year terms, they
rcplacc Ed Gore of Sunset Bcach
and Alfon^a Roach of Supply.
Nominated by District 3 Com
missioner Gene Pinkerton, King
and Simmons received additional
support from Rabon and Ms.
Beasley. District 1 Commissioner
Kelly Holden and District 2
Commissioner Benny Ludlum nom
inated Gore and Clctis Clcmmons
of Supply, respectively, and voted
for both.
The other two split votes were
divided along the same lines. Gary
Shoemake of Long Beach was
appointed to a three-year term on
uie Lower Cape Fear Water and
Sewer Authority, replacing Lynn
Grissctt of Cedar Grove. Holden
and Ludlum voted for Grissctt, who
was nominated by Ludlum.
Also, Dural Guyton of Lcland
was reappointed to the Brunswick
County Industrial Facilities and
Pollution Control Board. Holden
and Ludlum supported Bookie
Taylor of Seaside.
Commissioners unanimously re
appointed Thomas Dixie of Leland
and Michael Schaub of Winnabow
to three-year terms on the Bruns
wick County Planning Board. They
unanimously appointed Dr. William
Phillips of Southport to the Bruns
wick County Board of Health to fill
the unexpired term of Dr. Marilyn
Boehm of Holden Beach, who
recently resigned. Her term was to
end in December.
Other Business
In other matters at Monday's
meeting, commissioners:
? Were introduced to W.D. Sud
duth, the new area director of
Southeastern Mental Health.
? Voted to recommend to DOT
the addition of Shingletree Acres
Road to the state secondary road
system.
? Approved a county health
board recommendation to raise the
costs of two types of tuberculosis
ciic&i X-rays fioiu S19 to $23.72,
and from $24 to $28.71, as a result
of increased costs to ihe. health
department.
? Agreed to collect taxes for the
Town of Varnamtown at a 1.5 per
cent collection fee.
? Set a public hearing for
Tuesday, Sept. 5, at 5:30 p.m., in
commissioners chambers on "verifi
able goals for minority businesses,"
in relation to awarding construction
bids next month on the jail addition.
Due to the Labor Day holiday,
commissioners will hold their next
regular meeting on Sept. 5 at 6:30
p.m., in Bolivia.
Filing Period To
I m-% ?/>? (*?*#?
fwupci I ??? MW7UMU
A o?va/?lrtl ftlinM Vioc
4 k OJAAiMU ? "Ulg, pviivu >M*0
been set up to allow the Town of
Navassa to have a full slate of
officers on its November ballot.
William White withdrew as a
town council candidate about
two weeks ago. That left only
one candidate and two council
scats up for dec Don this fail.
The Brunswick County Board
of Elections voted last Wednes
day to set up a two-week Tiling
period for Navassa, Aug. 25
through Sept. 8, said Elections
Supervisor Lynda Briu.
The special filing period for
Navassa will run the same two
weeks as the emergency filing
period in Calabash. (See related
siory this issue.)
Firm Announces Plans To Locate Here
(Continued From Page 1-A1
Rabon told the Beacon Tuesday
that the county offered Exide Elec
tronics no other inducements. "It's
just an opportunity we don't get
very often," Rabon said, explaining
the board's decision to allocate
$300,000 for the land purchase.
Dc Sherbinin said the new facili
ty is expected to initially generate
an estimated $450,000 per year in
property tax revenues.
During the press conference,
Rabon commented, "This is the first
time Brunswick County has ever
recruited an industry this aggres
sively." The recruitment effort
began in January, officials said.
The company will be the first
electronics-based industry in Bruns
wick County and will be among the
area s largest employers. Kisher
said that within the next several
years, the firm hopes to employ up
to 500 workers. Jobs wili include
light assembly, testing, mainte
nance, shipping and administrative
positions.
Exidc Electronics produces a
broad range of products that protect
computer and other high-tech
equipment from power fluctuations
and outages. Risher said the compa
ny makes systems that range in
price from $600 to several million
dollars.
According to Ward, the company
picked Brunswick County over six
other North Carolina countics for
the new plant. "I think this projcct
clcarly shows that teamwork is the
key to economic development,"
Ward said, retemng to cooperative
efforts among the county, state and
Landmark Corporation, which is
developer of the industrial park.
Rishcr also noted that a building
will be constructed near the plant to
serve as a training center for em
ployees. The training will be con
ducted in conjunction with Bruns
wick Community College, he said.
In a prepared statement, de Sher
binin said, "A number of considera
tions went into Exidc Electronics'
decision to locate satellite opera
tions in Brunswick County. This
location provided the company with
a site suitable for future expansion,
accessibility to a work force, appro
pnatc training faciiiucs and prox i m
ity to a satisfactory transit system."
SB! Task Force Takes On Two Local Murder Cases
BY RAHN ADAMS
An agent from the SBI's Murder
Unsolved Task Force (MUST) has
trained his magnifying glass on two
old Brunswick County murder cases
that have confounded county
sleuths.
Sheriff John Carr Davis said
Monday that SB1 agent Tony Cum
mings began working with local
lawmen last week on the 1987 mur
der of Leland resident Beverly
Potter Mintz; and the 1986 murder
of Yaupon Beach resident lhomas
G. Summer, who was Davis' son
in-law.
