93 Arrested In Raid On Rooster Fight
By BILL 8TUDENC
Editor
Nearly 100 people from five states
were arrested in an Independence
Day raid on an illegal rooster fighting
operation in a bam in the Wolf Laurel
section of Madison County.
Authorities from the Madison
County Sheriff's Department, the
N.C. State Bureau of Investigation
and the state Alcohol Law En
forcement division participated in the
noon raid, about one mile from the
Yancey County line.
State law enforcement agencies in
South Carolina and Tennessee had
tipped off county and state
authorities in North Carolina about
the cockfight three days before it took
place, Madison County Sheriff
Dedrick Brown said.
A total of 21 officers- four from the
county and 17 from the state - par
ticipated in the raid. It took officers
more than four hours to search and
book the S3 suspects changed in the
Saturday raid.
Many of those arrested were from
out of state - South Carolina,
Georgia, Tennessee and Michigan.
Most arrested were from Western
North Carolina, but only a handful
were from Madison County, ac
cording to authorities.
"I walked in there and didn't see a
soul I knew," Brown said. "I thought
half of my friends would be there, but
there wasn't a one."
One boy hollered The law's here' about one step in front of
Si
1'
The fight was held at a bam, owned
by Walt Honeycutt, located off Windy
Gap Road. Honeycutt had leased the
barn to John Cantrell of South
Carolina and was not arrested.
Authorities say they believe people
from South Carolina had organised
the fight.
All 93 people arrested during the
raid were charged with the
misdemeanor offense of aiding and
abetting a cockfight. Authorities also
confiscated IS, 000 in cash and two
handguns.
Brown Mid he would be donating
the money to the Madison County
Board of Education.
When officers walked into the barn
shortly after noon Saturday, they saw
a rooster fight in progress.
"There were a couple in the pit
going at it when we walked in the
door," Brown said.
"I took a bullhorn and arrested
them all at the same time. One boy
hollered 'The law's here' about one
step in front of me," he said.
Because of the large number of
people charged in the raid, arresting
officers decided that since they
couldn't take the suspects to the jail,
they'd take the jail to the suspects.
Two Madison County magistrates
and two ALE agents accompanied
arresting officers to the barn and
issued citations to the 93 people at the
fight.
Authorities would have had no way
to transport 100 suspects to the
magistate's office in Marshall for
booking, Brown said.
Officers also discovered an
estimated 250 live roosters at the
barn, and an undetermined number
of dead birds.
"Either they (the dead roosters)
had lost the fight or they'd ran,"
Brown said. "If he runs, they'll wring
his neck."
Authorities, saying they had no way
to care for the live roosters, returned
them to their owners.
"We sure didnt want to have to
feed 2S0 roasters," Brown said.
"Some o I those people had 23 to )0
chicken there."
There are usually two or three
cockfights in Madison County every
year - most of them during the late
winter, Brown said.
The July 4th fight had been going on
in Madison County for about 10 years,
he said.
Frivolity
On The
Fourth
Area residents had pleaty ef patrt
?ttc activities Item which to ehmt
this J1I7 4th. The tovaa af Hal
Spriags, Mara HID, Marshall aad
Weavervilie all held Independeace
Day festivities. Left, WeavervlOa
Mayer Reese Lasher wavaa the fli|
as Uncle Sam. Be law, members of a
wagon traia greap travel dawa the
Marshall Bypass. See Pace ? tor
mare an July 4th activities
raJ9dy cox photo
BILL STUDENC PHOTO
? I ?
Madison EMS Employees
Want Benefits Untouched
By BELL STUDENC
Editor
Nineteen employees of the Madison
County Emergency Management
Service have asked county officials to
reconsider plans to decrease worker
insurance benefits.
The Madison County Board of
Commissioners, according to a
proposed budget for the 1967-88 fiscal
year, may drop life insurance
benefits for county workers and
require employees to pick up SO
percent of the tab for health in
surance.
That (dan, designed to reduce
county spending and help keep taxes
from skyrocketing, has upset some
county EMS workers, who say they
? iw'kkh'jK"
already receive fewer benefits and
lower pay than most county workers.
Larry Leake, Madison County
attorney, read to the Board of
Commissioners on Monday a letter
signed by 19 EMS workers asking the
board to reconsider any reduction in
benefits.
"We find this cut in benefits, which
equates to a cut in pay, to be ex
tremely distressing. Our department
is already grossly underpaid and
receives less benefits than other
county departments," Leake said,
reading from the letter.
