The News-Journal
The Hoke Connty News - Established 1928 ^ The Hoke County J<
Volume LXXVI Number 39 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA $10 PER YEAR 25 CENTS
__ '
Thursday, January 17, 1985
Filled to brim
Raeford volunteer firemen fought a smoldering fire
In the House of Raeford blast freezer for about five
hours Monday. The blaze was apparently started by a
welder doing work In the freezer. The firefighters
were hampered by -10? to -20? temperatures in the
freezer. Here firemen Jimmy Conoly (right) and
Wayne Mills (center) keep an eye on an overflowing
pumper truck as Frank Crumpler (left) heads for a
first hand Inspection of the plant.
, 'Cold' fire battled
at House of Raeford
By Ed Miller
Members of the Raeford Fire
Department battled a blaze and
temperatures of 10* to 15* below
) zero Monday while extinguishing a
fire in the "blast freeze^," of the
House of Raeford.
The afternoon fire destroyed an
undetermined amount of property
and produce at the plant, a fire
- department spokesman said.
A?x?dtaft'i?Hoiue.crfJ0?6far<r
Plant Manager Ed Manning, about
200 boxes of produce were lost in
the flames.
* The Raeford Fire Department
responded to the blaze at about
1 :20 p.m. and the last truck left the
plant around 6:30, Raeford Fire
Marshall Terry Tapp said Tues
day.
According to Tapp, the fire
department stayed during the clean
up of the burned boxes of turkeys.
The cause of the fire has been
tentatively attributed to a cutting
torch that was used too close to the
boxes of stored, frozen birds,
Tapp said.
. According to Tapp, and t Man
ning, the fire was out *
a few minutes.
"We had the flames knocked
down in about five or six
minutes," Tapp said.
"Our efficient Raeford Fire
Department came and put the fire
right out," Manning said.
"There was really more smoke
than there was fire," said the
manager.
A cutting torch was being used
in the freezer because the pallets
that the House of Raeford's birds
are shipped on have changed in
size, said Tapp.
Braces inside the blast freezer
had to be moved to accommodate
, thp larger pallets, he said.
?I I nn -tW
responded to the fire, there were
no injuries, said Tapp. There was
also no damage done to any fire
equipment.
There wap very little structural
damage done to the plant, said
Tapp.
Woman given 5 years
for pot hassle shooting
By Ed Miller
A Racford woman has been
sentenced to five years in prison
after being found guilty in
Superior Court of shooting
another woman over the price of a
marijuana cigarette.
After two hours of deliberation,
a Hoke County jury found Marilin
Cribb Clark guilty of shooting
Sherry Simmons in July after an
argument erupted over the price of
the drug.
Superior Court Judge E. Lynn
Johnson sentenced Clark and then
ordered a "show cause" hearing
for the victim, Simmons, for con
tempt of court.
According to defense attorney
Paul Herzog, Simmons spent
Tuesday night in the Cumberland
County Jail pending a charge from
Johnson.
Simmons was incarcerated for
allegedly disturbing the court on
several occasions Tuesday during
testimony and closing arguments.
The hearing was set for Wednes
day.
Clark, also known as
"Country", was charged with
shooting Simmons in the arm on
July 17 after an argument over the
price of a marijuana cigarette and
the fact that Clark was allegedly
selling "slack bags of reefer," or
bags that were not worth what was
paid for them, according to
witnesses in trial.
According to testimony, Sim
mons refused to pay $3 for the
marijuana cigarette.
Assistant District Attorney Jean
Powell called three witnesses in the
case.
Both Hoke County Deputy Ed
Harris and Deputy Ronnie Odom
testified that Simmons was
brought to the Raeford Police
Department with what appeared to
be gunpowder burns on her temple
and a bullet hole all the way
through the bottom of her upper
arm.
When Simmons was on the
stand, she displayed scars for the
jury.
According to Odom, Simmons
had "a black powdery substance"
on her blouse also.
"In my opinion, it was gun
powder," Harris said.
Simmons had been picked up
from work by two friends and had
gone to another friend's house to
play cards, she said on the stand.
After about two hours, Sim
mons left, with her friends, iden
tified in court as Bobby Bowles
and Chris Williams, and proceeded
to "ride around" before deciding
to go to Clark's residence in search
of Simmons' boyfriend, she said.
