War rsntonHaa . Library X
' 17 S .Main St.
Warrenton, N.C. 27589
Stye IHaroti Eecord
Volume 91 25* Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, July 6, 1988 Number 27
Four-Cent Tax Hike Approved Bv Board
By THURLETTA M. BROWN
News Editor
The first day of July brought
with it a new fiscal year for War
ren County and a four-cent tax
hike for county property owners.
Following a 4-1 vote cast last
Wednesday night by the Warren
County Board of County Commis
sioners, the county's tax rate in
creased from 76 cents to 80 cents
per $100 valuation.
Dissension and Debate
The dissenting vote was cast by
Commissioner William Skinner,
who characterized the Wednes
day evening meeting as the an
nual "tax heist." Skinner called
some programs "questionable"
and voiced his support of area
Wise Resident
Is Arrested On
Murder Charge
By THURLETTA M. BROWN
News Editor
A former Warren County em
ployee awaits trial on charges of
murder in Orange County after a
three-year investigation by law
enforcement officials there.
Charles Antonio Buchanan, 34,
an attendant for the Warren
County Emergency Medical
Service (formerly the Warren
County Ambulance Service) from
Sept. 1, 1983 until May 25, 1984,
was arrested on Friday at a
Granville County rest area off
1-85 and confined to the Orange
County Jail without bond.
The suspect was charged with
iwo counts of tirst-degree murder
in the disappearance of two
Orange County men, Thaddeus
Hayes and Curtis Bane, accord
ing to reports released last week
by the Associated Press.
The bodies of Hayes and Bane
have continued to elude officials,
but the two men are believed to
be dead. The two men disap
peared in July of 1985.
Buchanan, a resident of the old
Wise Tourist Court on US 1, had
been employed recently by a pet
shop in Durham. Prior to his posi
tion in Warren County, Buchanan
had worked as a jailer in Durham
County until 1982.
In a telephone interview Tues
day, a spokesperson at the
Orange County Jail said no court
date has been scheduled and bond
remains unset.
? ? m
County Budgets $7.8 Million For New Fiscal Year
citizens. "Taxpayers ought to get
a break once in a while!"
"Like everyone else, I don't
like taxes either," Commissioner
Francis Alston said. "But, we
want to meet the needs of the
citizens in this county... (and)
there is no way to have services
without paying for them."
In addition to the affirmative
vote cast by Alston, commis
sioners J. T. Fleming, George
Shearin and Chairman Eva Clay
ton also endorsed the increase.
"We honestly did not want to
raise taxes this year, but we had
to keep ourselves above water,"
Commissioner Shearin said.
Commissioner Fleming called
the 1988-89 budget the "fairest"
there had been. "We started out
with requests that were much
higher and ( we ) tried to come out
with the fairest budget that we
could," he said.
Pared-Oown From Requests
Requests submitted to County
Manager Charles Worth totaled
$8,055,263. The budget request
submitted by Worth to the board
last month was a pared-down
$7,714,203.
The budget adopted for 1988-89,
upon the motion of Commissioner
Fleming and seconded by Com
missioner Alston, is $7,815,010, an
increase from the 1987-88 budget
of $7,144,288.
"The budgeting process is
always perceived as a win or lose
proposition, but this was our best
effort to respond to the list of
needs we received," Chairman
Clayton said.
A Modest Increase Now
According to the chairman,
three cents of the tax rate in
crease is "directed toward ac
crual for the new bond indebted
ness we anticipate." Chairman
Clayton said the plan of the board
was to "accrue, save and spread
out ( the increases I so the burden
would not be so great." She also
explained that the remaining one
cent increase was due to opera
tional costs.
Commissioner Fleming said
the anticipated bond indebted
ness would result in a nine-cent
increase, but "not all in one
year."
A "Bare-Bones" Budget
"But, that's really a worst-case
scenario," County Manager
Charles Worth said Friday in a
telephone interview. "If the
General Assembly gives us
funds, that will have a significant
impact." The county has applied
for $750,000 for the Warren
Medical Facility and will apply
for assistance on other projects.
"It's really a bare-bones bud
get," Worth said, explaining that
the 1988-89 budget does not differ
significantly from that of the last
fiscal year.
