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The Hoke County News - Established 1 928
Volume LXXV Number 14 RAEFORD, HOJCE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
- journal
25
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
$10 PER YEAR Thursday, July 28, 1983
Hoke Residents
Tied To Fed Probe
By Sherry Matthews
Additional charges are expected to be handed down in connection
with a probe into the mismanagement of funds in a Robeson Coun
ty federal jobs training program, a Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) spokesman said Tuesday.
Indictments already handed down by a federal grand jury on
Monday incriminated two Hoke County residents in the Robeson
County fraud investigation.
North Carolina FBI Agent In Charge Robert L. Pence said in a
telephone interview with The News-Journal Tuesday that the
federal Comprehensive Employment Training Act (CETA) in
vestigation was "far from over."
The possibility that more Hoke County residents were involved
could not be ruled out, Pence said.
"There are certainly a number of individuals we are looking at
very closely, but I can't say what county they are from," Pence
said.
"There may be some Hoke County people involved," Pence add
ed.
Eleven people, including the Robeson County manager, county
attorney and former county commission chairman, have been in
dicted by a federal grand jury in the FBI's seven month investiga
tion of Robeson's CETA program. Two of those are Hoke
residents.
Pence indicated that the Hoke people were involved because of
misinformation they supplied to the CETA program.
Alton R. White, of Raeford, 44, was indicted and charged with
one count of making a false statement to a government agency and
one count of obtaining CETA money by fraud.
The indictment claims that White lied about his Hoke County ad
dress when he applied for the jobs training program in Robeson
Around Town
by Sam Morris
and th, f a"y broken
and the temperatures were in the
80 s Monday. We have had some
ra>n but we still need more
wik Th ' C?me la,er on in the
week There was some hail last Fri
day afternoon, but haven't heard
of any damage to crops.
The thermometer was over 100
Rnh^e,s/ori sevLcral days in Ju|y
5iatl|n should give us a full
August * ,hC nrSt Week in
According to the forecast, the
emperature will be in the 80s for
tne remainder of the week.
* ? *
On March 29. 1973,1 reported in
this column about a baseball
player for rhe Raeford Profes
E''<am,pf ,922. His name was
Miles Powell and he was enroute to
toRorida" NCW JCrSey 3fter 3 ,rip
While I was on vacation the
following letter arrived from the
same Miles Powell. Of course
Hootch ' McLean and Allen
McGee are both dead now and
maybe all the players are (hat Miles
played with at that time.
Anyway I thought ihe letter
of?H t r?f mtCreSt ,0 Sp?r,S fans
of Hoke County.
The letter follows:
Dear Mr. Morris:
It has been too wet to play golf
for the past two days. So I started
to look through some of my old
fS"ap, books- And I came across
the story about me ten years ago.
It was loose in my book, so I
decided to make a copy and send it
to you, just for the fun of it.
..u 8?l, a k'c,c about what
Hootch" McLean had to say
about my fast ball, because he was
about right.
Allen McGee, who was a real
nice guy, was the catcher on the
Raeford team. He wanted prac
tically all my pitches low and on
the outside corner. Then since I
had good control as "Hootch"
said, I was a winning piicher
My record was four straight
wins and then I lost my fifth game
3-2 in twelve innings.
The New Bern manager read
about me and offered me$l85.00a
month to come with them. Since
COUld ?nly pa> me
5125.00 per month, I made the
mistake of leaving.
I did not do so good at New
7*/" and ,hey had some financial
difficulties. So I left there and
wound up my professional
baseball career in the Eastern
Shore league.
I wound up in a blaze of glory
though, as I pitched a twelve inn
ing game for Crisfield against
Cambridge and won 6-5. I knew by
that time, I did not have the stuff
to make the big leagues, so I quit
and went to work.
If you see any of players men
tioned in your story, tell them I am
still around and have a contract to
throw out the first ball for the
Phillies when I hit a hundred - and
I hope they can be on hand for mv
performance.
Sincerely,
Miles Powell
? ? ?
The following letter is from a
former Battery "F" member and
how he got Col. Morris is beyond
(See AROUND, page 2A)
Construction underway
Road crews began work this week in an attempt to widen U.S. Highway 401 in front of the Raejord-lloke
Village. City Councilmen and Rep. Daniel 11. DeVane have been urging the Department of Transportation to do
something to help clear up traffic problems that could occur. Crew members were pouring asphalt, scraping and
rolling the road Tuesday in an effort to complete the work.
