Volume LVI - No. 30
THE CHOWAN HERALD
Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, July 26,1990
Single Copies 25 Cents
Not For This Decade
For a legislature that can't
make up its mind on much of
anything, it is highly pre
sumptive for it to try to tell fu
ture assemblies how to run the
show.
We are thinking about the
proposal — which by now may
have already been enacted
into law — to limit future ses
sions of the General Assem
bly, for all practical purposes,
to 90 days. Meeting annually
in February, members' pay
and subsistence would be cut
off at the end of 90 days, but
they could still stick around if
necessary to tie up loose ends.
There may have been a
time when such a proposal
would work, but it is certainly
not the beginning of the
decade of the 1990s, when the
legislators will face the com
plex problem of redrawing
both legislative and congres
sional districts to meet the re
quirements of the new census.
To begin with, final census
figures may not be available
by February, 1991. They cer
tainly were not for 1981, when
they were still being updated
well into the session. Then,
too, it takes the U.S. Justice
Department weeks on end to
pass on proposed new district
lines. And, if North Carolina
qualifies for a 12th district,
this will certainly affect all
the other 11 and will require
no end of public hearings.
What happens, then, if the
90-day session is running out
and final census figures are
not available or the Justice
Department has not approved
new district lines as submit
ted? With their pay running
out, will all of the members
except the fat cats go home and
leave the field to the special
interests?
Or will they agree to ad
journ and call a special ses
sion to wind up the unfinished
business? And will the mem
bers be paid during the special
session if the 90 days have al
ready been used up?
The chances are they would
not be able to get enough to
gether to make up a quorum in
either house if the pay has
been cut off. But, if they can
vote to pay themselves for the
special session, then the 90
Continued On Page 12
Stolen Car
• Recovered
A stolen car was recovered
and an arrest made late Tues
day afternoon by the Chowan
Sheriffs Department.
The car, a 1988 Dodge Colt,
belonging to James Wallace
^ Morgan, was taken from
9 Blanchard Road Sunday
morning.
Bryan Stanley, 17, of 107
Cypress Street, Edenton, was
arrested a( his home by Deputy
Sheriff Greg Whitehurst and
Sheriff Fred Spruill and
charged with felonious lar
^ ceny. The car was recovered
9 at the same address. The
sheriff said that there was no
damage done to the vehicle.
Stanley is being held under
$3,000 bond in the Chowan
County Jail.
Lt. James White is inves
tigating officer in the case.
Lawyers Argue For Trial
Delay In Sex Abuse Case
By JACK GROVE
A hearing was held in
Chowan Superior Court Mon
day to hear motions in a child
sexual abuse case. Defense
attorneys for three defen
dants, Bruce Allen Bunch,
Darlene Harris and Robert
Fulton Kelly, requested a con
tinuance of the case until after
the trial of the Little Rascals
Day Care case scheduled for
the fall.
The three defendants are
accused of sexually molesting
the then three-year-old son of
Mrs. Harris. Kelly and Mrs.
Harris are also accused of of
fenses in the Little Rascals
case.
Defense attorneys for the
three were startled to learn
that District Attorney H.P.
Williams planned to take the
Bunch-Harris-Kelly case to
trial this summer.
Superior Court Judge Brad
ford Tillery had recently in
formed attorneys in the day
care case that he wanted that
trial held on or about the first
of October. In a previous hear
ing, Tillery announced that
he would pick the location and
date of the trial since attorn
eys for both sides had agreed
that it could not be held in
Chowan County. He has not
announced the trial site.
Michael Spivey, attorney
for Robert Kelly, objected
strenuously to trial of the
Bunch case first before Supe
rior Court Judge G.K. Butter
worth of Wilson Monday.
Tillery has been assigned to
handle the day care case to its
completion.
Since Judge Butterworth
was unfamiliar with the day
care case, Spivey gave him the
background, and explained,
"there are 249 counts against
my client in that case" on 119
indictments.
"The Little Rascals is a
tremendously copnplex case,
your honor,” Spivey told the
court, arguing that it was im
possible to prepare for that
case while preparing a de
fense in the Bunch case. At
torney Maynard Harrell is in
the same position with his
client, Mrs. Harris.
Spivey, Harrell and Keith
Teague, representing Bunch,
argued that Williams had
delayed the proceedings by
holding back requested dis
closure evidence from the de
fense and then suddenly an
nouncing the early trial.
Teague told the court that
the "taint from the day care
case would flow over into the
Bunch case." He claimed that '
the charges were brought
against his client, Mrs. Hal**:
ris' fiance, as the result of her;:
divorce and a custody battle^
over the child. He said that
charges were filed when
plans for the wedding of Mrs. *
Harris and Bunch were an
nounced.
"Where was the discovery
in January, February, March,
April and May?" Spivey
wanted to know.
He also stated, "I'm not
satisfied that this case won't
be joined to the day care (case)
Continued On Page 12
Type 'O’ Needed j|
By REBECCA BUNCH
Today from 2 p.m. until 7
p.m., the Bloodmobile will be
taking place at the Edenton
United Methodist Church, un
der the sponsorship of the
Edenton Jaycees. The collect
ion goal will be 125 units.
This particular visit takes
on added significance in
light of the fact that on Tues
day, American Red Cross re
gional consultant Allen Hug
gins of Greenville issued a
statement saying that Type O
blood was urgently needed at
this time.
"We are not at a critical
stage at this moment, but if we
don't see a big improvement
in the number of Type O do
nations by the end of this
month, we will be," he com
mented. "Chowan County has
one of the highest concentra
tions of Type O donors any
where in the region, and
that's why this particular
blood drive is so important. I
want to encourage everyone
especially those with Type 0
blood -- to please come out and
support the blood drive this
time."
