THE CHOWAN HERALD
Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
NH
Volume LVII - No. 48
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, December 19,1991
Single Copies 35 Cents
POSSIBLE CANDIDATE - State Rep. Walter E. Jones Jr.
(left), D-Pitt, discusses the possibility of his running for con
gressman of the 1st Congressional District with Terry Wil
liams (right), a member of the Chowan County Democratic
executive committee. Jones visited Edenton Friday to meet with
a group of Democratic leaders.
• Jones Discusses Plans
During Edenton Visit
By MARGUERITE MCCALL
State Rep. Walter B. Jones
Jr., D-Pitt, said Friday if he
remains in politics, whether
as a state legislator or as a
•U.S. congressman, he will
continue to vote his con
science.
"I’ll vote what is good for
the people," he declared, "not
what special interests want."
In Edenton to meet with a
small group of Democratic
leaders, Jones, 48, was asked
• if he planned to run for the 1st
District Congressional seat
held for the past 26 years by
his 78-year-old father, U.S.
Congressman Walter B.
Jones Sr.
"Let's say, I’m testing the
waters," Jones said. "I'm al
most certain I would run if the
^lst Congressional District
stays as it is today."
The legislator discussed
the probability of the U.S. Jus
tice Department rejecting a
number of the redistricting
plans remapped last summer
by the N.C. General Assem
bly. If this occurs, he said the
^ legislature will have to call a
special session within several
weeks time.
The filing period for can
didates planning to run in the
November 1992 election be
gins January 6 and ends Feb
ruary 3.
Should the Justice Depart
ment reject the redistricting,
Jones said the May primaries
could be delayed to July or
possibly August.
Continued On Page 11-A
Old-Fashioned Caroling Set
Music To Fill The Air
Edenton residents and
guests are encouraged to
gather on the 1767 Chowan
County Courthouse green,
Friday, December 20 at 7 p.m.
for old-fashioned Christmas
caroling.
The Harmony Belles, un
der the direction of Dean
Layes, will lead the commu
nity in singing favorite
songs. Song sheets will be
provided.
Four cressets, or fire bas
kets, will provide illumina
tion and warmth. Cressets
were used in the 18th century
to provide light and warmth
on public streets in the winter
season, and are appropriate
I Narcotics Task Force Gets Results
# By MARGUERITE MCCALL
The Chowan-Edenton Nar
icotics Task Force has been
Jferreting out and arresting
Hdrug dealers locally the past
-several weeks, as well as as
sisting law enforcement in
surrounding areas with ar
rests.
^ r On Monday night, Decem
™ her 2, a drug bust took place in
the middle of North Broad
Street in Edenton when law
3Miforcement officers appre
hended two men for posses
sion of drugs.
Lt. David Jethro, a Chowan
Sheriffs Department deputy
_ and commander of the Task
^ Force, said his command, as
sisted by Chowan sheriffs
deputies and Edenton police
officers, executed a search
warrant on a 1986 Chevrolet
Camaro owned by and driven
lay Calvin Louis Ferebee of
Tyner.
^ 1- feicky Chesson of Tyler
Lane, Edenton, was a passen
ger in the vehicle.
Jethro said the search re
vealed a quantity of crack co
caine and drug parapherna
lia. The Camaro was seized
‘I- • .’ ■
in the raid, he said.
Ferebee has been charged
with possession with intent to
sell and deliver a schedule II
controlled substance (crack
cocaine), maintaining a ve
■ 1 ■ .
SEIZED IN DRUG BUST ~ Tape saying "Sheriffs Line -
Do Not Cross" surrounds this 1986 Chevrolet Camaro seized in
a drug bust in Eden ton on Monday night, December 2. The ve
hicle is parked behind the Edenton Police Station. Another ve
hicle confiscated Saturday night in a raid wears the same tape.
It is parked behind the Chowan County Sheriffs Office.
hide to sell and deliver and
possession of drug parapher
nalia.
Chesson has been charged
with possession with intent to
sell and deliver a schedule II
controlled substance and pos
session of drug parapher
nalia.
"The task force owes a spe
cial 'thank you' to the sher
iffs department and the po
lice department," Jethro said,
"for their assistance in this
operation."
Task force officers ar
rested two more men on Sat
urday, December 14, Willie
Louis Ford, 33, of 221 King St.,
Hertford, and Maury Deland
Rogerson, 26, of Rt. 1, Belvi
dere. The arrests took place in
the Rocky Hock area of Cho
wan County.
The men were charged
with possession with intent to
manufacture and to sell sche
dule II controlled substances
(crack cocaine), possession
with intent to manufacture or
sell schedule VI controlled
substances (marijuana), and
possession of drug parapher
nalia.
Continued On Page U-A
Colonial Park Project Receives Funds
By REBECCA BUNCH
Town Manager Anne
Marie Kelly expressed delight
Friday over the news that
Edenton has been awarded a
$30,000 grant to continue work
at Colonial Park.
"I'm so happy this has
come through for us," she
said. "I'm especially proud of
Robbie Laughton, who has
worked so hard on this pro
ject."
The federal grant is
administered by the Division
of Coastal Management,
through the Department of
Environment, Health and
Natural Resources.
