The Hoke County News - Established 1928
Volume LXXIV Number 47 KAEFORD, IIOKK COUNTY, NORTH CAROLIN A
- journal
25
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
S10 PER YEAR Thursday, March 17, 1983
End Of Winter - These Hoke County barns are silhouetted against a late winter sky, seemingly waiting for bright spring sun. (Photo by Dale Dees)
April 28 Recall Slated
Membership Group's Bid Upheld
By Sherr> Matthews
Although a compromise was ap
parently reached Friday in the
struggle between Lumbee Electric
Membership Cooperative's board
of directors and a membership ac
tion group, a restraining order was
upheld Tuesday in Robeson Coun
ty Superior Court which could
open the door for the evenual
ouster of the present board.
The restraining order, which was
upheld by Superior Court Judge
D.B. Herring, allows the action
group to circulate new membership
petitions calling for an April 28
recall vote of the present board of
directors.
The restraining order calls for:
--The probition of the board or
its agents destroying any existing
or future coop records.
Around Town
b> Sam Morris
The cold weather and the rainy
weather finally moved out into the
Atlantic ocean and it has been nice
for the past several days. We hope
that this is a sign of early spring,
but we can't forget that Easter is
still a couple of weeks away. There
is usually a cold snap around
Easter.
The buds are coming out on the
trees and some trees are in bloom.
It wouldn't surprise me to see the
peach and dogwood trees in bloom
if the warm weather continues. We
hope that the peach crop doesn't
get killed again this year.
The Hoke County Ministerial
Association announces through its
spokesman, the Rev. Douglas
Mark, that the Annual Easter
Sunrise Service will be in a new
location this year. For the past
several years the services have been
held' in the Hoke High School
Stadium and the size of the crowd
in the huge stadium made it seem
as if the crowd was smaller than
was actually in attendance. Besides
the above it seemed colder on the
hard cement seats than it was by
the thermometer.
The site of the service for this
year will be on the steps of the
Raeford Presbyterian Church. In
case of inclement weather the ser
vices will be moved into the
church.
The Sunrise Service this year will
be Sunday, April 3 beginning at
5:40 a.m. The speaker for the ser
vice will be the Rev. Fred Sharrar,
pastor of the Raeford Foursquare
Church.
Immediately after the service,
coffee and doughnuts will be serv
ed in the Fellowship Hall of the
(Sec AROUND TOWN, page 4A)
--The allowance of a recall
meeting to be held in the
Cumberland County Memorial
Auditorium or any other arena of
the same size or larger, with the ex
ception of the Pembroke area.
The LREMC Board will call the
special meeting for April 28 if peti
tions containing the required 10?7o
of the membership are presented to
the coop. Interim General
Manager Ronnie Hunt said Tues
day during a press conference.
According to the order, the only
say the board has in the recall
meeting is to name the location.
Despite petitions containing
more than 2,000 members names,
the board denied an earlier effort
by the action group to hold a
March 3 recall.
Action group leader Carl Branch
was at the Lumbee press con
ference, and said he was not wor
ried that the recall petition would
get the required lO^o of member
ship names.
"I don't think there is any ques
tion of us getting names on the new
petition. 1 would guess that this
time around we will get around
5,000 names," Branch said.
With this new injuction, the
board will have a difficult time of
refusing the action group if they
get the required amount of names
on the petition. Hunt said.
The new charges listed on the ac
tion group's petition are:
-Improper use of corporation
funds for expenses to conventions
and meetings, resulting in waste
and misuse of those funds.
-Improper use of cooperative
BREAK-! V: Detective Ed Harris dusts Jor prints at the scene of the rob
bery at C 'iris I}' Oil Company.
County Man Nabbed,
Charged With Robbery
A 23-year-old Raeford man was
arrested last week in connection
with the March 9 robbery of the
Christy Oil Company.
Terry McGregor of Rt. 3,
Raeford, was arrested by deputies
and charged with breaking, enter
ing and larceny, Hoke County
Sheriff's records show.
The arrest was made after a door
at the oil company was busted out
and a large sum of money was
stolen from the property.
McGregor was arrested later
that day.
The report did not show,
whether the money was recovered
and Sheriff Dave Barrington could
not be reached for comment.
According to the records these
other cases are still under in
vestigation:
--A breaking, entering and
larceny at the Carolina Country
Mobile Home Park where some
one gained entry into the residence
and took an undisclosed amount
of items and cash.
--A breaking, entering and
larceny at the residence of Dorothy
McLaughlin where a bicycle park
ed in the storage shed was stripped
of its gears and tires.
These cases are still being in
vestigated, according to the
sheriff's report.
funds for transportation and other
expenses for director's wives to at
tend meetings and conventions.
-Failure to call a special meeting
of the members after a petition was
filed by more than 10^o of the
members in violation of the By
laws of the Corporation.
With these charges, Carl Branch
said he felt certain that the present
board members would be ousted.
"The coop is going to be
stronger when this nasty situation
is cleared up," Branch said.
While the press conference was
being conducted Tuesday, the
Lumbee board members held an
executive session and refused to
comment publically.
"1 personally feel great."
Branch said.
Trial Scheduled
Here This Week
For Ex-SBI Agent
A former State Bureau of In
vestigation (SB1) agent will be ar
raigned here in Superior Court
Thursday on charges that he
altered evidence and obstructed
justice in four Hoke County drug
cases.
Arnett Andrew Dove, 25, who is
charged with changing an SBI lab
report in the case against Julius
Locklear and of obstructing justice
for falsifying lab reports in the
cases of Clarence Bratcher,
Elwood McNair and Ervin Benny
Ross, was fired by the SBI on
January 10 and indicted by the
Hoke County Grand Jury seven
days later on January 17.
