Vol. LXXII, No. 13
Wednesday, April 6, 2005
Single Copies 50<
Town gets serious about sprucing up homes, sites
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
With its number of vacant
houses growing shabbier by
the day, the Town of Edenton
has begun taking action to
spruce up — or remove — the
offending structures.
During its March 28 meet
ing, the Town Council heard
from Town Manager Anne
Marie Knighton regarding on
going efforts to reduce nui:
Wharf
Landing
okayed
BY EARLINE WHITE
The Chowan Herald
Wharf Landing, a 90 condo
minium housing structure lo
cated on the Chowan River, has
received final plat approval
from the County Planning
Board and the Chowan County
Commissioners. The action
came during Monday night’s
commissioners’ meeting.
The development will house
six condominiums in each of
the high-rise structures as well
as feature a full-service marina
and restaurant/inn. Mean
while, Wooten Associates of
Greenville and Raleigh were
retained for the countywide
zoning study project to be con
ducted in the future. Wooten
has a long-standing history of
work with Chowan County and
reassured the Commissioners
that the public will be heard
throughout the project for in
put and considerations.
In other business, with ex
pansion comes a need for emer
gency medical care and trans
port. Recently Bertie County
(Coastal Medical Transport)
applied for a franchise in
Chowan County. Prior to this
application, the Edenton -
Chowan Rescue Squad and
EMS handled all of the calls
within the county and allowed
no other company to work
within the county, under the
county’s Ordinance Ambu
lance Franchises set into place
three years ago. On Monday,
Commissioners listened as
Lisa Jones, Financial Officer,
Doug Belch, Executive Direc
tor of EMS, and Peter Rascoe,
Staff Attorney, presented in
formation on the financial im
pact to the local EMS if trans
fers were franchised instead of
performed by local workers.
Official consideration will be
See WHARF On Page 2-A
INSIDE
Calendar.C2
Church.C4
Classifieds.D1 -6
Editorials.A4
Learning.B5-6
Obituaries.C6
Society.C3
Sports.B1-4
sance properties. In all, 75 va
cant houses have been identi
fied by town officials, she said.
“We think that number is
really high for such a small
town,” Knighton told council
during her 45-minute Power.
Point presentation during the
March committee meeting.
The offending homes in
cluded a house on East Albe
marle where drug arrests have
been made recently; two-story
homes with boarded-up win
dows; and properties with
grass so high in the summer
the town is forced to mow and
bill the owners.
Knighton said a code-en
forcement panel formed after
Hurricane Isabel’s destructive
visit in September 2003 has
shifted its focus from storm
damage issues to more general
problems in town.
Included in her list of iden
tified nuisance properties was
a home on North Oakum
Street that has already been
condemned by the town. The
owner of that property was
given until the. end of May to
tear the single-story house
down.
“That structure should be
coming down pretty soon,” the
town manager said.
A contractor who restores
older homes has expressed in
terest in buying another North
See TOWN On Page 2-A
Vacant, run
down houses in
Edenton are being
considered
nuisances by the
town. They will
either have to be
repaired or
demolished.
Staff photo
by Sean Jackson
Congressman Butterfield
conducts 'listening tour'
of local industry, airport
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
Edenton and Chowan
County officials were im
pressed with a visit from U.S.
Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C.,
last week.
The congressman swept
through the town’s boat
building industries, and
made a pass through the
Northeastern Regional Air
port.
At Carolina Classic Boats
Inc., Butterfield met with the
sportfishing boat company’s
owners, Mac and Joan
Privott. Mac Privott led the
congressman through the
production line of his com
pany, which employees 100
workers at Anchors Way
Drive.
With town officials in tow,
Butterfield toured the expan
sive facility.
Mac Privott said the indus
try has changed since he be
gan building boats in the mid
1970s. Privott said he has
learned how to change with
the times.
His guest admitted to being
on the receiving end of edu
cational material, too.
“I’m learning a lot,” But
terfield told Mac Privott.
He also said Privott and fel
low local boatbuilders are for
tunate that their chosen in
dustry has continued to pros
per in recent years.
“A lot of (industries) are
not,” the congressman said.
“You are blessed.”
Following his tour of Caro
lina Classic, Butterfield made
his way to the airport com
plex, followed by a stop at
Albemarle Boats.
Butterfield made the trip
with staff members, includ
Staff photo by Sean Jackson
Congressman G.K. Butterfield, right, talks with Mac Privott
during a tour of Carolina Classic Boats Inc. during a swing
through Edenton. Those accompanying the congrssman in
cluded Chamber Director Richard Bunch (behind Privott).
ing his chief of staff from the
Washington, D.C. office.
Such a move impressed
Town Manager Anne-Marie
Knighton.
“In all my years here,” she
said, “I don’t recall a congress
man bringing this person
along, the chief of staff is the
top position in the D.C. office.