Type O is known as the
"universal" blood type, be-:
cause it can be successfully
crossmatched with another
blood type more so than any
other.
Huggins also praised local
citizens for their participation:
in the most recent blood drive,
held in May, saying, "The
response was just terrific. For
the Bloodmobile to go 13 per
cent over its goal really
speaks well 6f the level of
concern ““of folks in Edenton
and Chowan County. We're
confident we can count on
them to do the same this
time." Over 100 units of blood
were collected during that
visit.
Flyover Nets Marijuana Plants I
SEMPER PARATUS -- Captain Terry Beacham (left), Eliz
abeth City Coast Guard Air Station commanding officer, and
Commander Steve Vagts, Air Station executive officer,
demonstrate the service's motto, "Always ready,” as they stand
beside an HH-3F helicopter, which is on the pad and ready to
take-off with brief notice.
USCG Bicentennial
Festivities Planned
By MARGUERITE MCCALL
As the U.S. Coast Guard
concludes its year long Bi
centennial celebration on
August 4 and begins a third
century of service, it will still
rescue boaters, aid naviga
tion, and pursue smugglers.
"And," said Captain Terry
Beacbam, Commanding Offi
cer of the Elizabeth City Coast
Guard Air Station, "with Ad
miral Kime's (J. William
Kime is the new Coast Guard
Commandant) strong back
ground on the environmental
issue, that, too, will continue
to rank as a foremost con
cern."
Capt. Beacham and Com
mander Steve Vagts, Air Sta
tion executive officer, ex
plained the function of their
command and outlined the
other three segments that con
stitute the Elizabeth City Coast
Guard Base. Each division
operates under its own com
manding officer.
Established in 1949 and
currently commanded by
Captain Tom Burnaw, the
Aviation Technical Training
Center (ATTC) provides spe
cialty training in the enlisted
aviation ratings.
Captain Joe Coleman com
mands the Aircraft Repair
and Supply Center (ARSC),
which began after World War
II. The unit employed its first
civilian workers in 1948, the
same year that it produced its
Continued On Page 12
'Buddy' Is Returned
The Edenton Police De
partment’s first attempt at a
K-9 Corps has had less than
successful results. Buddy, a
yellow labrador retriever,
went on duty with the depart
ment after extensive training
with his handler, Officer Don
Harris. Harris has since re
signed from the department.
The dog was trained by
Sentinel K-9s in Fayetteville
in narcotics detection, track
ing humans and locating
contraband items such as
discarded weapons or stolen
goods.
When Buddy arrived for
duty with the department in
March, he displayed a certain
skittishness. Police Chief
C.H. Williams said Tues
day, "They told us that time
would take.care of that," as he
became used to his surround
ings. That was not the case,
however.
"He jumped at everything -
flags flapping on a flagpole -
clothes on a clothesline -
flickering lights," Williams
noted; He said that in one in
stance, Buddy was taken to the
airport to check out an air
plane. He shied from the
wings and displayed general
fear of the aircraft.
The police chief said, "Oth
er than that, he's done a good
job, tracking and location of
drugs. We hate to see him
go-"
The dog will be returned to
Fayetteville today by Willi
ams.
The town won't lose any
money because Buddy didn't
work out, however. The dog
and training cost $3,000.
Town Manager Anne-Ma
rie Kelly said Monday, "We
won't suffer any financial
loss. Our-agreement says that
they will provide another dog
that meets the standards." She
Continued On Page 12
Break-In Ii
Police are investigating a
daring daylight theft of a ra
dio from a car that occurred
Monday morning.
Sgt. Bill Phillips said that
a Delco AM-FM-Stereo digital
radio was taken from a 1988
Ford Taurus belonging to an
employee of the Edenton Em
ployment Security Commis
sion sometime before noon
Monday. The car had been
parked at the back door of the
ESC building.
Police believe the thief en
tered the unlocked vehicle,
and laid down on the seat to
remove screws from the dash
In it's continuing mari
juana plant eradication pro
gram, the Chowan Sheriffs
Department has found and
confiscated its first sizeable
plot this year.
Sheriff Fred Spruill said
that during a flyover of the
county Monday, plants were
spotted growing in a heavily
wooded area off Paradise Rd.
behind radio station WBXB.
This year's first flyover
was in a plane provided by the
Craven County Sheriffs
Office with Craven Deputy
Grady Skilley at the controls.
Sheriff Spruill accompanied
him and vectored Lt. David
Jethro and Deputy Greg
Whitehurst on the ground to
the site.
Twenty plants were up
ivestigated
board. "It was a brazen act
during daylight," Phillips
said.
Police are asking anyone
who has any information a
bout the radio to contact Police
Chief C.H. Williams, Sgt.
Phillips or Patrolman Chris
Joiner at 482-5144.
Sgt. Phillips added, "I
would appreciate and encour
age anyone seeing suspicious
acts around businesses or
neighborhoods, day or night,
to report them immediately to
police through the 911 emer
gency number."
rooted and taken to the depart- While no arrest was made,
ment's property room. The Sheriff Spruill said an inves
plants were scattered over tigation was continuing.
about a half acre area and Estimated total street value
were from three to six feet tall, of the marijuana is $32,000.
UPROOTED— Sheriff Fred Spruill displays the 20 mari
juana plants confiscated from a wooded area off Paradise Road
Monday. The plants have an estimated street value of $32,000.
2:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Goal: 125 Units
BLOODMOBILE TODAY!
Type O Donors Urgently Needed
Methodist Church
Va. Road, Edenton