ews
J ournal
The 2nd issue of our 84th year
RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
25 CENTS
Wednesday, April 22,1992
Marston goes on trial Monday for Ed Harris’ murder
The man fingered as the alleged trigger man in
the murder of Southern Pines police detective Ed
Harris last year goes on trial Monday.
Kerry Lemar Morston, 21, of Aberdeen faces
charges of first degree murder, conspiracy, at
tempted murder and shooting into the Harris home.
Morston is one of nine Moore County men
charged in Harris’ murder, two — Timothy Darnell
McKayhan of Pinebluff and Shannon Martel
McKenzie of Aberdeen — pled guilty earlier this
month to the lesser charges of second degree
murder and conspiracy to commit Harris’ murder.
The two made a deal to testify against their
alleged co-conspirators in exchange for the lesser
charges; sentencing for McKayhan and McKenzie
will be delayed until after the trials of the other men
charged in the murder.
Ed Harris, who once applied for the job of sheriff
in Hoke County, was gunned down a year ago
Saturday in the doorway of his Ashley Heights
home.
Harris was hit six times with 9 millimeter slugs,
according to a medical examiner’s report. Harris’
wife, Judy, was hit in the hand by one bullet. Slugs
from a 30-30 rifle were also found lodged in the
house.
Harris, a former drug detective with the Hoke
County Sheriff’s Department, had worked for the
Southern Pines police for the prior two years.
In addition to Morston, the following are also
charged with first degree murder
John Gregory Chisolm of Southern Pines; Terry
Lee Evans of Southern Pines; Bernice Hugh
McDougald of Aberdeen; Mitchel Evans McNeil of
Southern Pines; and Leroy Richard Medley Jr. of
Southern Pines.
250 UNIT BUILD TO LEASE
SECT''''N 801 HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
A. r a “ * ^
Breaking ground; Universal Service’s Richard Bischoff (left to right), Hoke Gen. Gary Luck, land owner Neill McFadyen, Army Corps of Engineer's
Commission Chairman Wyatt Upchurch, Congressman Bill Hefner, Lt. Bob Unger.
Ground broken for ^801 ’ complex
Ground
breaking was
heldTuesday
morning for
complex
Congress-
man Bill
Hefner said
LrGen.GSybS amounts to a
pretty good-
sized town.”
The Heritage Place develop
ment, being built by private de
velopers for long-term lease to
the military, is going upoff Rock-
fish Road about three miles north
east ofRaeford.
Hefner was one of a hand ful of
dignitaries who along with
approximately 125 others attended
the morning ceremony.
“Very seldom do you have an
opportunity to go somewhere and
break ground for what amounts to a
pretty good-sized town,” Hefnersaid.
“It makes us feel like we’ve done
something good for our people and
soldiers.”
Fort Bragg Commander Lt. Gen.
Gary Luck thanked the Hoke County
community for hosting the housing
site and told a group of soldiers in
attendance they were looking at “the
beginning of a good deal.”
“We’ve been working hard to see
that we take care of these younguns,”
l.uck said.
He said Hoke people are the “fin
est in the world,” and Hoke is “the
best place I’ve ever been.”
The 801 project, in the wings for
the last several years, will finally
begin to take shape in the next few
months; construction should begin
in a few weeks with completion set
for summer, 1993.
“Three or four years ago, 1 didn’t
think it was going to materialize,"
Hoke County Commission Chair
man Wyatt Upchurch told those in
attendance. “But I didn’t give up on
it.”
He said the project will add $15
million to Hoke County’s tax base,
bringing in $108,000 peryear in tax
revenue. He also estimated the 250
families who live at Heritage Place
will spend $1.25 million annually in
Hoke County.
“We called around where 801
housing already had been con
structed,” Upchurch said, “and noth
ing but good came from those ar
eas.”
In addition to tax revenues and
local spending, the County said in a
flyer it distributed, the project will
bring $195,000 through an “im
pact fee;” will pick up 20 to 50
customers along a sewer line the
County is running to the project;
will pay $46,800 annudly for
water, will bring in state and fed
eral dollars because of increased
population; will hasten the wid
ening of Highway 401; and will
provide “good, solid”cilizens and
workers to Hoke.
Heritage Place, being con
structed by Universal Services,
Inc. of Texas, will include 178
two-bedroom and 37 four-bed
room houses for privates through
staff sergeants and 35 four-bed
room houses for sergeants first
class through sergeants major. It
will include a central meeting
place and a number of outdoor
activities and trails.
Deputies clear crowd
with threat of tear gas
Hoke County sheriff’s deputies
threatened to gas a crowd at the Na
tional Guard Amiory in Raeford early
Saturday after they were assaulted
while arresting tliree party-goers.
The crowd dispersed within eight
minutes after deputies used a public
address system to tell it to clear after
a near-riot in which three deputies
were injured, a patrol cruiser was
dented and equipment was lost and
damaged by attendants of a party at
the Armory, according to a report by
J. P. Brock, a deputy.
Three people were charged Satur
day with inciting a riot and obstruct
ing arrests:
Sheldon D. Ray, 17, of Route 3,
Raefoid was also charged with two
counts of assault on a lawman.
