The
ews
Journal
The 26th issue of our 85th year
RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
25 CENTS
Wednesday, October 6,1993
Hoke Commission revises Junkyard Ordinance
The controversial county Junkyard Ordinance was
reworked to help local operators stay in business.
On Monday the County Commissioners unani
mously gave their approval to a tentative proposal
which would allow junkyard operators currently open
to place vehicles 10 feet from the end of the road right-
of-ways, rather than the tougher current setbacks.
Junkyard owners across the county joined lorces to
combat the ordinance which was adopted in 1987 to
regulate junkyards in the county.
Under the ordinance, in 1987 the operators should
have met strict setbacks, placed fencing and shrub
bery around their property and applied with the county
for a license and/or variance request.
Many junkyard owners said they never knew about
the application fee, and did not understand what they
should have done. That is, not until Dodger Huggins
and other operators were forced to close rlown under
court order.
Most of the owners saiii their property is too small
to meet setback requirements as deep as 300 feet
originally mandated by the ordinance.
Now, they will be able to stay in business.
The new proposal calls for the more lenient 10 foot
setback from the right of way, and also will place
restrictions on schools, churches or homes being built
beside currently-operating junkyards which would
(See JUNKYARD, page 5)
Witness describes
Cameron murder
Cousin of McNatt tells of beating, robbery
Is.
A Raeford Police officer talks with the driver of a car stopped at a check point on Main Street Monday. The officers
are enforcing seat belt laws as part of the “Click it or Ticket” campaign. Violators pay a $25 ticket. Sixteen drivers
were charged Monday; nine others were charged with other infractions.
Raeford may phase in
western water project
Also studying flooding problem in city
W hat started as a good day for fishing for
two sets of cousins ended in the murder
of a prominent Hoke citizen.
James Anthony Harris testifii d last week his
cousin, William Earl McNatt, was responsible for
the beating death of Hoke businessman Tom
Cameron on March 21, 1991.
Clyde Upchurch found hiscousin,Tom Cameron,
beaten to death and robbed near a pond he co-owned
on June Johnson Road in northern Hoke County.
In arraignment proceedings McNatt pleaded not
guilty to first degree murder and first degree rob
bery charges in the case.
That fateful spring day began with three cousins
meeting at their grandmother’s house, James Harris
said.
James and Bruce Harris and William McNatt, he
said, were all at their grandmother’s when the three
decided to go fishing.
James Harris said he asked McNatt and Harris
where they were going, and they told him fishing.
He asked to come along.
He said McNatt’s father drove the trio to some
woods where they, armed with fishing equipment
and a rifle, made their way to Cameron’s pond.
“He (McNatt) had fishing poles, a rifle. Looked
like a .20 or .22 rifle. He said the rifle was to kill
snakes and stuff.”
Harris went on to describe how the three cut
through the woods to the pond and started fishing.
They put their catch in a white bucket. The prosecu
tors found a white bucket near the crime scene.
He said they just fished “until around school
time,” when they saw an elderly man approach the
area.
“He was an old guy. He was a white guy.”
The man, Cameron, asked the three for identifi
cation and told them to put the fish back in his pxtnd.
That’s when James Harris said the scene turned
violent.
“They handed him their I.D.’s and stuff. I seen
‘em hit the man with the rifle. William McNatt hit
the man. William,” he gestured to a swing to an
invisible Cameron, “he hit him on his jaw. The
right.”
Harris said McNatt hit Cameron with the butt of
the rifle.
“The man fell to the ground. The gun went off. It
broke in two. They started beating the man. William
started beating the man, all up side his face.”
He said his other cousin, Bruce Harris, kicked
Cameron.
The Cameron family cringed and appeared angry
when Harris described Tom’s last moments alive.
“I seen blood, running out his mouth and nose.
The man was moaning and breathing for air,” he
said.
Harris said he watched as his cousin, Bruce,
emptied Cameron ’ s pockets, rolling the man over in
the grass.
“I seen him take the watch off the man’s arm.
Bruce did.”
While Bruce Harris and McNatt rummaged
(See MCNATT, page 5)
Water improvements to the west side of Raeford may be
phased in. Raeford City Manager Tom Phillips presented a
plan to City Council Monday night that arranges for better
water pressure toareas inside the City limits while postpon
ing improvements to areas outside the City.
Phillips proposed a pay-as-you-go approach to beef up
water lines toward Hoke High School and in the area west
of Highway 401 Bypass.
“Until we have everybody in Raeford covered,” Phillips
said, “I really didn’t feel comfortable going outside and
using our [financial] reserves.”
The cost for the first phase would be approximately
$180,0{K) and would pay for a 12-inch line to extend from
the water treatment plant on Dickson Street to Hoke High
School. Several lines would be enlarged in the area of
Raeford-Hoke Village Shopping Center.
