Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / Jan. 19, 1994, edition 1 / Page 1
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The ews Journal The 41st issue of our 85th year RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA 25 CENTS Wednesday, January 19,1994 -d. Residents of the Rockfish area crowd the Hoke Commission chambers Tuesday night to protest a proposed subdivision. The builders say the development would bring $160,000 in taxes. Residents oppose subdivision Attorney Douglas Barfield speaks. H oke County commissioners met a packed house on Tuesday night to hear everything from mumbles and accusations to promises and praises for a poten tial subdivision on Rockfish and Camden roads. Real estate agent Terry Spell asked the board to rezone a 90.6-acre tract from Residential Agricultural-20to Residential-15, meaning lots on that tract would have to be at least 15,000 square feet. Spell brought a designer, a lawyer, a soil Deputy shoots, kills attacker Sheriff calls shooting self defense Hoke Sheriff’s deputies around noon Friday answered what seemed to be a routine domestic dispute call. After the husband came at deputies with a knife, lasted through three sprays of pepper spray and one non- fatal shot, a deputy’s bullet brought him to the ground. Deputies responded to Lan Powers’ call for help Friday morning at 502 Invenary Drive in McDougald Downs subdivision. While the primary officer went to discuss her complaint with Mrs. Powers, the back-up officer. Deputy T.A. Sheeley, stayed back to observe her husband, Hoke Sheriff Wayne Byrd said. “When they went to the house, the man walked away and got into his vehicle,” Byrd said. When Powers obstructed Sheeley’s view, the deput\ went to make sure he didn’t have a weapon. “He got out of the car with a locking blade knife and threatened the officer.” Byrd said the deputies tried to negotiate with Powers to drop his weapon, but to no avail. “They demanded that he did it (put the knife down) and he still lunged at them.” The officers then used pepper Mace on Powers, who, momentarily stunned, wiped his face with his hand and continued to lunge. “He was sprayed three times, each time the same effect. The last time, instead of lunging at the officers he came running at Officer Sheeley. (Sheeley) turned and fled and Powers charged at him with the knife.” Two other deputies arrived on the scene later. The two ran into the neighbor’s yard. “It appeared to the other officers he (Powers) would overcome him. Sheeley fired one shot, he kept coming, and Sheeley fired another shot at which time he fell to the ground.” Deputies had been to the house on a domestic dispute call four days earlier. The officers acted upon the department’s standard procedure, Byrd said. “Basically, in our in-house inquiry, we came to the unanimous conclusion that it was self-defense — until the SBI tells me differently and I don’t think they will,” Byrd said. He and his chief deputy and chief detective split the deputies up i nto separate rooms to question them about the incident The State Rtireati of Investigation also took statements and evidence from the incident for its own investigation. Sheeley’s gun was among the material taken by the SBI. “Any time an officer u.ses his weapon, 1 take the weapon and turn it over to the SBI,” Byrd said. (See CRIME, page 8) scientist and someone from the construction business to tell commissioners the subdivision would benefit Hoke County through tax dollars — S160,000 in property tax and $48,000 in fire district taxes. But the opposition’s camp saw Spell’s pre sentation differently: “In my business, this is called a ‘dog and pony show,”’ sales representative Marty Webb told commissioners. Webb and 11 other residents who live near the tract m McLauchlin Township accused Spell and subdivision developers of being greed\, packing the schools with children the county could not pay for and not looking out for the interests of Hoke County or its residents. Opponents’ specific reasons for not wanting the subdivision were myriad. Speakers from the area told the board the proposed development would; •ruin the rural, wooded nature of the area; (See COUNTY, page 4) « I I rn i i Law enforcement and emergency medical workers at the McDougald Downs house where Powers lived DeVane’s seat gets interest Commission seats attract filers, too Again this week, only three can didates—one for state Rep. Danny DeVane’s seat — filed for office in Hoke County. •Raeford Realtor Kay Thomas filed to fill DeVane’s shoes for the 16th District in the General As sembly. Thomas, chairman of Hoke Strategic Planning, has not held public office before. She also orga nized Hoke Emergency Liaison Program and chairs that board, chairs the Raeford Downtown Re vitalization Commission and is president of Woman’s Club of Raeford. Thomas is married and has one daughter. •Newcomers George McGuire and Joe Troxell filed for seats on the Hoke Board of Commission ers. Both are probation officers with the state. McGuire, who ran an unsuccess ful campaign for Raeford City Councilman in 1993, was a Hoke County Sheriff’s deputy for seven years. He is married and has two children. Troxell, who lives in the Rock fish area, retired from the U.S. Army. He has not held public of fice before and he has worked for the state for about five years. Troxell is married and has two grown chil dren. Those who have filed for office since Jan. 4 are: •Incumbent Judge Craig Ellis has filed to retain his seal as Superior Court judge. •Incumbent Judges Warren Pate and William Mcllwain have both filed to hold their posts as District Court judge for District 16A. •Incumbents Aaron Plyler and Richard Conder for the 17th Dis trict in the N.C. Senate. Incumbent state Sen. David Parnell filed for his seventh term to represent the 30th District in the N.C. General Assembly. For a seat in the N.C. House of Representatives, Incumbent Frances Cummings of Lumberton filed to represent District 87. •Incumbent Sheriff Wayne Byrd, David Barrington Jr. and James ‘ Jimmy” Riley filed for Hoke County sheriff •Incumbents L.E. McLaughlin and Cleo Bratcher filed to hold their seats on the Hoke County Board of Commissioners. James Albert Hunt and Jean Hodges also filed for seats on the board. •Incumbent Charlotte Kelly filed (See FILING, page 5) Around Town Temperatures reached a Ic degrees downtown Tuesday night, a record since The News-Journal and Farm Chemicals began keeping computerized data three years ago. (The official Raeford low was 5 degrees.) Record lows of 9 degrees were also set Saturday and Sunday. The previous low was 16 degrees in 1991. I# \ —‘ \ By Sam C. Morris I vv ish thal someone would close the door to the North Pole. We have had record-breaking cold weather for the past week. Sunday morn ing when I looked at my thermometer on a tree in the backyard the mercury regis tered between 6 and 9degrees. 1 know that isn’t set up for an official reading, but 1 know that it was cold. I turned the television on the Weather Channel and at Fort Bragg the tempera ture was9 and the wind chill factor was minus 12. The cold weather can leave as far as 1 am crmcerned The forecast calls for another arctic blast to come into the state Wednesday. Wednesday the high will be in the 30s and the low in the teens. T hursday the high vv ill be in the .3(ls and the low in the 20s. Friday will see the high in the 40s and the low in the .30s. Saturday the high will be in the 40s and the low in the 20s. * « * Kay Thomas came by the office last Friday and she informed me that she had filed for the House of Representative seat vacated by Danny DeVane. Kay said she had studied about it for a couple of days and she made up her m i nd to fi le and run for the seat. There have been many names men tioned in the five county district, but she is the first to file as of Monday. The election offices are closed for a holiday (Monday) so if anyone files 1 will have missed thechanceofrunning their names because 1 am writing this on Monday afternoon. I was informed Monday morn ing that several rumored candidates in Robeson and Scotland counties had de cided not to enter the race. There will now be a race for County Commissioner as Cleo Bratcher filed. (See AROUND, page 10)
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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Jan. 19, 1994, edition 1
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