Country Store Hit By Armed Robber
In less than two weeks, a second
county convenience store has been
robbed at gunpoint, Hoke County
Sheriff's Department reports
show.
The owner of Huffman's
Grocery, located at Rt. 3, Raeford,
was apparently robbed at gunpoint
last Wednesday by a man wearing
a toboggan over his face, the
report shows.
According to the report, a man
armed with a pistol entered the
store and demanded money from
the owner.
Between S40 and S50 was taken
from the store.
The investigation is continuing,
the report shows.
There is apparently no link be
tween last week's robbery and an
armed robbery of a Raeford con
venience store which occurred July
12, Raeford Police Chief Leonard
Wiggins said Monday.
The Pantry, located on East
Central Avenue was robbed July
12 by two black men carrying a
More Probation
pistol and wearing toboggans over
their faces.
According to earlier police
reports, the two men, who were
apparently carrying a small caliber
pistol tried to open the cash
register but were scared off by a
customer who arrived at the store.
According to Wiggins, the mat
ter is still under investigation, but
no suspects have been named.
In another matter, a Raeford
man was arrested Sunday and
charged with first degree burglary
after he apparently broke <tnto a
Raeford residence, Wiggins said.
Arthur Lee Thomas of Raeford
was arrested Sunday afternoon
after he apparently broke into the
home of Neill McFadyen Sr., the
chief said.
The McFadyens were home at
the time of the incident.
In an unrelated incident, a
13-year-old was apprehended after
apparently taking bicycle parts
from the Sky City department
store.
According to Chief Wiggins, the
merchandise was recovered and the
boy was turned over to the juvenile
authorities.
A day earlier, July 18, Sky City
also reported the larceny of a gun
to the police department. The mer
chandise was found by the
manager. It had apparently been
hidden behind the store, Wiggins
said.
An apparent coffee fancier
entered the Community Baptist
Church of Rt. 3, Raeford, by
breaking out a glass in the side
window. The fellowship hall was
entered and a coffee pot was
removed, sheriff's reports show .
Reports indicate that no other
items were found missing. The case
is still under investigation.
In further unrelated matters.
Willie Davis reported to the Hoke
Sheriff's department that someone
had attempted to pry a door open
at his home.
(See BURGLARY, page 2A)
Hunt Spends Morning In Jail
B> Sherry Matthews
A sixth arrest warrant was issued
against Hoke County Commis
sioner James Albert Hunt Friday
for failing to appear in Lee County
District Court on worthless check
charges.
The nine-year veteran commis
sioner was arrested by Hoke
Sheriff's deputies on Monday but
was not jailed.
However, Hunt was picked up
Thursday at 12:15 a.m. bv county
deputies and jailed on warrants
from Robeson and Harnett coun
ties. He was released at 9:05 a.m
after posting almost S3.000 in
bonds, records show .
The Lee County warrant, which
was served Monday, was issued
after Hunt failed to show in
District Court to face a SI 78.32
worthless check charge.
A $400 secured bond was posted
for Hunt, keeping the commis
sioner from spending another stint
in jail.
Hunt has been jailed two other
times within a month for failing to
appear in court.
In addition to the newest arrest.
Hunt was given 22 separate
sentences in Scotland County
District Court on Thursday for 22
worthless checks totaling over
$5,000 had been written in that
county.
District Court Judge Herbert L.
Richardson gave the commissioner
22 six-month suspended sentences
with one year's probation in each
case.
Along with the sentence, Hunt
was ordered to pay $2,00() of the
total owed by July 22, and $1,000
each week until the balance of the
action and restitution in each case
was "paid in full."
With the newest arrest warrant
served, the commissioner now has
been arrested six times within a
month and jailed twice.
In less than two months, Hunt
has accumulated 30 suspended
sentences; 20 in Scotland County
and one in Hoke and has cases
pending in several other counties.
Hunt still must appear in Hoke.
Robeson, Lee, Scotland, Colum
bus and Harnett counties on other
(See HUNT, page 2A)
County and received $1,467.45 in CETA funds. If convicted. White
could receive up to seven years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
Senna Dora Locklear of Rt. 1, Red Springs was also indicted
Monday by the federal grand jury.
