Sary now
certified
zoning
official....
fs
9-A !
6,000th visitor
attends playhouse...... 11-A
AM Rotary Club
adopts ‘Read to Me*
literacy program 10-A !
i’-. , • ' -V. ■ ■ : • •. ’ - -fe
Scam artists take advantage of-holiday goodwill
BY HELEN K. OUTLAND
Staff Writer
The holidays not only bring
cheer and celebration but, in
most cases tend to bring out
the best in people like generos
ity and tolerance. Unfortu
nately, the Chowan County
Sheriff's office warns, is this,
time of year also brings out the
worst in some, those taking
advantage of the goodness of
others.
For the third time in as
many years the Chowan
County Sheriff’s Office is ask
ing citizens to be aware that a
group of individuals are
prowling the county taking ad
vantage of residents. “Most of
the victims of this scam are
the elderly.” says Detective
Dwayne Goodwin. “These indi
viduals. - are approaching
homes and offering the resi
dents a ‘deal’ on painting their
house or*barn or dumping
gravel in the driveway.”
According to Goodwin the
scam artists say they are work
ing on a project up the road,
have some gravel left over, and
will dump it in , the
homeowner’s driveway for
about $40. “They offer the vic
tims a ridiculously low price to
have the gravel dumped,” says
Goodwin.
However
the catch 22
comes after
the job is
completed.
The scam
artist says
the job was
Goodwin
at a cost of
$40 a yard,
not the entire load. “Most
people, especially the elderly,
are easy targets for this. They
will think they must have mis
understood, or they don’t want
to get into a hassle over it, and
just pay these guys,” Goodwin
adds. “It may cost them $150 or
more.”
The same type of situation
occurs when the scammers
approach someone about
painting the roof of their
home or barn. Goodwin says
the artist goes as far as to pro
vide a contract >and issue a re
ceipt. “They dQ the painting
with paint that has been cut
with kerosene,” says the detec
tive. “It looks nice until the
first rain.”
Goodwin says that the con
tracts and receipts do not bear
either the name of or a num
ber for any company. “The
‘contract’ comes with an eight
year guarantee, but there is
nothing indicating who to con
tact. People should be very ob
servant of this before agreeing
to sign anything,” he adds.
“These people know how to
pick their targets,” Goodwin
says. “They get in, get the job,
done and get out.” Goodwin
says that the main objective of
the group is to get someone in
side the house if possible.
One such group achieved
this last year in Chowan
County. One member of the
group was allowed to enter the
home to accept payment. Re
fusing to take a check and de
manding cash, he watched as
the elderly gentleman re
trieved cash from a hutch. Ask
ing for water, the scam artist
got the wife to leave the room
and the scammer stole the re
maining cash from the couple,
$7,300. Luckily, acting onjnfor
mation provided by the home
owner, and with some sharp
detective work by Chowan and
Martin County Sheriff’s of
fices, the money was recov
ered. __
In another case^an elderly
lady, not knowing now to fill
out a cfieck, just signed her
name and allowed the scam
artist to fill out the -amount.
See SCAM On Page 3-A
Court in sessioh: Teen Court offers
alternatives to young offenders
BY GLENDA JAKUBOWSKI
Edenton-Chowan Schools
Edenton-Chowan Schools
this year added Teen Court to
the services it helps to provide
to students and the commu
nity, joining more than 880
Teen Court programs through
out the nation.
Nearly 20 John A. Holmes
High School students trained
for the Teen Court program,
attending sessions of the Gates
County Teen Court and work
ing under the tutelage of Dis
trict Attorney Joanie Ashley
and attorney Will Growe.
Other adults involved yi the
y Chowan County Teen Court
' are Karen . Ames, of the
Edenton-Chowan Schools In
tensive Supervision Program,
School Resource Officer Greg
Whitehurst, School Resource
Officer Larnell Valentine,
John A. Holmes Guidance Sec
retary Angela Kemp, John A.
Holmes Principal John Will
iams, the Edenton-Chowan
Schools Director of Testing
and Accountability Renee Har
ris, and Judge J.C. Cole.
The Chowan County Teen
Court is a collaborative effort
between the Office of Juvenile
Justice, the District Attorney’s
office, the First District Court,
the Chowan County Sheriff’s
Department', the Chowan
County Interagency Youth
Task Force and Edenton
Chowan Schools.