In announcing the grant
state officials said, "Edenton
is a Governor's Coastal Initi
ative community. Coastal In
itiative communities have
priority for state assistance
with planning, permitting
and grant projects."
The funds will be used for
improved neighborhood ac
cess to the Chowan River at
West Water Street in down
town Edenton, state officials
said. For its part, the Town of
Edenton will contribute $8,000
and $2,000 in services to the
project.
The funds will pay for an
eight foot by 50 foot pedestrian
pier for the new handicapped
accessible facility. And, upon
completion of the project, a
340-foot sidewalk will connect
the pier with the existing par
king area.
"This grant is part of our
ongoing effort to improve Co
lonial Park," said Laughton,
who serves as director of
Parks and Recreation for the
community.
He said the grant would
enable the town to tear down
the small dock currently in
existence. "We'll be able to
replace it with one that's not a
whole lot larger, but will be
much safer and nicer,"
Laughton said. "While the
principal purpose for its use
will be fishing, it will also be
No State Appeal Filed
By E.N. MANNING
According to Opal Ke
hayes, local election board
chairperson, as of mid-after
noon Tuesday no appeal had
for use on the green of the old
est courthouse in North Car
olina.
The cressets, new to Eden
ton this season, were forged by
a craftsman in Williams
burg, Virginia. Each cresset
consists of a wire basket,
mounted on a tall post.
Some 120 persons gathered
on the green last Friday to
enjoy music and singing.
The J.A. Holmes Ensemble
played Christmas music.
The cressets were pur
chased by individuals and
community organizations in
Edenton and will be available
for use in future Christmas
events and throughout the
year.
been filed with the state courts
regarding a decision handed
down by the State Board of
Elections to dismiss com
plaints of illegal "election
eering" and "vote-buying at
the November 5 Municipal
election in Edenton.
The ruling by the state of
fice was issued December 9
following an appeal of the lo
cal election board's decision
to dismiss the complaints.
Robert H. Rossman, may
oral candidate, registered the
complaint of illegal "elec
tioneering" against Mayor
elect Roy L. Harrell.
Rossman stated Tuesday
afternoon, "I have not as yet
decided if I will pursue the
matter further. I'm talking
with my attorney."
Mark Brickhouse, a poll
worker for Rossman, who
filed a complaint of "vote
buying," could not be reached
for comment.
The complainants have
until Friday to appeal the rul
ing.
safe for people to walk on."
Laughton said future plans
call for turning the former
Edenton Police Department
site into offices for Recreation
Department personnel and
incorporating a combination
health and fitness - wellness
center into the structure as
well.
"By having our offices
down there, it will allow us to
better supervise the park
area," Laughton said. The
Recreation Department is
currently located at the old
National Guard Armory, a
considerable distance away.
Laughton also outlined a
series of other ambitious
plans for the downtown park.
"We're looking at developing
some type of small boat ren
tals that we could offer that
could be used in front of the
park area," he said.
Laughton’s eyes lit up and
he smiled as he said, "One of
the most exciting things as far
as I'm concerned...I can see
downtown Edenton coming
alive with people coming to the
park.
"I can see children contin
uing to play here...I can see
moms talking together as they
watch the kids. I can see ,se
Continued On Page 11-A
CHRISTMAS CHEER -- Peggy Anne Vaughan waits in the
foyer of her home on Queen Anne Drive to greet visitors touring
in last weekend's Christmas Candlelight tour. (Story on tour
and more photos on page 1-B.) (Staff photo by Marguerite Mc
Call.)
Judge Dismisses More
Charges Against Kelly
By LANE DUNN
FARMVILLE - The judge
in the sex abuse trial of a for
mer Edenton day care owner
dismissed 32 charges earlier
this week because he felt the
state had not produced suffi
cient evidence for conviction.
Superior Court Judge D.
Marsh McLelland dismissed
all 10 of the charges against
Robert F. Kelly Jr. brought on
behalf of two children who did
not testify.
McLelland also dismissed
parts of the charges involving
eight children who did testify
because of insufficient evi
dence.
Going into Tuesday's ses
sion, Kelly faced 129 charges
of abusing 14 children.
McLelland's ruling leaves
Kelly facing 97 charges of
sexual abuse involving 12
children. The charges in
clude first degree sex offense,
taking indecent liberties with
children, rape and crimes
against nature.
Bill Hart, a special prose
cutor from the state Attorney
General’s office, said that de
spite dismissal of more than
half of the charges since the
trial's beginning, his case
remains solid.
"We really weren't con
cerned," he said. "We knew
there might be a chance that
we would lose some charges,
Continued On Page 11-A
Deadlines Are Announced
The Chowan Herald will
be closed Tuesday, Decem
ber 24, and Wednesday,
December 25, in observance
of the Christmas holiday.
The business office will
be open on Monday, Decem
ber 22; however, other de
partments will be closed that
day.
Accordingly, the news
paper will observe early
printing deadlines for next
week's edition. All ads,
news stories and photo
4
graphs will need to be turn- *
ed in no later than 5 p.m. on
Friday, December 20.
"This deadline will en
able our readers to find out
what specials local bus
inesses are offering for
Christmas in plenty of time
to finish up their shopping,"
said Herald Publisher Pete
Manning. "Everyone’s co
operation in observing this
holiday schedule will be
greatly appreciated."