After arriving at Clark's trailer,
located in Dundee Park, the argu
ment arose over marijuana prices,
she said.
There was some question about
the number of shots fired during
the assault.
Simmons testified that two shots
were fired, but witnesses for the
defense said there was only one
shot fired.
Deputies Harris and Odom
testified that Simmons was exteme
ly upset after the ordeal.
Witnesses for the defense,
Williams and Bowles said that
Simmons was asked to leave before
Clark pulled the handgun from
under a cushion of a couch in the
living room of the trailer.
Both men refused to give
statements to the sheriff's
deputies, Harris and Odom said.
Simmons was asked to leave on
ly once, said Bowles, while
Williams said the girl was asked to
leave twice before the gun was pro
duced.
Both witnesses said that Clark
never pointed the gun at Simmons.
"She (Clark) hit Sherry up
(See WOMAN, page 10)
Feb . 15 set as recruiter deadline
By Ed Miller
The Raeford-Hoke Industrial
Development Commission has set
February 15 as the deadline for ac
cepting Applications for ? county
economic development director.
However, Commission Chair
man Tom Howell said he hopes the
selection can be made within the
application period.
In addition to setting the
deadline, the group also changed
the title of the position from in
dustrial recruiter to economic
development director in order to
broaden the scope of the job.
J According, to
''industrial recruiter" puces more
emphasis on recruiting new in
dustry into the area while
"economic developer" puts more
importance on existing with cur
rent businesses while recruiting
new industry at the same time.
A committee met Saturday to
decide on the salary range of the
new director and to write a descrip
tion for the job.
k - v. r"; -
I? other business during a called
meeting last week, members of the
commission passed a motion adop
ting a budget for the fiscal year to
start in July.
(See DEADLINE, page 10)
County woman unknowingly
interrupts break-in of home
Thieves were apparently hiding
in a Hoke County residence when
the owner returned home,
suspected something wa? wrong,
and left to call authorities.
Before Patsy Jordan could
return with sheriffs deputies, the
apparently interrupted theft was
completed, and the suspects
escaped.
According to sheriff's reports,
Mrs. Jordan found some articles
disturbed in her kitchen, and left
to call the Hoke County Sheriffs
Department.
Sheriffs Deputy Eddie Allen
and Mrs. Jordan returned to the
residence and found it completely
ransacked.
Jordan had come home and
found a drawer in the kitchen
open, and the door to the home's
laundry room door ajar, reports
say.
Upon her return with the depu
ty, all the drawers and cabinets
were open and a gun, some am
munition and a hunting knife were
missing from the house, reports
say.
Jordan did not notice the glass
broken out of the rear door of the
residence for some time after she
arrived home, reports say.
The stolen items are listed on the
report as being valued at $482.
On the same day, last week,
another Hoke County woman was
at home recovering from surgery
when her home was broken into,
sheriff's reports say.
Betty Wilson was in bed when
her doorbell rang.
Instead of answering the door,
she looked out the window to see a
small yellow or gold car apparently
leaving her residence on rural road
1435 and heading for Rockfish
Road, reports say.
About 10 minutes later, the bell
rang again.
This time she grabbed her gun
about the time she heard the glass
on the home's rear door break, ac
cording to reports.
Wilson ran from her house to a
neighbor's where she called the
Sheriffs Department.
While she was waiting for
deputies to arrive, the woman saw
a van, bearing the logo of a Fayet
teville moving company on the
side, driving slowly near her house,
reports say.
According to reports, the
burglar alarm system in the house
did not go off when the glass door
was broken.
There was nothing taken from
the residence, reports say, adding
that intruders must have seen the
front door standing open and left
the house.
In othf area incidents reported,
a local man has been charged with
breaking into a woman's home and
allegedly taking a pair of
underwear.
On Friday, January 4, Hazel Lee
McNeill reported that Leroy
McLaughlin had allegedly broken
into her home and taken the
underwear.
A spokesperson for the Sheriffs
Department said McLaughlin has
been charged.
Bob Pryor reported that Camp
Rockfish had been broken into and
that $545 worth of tools, t-shirts
and fire extinguishers were taken.
According to reports, the camp
had been broken into earlier,
before Christmas, but that incident
was unreported.