Dove had been an agent for
three years until he was fired for
"gross misconduct," according to
State Senior Deputy Atty. Gen.
Andrew Vanore.
A source close to the Dove in
vestigation said Dove falsified the
reports out of laziness and not
because of any effort to improve
the SBI cases against the four
defendants.
The source also said that Dove
faked the report and testified at the
hearings rather than admit to
Assistant District Attorney Jean
Powell that he wasn't ready.
The bill of indictment against
Dove states that he, "did alter
evidence relevant to a criminal of
fense and court proceedings" in
altering a report of the SBI lab
regarding a criminal offense
felonious possession with intent to
sell and deliver marijuana.
Dove has pleaded not guilty to
the charges and was released under
a Si, 500 secured bond.
Radio Not Required,
Airport Issue Brews
By Sherry Matthews
Despite a decision made last
week by the Raeford City Council
to require that a radio be
monitored at the municipal air
port, Federal Aviation Ad
ministration (FAA) officials say
they do not regulate or require that
a radio be operated.
The decision to purchase the
radio caused some verbal
fireworks daring last week's
meeting and re-opened a long
standing disagreement between the
operator of a parachute jump
school and the city.
Although FAA officials said
Tuesday that the radio was not re
quired, members of an airport
study committee feel its use is
essential for safe operation of the
Raeford facility.
A Unicom radio will probably
cost the city around $2,000,
parachute jump school owner
Gene Thacker said.
The city must also apply for a
Federal Communications Commis
sion (FCC) license before the radio
can be operated.
A radio, which has been used on
a parttime basis at the airport, has
apparently been operated without
a license and in an apparent viola
tion of the federal requirements,
The News-Journal has learned.
"We are in the process of look
ing for a radio, and once that is
done, we will apply for our
license," City Manager Ron Mat
thews said.
According to Thacker this is all
for nothing.
"The Raeford Airport is an un
controlled airport, and we are not
required to monitor a radio unless
we are jumping," Thacker said. ?
FAA official Bill Avion con
firmed what Thacker said Tues
day.
"The FAA does not require that
a Unicom be in operation. It is not
one of our regulations," Ayton
said.
"The Unicom is a way for pilots
to call in to an airport and let them
know a plane is landing, and it
should be monitored, but it is not a
requirement," FAA official Tom
my Roberts said.
As for operating the radio while
jumping is in progress. Thacker
said he was required to do that
anyway.
The heated battle over the air
port is something that confuses
Thacker.
"1 have been here for 12'years,
and there has never been an acci
dent at the airport," Thacker said.
"One accident, and I would be
out of business," he added.
The sparks were ignited at the ci
ty council meeting over the radio
and have continued to smolder
since.
Thacker, who is one of two Fix
ed Base Operators(FBO) who run
the airport for the city, claims it is
in his best interest to make sure the
airport is safe and in good condi
tion.
"I do a great deal for this air
port that is not required, like mow
ing the lawns and keeping a watch
on the planes at night," Thacker
said.
"If a strange vehicle goes over
there at night, 1 will investigate.
I'm not required to do that,"
Thacker added.
Thacker has a short term lease
agreement with the city and pays
$75 per month. Most of his opera
tion, however, is located on his
own property.
At last week's city council
meeting an incident involving a
local industrial plane was brought
(See AIRPORT, page I2A)
Committee Supports
Main Street Pound
By Sherry Matthews
A 2.5-acre tract at the end of
North Main Street will be recom
mended next week to members of
the Hoke County Commission as a
site for a proposed dog pound, a
member of a committee appointed
to study the facility said.
After only three meetings, the
committee has completed its task
and will submit its recommenda
tions for the site and for a suitable
building to house the new facility.
Chairman Jack McGinnis said.
"We did a lot in a short period
of time but no one decision was
made in haste," McGinnis said.
The committee voted unani
mously Wednesday night to
recommend that a 2.5-acre site
donated by Ray Calloway of
Guard Sgts
Sentenced
By Sherry Matthews
Two Raeford National Guard
sergeants, who resigned from their
positions last month, were found
guilty of misapplying state proper
ty in Hoke County District Court
Friday.
Sgt.' First Class Richard Alfred
Wolf. 32, of Rt. 3, Raeford who
was charged on three counts of
misapplying state funds and Staff
Sgt. Franklin C. Brown. 40, of
Lumberton who was charged on
one count were both given
suspended three year sentences by
District Court Judge Joe Dupree.
The two guardsmen were
ordered by Judge Dupree to pay
restitution to the North Carolina
National Guard in care of the
Raeford National Guard.
Judge Dupree also instructed the
guardsmen to reframe from being
affliated with the National Guard
for a period of six months and to
pay the cost of the action.
The positions left open by the
two guardsmen have not been fill
ed, but efforts are being made to
fill the vacancies, a spokesman for
the National Guard in Raeford
said.
Elizabethtown be chosen as the
location of the new shelter.
Members felt that the Calloway
property, which is located at the
end of Main Street and on the U.S.
Highway 401 by-pass, was the
ideal area for the new facility
because of its easy access. McGin
nis said.
The property adjoins a practical
ly landlocked 23.3-acres tract own
ed by the City of Raeford and its
use for the shelter would provide
access to that land, McGinnis add
ed.
"We all agreed that this would
be the best place for the new
shelter," McGinnis said.
McGinnis videotaped three areas
(See POUND, page 12A)
Inside Today
Hoke County History is
fading in neglected cemeteries
around the county. Efforts are
underway to map and preserve
the county graveyards. The
story is on page IB of today's
New- Journal.
f