Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / Aug. 7, 1991, edition 1 / Page 1
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The ews Journal The 17lh issue of our 83rd year RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA 25 CENTS Wednesday, August 7,1991 Judge takes Alex Norton out of sheriffs post - Sheriff acted wrongly Commissioners swear in in two of seven counts coroner as new sheriff rr Alex Norton is no longer sheriff of Hoke County. Calling Norton’s testimony “unworthy of belief,” Judge Donald W. Stephens removed Norton from office as a result of a petition by the district and county attorneys. Stephens denied a request to hold off the removal pending an appeal of his decision. Norton’s attorney Randy Gregory told Stephens that Norton probably would appeal and the judge gave attorneys 10 days to file motions. Stephens’ decision would be appealed to the Court of Appeals. The petition to remove Norton was brought before the court on May 7 by District Attorney Jean Powell and County Attorney Duncan McFadyen. Stephens, a Superior Court Judge from Raleigh assigned to hear the trial, said the sheriff’s ouster was required by state law if he found Norton had shown even one instance of willful neglect or failure to perform his duties. “1 have no discretion in the matter,” Stephens said. “If 1 find...support in my conclusions...the statute says that I shall remove him.” “The court finds Sheriff Nor ton’s testimony to be unworthy of belief—Judge Stephens Sheriff Alex Norton outside the courthouse before the hearing. Stephens found Norton had shown “willful failure, neglect and refusal to perform the duties of his office” when he failed to charge Lillie Ann Locklear, a felon on probation working under Norton as a jail cook, with illegal possession of a handgun. Stephens also found Norton had acted wrongly and had caused a felony to be committed when he ordered Sgt. Josh Brown to add his name to court papers to cover up the fact they had been served by an underage deputy. “Each standing alone is sufficient,” Stephens said. (See TRIAL, page 3) By Pat Wilson News-Journal Staff Writer Effective 12:30 p.m. Monday, County Coroner and acting medical examiner Frank Crumpler became sheriff. Two hours later he took the oath of office from Clerk of Courts Juanita Edmund in front of county commissioners, who filed by with handshakes and congratulations. “The coun has entered certain findings of fact finding Sheriff Norton violated the general statutes under provisions of Chapter 128 and that he has engaged in activities amounting to misconduct in office and refusal to perform the duties of his office.” Thus county attorney Duncan McFadyen informed Hoke commissioners that Alex Norton was no longer in charge of the sheriff’s department. Commissioners had cleared a crowded agenda Monday morning while court preceedings took place across the street then waited through their lunch hour for Superior Court Judge Donald W. Stephens’ deci sion. McFadyen said he had been made aware of the judge’s findings prior to Monday but he and Norton’s attorneys were “directed not to tell.” If the petition had been dis missed or if Norton had chosen resignation, “the findings would be sealed,” he said. Following an hour-long session to discuss legal matters concerning the sheriffs office, commis sioners announced the county will be taking Frank Crumpler takes the oath. (See CBLIMPLER, page 9) / -J Rivals sign up for city race Friday Three challengers threw their hats in the ring in the last two days of the sign-up period for Raeford city elections. Keith Ryan, who ran unsuccessfully against John K. McNeill in 1989, will take on incumbent Bob Gentry in the race for mayor. Ryan entered the race 11 a.m. Friday, paying his $20 entry fee at the Board of Elections office an hour before the deadline. Another challenger, Steve Phillips, came in the office with only minutes to spare and signed to seek one of three four-year seats on the city council. Phillips ran a close fourth in the race for three Hoke County School Board seats last November. Ken Booker, who recently completed a stint on the Raeford-Hoke Planning and De velopment Commission, signed up for a council .seat on Thursday. Booker and Phillips will take on incum bents Vardell Hedgpeth, Earl McDuffie and Joe Upchurch. Eddie McNeill, whom councilmen ap pointed to fill out Bob Gentry’s term when Gentry took the mayor’s post, will run with out opposition lor a two-year term on the council. That will fill out Gentry’s original term, then the seat will open for a four-year term. Ryan, Gentry fight for mayor’s seat Ryan and Gentry are fighting to fill out the la.st two years of the late John K. McNeill’s term as Mayor. Gentry was out of town and could not be reached for comment, but Ryan, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1989, said he plans to make a strong bid for election this year. “1 intend to be well organized this time,” Ryan said Friday. “I ran sort of loosely (last time) not realizing that 1 was sort of bucking a legend.” Ryan said he wants Raeford to wake up and start moving forward. “1 intend to set this city on a course of progressive growth,” he said. “The city has missed the Eighties; we’re not going to miss the Nineties.” “I feel like if we can get some good (See ELECTION, page 4) Shook -iJk *>■ 0' Keith Ryan tells Elections Supervisor Caroline Shook why he is mnning for mayor of Raeford. Operation Eagle swoops down on 18 State troopers arrested 18 people Friday night at two checkpoints on the outskirts of Raeford. The numbers aren’t as impressive for Raeford as for Charlotte, Raleigh or even Fayetteville. But Operation Eagle is more than a numbers game, said Joe Dean, secretary of Crime Control and Public