Few Changes
The manager said only three
new positions have been added:
a new soil conservation techni
cian, a social worker for the
health department and one social
worker supervisor for the depart
( Continued on page 8B )
A short circuit in the late-model Toyota on the left
was the cause of this car fire last Wednesday at the
Warren County Health Department oit Ridge way
Street. According to Warrenton Rural Fire Depart
ment Chief Kenny Clayton, sparks from the Toyota
were blown Into an open window of the Camaro that
was parked beside it. The interior of the Camaro
was gutted and both cars were determined a total
loss. (Photo by Brenda Clarke)
Many Area Lawmen Summoned
To Assist In Arrest Of Motorist
By DIANE DAVIS
Staff Writer
A Warren County man whose
escapades brought law enforce
ment officers from surrounding
counties to aid in his capture is
being held in the Warren County
Jail under a $25,000 bond.
On Friday, July 1 at approx
imately 11 :30 p.m., Trooper R. J.
Hedgepeth of the N. C. Highway
Patrol stopped a 1969 white
Dodge van that was heading west
on S. R. 1001 for suspicion of
drunk driving. When he asked the
driver to step out of the van, the
Charges Brought In Norlina After
Marijuana, Paraphernalia Found
A stash of marijuana
characterized by Chief Deputy
Bobby D. Bolton as "a little over
an ounce" and assorted drug
paraphernalia on July 1 was con
fiscated by Warren County
Sheriff's personnel from the
Kearney Street residence in
Norlina of Frank Jonathan
Alexander.
According to Chief Deputy
Bolton, sheriff's department per
sonnel and members of the
Norlina Police Department acted
jointly on a search warrant that
had been issued for the Alex
ander residence. Area law of
ficers had been working on the
case for over one month, the chief
deputy said.
A search of the Kearney Street
residence revealed assorted drug
parephernalia and about 26
small manlla envelopes of the
weed that was "packaged and
ready for sale," Bolton said. No
street value for the marijuana
has been reported.
Alexander was arrested on Fri
day and charged with possession
with intent to manufacture, sell
or deliver marijuana. He has also
been charged with maintaining a
dwelling for drugs.
According to Bolton, the mag
istrate allowed Alexander to sign
a written promise to appear in
court.
Warren County sheriff's per
sonnel who investigated the case
were Deputy Scott Bissette,
Deputy Harold Seaman and Dep
uty J. M. Alston. Norlina Police
Department personnel were
Police Chief Charles Galantis and
Lt. James Champion.
Alexander, 35, is scheduled to
appear in court on July 20, Bolton
said.
Review Committee Is Formed
After a realization months ago
that the subdivision anproval pro
cess of the Warren County Plan
ning Board needed simplifying,
the board Tuesday established a
technical review committee at
their regular monthly meeting.
The technical review commit
tee was established after the
realization that there was in
creased residential development
on both Kerr and Gaston lakes,
along with other areas of the
county. The purpose of the com
mittee is to review minor subdivi
sions to ensure compliance with
the standards established in the
subdivision ordinance of Warren
County.
Minor subdivisions are those
that consist of no more than Ave
lots, which abut a public or
private road, and require no new
road construction or water/sewer
extensions.
' Named to the board at the
Tuesday afternoon meeting were
Oscar L. "Butch" Meek, chair
person of the Warren County
Planning Board; Paul Gower,
sanitarian at the Warren County
Health Department; and Chester
A. Forrester, III, Warren Coun
ty zoning administrator and
building inspector.
It was recommended by the
board that the positions on the
committee would rotate every
couple of years.
The next meeting of the War
ren County Planning Board is
scheduled for August 2.
driver refused. Trooper Hedge
peth then called for assistance
from Trooper A1 Bennett.
Troopers Hedgepeth and Ben
nett approached the van, one go
ing on either side of the vehicle.
Hedgepeth, located on the
driver's side, once again asked
the driver to step out of the van.
When he refused again, Hedge
peth asked to see his driver's
license and vehicle registration.
Hedgepeth said that it was then
that he noticed a .357 Magnum
resting on the passenger seat. He
believed that the driver was at
tempting to reach for the gun, so
he stepped to the rear of the van.
Trooper Bennett then noticed
that the driver had picked up the
gun and also went to the rear of
the vehicle.
As the troopers tr ;d to coax
the driver into turning himself in,
he attempted to drive away from
the scene.
The driver headed back east
toward Warrenton on S. R. 1001,
and both troopers followed the
vehicle as it turned onto S. R. 1100
and then onto S. R. 1129. They
stayed in pursuit of the vehicle
until it stopped at a residence on
U. S. 401.
The suspect went into the house
and refused to leave. Law of
ficers from Vance, Franklin and
Warren counties were at the
scene and surrounded the resi
dence. Alter an hour and a half,
the suspect came out of the house
unarmed and without a struggle
Two other men who had been in
side the house with the suspect
also came out unarmed aftei
another SO minutes.
