Newspapers / The Warren Record (Warrenton, … / Oct. 5, 1988, edition 1 / Page 1
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I i Stye Darren Eecnri Volume 91 25c Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, October 5, 1988 Number 40 Suspects Nabbed In Memphis Two Roanoke Rapids men were scheduled to arrive Tues day night at Raleigh-Durham In ternational Airport, escorted by Sgt. Lawrence Harrison and Deputy W. T. Winston, to be con fined in the Warren County Jail as suspects in an Aug. 25 break in and larceny that resulted in the theft of over $20,000 in personal items from a Northern Cove residence. Tony Freeman, 2S, and David Peebles, 25, both of Roanoke Rapids, will (ace charges of breaking and entering and lar ceny. The two men were arrested by officers in the Memphis, Tenn. area after being alerted through the Division of Criminal Informa tion (DCI) network of the Warren County charges. Sgt. Harrison and Deputy Winston left RDU Monday to extradite the two suspects from the Tennessee jail in which they were confined. The Aug. 25 break-in at the Northern Cove residence of Ronald Lee Holmes resulted in the disappearance of $16,000 in jewelry, $4,400 in firearms and . $100 in currency. According to the report filed, entry was gained into the residence through a sliding glass door in the back of the structure. The Smith & Wesson .357 magnum revolver (left), carried for years as the standard equipment of N. C. Highway Patrol officers, has been re placed by the Beretta 9mm automatic' pistol (right!. The sew weapon carries 16 cartridges ss opposed to the six in the revolver, and the smaller 9mm hollow-point bullet has more knock-down power and is easier to reload than the .357 cartridge. (Staff Photo by Howard Jones) Change In Pistols, Car Lights Give New Look To Highway Patrol By DIANE DAVIS Staff Writer Warren County motorists traveling the highways through out the county possibly have noticed a change in the ap pearance of the N. C. Highway Patrol vehicles they have met. These patrol cars have under gone a facelift within the past year and have many new fea tures that benefit the trooper. One of these new features is the "bar light," replacing the old "bubble gum machine" round lights that were standard on the cars for a number of years. The new lights are more visible and less glaring than the old lights, according to Trooper A. M. Ben nett, a trooper with the State Highway Patrol for 20 years. "The new lighting system gives more illumination and also has a better 'take-down' lighting system," he said. The "take down" lights on the patrol car, the two bright white lights posi tioned at the front of the bar, enable the trooper to see inside the stopped vehicle ahead of him. The new lighting system also has two "alley lights," two bright white lights positioned at either end of the bar which give the of ficer more visability on either side of his vehicle. Along with the improved light ing system, the new car incor porates a louder, more efficient address speaker and siren. "With one speaker, 100 watts of power are amplified," Bennett said. "With both speakers turned on, 195 watts are given out." But the changes do not stop with the appearances of the vehicles. State troopers are now equipped with a Beretta 9mm automatic. This new gun replaces the standard .357 magnum re volvers. The new weapon gives the troopers more firepower, carry ing 16 rounds or cartridges, in stead of the six that the magnum carried. In addition, the 9mm hollow-point rounds are more powerful than the .357 magnum rounds. According to Bennett, the new automatic weapons are easier to load and save the trooper time. "Just say for instance that there was a man 100 feet away from you with a knife. You are firing at him as he is coming at you with the knife and you run out of am muntion. With the .357 magnum, you can't reload in the amount of time it would take that person with the knife to get to ybu and stab you. With the new automatic weapons, before the person reaches the 50-foot mark, he would have been shot." Bennett indicated ihat the Beretta 9mm weapon only takes two to three seconds to reload and that he can shoot 31 rounds in ap proximately eight seconds. "It really makes a difference when you are fighting for your life," he said. The new automatic is lighter in weight and is easier to fire than a revolver, Bennett said. And, he added, it is substantially easier to clean. The new cars and guns are replacing the old equipment in phases. By the end of the year, all Highway Patrol systems in the state will be operating with the new, updated cars and guns. Series Sold Out The Office of Public Affairs at Louisburg College recently an nounced that tickets for the 1988-89 Louisburg College Con cert Series have been sold out. The Series does not open until Feb. 11 in order to utilize the new 1,200-seat auditorium now under construction on the East Campus. booths Mt no for Ike uunul i*b (httw Seafood irghjrf teld SofanUy by tjw lUtoflrtw Uw? Saturday afternoon. (m* _ ff a y? II.?,, ,1 ? > JHifi rnoio Dy tiowara ?iodcsi Fire Service Districts Talked Scheduling Of Hearings Delayed Until Mid-Month By DIANE DAVIS Staff Writer The scheduling of public hear ings to set the county's fire serv ice districts was delayed until the mid-monthly meeting of the War ren County Board of Commis sioners, as approved Monday morning by the county commis sioners. At their regular meeting, the board voted to have all fourteen county fire departments hold open forums to allow the citizens of each area to decide if they wanted the county to create fire service districts that would cause an annual tax increase or hold a referendum to create a taxed fire district. Eva Clayton, chairman of the board, explained at the Monday meeting that citizen input should be assured in this situation. It is the job of the commissioners, she said, to allow citizens to voice their opinions on whether they feel there is a need for fire pro tection in their area, whether it is economically feasible to provide service without the tax levy or whether there is a demand for servico by the taxation. Although citizen comments play a vital part in the board's decision to establish fire service districts, the vote is cast only by the members of the Board of Commissioners. To establish these service districts, the board must consider the appraised value of property subject to taxation, the present tax rate assessed and the ability of the proposed district to provide service. Once the report for each of the 14 districts has been prepared, separate public hear ings will be scheduled. After these hearings, the board makes a decision on these fire service districts. unce tnese service aisincts have been established, the