Safely. ‘The whole idea of a good drunk driving program is to prevent drunk driving and to spread the information wide enough,”Dean said at apress conference Friday afternoon at the National Guard Armory on Teal Drive. The press conference preceded a joint effort by the state Highway Patrol, Raeford Police, Hoke County Sheriff’s Department and Rescue Squad to crack down on drunk drivers Friday night. Two checkpoints—at the intersections of Main Street and Vass Road and of Prospect Avenue and U.S. 401 Business—stopped traffic and checked for drunk drivers and other moving violators. Despite nearly constant rain, troopers alone arrested 18 drunk driv ers, 12 people driving without a license, five people driving while their licenses were revoked and wrote tickets for one seat bell violation, one child restraint violation, one liquor violation and arrested one man for carrying a concealed weapon. One was overheard complaining he had been drinking but he wasn’t actually impaired: another said he had to drive because his passenger, who owned the car, was too drunk to drive. But state troopers aren’t famous for their sympathetic cars. The most excited the normally impassive troopers on Main Street got was when they bagged what they called a CDL—a commercial driver’s license. They had airestcd the driver of an 18-whccl truck for drunk driving. (sec E,\GLE, page 10) Sandhills wants Turlington for new campus D«p Dn# ••n/'i«I AO t t tv A z'/’vIlAfTA Q V/1 FI O eYICtlOtT By Pat Wilson News Journal Staff Writer Sandhills Community College has requested the use of Turlington School as its Hoke County campus. Mary Archie McNeill, director of the Hoke County Centerof Sandhills, made the request at Monday’s meet ing of commissioners. But see may have to stand in line for the use of the soon-to-be vacant middle school on Prospect Avenue in Raeford. Hoke’s School Board has prom ised to give the school to the county once East and West Hoke Middle Schools are completed. The School Board has requested rights to use Turlington’s audito rium—the only one in the county—until a new one is built. Commissioners voted earlier this year to give the schools priority use of the auditorium “regardless of the use for Turlington.” The School Board has put on hold plans to rebuild the Upchurch Audi- torii'm which burned in 1989. Also in line for the use of Turlington School is the Department of Social Services, whose offices on S. Magnolia Street have been crowded for well over a year. McNeill outlined potential uses the college would have for Turlington: literacy programs, acom- puter lab. Department of Corrections training, occupational extension classes, a small business resource center and training area, college courses, vocational programs, test ing, gym events, a library/media center, a student union/dining area and offices. The auditorium would be u.sed for events such as theater, music, dance, civic and cultural activities, lectures and forums, McNeill said. “It would certainly promote our quality of life and is important for attracting new industry and support ing existing industry,” she said. The Raeford-Hoke Planning and Development office could also be housed in Turlington, she said. The college has a campus near Pinehurst, “but we need one here,” McNeill said. Chairman Wyatt Upchurch said the board would “be glad to do as much as we can do to support you and Sandhills College.” In other business, commission ers: • listened to concerns from trailer park owners about the $69 per lot they have been assessed for garbage (see COUNTY, page 9) Hoke man shot to death in Harmony Heights trailer Around Town A Hoke County man was shot to death in his Harmony Heights home Wednesday night His girlfriend has been charged with his murder. Charles Edward McKenzie, 19, of 106 Utah Street, was found “balled up” but conscious on the lloor by deputies who responded to a report of a shooting at the home. He had suffered a gunshot w ound in the chest As McKenzie was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, Michelle Mack, 23, of the same address, was charged with first degree murder. Mack admitted shooting McKenzie, Hoke County Sheriff’s Det. Mike Underwood said. Deputies recovered a .25 calibcraulomatic pistol—w hich they say was used in the murder—from Mack, along with one spent shell. Tw 0 0 f M ack ’ s n icees al so w i i nessed the shooting. According to witnesses, Underwood said, McKenzie slopped by the house to (see MURDER, page 10) By Sam C. Morris The rain finally stopped and it has been fair for a couple of days. I haven’t heard how much rain fell in the county recently, but it must have been between 5 to 7 inches. Water was standing in most of the fields by the weekend. The rainy weather did cool things off for a few days. The forecast calls for the tempera- lures during the day to be in the 80s Wednesday through Saturday and the lows at night will be in the 60s. There is a chance of rain in the afternoon hours. * ♦ ♦ The rain has brought some problems to the farmers of the county. In talking with Eddie Baker, he said that he was having to get a backhoe to cut ditches in his tobacco fields to drain the water off. Eddie hopes that he can save most of his crop with this operation. It is uncertain how wet tobacco will cure. In talking with Shirley Gibson Mon day morning, she stated that her hus band, Bobby and son, Andy, were hav ing trouble with the rain on their cotton crops. The insects like die hot damp weather and when the cotton is sprayed, along will come the rain and wash off the poison. (See AROUND, page 8)
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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Aug. 7, 1991, edition 1
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