Tammy McNeill, 17, of Route 3,
Raeford was also charged with two
counts of a.ssaulting deputies.
Bryan L. McNeill, 20, of Fort
Bragg was also charged with second
degree trespassing.
Deputies originally arrived at the
Armory when called to a report of a
fight, according to sheriffs reports;
when they showed up, partiers told
them the fighters had left.
Shortly afterward, as deputies sat
in their cars in the parking lot of the
Jones store on S. Main Street, an
unidentified infomiant drove up and
told them the fight had begun again
at the Amiory, according to reports.
When deputies returned to the
Armory, they were again told by
members of a crowd of around 200
that the fighters had left, according
(See CRIME, page 5)
r
\
NG TURKEY'FESTIVAJt:^
RAEFORD, NC A
Say what?
Of course, they mean it in the nicest possible way. This year’s Turkey
Festival logo, designed by Hodges Associates, invites all to partake of
the food at this year’s Festival Sept. 17-19.
Former inmate
sues County
over sex assault
A former inmate of Hoke
County Jail has sued the
county and four depu
ties over a sexual assault that al
legedly occurred in the jail last
year.
Marc L. Wertz is demanding a
jury trial and asking for “com
pensatory and punitive damages’’
of at least $10,000 (plus lawyers’
fees) for violations of his consti
tutional rights and negligence of
a duty to protect him.
Wertz, whom a Superior Court
judge found was forced last April
to perform a sex act on another
inmate, claims his constitutional
rights to due process and protec
tion from adult inmates were vio
lated by jailers and detectives
while he was in jail.
The suit, filed April 2 in U.S.
District Court in Greensboro,
charges Jimmy Riley, the former
chief jailer, and Glenda Blue, a
former jailer, with “deliberate in
difference’’ including failure to
protect Wertz and denying his
access to the courts.
The suit also cites Riley, Wayne
Gardner, the former chief deputy,
and Danny Wilson, a former de
tective, for “cruel and unusual
punishment” by beating Wertz
while he was in jail.
Wertz’ complaints first came
to light last year during a trial at
which Judge Donald W. Stephens
ousted Sheriff Alex Norton from
office.
District Attorney Jean Powell
and County Attorney Duncan
McFadyen, who petitioned the
courts for Norton’s removal,
brought Wertz to the stand (where
he revealed details of the alleged
assault) in an effort to show
(See SUIT, page 4)
Board names Clark
elementary principal
The Hoke County School Board
has chosen a new principal.
Darlene Clark, a fonmer assistant
principal who now teaches at
McLauchlin Elementary, will be
come a principal when the new Rock-
fish Elementary School is opened,
said Shirley Gibson, chairman of the
board.
But the school board, which made
the decision last Tuesday after a
closed session, did not decide which
school Clark will head. Hoke School
administrators, who saw a lot of
changes last summer, may be in for
yet another shitt.
In July, Hoke County hired two
new principals in for its newly built
middle schools. Jack Burgess re
placed retiring principal Emma Mims
at West Hoke Middle School. Randy
Bridges replaced Leo Salzer, who
was fired as principal and later took
a teaching job at the high school.
That same month, Milton Will
iams moved from West Hoke El
ementary to Scurlock Elementary
after its principal, Jim Spencer, re
signed to take a job in Scotland
County.
Just after that, assistant principals
lost their positions temporarily, as
principals were allowed to rebuild
their leadership staffs by new Super
intendent Bill Harrison. Most were
hired right back; three were not and
one moved to an assistant principal-
ship at a new school.
Darlene Clark, then an assistant
principal at West Hoke Elementary,
was among three who did not return
to their original jobs.
“I am a survivor and a teacher at
(See PRINCIPAL, page 11)
Around Town
By Sam C. Morris
The weather has been like summer
over the Easter holidays. The tempera
tures have been in the 80s during the day
and in the 60s at night. If this keeps up
we will have to turn off the heat and turn
on the air conditioners. We have had
some rain but it hasn’t been enough to
help as of Monday night We could have
thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednes
day mornings.
The forecast calls for the tempera
tures to remain in the high 70s and low
80s Wednesday through Saturday. The
lows for the period will be in the high
50s to the low 50s. The chances for rain
after Wednesday are not good.
Maybe all the cold weather has left
for this year.
* * *
Raz Autry said Monday afternoon
that the peach crop had been hurt, but he
would have about a 10% crop. Let’s
hope this estimate is low.
The farmers are preparing fields and
many are setting tobacco plants. Com
has been planted and most of it has
sprouted from the ground. Bill Cameron
stated that the crows are digging the
seeds out of the ground in many places
in his fields. Maybe we could have a
good crow shooting!
Now if the farmers could get some
rain the crops will continue to do well.
* * *
Raz Autry, who since retirement, has
more jobs and he does more work than
before, asked me to request that people
who have wheelchairs in their base
ments or attics to let him know. If you
would like to let someone in need of a
chair have the use of yours for awhile,
please call him. Raz said that Hospice
has a chair, but it stays in use most of the
time and he is always getting calls ask
ing about a chair. So if you have one
around the house, call Autry at 875-
3787 and he will come and get it and put
it to use.
« * *
When you read this item about poli-
(Sec AROUND, page 4)