"We realize that throught the use of
legal loopholes and other 'mum bo
jumbo,' you do not have to give EMS
personnel the same considerations as
other county employees," the letter
continued.
Hie employees, in the letter, listed
six reasons why EMS workers should
not see their benefits cut:
? EMS workers do not receive
holiday pay, although six employees
are on duty each holiday.
? EMS personnel are required to
purchase and maintain costly
uniforms.
? EMS workers are among the
lowest-paid county employees and
are required to work MO to 964 hours
per month for a gross salary at |1,MQ
a month. Workers say they do not
know if they are paid by the hour,
week, month or year.
?CenUoaed on back page
Chandler's Parents Say
Son Assaulted In Prison
By BILLSTUDENC
Editor
Parents of convicted child molester
Andrew "Junior" Chandler say they
want their son moved from Central
Prison in Raleigh after an alleged
assault by a fellow inmate.
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Chandler Sr.
of the Revere community of Madison
County have asked Gov. James
Martin and state Sen. Robert Swain
to help them convince N.C. Depart
ment of Corrections officials to move
Chandler to another prison.
Martin's office has also received
petitions and letters from Madison
County residents who want the
Chandler case to be reopened - and
some petitions and letters from
residents who dont.
The recent correspondence to
Martin and Swain is part of on-going
activity surrounding Chandler's April
conviction on several child sexual
abuse charges.
Chandler received two life sen
tences, plus 21 years, after being
convicted by a Buncombe County
jury of five counts of first-degree
sexdal offense, six counts of taking
indecent liberties with a minor and
one count of crime against nature.
That Asheville trial came after a
Madison County jury failed to reach a
verdict in January on charges that
Chandler, a former van driver for the
Madison County Transportation
Authority, had sexually abused
Marshall Day Care students, aged 2
to 5 at the time.
Since the verdict and sentence, a
number of Chandler's friends,
relatives and supporters have been
working to win a new trial.
Chandler's parents, who say their
son is not safe in Central Prison have
been also trying to get CJiandler
moved to another prison. They say an
inmate assaulted their son on June 14.
"We've been trying for about a
month to get him moved, but with no
luck," Mrs. Chandler said this week.
"He's in the hospital now. He's just
not safe down there. lite person that
did it to him threatened to kill Urn."
?Continued on back page
Mars Hill Lowers Sewer Rates
By MARGARET A. STUDENC
News Record Correspeadent
The liar* Hill Board of Aldermen
voted unanimously Monday night to
approve a much-diacussed aewage
rate reduction for commercial and
industrial customers.
"This change in rate will only af
fect commercial enterprises such as
restaurants, laundromats and car
washes," said Mars Hill Mayor Owen
Tilson.
that will be effected
Western Steer Steakhouse,
Texaco, Bantam Chef and Pissa Inn,
all located on Big Branch Road.
The lower sewer rates will be put
into effect retroactively to July 1.
Industrial and commercial sewer
customers will now pay ft 40 for
every 1,000 gaBons used above 10.010
gallons - down from $4.50 per 1,000 1
gallons above the 10,000-gallon level.
Mars Hill businesses have com
plained since the town's sewer
system went on Une last year that
their sewer rates are too high.
The lower rate cornea as no sur
prise. The town board based its
budget (or the 1987-88 fiscal year,
approved last month, on the new rate.
Customers will be notified of the
change by town manager Darhyl
Boone in the nest water bill.
Rates for sewer usage less than
10,000 gallons will remain at their
current levels. Buatnessas pay $14 for
the first $.800 gallons used; $5.50 per
1,000 gallons for the next 2,000
gallons; and, $5 par 1,080 for the next
>,000 gallons
The board also heard Crem Geof
fery Willlt o f the N.C. Department of
Natural Resources and Community
Development on a proposed flood
plain ordinance for Mars Hill.
The ordinance would apply to areas
around waterways, including Gabriel
Creek, Banjo Branch and poariUjr
White Oak Creek.
ill is already a member at
the National Flood Insurance
Program, Willet said. But fat ae*r to
School Funding Picture Unclcar
from the
.^tes
?2fi
Ward To Run Again;
Ramsey Will Not
Frvn Staff Reports
Hot Springs Mayor Kenny Ramsey
announced Monday that he will not
seek another term of office, while
Marshall Mayor Anita Ward became
the first candidate to file for
November's municipal election.
Two Hot Springs aldermen also
announced Monday that they wlU not
seek re-election.
Ward, a teacher at Madison High
School, will be seeking her second
term of office. Ramsey, owner and
operator of the Trail Cafe in Hot
Springs and an employee of the
Madison County Emergency