STAFF PHOTO BY MIC CAJtLSON
The Blues Are Back!
Tom Bruneau of Floyd County, Va., lands a nice "eatin'-size" blue fish from the //olden Beach
Fishing Pier Tuesday morning. He was one of several anglers who hooked Spanish mackerel and
small blues as the sea water temperature reached that magical 70-degree mark.
Officer's First Drug Operation Nets Four Arrests
BY ERIC CARLSON
The older, more experienced de
tectives warned Ocean Isle Beach
Officer Dan Hunier that his plan to
arrest a suspcctcd drug dealer proba
bly wouldn't go down according the
carefully crafted script he had pre
pared.
Hunter had made plenty of drug
busts and helped in other raids be
fore, but this was his first attempt at
coordinating a full-scale surveillance
and apprehension operation requiring
officers and vehicles from three local
law enforcement agencies.
"They told me not to get my hopes
up, because these things never go ac
cording to plan," Hunter said. "A lot
of times, we end up silting around,
waiting, and nothing happens."
Call it beginner's luck, but
Hunter's "Operation Party at the
Mart" came off like clockwork
Friday afternoon, resulting in the ar
rest of the alleged dealer and three
other men who reportedly purchased
marijuana while police looked on.
Acting on information from local
"concerned citizens," Hunter said he
had been keeping an eye on a man
suspected of selling bags of marijua
na at local construction sites. He
learned that the man allegedly set up
shop near a convenience store on the
Ocean Isle Beach causeway on
Friday afternoons and sold drugs to
workers who came there to cash
paychecks and buy beer. The conve
nience store was not connected with
the alleged drug deals, officers said.
So Hunter drew up a detailed plan
and sketched a map calling for three
unmarked police vehicles to estab
lish a triangulated surveillance of
the store parking lot while three oth
er marked cars hid nearby to aid in
the arrest. At 3 o'clock Friday after
noon, policc units from Occan Isle
Bcach, Shallotic and the Brunswick
County Sheriffs Department moved
into position.
As if on cue, the prime suspect ar
rived at 3:15 and parked his pickup
truck at the exact spot designated on
Hunter's map. A few minutes later a
Chevrolet El Camino pulled in and
the driver got into the pickup, where
Hunter said he and a sheriff's detec
tive "watched a suspicious ex
change" from about 20 yards away.
"I was ready to jump out and
make the arrest, but we decided to
wait," Hunter said.
Their decision paid off as another
car pulled into the lot "nearly door
to-door" with Hunter's surveillance
vehicle. The driver of the El Camino
got out of pickup and into the car, he
said. Then a third suspect walked
over, squatted down by the car door
and pulled out his wallet, said
Hunter.
Deciding they had enough fish in
their net, the officers closed the trap
and arrested the four men.
Howard George Hirt Jr., 36, of
N.C. 130, Shallotte, was charged
with possession with intent to manu
facture, sell and deliver a controlled
substance (marijuana), sale and de
livery of a controlled substance,
maintaining a vehicle with the intent
to sell and deliver and carrying a
concealed weapon.
Willie Albert Batten, 32, of
Shallotte, was chargcd with posses
sion with intent to sell and deliver
marijuana. John Wayne Holland, 32,
of Ocean Isle Beach was chargcd
with maintaining a vehicle for the
purpose of keeping or selling mari
juana. Norman Timothy Smith, 30,
of Whitcvillc was chargcd with mis
demeanor marijuana possession and
driving while his license was re
voked.
Police confiscated a total of 21
bags of marijuana with an estimated
street value of 51,200 along with
SI,700 cash, a 9mm semi-automatic
pistol, a boot knife, a 1988 El
Camino, a 1983 Mercury Cougar
and a 1975 Chevrolet pickup truck.
Hunter said.
Hunter said that as the officers
wrapped up the operation, he saw
"several other known buyers" exit
the convenience store and look in
his direction.
"I told them, 'The shop's closed
today, fellows,'" Hunter said.
Uumm...Strawberries
It's strawberry time!
Enjoy a fresh strawberry pie or cake
made with plump, sweet locally
grown strawberries-order one today!
MICKIE'S DONUT
SHOPPE & BAKERY
6 AM-6 PM ? Shallotte Plaza, Shallotte
(across from Sizzlin Sirloin) ? 754-2996
ei 993 THE BRUNSWICK BEACON
WHEN YOU VISIT THE BRUNSWICK HOSPITAL,
YOU WILL SEE MANY PEOPLE WITH SMILING FACES.
THEY ARE PARTNERS IN PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY,
COMPASSIONATE HEALTH CARE.
D
H I
George Saunders Kathy Ward Earl Tamar
Family Practice Physician Laboratory Administration
Nancy Riedinger Frances Warner Melissa Sims Doris Simmons
Labor & Delivery Patient Advocate Nursing Housekeeping
PLEASE JOIN US IN WISHING THEM A
HAPPY NATIONAL HOSPITAL WEEK.
MAY 9-MAY15
"PARTNERS FOR A HEALTHY AMERICA"
THE BRUNSWICK
HOSPITAL
HIGHWAY 171 SUPPLY, NCI 754-8121
?1990 THE BRUNSWICK BEACON
NationsBank Presents:
Seniors Week
May 17-21,1993
If you're a Senior (and you're not expecting grad
uation presents this year), you are invited to attend
Seniors Week at the main office Shallotte, Sunset
Beach, Calabash & Holden Beach Banking Centers.
Each day, from May 17-21, a specialist from
NationsBank or an expert from the community will
be available to discuss the following topics:
Monday, May 17: What you should know about
tax sheltered investments
Tuesday, May 18: Investment Planning And
Will Preparation.
Wednesday, May 19: Health and Fitness
Thursday, May 20: The Benefits of Mutual
Funds Versus CDs
Friday, May 21: Deluxe Banking For Seniors
Come in any day of the week, or all of them.
You'll find the topics interesting and the experts an
excellent resource to help answer your questions
and make suggestions about your financial well
being.
Workshops Schedule:
11:00 AM Main Office Shallotte
Mon. thru Fri.
3:00 PM Sea Trail Plantation
Swim & Tennis Club
(Monday, Tuesday, Thursday only)
We'll even give you a coffee mug just for stopping
by. And, if you open a NationsBank Deluxe account
during the week, we'll throw in a free NationsBank
duffel bag.
For a personal consultation, or if you are
planning to attend a workshop, please call 919
754-4345. We look forward to seeing you
during Seniors Week.
NationsBank'
The Power To Make A Difference
*1
NationsBank of North Carolina, N.A. Member FD1C. <?>1993 NationsBank Corporation.
6