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117 S.B.ltt St.
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Volume 91 25* Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, August 3, 1988 Number 31
Warren County Sheriff Theodore Williams is shown with a few of
the 20 marijuana plants that were confiscated last Wednesday off
SR 1218 (Rurchette's Chapel Road) in Nutbush Township. The plants,
which ranged in height from three to six feet, were found by Chief
Deputy Hobby D. Bolton and W. R. Currin of the Henderson-Vance
Vice Unit. (Staff Photo by Howard Jones)
Power Outage Blamed
On Uninvited Reptile
By THURLETTA M. BROWN
News Editor
Reptilian shenanigans plunged
most Warren County households
into total darkness last Sunday
night affecting about 4,500
Carolina Power and Light Co.
customers and about 300 Halifax
Electric Membership Corpora
tion subscribers. Halifax Electric
customers were affected because
that company is a wholesale
buyer of power from Carolina
Power & Light Company.
The power outage, which lasted
from about 11:40 p.m. Sunday un
til about 12:30 a.m. Monday, was
caused by a snake that had invad
ed the CP&L substation on Air
port Road.
According to James Parnell,
CP&L manager for Warren Coun
ty, the snake was found on top of
the transformer there and had
been "fried to a crisp."
"This is a very rare occur
rence," Parnell said, "but when
it happens, everyone is put in the
dark." A safety system in place
at the Airport Road substation
"shorts out" all systems. Accord
ing to Parnell, the safety system
serves two purposes: it elimi
nates live power and may save
lives in those instances in which
a human being ccJmes in contact
with the transformer; and it pre
vents fires that might result at
the substation.
The snake was able to infiltrate
the Airport Road substation
because CP&L is involved in
upgrading the site to provide ad
ditional capacity and load. To
permit access to the site, the
company's "snake guard"? a
three-foot high piece of rubber
that surrounds the chain link
fence there? had been removed.
"The guard is a proven aid in
keeping snakes and other small
animals from getting in to our
equipment," Pamell explained.
Work at the site is still in progress
and all modifications are ex
pected to be completed soon.
"We certainly appreciate our
customers calling in to let us
know about the power outage,"
Parnell said. The manager en
couraged CP&L customers to
continue to call 257-2411 to report
power problems. "And, that's a
24-hour number," Parnell said.
When the Warren County office is
closed, calls are diverted, at no
cost to the customer, to a Raleigh
dispatch office. "Of course, our
office opens when there is a prob
( Continued on page 8)
Delinquent Taxpayers
Facing Collection Efforts
Delinquent Warren County
property owners who have not
paid their 1987 property taxes
may be subject to action taken by
the county to collect the $167,004
that remained unpaid at the end
of June.
By resolution, the Warren
County Board of County Commis
sioners Monday morning empow
ered and directed the county's
tax collector to "collect the taxes
set forth in the tax records..."
According to the resolution,
such taxes are declared to be a
first lien upon all real property of
the respective taxpayers" in
Warren County.
Warren County's tax collector
may sell the real or personal
property of those persons who
have not settled their accounts.
The county official may also gar
nishee wages or attach bank
accounts.
The action was taken following
receipt of an unaudited analysis
of Warren County's tax levy that
was prepared at the close of the
last fiscal year. The original levy
was $3,159,369. Discoveries,
which include properties not
listed in the original levy add
$235,347. When abatements (re
funds, double-listings, etc.) total
ing $10,479 are deducted, the
revised amount expected for 1987
becomes $3,384,237.
By June 30, $3,217,233 had been
collected? a 96.06 percent collec
tion rate. Warren County's collec
tion rate for last year was 92
percent.
"Ibe 96.06 percent collection
rate is the best we've ever had,"
County Manager Charles Worth
said.
Commissioner Chairman Eva
Clayton described the rate as
"exceptional" and noted that the
Local Government Commission
hai attempted to encourage
localities to strive for at least a
06 percent rate. "We've reached
that goal," she said.
Convict Caught, Another Escapee Is At Large
A Koxboro man remains at
large? while his partner has been
returned to his cell? following a
Saturday morning escape by the
pair from a Warren County
prison facility.
Willie Nolan, 19, of Dorchester,
Mass., was apprehended at 5:30
p.m. Saturday by personnel from
the N.C. Department of Correc
tion Unit 4270 and the Warren
County Sheriff's Department,
N.C. Correction Dept. Capt.
Harry Carter said Monday.