Locklear's indictment indicates that she was charged with one
count of making a false statement to a government agency and one
count of obtaining CETA funds by fraud. The indictment indicates
that Locklear lied about her Hoke County address to apply for the
Robeson program and received $7,271.51 in CETA monies. If con
victed, she could receive up to seven years in prison and be fined
$20,000.
"There are a number of people still being interviewed that might
be involved with this investigation," Pence said.
"I expect more charges to be handed down but that will be up to
the grand jury," Pence added.
"Our investigation is still very active. We are not through with
this thing yet," Pence said.
Zoning On Tap
For Commission
By Sherry Matthews
Hoke County Commissioners
may soon have to re-open a zoning
issue that has been brewing for
over three years, commission
Chairman John Balfour said Mon
day.
"I think we need some sort of
zoning in this county," Balfour
said.
"We (the commissioners) need
to discuss this issue again in the
near future," Balfour added.
The zoning issue, which has
caused heated debates, was
brought to the attention of the
county commissioners in mid
September 1982 when 27 residents
from a county sub-division asked
for county assistance in stopping
objectionable development in their
neighborhood.
Planners from the Lumber River
Council of Governments (COG)
were called in to study ordinances
and discussed county zoning with
the commission in a special
meeting, but all attempts to con
trol development proved futile.
Public, but not vocal, opposi
tion apparently put the issue on the
back burner in November, and has
not been discussed since.
"Personally, 1 think we need
zoning in the county, but most
people don't want to be told what
to do with their property,"
Balfour said.
"It is an issue that we (county
commissioners) need to address
again in the near future," Balfour
added.
Jim Perry, COG Planning
Director, who aided the county in
September with zoning plan^. feels
that Hoke needs some level of con
trol.
"Hoke, and all counties, need
(See ZONING, page 2A)
'Pork Barrel' Funds
Pegged For Mill Prong
B> Sherr? Matthews
Efforts to restore Mill Prong
House, a 181 -year-old Hoke Coun
ty landmark, received a $25, (XX)
boost last Friday from Cape Fear
Region Legislators.
However, an S80.000 grant ap
plication for the restoration of the
Hoke County Courthouse was not
funded during the regular session.
Local delegation members hope
that the courthouse application
will be brought before the short
legislative session later this year.
The S25.000 was part of a SI. 5
million "pork barrel" package
that funds special projects for
North Carolina counties.
A grant applications was made
by Mill Prong Preservation Presi
dent Charles Hosteller for some of
the allocated monies.
According to Hosteller, Mill
Prong received the entire amount
that was applied for.
"I don't know that anyone else
in Hoke applied for the grant,"
Hostetler said.
The $25. (XX) allocation lo the
Mill Prong restoration project
comes in the form of matching
funds, Hostetler said.
To get the grant money the Mill
Prong Perservation Corporation
will have to raise an additional
$25,000.
"I think it will be less difficult to
raise money for this project now
that people can see things arc going
on out there," Hostetler said.
Hostetler and other members of
Mill Prong Preservation, Inc.,
have been working to get the
historic landmark preserved for
over five years.
In 1978, the non-profit
organization was chartered and
later in the year secured a 50-year
lease on the Mill Prong house.
Since thai time the house has
been nominated and placed on the
National Register of Historic
Places.
Grant monies were awarded to
the Mill Prong Corporation in
May 1982 by the Z. Smith
Reynolds Foundation to be used
for the preservation of the house
With a present budget or
$30,000; $8,000 of which was rais
ed "nickel and dime" b> members,
restoration has begun.
According to Hosteller, repairs
are being made to the chimney and
workers arc now "underpinning"
the house and foundation.
With the "new" money allotted
through the pork barrel project.
Hosteller said work could be
started on a new roof.
"We are making some progress
now," Hosteller said.
The Mill Prong House, located
on rural pased road 1120 about
nine miles southwest of Racford, is
thought to have been originally
built by John Gilchrist, a Scottish
Highlander who immigrated to the
C ape Fear Region.
Inside Today
Learning
Students at Hoke High are
spending the summer learning
skills which will help them find
jobs after graduation. H e take
a look at the summer com
puter and vocational programs
on page one of Section R in to
day's News-Journal.