Bringing the top DC staff per
son to the district for a ‘listen
ing tour’ shows a real commit
ment to serve the people of the
district.”
According to Richard
Bunch, executive director of
the Edenton-Chowan Chamber
of Commerce, Butterfield ap
proached town and county of
ficials about coming in for his
‘listening tour.’
“He asked specifically to
tour this type of manufactur
ingfacility,” Knighton added.
Bunch was pleased to be
able to provide examples of
how some Edenton and
Chowan industries are pros
pering.
“It was a wonderful oppor
tunity for. our congressman
to see our boat builders and
the workmanship that goes
into production,” he said. “
We were able to address
workforce development is
sues with the Congressman
and introduce him to mem
bers pf our business commu
nity.
“The importance of having
Congressman Butterfield
and his staff visit with our
Chamber of Commerce can
not be understated,” Bunch
■ See TOUR On Page 2-A
The Board of
Education and the
Chowan County i,
Commissioners
met Monday |
afternoon as a ,,
followup to their
February work
session which
focused on the
future of local -
education. During
Monday's meeting
Dr. Allan Smith,
left, showed
Commissioners |
Wayne Goodwin
and Jerry Downum
a remodeled
classroom.
VA Beach PD capture
Edenton rape suspect
• Robbery also involved in Friday
morning incident
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
An Elizabeth City man was
arrested April 1 in Virginia
after allegedly raping an
Edenton woman at her home
the night before.
Datrill Marantz McPher
son, of 516 Brothers Lane,
Elizabeth City, was caught in
Virginia Beach, Va. after his
victim was able to alert a by
stander of her need for help,
Edenton Police Chief Greg
Bonner said Tuesday.
Virginia authorities have
charged McPherson with ab
duction and resisting arrest,
Edenton police said Tuesday.
Locally, he is facing nine
felony warrants charging, in
cluding: rape, three counts of
kidnapping, attempted mur
der, common law robbery,
felony breaking and entering,
and assault by strangulation.
The victim reported that she
was beaten, stomped, choked,
and sexually assaulted, Bon
ner said. She sought treatment
at Sentara Leigh Hospital in
Norfolk, Va., he added.
On the morning of April 1,
McPherson allegedly also took
the victim’s ATM charged and
withdrew cash from her ac
count, the chief said.
McPherson and his victim
arrived in Virginia Beach at
r
approximately 7 a.m. on
April 1, Edenton police Det.
Sgt. Rhonda Copeland said
Tuesday.
“They left Edenton at 5
a.m.,” Copeland added.
The victim “was able to re
ceive some help (in Virginia
Beach) by someone calling
911,” Bonner said. McPher
son fled, but was later appre
hended.
Edenton police were noti
fied at approximately 11 a.m.
McPherson is being held
without bond. Copeland said
she plans to seek an extradi
tion warrant.
“Our jurisdiction would
certainly carry heavier
weight when it comes to
(McPherson’s) prosecution,”
Bonner said.
“Police officers in Edenton
are working with the investi
gators in Virginia Beach to
get a full discovery of what
took place,” the chief added.
The victim and McPher
son, who are not married,
have a child between them,
Bonner added:
McPherson was released
from prison in December
2003 after serving two
months for a conviction of
assault on a female, accord
ing to the N.C. Department of
Corrections Web site.
Church thief suspect back in custody
Local man nabbed after
fencing stolen steaks
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
An Edenton man facing
charges stemming from a string
of church break-ins is now facing
charges of stealing hamburgers
and ice cream from the outside
freezer of a closed West Queen
Street eatery over the weekend.
Robert Lee Cofield, 36, of 113 W
Peterson St., was arrested Mon
day on the 200 block of East Gale
Street by Edenton police. At the
time of his arrest, said police Det.
Sgt. Rhonda Copeland, Cofield
was attempting to sell steaks he
had stolen from Farmers Foods
, supermarket earlier in the day
He has been charged with
felony breaking and entering and
larceny for his alleged food theft
from Tastee Freez overnight Sat
urday That incident was reported
by a Tastee Freez employee at
approximately 11 a.wi. Sunday,
police Chief Greg Bonner said
Tuesday Cofield was placed un
der a $1,000 secured bond and was
scheduled to make his first court
appearance on those charges
Tuesday
Items reported stolen at Tastee
Freez included; five three-gallon
containers of ice cream, and
cases of hamburger and French
fries.
“He did admit to his participa
tion in this crime,” Bonner said,
adding that he would seek to ob
tain a grand jury indictment that x
would forward the case directly
to superior court
Copeland said Cofield is sus
pect of stealing items to obtain
drug money
The investigating officer was
Det Aaron Davidson.
On March 5, Cofield was ar
rested on a number of charges erf
breaking into Edenton churches.
That alleged theft spree report
edly began in November; ending