P , THE
ERQ'
Pets of the Week, 4
"News from Next Door"
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2018
75 cents
Fourteen arrested in federal crackdown
BY PETER WILLIAMS
AND BILL WEST
Staff Writers
Fourteen area residents,
including two from Perqui
mans County, are facing
charges as a result of an en
forcement operation federal
prosecutors are calling “Op
eration Nor’Easter.”
One of the two, Clarence
Chestnutt, 40, of Hertford
has already been convicted
LEE CHESTNUTT
for second-degree murder
in Hertford and served 10
years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Robert
Higdon, flanked by District
Attorney Andrew Womble
and federal, state and local
law enforcement officials
in Elizabeth City, said last
week each of those indicted
is believed to have connec
tions to the United Blood
Nation gang, an organization
described as violent and be
lieved to have members up
and down the East Coast.
They included:
Chestnutt is charged with
possession of crack cocaine
and cocaine as well as par
ticipation in a conspiracy
to possess with intent to
distribute the drugs. If con
victed, Chestnutt faces not
less than five years and up
to 40 years imprisonment
on each count. Chestnutt is
also charged with posses
sion of heroin. He faces up
to 20 years in prison if con
victed of that offense.
Devon Lee, also known
as “Bubba,” 36, of Perqui
mans County is charged
with conspiracy to possess
with intent to distribute co
caine, as well as distribution
of cocaine. If convicted, Lee
faces up to 20 years impris
onment on each count.
Others involved are fac
ing both drug and weapons
charges.
Perquimans County Sher
iff Shelby White said he’s
excited about last week’s
announcement.
“I’m hoping there will be
many, many more (arrests)
coming,” he said.
He believes that the
sheriff’s office can become
more involved in the fight
against drugs now that the
department has a full-time
narcotics officer on the
force. The county commis
sion approved the position
See CRACKDOWN, 2
Schools
to target
tardiness
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Being late for class will
have consequences next
school year based on an at
tendance policy being con
sidered by the Perquimans
County School Board.
In the past, teachers
would keep track of the
times a student was tardy
for class. Parents would be
notified, but there was no
real consequence for being
late.
If the new policy is adopt
ed, it counts three tardies
and/or early dismissals from
school as an absence and 10
absences during the year
could land the parent in jail
for 30 days or more.
Cynthia Perry, the direc
tor of Innovation and Policy
for the school system, said
that would be the last ditch
effort.
“We would exhaust all
other efforts to work with
the family before we do
something like that,” she
said.
Even after 10 absences
and referring the case to the
District Attorney, a parent
may be able to show they
have made a good faith ef
fort to comply.
Perry said poor atten
dance is a problem facing
schools across the country.
“It’s problematic in North
Carolina, where you have a
wide variety of attendance
See TARDINESS, 2
Rock Autism
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Top, people
dance Saturday
at the second
annual Rock
Autism event
at the Crawfish
Shack outside
of Hertford.
Right, one
of several
bands perform
Saturday during
the Rock
Autism concert
at the Crawfish
Shack.
5K run to add Color Run this year
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
The annual “Strides For
Scholars” in September will
be a little bit more colorful
this year.
The 5K fundraising event
at the Perquimans County
Recreation Center Sept. 15
will include a “Color Run.”
It means at points along the
route, runners will get dust
ed with a colorful chalk-like
substance and by the end,
they will be covered with a
rainbow of colors.
“The Color Run is the
main thing different this
year,” said Kimberly Har ¬
ris, a member of the Junior
Women’s Club of Perqui
mans County. “The chalk
comes off fairly easily and
it’s not something that typi
cally stains.”
The Junior Women’s Club
has held a “Glow run” in
the past where participants
wear glow sticks. But that
means doing the 5K at night
and most people like to run
early in the morning, Harris
said. ,
The idea for the Color
Rim came from member
Brandee Phelps.
“They are a tons of fun
See STRIDES, 2 *
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Last year’s winners of the Strides for Scholars 5K were (front row, left)
Camille Maier, third place, Janet Sandeen, second place, and Morgan
White, first place. Male winners were Jayden White, first place, Eddie
Fields, second place and Jackson Miles, third place.
Hospital Foundation awards $107,430
From Staff Reports
The Chowan Hospital
Foundation recently award-
ed22areaprograms$107,430
in grant funds through its
Community Benefit Grant
Program. The Foundation
presented checks to the
agencies at its 13th annual
Community Benefit Grant
Program awards ceremony
at Vidant Chowan Hospital
on July 31.
The organizations includ
ed local schools, regional
health departments and
county extension programs
from Chowan, Perquimans,
Washington and Tyrrell
Counties. The funds will as
sist organizations focusing
on: physical activity and nu
trition, access to care, and
chronic disease prevention
and management.
“Chowan Hospital Foun
dation has been awarding
Community Benefit grants
for the past 13 years and we
See GRANTS, 2
Shots fired on
Brace Avenue
From Staff Reports
Shots were fired last week after two
police officers responded to a fight in
progress in Hertford. No officers or oth
ers were injured
Interim Town Manager Pam Hurdle
said the incident happened around 1:45
a.m. on Aug. 1.
She said Hertford Police were dis
patched to the area of Brace Avenue in
reference to a large crowd/fight. Brace
Avenue is a short street that connects to
King Street. It’s located between Covent
Garden and Stokes Street.
“When officers got out of their ve
hicles, the crowd began to leave and
shots were fired,” Hurdle said. “No one
at the scene sustained any injuries. One
vehicle in the parking lot was hit. The
investigation is ongoing and charges are
expected.”
Perquimans County Sheriff Shelby
White said one of the two lawmen was
a Perquimans deputy who was working
for the Hertford Police Department un
der ajoint cooperation agreement.
Study to look
at trucking
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Planners are hoping to start work
this month on a regional freight trans
port plan for a 28-county area of north-
eastern North Carolina that includes the
Albemarle area.
Angela Welsh, the regional planner
for the Hertford-based Albemarle Com
mission, said officials hope to wrap it up
by the fall of 2019.
Three DOT Divisions will be involved
in the freight master plan. They will
include Division I which includes the
northeast cluster. Also involved are
Division 2, an eight-county area that
includes Greenville and Morehead City,
and Division 4, a six-county region that
includes Goldsboro and Wilson.
Welsh said the study is intended to
serve as the freight network master de
velopment plan for the entire region.
She said the state DOT will use it to
prioritize what roads are built and local
governments can use it as well to attract
companies.
Welsh said it’s an effort to foster ef
ficiency and collaboration at a regional
level.
“This plan will guide freight invest
ments to support the region’s freight
and economic vision and goals for
safety, efficiency, equity, community de
velopment and sustainability,” reads the
mission statement for the report.
Welsh said the three regional plan
ning organizations picked Cambridge
Systematics as the preferred consultant
See STUDY, 2
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Organizations receiving help from the Chowan Hospital Foundation Benefit Grant
program pose for a picture last month.