Janice Shaw reported her house
apparently broken into and some
cash stolen, reports say.
The loss was listed at $125, ac
cording to reports.
Around Town
By Sam Morris
Winter weather has been in
Hoke County for the past week.
The wind chill factor makes it
colder than the thermometer
registers. Of course we don't have
the snow like Texas is having, but
it still feels like wintertime.
The forecast is for continued
cold weather and a chance of snow
Thursday.
? ? ?
The building on South Main
Street that has been the scene of
two long time businesses in
Raeford is being renovated by the
new owner. It has housed
Graham's Service Station and the
Southern Restaurant, formerly Elk
Restaurant, for many years. It was
built in the late 20s or early 30s by
T.B. Upchurch. The new owner
according to my information is
Senator David Pamell of Parkton.
I don't know for sure what
businesses will be in the building or
if anyone has leased the buildings.
This is not what this item is con
cerned with at this time.
I understand that the two deer
on top of the service station will be
taken down and moved elsewhere.
Now this is fine as long as the deer
(See AROUND, pa ge 10)
Comutg down
The deer on th * old Graham 's Gulf Station and the Elk Restaurant on
Main Street In Raeford are destined for the fields of Hoke High
School. The station has recently been purchased by State Sen. David
Parnell and wUt be remodeled as a convenience store and restaurant.
The deer, which were sculpted by W.T. Covington, stood atop the
building for more than 50 years.
Regs set to correct airport damage
By Ed Miller
Persons responsible for damage
at the Raeford-Hoke Airport will
have to pay the costs of repair, ac
cording to a proposed amendment
to existing bylaws passed Thursday
night by the Raeford-Hoke Air
port Commission.
The proposed amendment will
have to be approved by the Hoke
County Commissioners and the
Raeford City Council, Airport
Commission Chairman Frank
Baker said.
Airport property is apparently
being regularly damaged by a pilot
who is learning how to fly.
According to reports from Com
missioner Wayne Byrd, the pilot is
"attracting crowds" as he hits run
way lights.
Apparently, the pilot is not
always in full control of the plane
upon landing, Byrd said.
There have been a number of
lights on the runway knocked off
and broken, said the commis
sioner, adding that the unnamed
pilot may be the cauae.
Apparently, there have been
lights knocked out several times
recently.
"If you're learning to drive,
learning to fly, learning to do
anything, you have to pay for your
mistakes. Especially continuous
mistakes," Byrd said.
The airport operation has also
been bothered by youths as well as
adults, riding motorcycles and
three-wheeled vehicles on the run
way and taxiway.
"I'm not saying they're knock
ing the lights down, but they could
be," said Byrd.
There is already a law on the
books prohibiting any vehicles
from the runway except airplanes,
Baker said.
"It's dangerous," Baker said,
referring to the recreational jaunts
at the airport.
In other business during the
meeting, a motion was passed
allowing Chairman Baker to write
and send a letter to Hoke County
Sheriff Dave Barrington asking
that the airport be regularly patrol
ed.
Persons caught breaking the
rules and regulations set up for the
facility should be cited, according
to the commissioners.
In other discussion, commission
members were informed that the
airport is attracting customers
from much of the surrounding
area seeking fuel for their planes.
Raeford has one of the cr'.y
facilities around that cairies
autogas for airplanes, according to
Byrd.
The price of the fuel may be cut
another $.5 per gallon if it will not
interfere with profit percentages
collected from fuel sales, Byrd
said.
Byrd also informed the other
commissioners that some small
problems have been corrected at
the facility.
According to reports from last
month's meeting, the beacon light
at the airport was burned out. It
has been replaced, Byrd said.
The beacon is equipped with a
primary bulb and a back-up bulb
that turns on automatically upon
the loss of the primary bulb, said
the commissioner.
Until last month, both bulbs
were burned out and no one could
be found to replace them, Byrd
said.
Also, the Raeford-Hoke Airport
now has an officially listed radio
frequency in accordance with the
Federal Aviation Administration
(FA A), said Byrd.
It was also decided during the
meeting that a sign should be put
near the facility's public telephone
listing the numbers of law enforce
ment agencies and fire depart
ments in the area.
Commissioner L.E. McLaughlin v
was asked to design the sign.