According to Capt. Carter,
Nolan, along with still-at-large
Larry Newman, 26, of Roxboro,
had escaped by scaling the 10-foot
perimeter fence that encloses the
facility and bolting before they
could be apprehended by the
prison staff.
The two men had been out on
the yard, after being assigned
there for work and recreation,
Capt. Carter said.
Following notification of the
escape of the pair at 11:30 a.m.,
numerous sightings of the men
were reported by residents of the
Afton community.
Members of the N.C. Depart
ment of Correction, the Warren
County Sheriffs Department and
the Warrenton Police Depart
ment were out in force, and dogs
were also brought out for the
search, Capt. Carter said:
Nolan was apprehended in the
Afton community inside an out
house on the Jim Limer estate on
RPR 1116. He has been returned
to the N.C. Dept. of Correction to
serve the balance of his original
two-year sentence for a charge of
assault on a female and to await
a court appearance today (Wed
nesday) in Warren County Su
perior Court on a felony escape
charge. Nolan's most recent
escape is considered a felony
charge because he escaped about
two months ago from a facility in
Orange County, officials said.
Officers involved in the -,'i.pture
included N.C. Correction staff
members? Sgt. Donald J. Perry,
Capt. Harry Carter and Program
Supervisor W. R. Clark? and
Warren County Chief Deputy
Bobby D. Bolton.
The search continues for New
man, Capt. Carter said. Law en
forcement officers have been
notified in areas in which the
escapee has been known to have
contacts, among them Durham,
( Continued on page 16 )
Three Sewer Connections
Provided For Quick City
By THURLETTA M. BROWN
News Editor
An amendment to Warren
County's 1986 Community Devel
opment Block Grant (CDBG)
program that has been used to
fund the Quick City Revitaliza
tion Project will provide sewer
connections for three residences
not included in the original proj
ect specifications, following ac
tion taken Monday morning by
the Warren County Board of
County Commissioners.
The amendment was approved,
following a public hearing on the
matter, during which Quick City
residents appeared before the
Driver Became
A 'Good Buddy7
The vigilance of an unidenti
fied Texas truck driver who
awoke after napping in his rig
and witnessed a crime in prog
ress has been the catalyst for in
vestigation of a weekend theft at
an area business.
The long-distance truck driver
had parked his vehicle in the lot
at High Dollar Warehouse for a
rest period, a sheriffs spokesper
son said. When the driver awoke
last Saturday morning, he saw
three males attempting to enter
the B & B Grocery on N. Main
Street.
The lone truck driver, believing
he would "scare them off" by
starting the vehicle, attempted to
make contact with officials on his
CB radio. When that effort failed,
he started his truck, drove to the
Warren County Sheriff's Depart
ment and reported the crime.
When Deputy Lloyd Newsome
arrived at the B & B Grocery, the
three males had left the scene.
Entry is believed to have been
gained through an air condition
ing vent at the back of the store,
the sheriff's spokesperson said.
Reported missing were eight car
tons of cigarettes and a $100 bill
taken from a safe.
board to voice their concern that
the project be completed.
Although rerouting the sewer
line to provide sewer service to
the residences will cost $5,035.70,
the work can be completed within
the limitations of the program
budget.
The rerouting of the proposed
line was made necessary by the
refusal of an unidentified proper
ty owner to allow passage of the
line as planned originally to cross
personal property.
Once the three residences have
been connected, 100 percent of
the target area residences in the
Quick City Revitalization Project
will have both water and sewer
service.
In other business, the board:
?Resolved to request that the
N.C. Department of Transporta
tion (DOT) restore the road signs
that have been removed from
Soul City;
?Approved, subject to a report
from the county manager follow
ing a meeting he will schedule
with the mayor of Middleburg to
ascertain actual usage and ap
propriate rates, a request by the
Town of Middleburg to purchase
water. The water would be sup
plied from the Kerr Regional
Water System through a trans
mission main located on US 1 and
US 158 in Middleburg;
?Learned from the county
manager that a certificate of in
corporation for the Warren Coun
ty Housing Authority approved in
1971 was still valid and estab
lished itself as ex-officio
members of a governing body un
til a Housing Authority board
could be established;
?Appointed Commissioner
George Shearin to the Kerr Area
Transportation Authority;
?Rescheduled its capital de
velopment work session until
Aug. 31; and
?Corrected the term of service
of Mis. Vivian Paynter on the
Nursing Home Community Ad
visory Committee to reflect one
year rather than three years.
