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Askewville • Aulander • Colerain • Kelford • Lewiston Woodville • ^ k^hukee park rd
^ WILLIAMSTON NC 27892.8307
Bertie
Ledffer-Advance
^ WEDNESDAY • JANUARY 31,2018
Bethel
suffers
close losses
Sports I B1
State seeks death penalty for Wissink
Judge declares capital case in murder of Sgt. Meggan Callahan
THADD WHITE
Bertie Ledger-Advance
WINDSOR - Craig Wissink
is officially facing the death
penalty.
Last week, Judge Quentin
T. Sumner ruled there were
aggravating factors in the
homicide case against Wis
sink, who is charged with
the murder of Sgt. Meggan
Callahan.
Sgt. Callahan was mur
dered brutally in an attack at
Bertie Correctional Institute
last April. Wissink report
edly attacked Sgt. Callahan
when she was attempting to
put out a fire.
Wissink was immediately
taken into custody, and was
later charged with murder
following an investigation by
the Windsor Police Depart
ment and the State Bureau
of Investigation.
On Jan. 22, District At
torney Valerie Asbell ap
peared at a hearing in Bertie
County Superior Court, and
informed the court she was
seeking the death penalty in
Wissink’s case. She officially
filed a motion to declare it a
capital murder case.
Asbell appeared with As
sistant District Attorney
Lisa Coltrain representing
the state of North Carolina
while attorney Ernest “Bud
dy” Conner represented Wis
sink.
See PENALTY, A5
THADD WHITE
Bertie Ledger-Advance
WINDSOR - Financial ir
regularities at Winston
Garden have led to the
arrest of a former em
ployee.
Windsor Police Chief
Todd Lane said his of
fice began an investiga
tion into the reported fi
nancial irregularities in
November of last year.
“The investigation re
vealed a former employ
ee of Winston Gardens
was embezzling money
meant to pay for resi
dents’ room and board
for personal gain,” Chief
Lane reported. “The
employee was using
resident’s debit cards
to withdraw funds, but
never transmitted the
funds to the corporate
office as required.”
Lt. Justin Jackson led
the investigation, and
was able to locate four
victims. He found more
than $5,500 had been
embezzled from those
victims and converted
to personal use by the
employee.
The investigation re
vealed the former em
ployee used the debit
cards without permis
sion during several
See LARCENY, A5
Flu cases
on the rise
Vidant Bertie Hospital urges caution
LESLIE BEACHBOARD
Bertie Ledger-Advance
WINDSOR - The flu has arrived.
Bertie County and the surrounding
area have seen an increase in positive
flu cases over the past few weeks, and
the numbers are growing.
Vidant Family Medicine Bertie
Family Nurse Practitioner Teddie
Gore says there has been an up
tick in flu activity over the past ,
several weeks.
“The flu is pretty much every
where at this point. According to
the latest statistics on Mon,
Jan. 29 there have been 21
confirmed flu deaths in
North Carolina,” he add
ed.
According to the Cen
ters for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC),
influenza, also known, '
as “the flu” is a con- f
tagious respiratory •“
illness caused by flu f
viruses.
It can cause mild
to severe illness,
and at times can
lead to death.
The CDC ex
plains the flu is
different than a
cold.
/.-i
i
See FLU, A5
WPD
nabs
thief
THADD WHITE
Bertie Ledger-Advance
WINDSDR - More than
meets the eye.
Windsor Police Chief
Todd Lane said a call for
assistance with a shop
lifter recently led to the
arrest of a Virginia man
wanted in Nash County.
Chief Lane said Cpl.
Frank Ratzlaff and Of
ficer Jessie Mizelle re
sponded to Family Dol
lar in Windsor Square
when they, were called
about a shoplifter
Upon arriving at the
scene, the officers were
informed the suspect
left the store after steal
ing cigarettes and an
Xbox game. The em
ployee of Family Dollar
further stated the per
son was wearing a black
puffy jacket and black
jeans.
The police officers
emerged from the store
and saw the suspect
exit Food Lion. Officers
reported the suspect
changed directions
upon seeing them and
began walking down the
alley of the back side of
the shopping center.
The officers quickly
took the suspect into
custody, just as he was
See NABS, A5
Swain sentenced to 8-12 years as habitual felon
THADD WHITE
Bertie Ledger-Advance
WINDSDR - A Windsor man
was sentenced as an habitu
al felon here last week.
Travis Keil Swain, 34, was
sentenced to a total of 106-
In this edition —
149 months in prison for his
latest conviction.
Swain pled guilty to fe
lonious larceny, felonious
larceny of a motor vehicle,
possession of a firearm by a
felon and to the status of be
ing an habitual felon.
The charges stemmed
from two incidents in which
Swain stole a tractor and a
vehicle.
On July 19,2015 Swain stole
a tractor from a farm on Ce
dar Landing Rd. in Windsor.
He was seen driving the trac
tor down the road, and the
witness was familiar with
Swain and the owner of the
tractor and knew the driver
didn’t have permission to
have the tractor.
The witness called law en
forcement, and the tractor
was located abandoned be
hind a barn approximately
three miles from where it
was taken.
A year later, Swain stole
the personal vehicle of Wind-
See HABITUAL, A5
RELAY
FORUFE
Obituaries A2
Out & About A2
Opinion A4
Sports B1
Church & Faith B3
Classified B4
(
Good Morning,
Maggie Gaskins
OF Merry Hill
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Volume 120: No. 5
0 11711 35906 6
SHADES OF COLOH
Black History Month
A time to commemorate African Americans who have
Crossed boundaries - Broken down barriers - Contributed to the Arts
Bertie County Arts Council 1124 South King Street, Windsor, NC 27983
252-794-94021 www.bertiearts.coni I bertiearts@gniail.coni
North
I
S Arts
’ *'* Council
' FUtyjeers
* ot kader^tip
This project was suppc«ted by the
North Carolina Council,
a division of the D«>artniCTit of
Natural and Cultural Resources.
Gallery Receftiow
Thursday, February 15,5:30 - 7:30
Bertie County Arts Councii
Meet local artists, photographers, authors and musicians
f ' , ■ r