“Teen Court has been a big,
big help to us,” said Linda
Terry, of the Department for
See COURT On Page 7-A
John A. Holmes High School Teen Court participants provide an alternative to teen
offenders who otherwise could have a criminal record of their offenses. Teen Court par
ticipants include: Kendra Bailey, Kyana Bailey, Samantha Belton, Veronica Bunch, Travis
Bunch, Ciara Cofield, Jay Cooper, Caroline Dail, Jonathan Davidson, Ashley Klein, Denae
Lassiter, Markeeta Littlejohn, Heather Matthews, Latasha Morris, Josetta Phelps, Barbara
Sanchez, Casey Stallings, Chenitra White and Jenna Williams. Also shown are School Re
source Officer Larnell Valentine, Judgk^.C. Cole, attorney Will Crowe and District Attor
ney Joanie Ashley. (Photo by Glenda Jakubowski, Edenton-Chowan Schools)
Historic District
being surveyed|
BY HELEN K. OUTLAND
Staff Writer
Earlier this month
Chowan County Planning
Director Chad Sary intro
duced Michelle Michael to
the Edenton Town Board.
Michael, an Historic Preser
vation consultant, presented
the board as overview of
plans underway to conduct a
survey of the Edenton His
toric District. The results of
■the survey will give the town
guidance for future expan
sion areas. .
“We also want to advise the
public of Michelle’s presence
as they will see her around
town taking pictures of area
homes and businesses,” says
Sary. .
Michael will be residing
in Edenton in the next few
months. “I will be conduct
ing the National Registry
District update and town in
ventory list for the town and
the state,” says Michael*
. Michael explains that the
Edenton Historic District
was placed on the National
Registry in 1973. “The guide
lines in 1973 were a little bit
different than what they are
See SURVEY On Page 3-A
Longtime officer
leaving the force
BY HELEN K. OUTLAND
Staff Writer
' After fifteen years of ser
vice to the town and the citi
zens of Edenton, Officer
Wayne Forehand announced
today that he is retiring from
the Edenton Police Depart
ment. Forehand will be mov
ing on as an automotive in
structor with the College of
the Albemarle Edenton Cam
pus and in conjunction with
U?e John A. Holmes High
■School’s Work First Develop
ment pro
gram.
out the
years I
have en
joyed
working
for the
public,”
Forehand
said. “And
I look for
Forehand
ward to continuing to serve as
See OFFICER On Page 3-A
Generosity of community spirit reflected in 2002
v* BY HELEN K. OUTLAND
Staff Writer
The year just past brought
Vvith it many changes. In 2002
Several major corporate a&
tions brought cheers and one)
left uncertainty in its wake.
But, in the spirit of a commu
nity that looks out for its own,
leaders did what needed to be
done for the people who de
pend on them, and solved an
other problem.
"What the community lacks
in size it more than makes up
for in heart. Like an atom the
right combination of intu
ition, determination, and
strength leave no room for mis
judging the capabilities of
those who call Chowan County
home. With thejoy and accom
plishments came the sadness
of loss. From county leader
ship to the kid next door, the
community said farewell to
good friends. But, regardless
how great or small their im
pact, they were members of
the family of Chowan County
and they will be missed.
The New Year began here as
it traditionally does statewide
with the addition of a new citi
zen. Jennifer Walton and her
fiancee, Tory Riddick of Tyner
welcomed their baby girl,
Shamara Brion, into the world
at 11 a.m. Shamara arrived
just in time to witness the buy-,
out of Tee-Lok by Mi-Teck Cor
poration on January 9. Mi
Teck is owned by Warren Buf
I , f » '
The Tee-Lok buyout was one of the year's biggest busi
ness stories. (Staff photo by Helen K. Outland)
fet and Berkshire Hathaway
Corporation and brought with
them the promise of more jobs.
By January 19 the county
had leapt into the 21st century
by becoming an e-community
The link for this connection is
rooted in a program known as
e-North Carolina Initiative, an .
on-going program to connect
all North Carolinians to the
Internet. Bill Miller of Edep-,
ton was appointed e-Champion
for Chowan County. “Local
technology champions are
critical, in getting the rural
communities on line,” said Dr.
James Luetze, Chairman of
the Rural Internet Access Au
thority E-North Carolina is a
$6.3 million dollar community
outreach effort. *
Before the month was out
Chowan County, along with
five others, held the first of
what was to become many,
meetings to inform the public
and initiate a plan of action
against the Navy intentions to
relocate and Outlying Landing
Field in Northeastern North
Carolina. During a meeting at
the Albemarle Commission in
Hertford to discuss the adverse
effects on rural counties where
citizens spent years making
their living on farming com-,
bined with fishing the sound
and river. It is the vitality of
these counties that are jeopar
dized by the proposed landing
strip.
See SPIRIT On Page 7-A
_ \