coun ty tax collector would set a taxa tion rate that does not exceed 15 cents per $100 valuation. These taxes are administered in addi tion to those already imposed. If these service districts are mapped, the county's fire com mission would be responsible for the actions of each department and the county would monitor each department's budget. A motion made by Commis sioner J. T. Fleming stating that each Are department will be re quired to have an open forum and will receive a tax valuation listing beforehand was carried. In other matters before the board: ? A request for the release of penalty fees for failure of Ms. Lea Rhea to secure building permits was denied. Ms. Rhea was fined $96.96 for the number of piers that she con tracted to be built by Quality Pier Builders. She indicated that she did not know that she was re quired to pay a fee for each pier. ? Approved several tax release request* by Janice Haynes. ? Received an update on the Warren County Health Depart ment Budget Matters by Director Dennis Retzlaff . He informed the board that several allocations received increases during the past month, including the State Jordan-Adams Allocation ($11, 000), the State Bnviromental Health Allocation ($3,000) and the State Allocation for Nurse Travel ($1,600). Retzlaff also reported that due to unfilled positions, the depart ment la under Its budget for the 190MB fiscal year. Ha said that with the extra amounts allowed by the budget along with the in creased allocations, he felt that the department had an opportune ty to reallocate money to other equipment line items. Included in his proposal was the purchase of furniture for the health office in the two middle schools, to be used with the special teen program, and the purchase of a new copying machine, to be used in addition to the current copier. The board ap proved his request. ? Approved several Quick City Rehabilitation change orders re quested by Cathy Wilson, Warren County Economic Development Commission Executive Secre tary. She stated that the rehabili tation project could be completed in as early as 60 days. ? Rescheduled a public hear ing concerning a request by (Continued on page 8) By Health Personnel Levels Of Radon Gas Found Low In Warren By DIANE DAVIS Staff Writer An official with the Warren County Health Department said recently that Warren County citizens should not be alarmed about potential exposure to radon gas in their homes. "Radon gas detectors we;e placed inside five homes in War ren County and we (the health department) discovered that the levels of radon gas in the county are well below the danger levels set by the Federal Government," said Marion Bitler, an en viromental health scientist with the local health department. Radon is the radioactive by product of granite that is decay ing underneath the ground. It is a completely natural gas that is produced all over the world. In some places, the gas accumu lates under the homes and can contribute to cancer in humans. Norlina Speeders Had Best Beware Speeders around Norlina had best beware, now that the town is the owner of a portable K-55 radar moving-and-stationary speed detector, Norlina Police Chief Charles Galantis said Tuesday. The unit, received on Tuesday, is valued at $2,500, but was secured by the Town of Norlina, at no cost, from the Governor's Highway Safety Program. Police Chief Galantis had ap plied for the unit six months ago. Notification of its availability was received this week. Use of the radar device is an ticipated to begin soon and the unit will be rotated among the town's police vehicles. "We expect this to be a very valuable tool," Galantis said. According to Mrs. Bitler, the five homes in Warren County that had radon gas dehors placed in them were located in Macon, Af ton, Ridgeway, Littleton and Lake Gaston. The highest level of radon was found in the Ridgeway home. Mrs. Bitler explained a prob able cause for the 5.80 picocuries in the Ridgeway home was due to the home being newer than the others that were tested. Newer homes, she said, are more air tight, thus keeping any radon gas within the structure and letting it build up. She indicated that older homes have more air circulation and might have the same amount of radon gas underneath, but with this ventilation, the build-up never occurs. "None of the five homes that were tested revealed any radon levels which warrant any special concern," Mrs. Bitler said. Dennis Retzlaff , director of the local department, assures that any information related to radon will be brought to the public's at tention. "Although we do not forsee any significant health threat brought about by radon, we understand public concern and will work to calm fears of our citizens and follow up on any significant development." "Any concern about radon should be balanced by the realization that dangers to our health from life-style factors such as smoking, poor nutrition and excessive alcohol consumption far outweigh the health risks of even the nation's highest levels of radon exposure," Retzlaff concluded. Homeowners can have their homes checked for radon levels by private testing facilities that specialize in radon and similar substances. For more informa tion regarding radon gas level testing, contact the Warren Coun ty Health Department at 257-1185. Three Warren Residents Facing Assault Charges Three Warren County men face charges of assault? one of them a felony with a deadly weapon, in flicting serious injury? following their arrest after a fracas last Wednesday at a garbage recep tacle in the Drewry community. Warrants were drawn this week on John Glenn Goode, Tony Bullock and Raymond Evans, Jr., all of Rt. 1, Manson. Goode was arrested by Warren County Deputy R.A. Coleman on Tues day and was released after post ing a $500 bond. He has been scheduled to appear on Oct. II in the criminal term of Warren County District Court on Oct. 19 on charges of assault and com municating threats. At preaa time, Tony Bullock and Raymond Evans, Jr. wtn being sought on charges of assault with a deadly weapon/in flicting serious injury and as sault/inflicting serious injury, respectively. Both men will alao appear in court on Oct. 19. The charges stemmed (ran an alleged altercation that occurred last Wednesday near a dumpster at Buchanan's Store in Drewry. Evans received cuts on his lace. Goode received stab wounds that resulted hi his being admitted to Duke University Medical Center for treatment Alao involved in the incident was WUllam Ooode, also of Rt 1, Manson, who was allegedly struck with a stick. Deputy R. A Coleman and Chief Deputy Bobby D. Bolton ware the lnraU|ilta| otftcais. ? - .. .
The Warren Record (Warrenton, N.C.)
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