House Severely Struck
Mrs. Hattie Holtzmann's house located on S. R. 1224
(Ridgeway-Drewry Road) was the victim of lightning that oc
curred during a severe thunderstorm on Tuesday evening, Ju
ly 26.
According to Mrs. Holtzmann, she was sitting in the bedroom
about 9 p.m. waiting for the storm to blow over when she heard
a loud noise from the next room. When she looked into the room,
she saw fire around the window frame.
Mrs. Holtzmann said that she tried to call her nephew for help
but her phone line was dead. She also lost all current in the
house.
Damages, according to Mrs. Holtzmann, were tremendous.
Soot was knocked from the chimney into her living room, and
the connection on her oil stove was destroyed. She also indicated
that her hot water heater will have to be replaced, as well as
her television set and sheetrock and brick located on the west
side of her house. The only room in the house that was not
damaged in any way was the room that Mrs. Holtzmann had
been sitting in.
Insurance representatives had made no estimate of the
damages as of last Friday, but Mrs. Holtzmann indicated that
it would take a while before things were back to normal.
WILLIAMS
Superintendent
Is Given Top
Award In State
Warren County Superintendent
of Schools Michael F. Williams
has received the state's pres
tigious Superintendent's Award
for Excellence in Communica
tions. The award was made by
the North Carolina School Public
Relations Association (NCSPRA)
at last week's statewide Superin
tendent's Conference held in
Charlotte. Barry Gaskins, past
president of NCSPRA, made the
presentation.
"The Superintendent's Award
for Excellence in School Com
munications is designed to recog
nize a superintendent who sup
ports and is involved in an effec
tive program of internal and ex
ternal communications and who
is committed to building confi
dence in public schools," Gaskins
said.
Gaskins poi. *sd out that it was
significant that while the award
was made for the past several
years to superintendents of some
of the largest systems in the
state, this year it goes to one of
the state's smallest systems.
"Quoting the judges for the
awards program, Williams began
his tenure as superintendent of
( Continued on page S)
Pig Cookoff Is Also Scheduled
Plans Under Way For Annual Firemen's Day
Plans are under way for the
Sixth Annual Warren County
Firemen's Day to be held in War
renton on Saturday, September
10, according to Walter Gardner,
president of the Warren County
Firemen's Association this week.
Plans include a parade, and
field events for participating fire
departments. "We will again
this year have the Warrenton
Merchants Association as a co
sponsor of the festivities,"
reported Gardner. "They will be
hosting the Second Annual Pig
Cookoff which will provide the
barbecue for lunch and dinner
meals/'
In addition to the event held in
the past, the Merchants Associa
tion is planning to provide goapel
groups on the Courthouse Square
to perform prior to the parade as
well as events for the children
during the day.
Persons wishing to participate
in the Pig Cook off should contact
Jimmy Harris, this year's chair
man. Advance tickets for the
lunch and dinner will be going on
sale Thursday, August 4 and may
be obtained from any Warren
County fireman or from a
member of the Warrenton Mer
chants Association. "We ask and
encourage everyone to buy their
tickets early ao that the proper
amount of food can be prepared,"
Gardner added.
About 30 Ore departments from
central North Carolina and south
side Virginia have participated in
the Firemen's Day in the past. It
has became quite a drawing card
to Warrenton as people are able
to view many types of Ore ap
paratus. taste some of Warren
County's finest cooking, and view
some of North Carolina's most
dedicated firemen as they take
time off to demonstrate some of
their fire fighting techniques
while having fun and fellowship.
The parade will highlight an
tique as well as some of the most
modern fire fighting equipment.
The parade will travel through
downtown Warrenton from South
Main Street to the Warren Coun
ty Fairgrounds, beginning at 11
a.m.
Lunch will be served, with
take-out plates also available.
During the afternoon, the
firemen will hold field events
which have become a special
time for spectators to cheer on
their local or favorite fire depart
ment. Also during the afternoon,
the fire apparatus will be on
display for everyone to view
while it is being judged to deter
mine which is the best in nine dif
ferent categories.
The afternoon will culminate
with the awarding of the Best Ail
Around Fire Department after
points from the days events and
judgings are tallied. Gardner
stated, "I feel sure that the
Norlina Fire Department, last
year's winner, will certainly be
coming into the day hoping to
make it two years in a row, but
they will have to put on a good
showing because there are
already soma dqtartmaaU that
want that trophy mighty b*LH
See Back-To-School
Section This Week