482-4418
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
:>u*
Deputy
indicted
bySBI
21-year veteran
officer charged
with nine counts of
sexual offenses
By Earline White
and Vernon Fueston
Staff writers
William Greg Whitehurst,
47, was indicted by a grand
jury Monday and charged
with three counts of second
degree sexual offense, three
counts of indecent liberties
with a student and three
counts of sexual activities
with a student.
, The charges are based on
an alleged
incident
occuring
in 2005
when
Whitehu
rst was
working
as a school
□resource Whitehurst
pfficer at
•John A. Holmes.
* Whitehurst began with the
;Chowan County Sheriff’s Of
;fice 21 years ago as a patrol
officer under the tenure of
former sheriff Fred Spruill.
Whitehurst later worked
'in civil processing then as
an SRO.
Whitehurst was recog
nized as the Law Officer
of the Year in 2004 by the
American Legion Post 40.
The allegation of sexual
misconduct was reported di
rectly to the State Bureau of
Investigation in Elizabeth
City, sheriff Dwayne Good
win said in a press release
dated Monday.
According to the release,
Goodwin was made aware
of the allegations in October
2008.
Whitehurst turned him
self in to the SBI Monday af
ternoon, authorities said.
1 Whitehurst has been
placed on administrative
■leave pending a full internal
investigation.
> Due to the SBI’s pending
^investigation, Goodwin .de
clined to say more.
J Whitehurst could not be
^reached for comment.
'Bomb threat called
l to courthouse
l The first ever bomb threat
to the Chowan County Court
•house on Broad Street was
failed in at 3:05 p.m.'Monday
Afternoon during Superior
-Court, Sheriff Dwayne Good
iwin said Tuesday.
*r Occupants of the building
^were evacuated immediately
jA search of the property did
jnot reveal any such threat,
jGoodwin added.
? Authorities are currently
•subpoenaing phone records
fto determine from whom and
•where the call came.
Metal detectors and lim
ited public access to prevent
puch happenings were put in
■place at the courthouse fol
lowing a shooting inside the
-Northampton County Court
-house in 2006.
r
r
mm §smi
Tickets $7.00 per plate
For Tickets: Lynn Perry 331-5393, Frank
Jones 482-0305 or Greg Bonner 331-5212;
Proceeds for Scholarship fund, Terrific Kids & Other Youth Programs
HUNDREDS CELEBRATE PETS AT DOWNTOWN FESTIVAL
j;':
Top, Chan Collins, an engineer with the Edenton Fire Department, and his English bulldog, Diesel. Above left,
Michelle Maddox with her pet Boston Terrier, Penelope. Above right. Bill Stafford gets a kiss from Lexis. Stafford
was an exhibitor at Pet-A-Palooza, Saturday at Colonial Park. PHOTOS by vernon FUESTON
A bout 200 pet lovers con-,
/Vverged Colonial Park in
X Edenton for Pet-A-Palooza,
Saturday
A pet parade featuring 55 pets
and about 100 owners kicked off
the event, sponsored by Destina
tion Downtown Edenton and the
Edenton Recreation Department.
Conservatives plan tea party to protest tax hike
By Vernon Fueston
Staff Writer
Edenton conservatives
will hold a tea party protest
on the Chowan County’s
courthouse steps express
ing their displeasure with
increased government
spending and the taxes they
say are sure to follow.
Bob Steinburg, Chowan
County’s Republican Party
chairman said Americans
for Prosperity is sponsor
NCDOT studies N.C. 137 bypass around Gatesville
By CAL BRYANT ,
Roanoke-Chowan
News-Herald
GATESVILLE — If pre
liminary plans move for
ward, Gatesville may be
come the only small town in
North Carolina with a popu
lation of 300 to have not one,
but two bypasses.
County Manager Toby
ing the event in North Caro
lina.
The group will be holding
similar “tea parties” across
the state on April 15.
Other movements are
planning simultaneous pro
tests in all 50 states and the
District of Columbia, Stein
burg said. The group has 10
rallies planned around the
state.