Davis said MUST selected the
two murders from the county's six
unsolved murder cases dating back
to 1979. Another agent from the
special, eight-member task force is
expected to join Cummings in
Brunswick County soon, the sheriff
said.
vc always gui tu uc upu
? ? t. -
iiiiauw mat &vuyumi5 uiat uui uc
done will be done," Davis said,
adding that MUST can give the in
vestigations "a different view from
what we've given them."
For three days last week, Cum
mings worked with Capt. Phil Perry
on the Mintz case and with CapL
Douglas Padgett on the Summer
case.
Early this week, Cummings was
involved in the Henry Levi Pigott
murder trial in Brunswick County
Superior Court. Davis said the
agent's involvement in the trial was
not related to the unsolved murder
cases.
In March, the sheriff said he had
requested MUST's assistance three
times in the previous two years;
however, this is the first time the
three-year-old task force has taken
on any local cases. MUST agents
initially were expected to come here
in April but were delayed.
Davis said the Mintz murder
piubabiy was the case that prompt
c*i iiini uu ask fui IvIUST's iieip. He
added that the main difficulty in all
of the county's unsolved cases has
been a lack of witnesses. Except for
the Mintz slaying, the other murders
happened in relatively secluded
areas.
Occurring in February 1987, the
23-ycar-olu Mintz was found stab
bed to death at her Village Road
residence. There were no signs of
forced entry into her home, and
neighbors reported seeing nothing
unusual around the time of the mur
der.
Summer, 52, was stabbed to
death in December 1986. His body
was found in his work van in an iso
lated area near the Orton Plantation
entrance. Authorities suspect the
murder was drug related.
Brunswick County's four other
unsolved murder cases include:
? The October 1988 shooting
deaths of Marion E. Meetzc, 48, his
wife, Ginger Meetze, 32, and her
daughter from a previous marriage,
Ivliuiciic Aiiiulu, iG, <u liicu par
tially-bumed home on N.C. 87 to
ward Maco;
? The April 1988 shotgun slay
ing of 38-year-old Nakina resident
James Thomas Smith, whose body
was found on the shoulder of N.C.
904 near the Columbus County line;
? The July 1985 snooting death
of Matthew D. Spaulding, 51, of
Winnabow, who was shot several
times in the back when he apparent
ly went to his stable to feed horses;
? The June 1979 shooting death
of Benny Eugene Smith. 25. of
Tabor City, who died at a
Wilmington hospital after he was
shot in the head while riding his
motorcycle on Pea Landing Road
off U.S. 17 near Thomasboro.
Davis said Monday that he ap
plied last week for a Governor's
Reward to be offered in the Meetze
triple-murder case. If the applica
tion is approved, up to $5,000
would be offered for information
leading to the arrest and conviction
of the person or persons responsible
for the murders.
Testimony Is Underway In First-Degree Murder Case
BY RAHN ADAMS
The prosecution was still present
ing evidence late Tuesday afternoon
in the first-degree murder trial of
Henry Levi Pigott Jr., the Shallotte
area man accused of killing local
businessman Darwin Kingslcy
"King" Freeman.
Testimony began Monday in
Brunswick County Superior Court,
with Judge Donald W. Stephens
presiding. A nine-woman, three
man jury was seated last Thursday
after a four-day selection process.
Assistant District Attorney
Thomas Hicks is prosecuting the
case. Pigott is represented by court
appointed lawyers Steve Yount and
Rex Gore.
Pigott, 33, of Airport Road, is
charged with first-degree murder,
armed robbery, kidnapping,' bur
glary and arson in connection with
Freeman's death last September at
Anchor Lumber Company on U.S.
17 south of Shallotte.
If convicted, the defendant faces
either life in prison or the death
penalty on the murder charge. Other
possible maximum penalties arc life
in prison on the burglary and arson
charges, and 40-year prison terms
on the armed robbery and kidnap
ping counts.
The body of 74-year-old Freeman
was found Sept. 25, 1988, in an effi
ciency apartment at his business.
Bound hand and foot, he died of a
single ,22-caliber gunshot wound to
the head. Also, the combination
apartment and office building was
partially burned in an apparent
attempt to destroy evidence.
In an opening statement Monday
morning, Hicks said the state's evi
dcp.cc would show thst Pigott ? who
was an Anchor Lumber employee at
the time of the murder ? killed and
robbed Freeman late on Sept. 24,
1988, after the victim refused to
loan Pigolt money.
Yount countered in his opening
remarks that evidence also would
show that Pigott "was using drugs
at the time of the commission of the
crime," although the attorney also
said, 'This is a trial that we're not
conceding the first (guilt or inno
cence) phase."
Testimony from SB1 agents Ken
Snead and Kelly Moser on Monday
indicated that Pigott signed a 13
page confession on Feb. 22, the day
after he was arrested. Pigott, who
also testified Monday, said he did
not remember confessing to the
murder because he had been smok
ing crack cocaine and drinking
liquor before his arrest
Directed to the scene by the
defendant, lawmen recovered a .22
caliber semi-automatic rifle that
Pigolt allegedly disposed of in a
creek near the intersection of N.C.
904 and N.C. 905 in Columbus
County, Moscr and Brunswick
County Sheriff's Sgt. Carl Pearson
testified.
Moscr and Snead also revealed
Monday and Tuesday that Pigott
was arrested after he met severa.
times at a Shallouc motel with an
SBI informant ? an individual who
was referred to Monday as the "root
woman" or the "voodoo woman."
The meetings were tape recorded by
the SBI.
The woman, who testified
Tuesday, was identified as Lottie
Gamble of Fayetteville.
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