Askewville • Aulander • Colerain • Kelford • Lewiston Woodville • Merry Hill '• Powel
^oxobel • Windsor
Bertie
Ledffer-Advance
^ WEDNESDAY • DECEMBER 25,2019
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Race develops for commissioner
THADD WHITE
Bertie Ledger-Advance
WINDSOR - There will be
a race for the Democratic
nomination for Bertie Coun
ty Commissioner in District
1.
Two-term incumbent Com
missioner Ronald D. Wesson
will seek re-election to his
seat, and is being challenged
by former Bertie County
Board of Education member
Pamela Chamblee.
No Republicans have filed
for the seat.
There will be no primary
for the District 4 seat on the
Bertie County Board of Com
missioners as no one filed
for the seat.
Bertie County Elections
Director Shelia Holloman
confirmed incumbent John
Trent has filed a petition to
seek office as an unaffiliated
candidate. Trent has filed in
that fashion both of his pre
vious terms.
Holloman said the peti
tion cannot be certified until
January.
Another current Bertie
County Commissioner will
be on the ballot as well, but
not seeking re-election. Er
nestine Byrd Bazemore will
seek the District 3 State Sen
ate seat being vacated by
Erica Smith.
Bazemore is the only
Democrat to file and will ad
vance to the November Gen
eral Election where she will
face Republican Thomas S.
Hester Jr., a Vance County
Commissioner.
The N.C. House of Repre
sentatives seat in District 1
will be contested, but not in
the March primary. Only Re
publican Ed Goodwin filed
See FILING, 8
Prison
term
SANTA'S WORKSHOP IN AULANDER
Lee gets
10 years in
federal
penitentiary
THADD WHITE
Bertie Ledger-Advance
fir
NEW BERN - A Lewiston
Woodville man will be
spending the next 10
years of his life behind
bars.
Donnell Lee, 42, was
sentenced on a combi
nation of charges from
multiple arrests.
Lee will spend 128
months behind bars,
followed by three years
of supervised release
under the order of U.S.
District Court Judge
Louise W. Flanagan.
The case against Lee
began to take shape in
2016 when the Bertie
County Sheriff’s Office
began using a criminal
informant to purchase
heroin from Lee. The
informant met with Lee
three times at the lat
ter’s home on Oak Drive
Issues
with
audit
BCS paid
$27K in
unneeded
expenses
LESLIE BEACHBOARD
Bertie Ledger-Advance
.V
Santa’s Workshop opened af
ter the Christmas parade in
Aulander Dec. 14. Above: Two
students pay a visit to Santa
as they describe some of the
items they would like to see un
der their tree this year. Left; Aul
ander Mayor Larry Drew shared
a light-hearted moment as he
worked on an elf hat. Right:
Children work on some of the
crafts available to them while
waiting to see the Jolly Ole Elf.
See PRISON, 8
THADD WHITE / Bertie Ledger-Advance
WINDSOR - The Bertie
County Schools 2018-
2019 audit is in.
During a presentation
earlier this month. Dale
Smith, CPA with An
derson Smith & Wike,
PLLC. gave Superinten
dent Dr. Otis Smallwood
and board members
an overview of the sys
tem’s finances.
“This is a clean, un
modified report,” said
Smith.
“We have audited the
accompanying financial
statements of the gov
ernmental activities, the
business type activities,
each major fund and
the aggravated remain
ing fund information of
Bertie County Board of
Education, as of and for
the year ending June 30,
See AUDIT, 3
Windsor women charged with abuse in Martin Co.
SARAH HODGES STALLS
Bertie Ledger-Advance
WILLIAMSTON - Two Wind
sor women are among three
people charged in separate
incidents at a local rehabili
tation and nursing care facil
ity.
During the month of No-
In this edition —
vember, police were called
to Roanoke River Rehabilita
tion and Nursing Center, lo
cated at 119 Gatling St. Both
calls were in reference to
patients who had reportedly
been assaulted.
According to Detective Lt.
Gene Biggs, police arrived on
Nov. 5 and were “informed
a staff member had report
edly struck a resident in the
face.”
The investigation led po
lice to Clara Hyman Hill, 60,
of 102 West Robin Lane in
Windsor, who was identified
as the staff member who re
portedly struck a patient.
Hill was charged with felo
ny patient abuse.
Biggs stated in a press re
lease, police determined an
other staff member, Brenda
Askew, 50, of 433 West Hwy.
13/17 in Windsor, had assist
ed Hill in “avoiding prosecu
tion” and was subsequently
charged with accessory after
the fact to patient abuse.
Police were again called to
the facility on Nov. 20. Upon
arrival, they were informed
a different resident had been
struck multiple times on
the forearm, which caused
bruising.
As a result of the investiga-
See CHARGED, 8
rCHRISTMASi
Church & Faith 5
Classified 6
Opinion 4
Out & About 2
Sports 9
(
Good Morning,
Ethel Mizelle
OF Aulander
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Volume 121: No. 52
11711 35906 6
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