Edenton’s selection as
a protest site has roots in
North Carolina history Pe
Chappell said he has re
ceived information from the
North Carolina Department
of Transpoi'tation in regard
to possibly constructing a
NC 137 bypass. That bypass
is specifically designed to
re-route heavy truck traffic.
Chappell said earlier this
week DOT’S proposal was
only in its infant stages.
“DOT’S intention is to
Kids got a chance to do crafts,
jump rope, take train rides and
meet the Steamer’s Sam the Clam.
There was a pet pageant and
awards for dogs with the best cos
tume, the largest and smallest dog,
best-behaved, best trick and best
Saint Patty’s Day spirit.
Vendors of pet-related products
nelope Barker organized
a tea party at the home of
Elizabeth King in 1774, pro
testing the British tax on
tea.
The event, where 51 wom
en, signed a pact not to pur
chase tea, was the first po
litical action by women in
the colonies and predated
the Boston Tea Party.
Steinburg said the event
is not just a Republican pro
test.
“We’re all taxpayers,” he
get the heavy truck traf
fic away from the heart of
downtown,” Chappell said.
“Specifically, it’s designed
to help protect the old Gates
County Courthouse. Years
of heavy trucks rumbling
by the old courthouse have
resulted in structural dam
age.”
According to DOT’S pre
liminary plans, that truck
and services were on hand as well
as refreshments from the John A.
Holmes High School Drama Club.
The Tri-County Animal Shelter
was on hand with animals avail
able for adoption.
Over 50 companies contributed
items for pet goodie bags and a
raffle.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Edenton Tea Party
WHERE: Steps of 1767
Chowan County Courthouse
WHEN: April 15 at 5 p.m.
said.
“Basically, what we are
trying to do is increase
awareness across the state
and locally about taxation
See TEA PARTY, Page A2
traffic may bypass Court
Street on one of two alter
native routes, both begin
ning on the western edge of
Gatesville.
• #1 (Northern Bypass) 0.9
miles from the NC 137/Lew
is Mill Road intersection to
US 158 Business (Last Ma
ple St). Estimated cost: $4.5
See BYPASS, Page A2 >
ECONOMY WATCH
Jobless I
at highest
level ever
Locals plan job fair
for April 3
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
With unemployment in
Chowan County at an all
time high 12.8 percent, local
leaders are taking a proac
tive position to address the
problem.
Over the past several
weeks, a committee has
been meeting to put togeth
er plans for a community,
Job Fair that will take place
early next month.
“We need to be successful,
to help our people find some
jobs,” said Chamber Direc
tor Richard Bunch.
And, last Thursday morn
ing, a representative of Sen.
Richard Burr, Molly Max
son, mot
withlocal INSIDE
business Roundtable dis
leaders cussion about lo
and re- cal economy held
port back PAGEA2
to the _
senator on their concerns
about the state of the econo
my (see related story).
They also offered sugges
tions about local needs that
could be addressed with the
use of. stimulus funds.
Sharp decline
Chowan County is not
alone in seeing an increase
in the number of those who
have lost jobs.
According to the state
ESC office, unemployment ■
rose in all 100 counties in
North Carolina for January,
the most recent month for
which figures are available.
Hardest hit in the region
was Dare County, which
posted a 17.3 percent jobless
rate. The loss of many con
struction jobs has negative
ly impacted other related
industries there.
Bertie came in at 12 per
cent, followed by Perqui
mans at 11 percent, and Pas
quotank at 10.6 percent.
Offering hope
The local Job Fair was the
idea of Pastor Chris Jones
of the Cape Colony Church
of Christ.
Jones, a relative new
comer to the community,
reached out to the local busi
ness community to offer his
church as a place where the
event could be held.
The Job Fair will take
place there from 9 a.m. until
2 p.m. on Friday, April 3.
The church is located at
831 Soundside Road, past the
airport.
Jones contacted Chamber
Director Richard Bunch,
who welcomed the idea of
partnering with the church.
The Chamber, along with
the local ESC office and
College of the Albemarle,
agreed to serve as sponsors.
A Job Fair planning com
mittee was quickly put to
gether.
So far, 12 businesses/or
ganizations have agreed to
participate in the event.
. They are: Food Lion;
See JOB FAIR, Page A2 ►