Rites Of Passage
Brunswick Community College graduates
receive degrees, certificates, diplomas,
awards and nursing pins. Pages 8-!
Buying. Selling, Trading
You'll find everything from homes to
basketball tickets to green peanuts in this
week's classified ads, Section C.
Back On The Grid
If school starts, can football be far behind?
Check out the rosters for West, South and
North Brunswick High Schools, Section D
[ A* 162 19284
SOtrtiCa*, _jg_yagM.4SKlfam.Hu.lnw.fc ,
Five Get Probation In 'Gang' Slaying Of Bolivia Man
BY ERIC CARLSON
"You have found out the hard way about
what can happen when you just go along for
the ride," Judge Gregory Weeks told young
defendants accused of taking part in what
prosecutors have called a "gang" murder.
"Each of you is now a convicted felon.
Each of you will remain a convicted felon
for the rest of your life," the judge said. "If
you ever had aspirations of joining the mili
tary, that's gone. Every time you fill out a
job application, your likelihood of getting
that job has been decreased.
"You will pay for this for as long as you
are alive."
Five youths described as having "various
levels of involve
ment" in the killing
of Charles Wayne
"Butch" Davis, 37,
outside his Bolivia
home last November
pleaded "no contest"
in Brunswick County
Superior Court Mon
day to charges of
conspiracy to com
mit assault with a MITCHELL
deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.
Entering pleas Monday were Kevin
Kenyatta Mitchell, 18 of Old Ocean High
way, Bolivia; Victor Conway Randolph, 22,
RANDOLPH SMITH STANCIL
of Tobes Road, Bolivia; Anthony Alex
Smith, 19, of Neck Road, Bolivia; Jessica
Lucille Standi, 17, of Clark Street, Ocean
Isle Beach; and Archie lee Williams Jr., 17,
of Rutland Road,
Bolivia.
The five defen
dants were each
sentenced to a year
in prison, suspend
ed on the condition
that they testify
truthfully against
co-defendants in
the case. Each was
wiLUAMS placed on three
years supervised probation and ordered to
perform 50 hours of community service.
Judge Weeks specifically directed that, as
part of their community service obligation.
the five arc to speak to youth groups "as to
the meaning of a felony conviction on your
lives and the impact of violence on the com
munity."
Four men have been charged with murder
in the slaying The first to stand trial Sept.
19 will be Frank Lenail Ford, 22, of Oakey
Trail, Bolivia. Investigators have said they
believe he is the one who fired a .380-cal
iber bullet into Davis's back after they
dragged him from his car outside Davis's
mobile home on Albright Road.
Three other murder suspects are accused
of kicking and beating Davis as he struggled
on the ground, fatally shot. One of the men
(See FIVE PLEAD, Page 2-A)
Supply School
Opens On Time
Using Safety
Precautions
BY SUSAN USHER
With all safety precautions im
posed by the Brunswick County
Health Department met last Friday,
Supply Elementary School opened
along with the rest of Brunswick
County's public schools Tuesday,
with pump- 1 nd-haul contracts in
place for short-term sewage dispos
al.
The health department has given
the school system until Nov. 12 to
repair a school sewage treatment
field that failed last spring. If the
work isn't dooe by the deadline, the
health board has said it may close
the school.
Architect Charles Boney Jr. of
Boney Architects in Wilmington
<j?H Friday thai agreement has been
reached with the N.C. Divisioo of
Environmental Health on what kind
of repair is needed of the school s
septic system drainfield, and where
the repair field will be installed, but
that more a few more pieces of in
formation are needed before the de
sign can be finished.
"Wre on an as-soon- as-possi
ble' schedule here. We're still trying
to gather all the information we need
to support that repair and not have
this thing thrown back at us for
more information," said Bouey.
"Before we could determine how to
repair it, we had to figure out why it
failed, and there were a half a dozen
contributing factors." ,
Once work on the site begins,
Boney has received estimates that it
should take from two to four weeks
to install the drainfield, "depending
upon dry weather," he said. "The
November 12 date looks feasible."
The new drain field will be locat
ed at the site originally selected for
the drainfield of the low-pressure
pipe system, where the soccer field
now lies adjacent to Benton Road.
The field location was moved before
at the state's recommendation be
cause of the potential foe leaching
outside the boundaries of the
school's property.
That shouldn't be a concern this
time around, Boney said, because
subsurface drainage will be in place
to catch surface water and lead it
away from the site.
Before the health department
would allow the school to reopen
Difitiy, said Superintendent Ralph
Johnston, the school school had to
an 8-foot high fence around
the -fin tanks to keep children
out of the area; fill a large pit dug
last spring to inspect the drainage
field and left open; install an over
(See PRECAUTIONS, Page 2-A)
Go Big Green I
West Brunswick High School's football team will play its first game a/ the regular season Friday night
at South Brunswick. Kwabena Green (50) will be one of the team 'S krndtus this year, starting at middle
linebacker and offensive tackle. He is pictured with defensive coordinator Mike Alderson during last
Friday's scrimmage in Wilmington. Check out the sports section for details on the Trojans and the up
Local Beach Towns Want
Menhaden Boats Offshore
BY DOUG HOTTER
Brunswick County beach town officials said last week
they're willing to cooperate with the menhaden fishing
industry, but they still want the state to consider restrict
ing how close to shore the boats can
work.
At its meeting Friday, the N.C
Marine Fisheries Commission will
discuss resolutions submitted by six
local towns seeking for Brunswick
County the same regulations ap
proved last year for parts of Dare
County.
Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach,
Holden Beach, Long Beach, Yaupon
Beach and Caswell Beach want the WILLIAMSON
commission to keep menhaden boats at least 1M miles
offshore May 1 through SepL 30 and at least one half
mile offshore Oct. 1 through Dec. 31.
Town officials say limiting how close the boats come
? *
I
4
to shore would reduce the dunce of dead menhaden
washing up on their beaches ? something they see as a
threat to die summer tourist industry.
"We're a small town and our economy depends on
tourism. The people are here for one
week and they don't want to deal
with smelly fish," Ocean Isle Beach
Mayor Betty Williamson said at a
meeting last Wednesday.
Officials from all six beach towns
and three menhaden fishing compa
nies that work off the Brunswick
County coast attended the meeting at
Brunswick Community College.
State Rep. David Redwine orga
nized the session to see if the two
groups could work out a solution without government
t 4
w
'"Politically I guess I should not be here. I'm in a lose
(See SOLUTION, Page 2-A)
Former County Jailer
Admits Sex With Inmate
BY ERIC CAKLSON
The former Brunswick County
jailer accused of rape by a female
inmate was put on three years proba
tion this week after pleading guilty
to a charge of sexual activity by a
nft/v4iin
In Brunswick County Superior
Court Monday, Thomas Carver
Gore, SI, admitted having sex with
Samantha Stevens while he was on
duty in the jail early on the morning
of May 4.
But a State Bureau of Investiga
tion agent testified that the woman
fabricated her rape accusations
against Gore and a jail trusty in
hopes of building a case to File a
lawsuit against the county.
Gore resigned from the Bruns
wick County Sheriff's Department
five days after the incident. Fol
lowing the SBI investigation, the
district attorney's office determined
that no rape charge would be Hied.
Although there was evidence of
sexual intercourse between Gore and
Stevens, the investigation found "in
sufficient evidence to prove that
there was a lack of consent." The
other inmate was not charged.
Dave Marshall, the SBI agent
who conducted the investigation into
Stevens allegations, rtm ?iw
apparently offered to have sex with
an inmate if he could arrange for
them to be alone.
The inmate allegedly told Marsh
all that Gore refused to cooperate
three times, then agreed to allow the
meeting if Stevens would also have
sex with him. Marshall testified that
Gore eventually admitted having sex
in the jail, but said it waa with her
consent.
Judge Gregory A. Weeks of
Fayetteville sentenced Gore to four
yean and six months in prison, sus
pended three years on the condition
that he perform 100 hours of com
munity service. Gore will remain on
supervised probation for three years
County, Shallotte
Discuss Merger
Of ABC Systems
BY DOUG RUTTER
Brunswick County and Shallotte
officials are considering merging
their Alcoholic Beverage Control
(ABC) systems in hopes of creating
a more efficient operation that could
produce more money for both
groups.
County and town officials dis
cussed the issue briefly during
Shallotte 's board of aldermen meet
ing last week. The groups agreed to
loM mother meeting soon to talk
about details of the proposed consol
idation.
"I'm .iot saying we're willing to
do it, but we're willing to talk,''
Mayor Sarah Tripp said last
Tuesday.
"We've always been totally open
to this," said John Ramsey, chair
man of the Brunswick County ABC
Board.
There are 11 ABC systems in
Brunswick County, including ones
in Calabash, Sunset Beach and
Ocean Isle Beach. Ramsey said the
county ABC board is only interested
in merging with Shallotte.
Brunswick County's ABC system
includes liquor stores on Holden
Beach Road and another on U.S. 74
76 near the Columbus County line.
Shallotte has one store on Main
Street.
Ramsey said last week that merg
ing the two systems would allow for
a more efficient operation. For in
stance, inventory could be moved
from one store to another if a store
ran out of a particular brand of
liquor.
Although details of the proposed
merger have not been discussed,
Ramsey said the Town of Shallotte
would continue to receive all of the
profits from its store.
The merger deal would be set up
so Shallotte would not lose," said
Ramsey, who was joined at last
week's meeting by county ABC
board member Paul Gancy and sys
tem manager Dot Kelly.
Shailotte 's liquor store has been
around since the 1950s, but
Brunswick County's ABC system
wasn't established until 1989, when
it was approved by voters.
Shailotte officials last week asked
why the county ABC system has not
generated any revenue for the coun
ty
Ramsey said the county never put
any money into the system. Funds
were borrowed to purchase the
liquor that was needed to get the
system on its feet
Ramsey said the system should be
debt-free within the next two or
three years. At that point, Brunswick
County will start receiving money
from the ABC system.
Meanwhile, the county ABC
board is considering opening a third
store in the Ash community.
"It's still under consideration.
Nothing's set in stone," Ramsey said
last week.
A state law sponsored a few years
ago by State Rep. David Redwine
prohibits Brunswick County from
opening an ABC store within seven
miles of a town that already has a
liquor store.
That's why we're looking at
Ash. There's no other place to put
one in the county," Ramsey said.
"Ash is the last area, other than the
Green Swamp."
Shailotte officials have opposed
the county board's plans to open a
store in Ash. Aldermen passed a res
olution in June opposing any new
county liquor stores in the Shailotte
area.
Town officials have said a county
ABC store in Ash might force them
to dose the town's store because it
would take away business.
Since the county opened its first
ABC store on Holden Beach Road
(See SHALLOTTE, Page 2-Aj
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<WfnOD?KCMUO?
Onfjr A Test...
Emergency personnel don protective clothing to investigate a mock train derailment involving radioac
tive waste. Mort than 60 local, state and federal personnel participated in a drill at the Military Ocean
Terminal Sonny Point hut week in preparation for the planned shipment of spent fuel rods from
European research reactors to a storage site in Sotith Carolina. Story on Page 2-A.
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