Arrested was Laurin Laytor
Desso, 34, of Rt 2, Warrenton. He
was charged by Trooper Hedge
peth with driving while impaired,
(Continued on page B)
Suspect Nabbed
After Robbery
Of Warren Store
By THURLETTA M. BROWN
News Editor
A Warrenton man? incarcer
ated since Sunday in the Warren
County Jail under a $50,000 bond
following arrest as a suspect in
an armed robbery at an area
business that left a Norlina
woman injured? has been sched
uled for a 96-hour hearing today
(Wednesday) in Warren County
District Court.
Derrick Tito Grant, 23, of Rt. 2,
Warrenton has been charged with
assault and robbery with a
dangerous weapon.
According to Chief Deputy Bob
by D. Bolton, Ms. Brenda S.
Lynch of Norlina, a Best Bet
employee, Sunday morning was
pistol-whipped by a male who had
entered the establishment and
taken her at gunpoint into the
storage room of the facility.
The weapon used in the beating
was a large pellet gun that, to the
untrained eye, was virtually iden
tical to a .357 Magnum.
The pellet gun bears the
numerals "357" on its barrel.
The area behind the checkout
counter had been ransacked and
the electronic cash register there
removed from the store before
the alleged suspect fled in a 1968
green Ford station wagon, the
chief deputy said.
Ambulance personnel had been
summoned to the Best Bet store
at 10:50 a.m. and after arriving
at the crime site at 10:54 a.m.,
transported Ms. Lynch to Maria
Parham Hospital in Henderson
for treatment. "She was con
scious and alert when we ar
rived," Warren County Emer
gency Medical Service Super
visor Dennis Paschall said.
The victim required stitches
for a small laceration on the back
of her head. "The head of the
human body is such a vascular
area, that even small cuts can
bleed profusely," Paschall ex
plained.
Warren County Sheriff's per
sonnel initiated an intensive
search of the area for the al
leged escape vehicle and for the
suspect.
Because the suspected escape
vehicle had borne Indiana tags,
' area law officers contacted the
| Indiana State Police to ascertain
its owner.
The station wagon was found to
have been given as a gift to
; Derrick Tito Grant.
According to Chief Deputy
Bolton, about one hour into the
search, the Ford station wagon
[ was found by Deputy Harold
Seaman, about 2.2 miles from the
Best Bet store on SR 1145, near
' the Snow Hill community.
Warren County deputies had
received information that a male
matching the description of the
suspect had been seen walking
and had been given a ride by a
passerby. The officers back
tracked from the point at which
the man was reported to have ex
ited from the vehicle of the
passerby, Bolton said. "That
helped to lead us back to him."
When Deputy Seaman arrived
at the location of the station
wagon, which had been parked at
the end of a dirt road, two males
were found "standing under a
tree," Bolton said.
Following a search of the vehi
cle, the pellet gun, housed in a
mock suede leather case, was
retrieved, along with the missing
electronic cash register.
SBI agents were summoned to
assist in a thorough search of the
vehicle for fingerprinting and
other investigations. Because of
other commitments, the SBI
agents did not arrive until Mon
day for their examination of the
evidence.
The cash register will be sent
to Raleigh for more intensive ex
amination, Chief Deputy Bolton
said.
Assisting Bolton in the investi
gation were Norlina Police Chief
Charles Galantis, Warren Coun
ty deputies R. A. Coleman and
Harold Seaman and Warren
County Auxiliary Deputy Ronnie
Baskett.
Pending the outcome of the
96-hour hearing that was to have
been held today, Grant will re
main in the Warren County Jail
to await a court appearance on
July 20, the chief deputy said.
Jobless Rate
Down Locally
The jobless rate for Warren
County slightly decreased from
April to May, reports from the
Employment Security Commis
sion of North Carolina indicate.
Warren had a labor force of
6,900 in April, with 6,610
employed. The number of
unemployed persons was 290,
with a rate of 4.2 percent.
May figures fen- Warren Coun
ty differed slightly. The work
force rose to 7,100, with 6,810
employed. The unemployment
figure for May remained un
changed at 290, with a Jobless
rate of 4.1 percent.
Unemployment rates for sur
rounding counties are as follows:
?Franklin, from 6.0 percent in
April to 4.3 percent in May;
?Halifax, from 5.3 percent in
April to 4.8 percent in May;
?Northampton, from 4.8 per
cent in April to 4.1 percent In
May;
?Vance, from 7.1 percent in
April to 6.8 percent in May.