Phillips said the plan would give adequate fire protec
tion to Hoke High and would increase water pressure to
residents and businesses along US401 and to the west of the
highway.
The plan would not completely correct ptwr water
pressure or correct a complete lack of water-system-based
fire protection at West Hoke Middle School, however.
(Hoke fire departments protect the school with tankers.)
The school is outside the City limits.
“The citizens of Raeford are not obligated to look after
that school building,” Councilman Joe Upchurch said as
Council debated the phasing-in approach.
The alternative to phases would be to fund and construct
an elaborate .system of water lines and a water tank in a
single project with an estimated cost of $ 1.1 million.
That was the plan presented last month by engineers
charged with finding a solution to Raeford’s water woes in
the west. The money would possibly come from a bond
issue.
Councilman Ken Bookersaid he was afraid the proposal
presented by Phil lips Monday wouldn’t address an original
concern that there is no water for planned development
near Wcsi iioke Middle School.
w
p-
He said he would like to see the concern addressed in the
first phase of the project.
Council authorized Phillips to use a portion of $40,000
allocated for engineering to further investigate the phas
ing-in approach.
Too much water
One area of Raeford has too much water, but not the
drinking kind. Residents of Roberts Street presented City
Council with a 38-name petition Monday a.sking for curb
ing and guttering along Roberts and Edinborough Avenue.
When the rains come, large portions of the area are
flooded. James Hubbard, who spoke for the group, said the
curbing is “badly needed to take care of the water situation
and beautify the western part of the city.” o i tt |
But the project will cost an estimated $121,300 Public XJ.OK.0
Works Director Mike McNeill said.
And, Councilman Ken Booker wanted to know what f-l* 1 ‘ll J
effect the project would have on residents downstream, j OUllj. 1C.UJ.0O
When told it would likely worsen the flooding along
Elwood Avenue and even as far away as the Donaldson-
Prospect avenue area, he said, “Legally, can we do that?”
City Attorney Palmer Willcox assured him it would be
illegal.
Another issue is whether Council should spruce up one
area of the City and leave the other 19 miles of City
roadway alone.
“If you want to extend it through the town this gives you
an idea of what it would cost,” said City Manager
Phillips of the $121,()()() estimate.
Phillips agreed to investigate the effects of the curbing
on those downstream and report back to Council.
Will curbing increase the flooding problem downstream in the Bethel Road area? These youths walk in flood water
there after a 1991 thunderstorm.
Around Town
Other business
City Council agreed to pay the legal expenses of a
Raeford police investigator who was acquitted of charges
he assaulted a person while making an arrest.
Attorney fees for investigator Kevin Locklear amounted
to Sz,/i0.
A 16-year-old man was mur
dered in a yard off Old Maxton
Road on Saturday.
Kenneth Dewayne Parker of
Route 1 Red Springs was shot once
in the chest killing him.
Detective Mike Underwood with
the Hoke County Sheriff’s Depart
ment said Lenotta Baldwin, 25, of
Route 1 Box 93 D, Lumber Bridge
was charged with first degree mur
der. He was held without bond.
Underwood said the two men
knew each other for a couple of
years and argued earlier in the week.
Underwood said on Saturday
Baldwin was driving from Raeford
(Sec CRIME, page 7)
By Sam C. Morris
The weather cooled off last week
with the lows getting down into the 30s.
Most folks had to turn on their heating
systems and some people had jackets or
sweaters on during the early morning.
On Saturday the temperature began to
rise with the low in the high 4Us and low
50s, and a high in the 80s. We haven’t
had any rain recently and it is now dry
again.
The forecast calls for the tempera
tures Wednesday through Friday to have
highs in the low 80s and high 70s, and
the lows in the 50s. Saturday a cold front
will move through and the high will be
in the 70s and the low in the high 40s.
There is a chance of rain on Saturday.
♦ ♦ * ♦ *
Monday morning I talked with Patty
Webb, president of the Raeford-Hoke
Chamber of Commerce, and Helen
Huffman, a director and chairman of the
Open Meeting. Tney were working on
the agenda and since this column is
written on Monday I can’t give you the
agenda.
1 would expect the following items
will be discussed. They are member
ship, finances, management, election of
officers, by-laws, etc.
The Open Meeting will be heldTues-
day, October 12 at the Hoke County
Public Library. The meeting will begin
at 7 pm. All members and prospective
members are invited to attend.
*****
It seems when I write that the Deer
Restoration Fund is complete, others
send me money or turn it into the cham
ber office. Donations were made to the
chamber office by the following: A&R
Railroad, Linwcnid and Helen Huffman
and Tony Mcl^urin.
1 received the following letter last
(See AROUND, p.ge 14)