The ews J oumal Serving Hoke County for 88 years No. 34 Vol. 89 Jenny Walters fighting for life with fail 6A Business of the week 7A B 'Lucky' tom turkey from Hoke gone to Washington IB Business/Farm 7A Calendar 2B Church 6A Classifieds 9B Deaths 8A Editorials 2A Legals 8B Public Record 8A School 4 A Socials 3B TV Listings 6B Weather 3A Around Town 50 cents Wednesday, November 26, 1997 A Jury to decide on life or death By Sam Morris Contributing Editor The rain has finally stopped, but it left leaves all over my yard. It was cleaned last Fri day, but it doesn’t look like it today. There was a big frost Monday morning and if the wind ceases to blow there should be another frost Tues day morning. The tempera ture could get down into the 20s Monday night. The forecast calls for warmer weather for the re mainder of the week, Wednes day through Saturday. The highs will be in the 60s and the lows in the 40s. There isn’t any rain in the forecast. * ♦ * * * I was talking to some cot ton farmers Sunday at church and I was telling them about seeing many fields where cot ton hadn’t been picked. They said that the rains had caused the picking of cotton to be way behind schedule. I can remember many years ago when I was a boy that wagons were lined up on the Laurinburg highway near the Edenborough Shopping Cen ter in September and October (See AROUND, page IIA) Feiguson convicted Knight Chamberlain Interim editor ELIZABETHTOWN — De spite considerable eyewitness testimony and a signed confes sion, it took a Bladen County jury six-and-a-half hours over two days to find Rodriguez Ferguson guilty of first-degree murder last Thursday in the shooting deaths of five Hoke County residents, and the wound ing of a sixth almost three years ago. Seated between his attorneys Henderson Hill and Lisa Dubs, Ferguson, 20, appeared unaf fected as the verdicts were read. Dubs grimaced at one point and patted Ferguson’s arm. The same Jury is now decid- ingwhethertosentence Ferguson either to death or to life without parole. Family members and friends The nine-woman, three-man of the victims maintained their panel found that Ferguson caused '7 know this sounds terrible, but I want them to 'let loose the juice' and kill that man for what he did to this family." Kevin Hunter, Jamie Hunter’s brother, refer ring to lethal injection if Ferguson is given a death sentence. * .S' composure as the verdicts were read, after being cautioned to do so by Judge D. Jack Hooks. Some dabbed their eyes with tissue. Others raised their eyes upward and mouthed the words “thank you.” An unidentified woman sit ting with Ferguson’s family hur ried out of the courtroom with her hand to her mouth. Davis to challenge Byrd for sheriff By Pat Allen Wilson Staff Writer James “Jim” Davis announced Saturday that he will file Jan. 5 to run for Hoke County sheriff. “1 was approached by a num ber of citizens in the county who knew of my background and ex perience but did not decide to run until recently,” Davis said when he made his announcement at a community-wide benefit bazaar held on the grounds of WMFA radio station in Raeford. His de cision to run was prompted by an Aug. 29 incident in which 31- year-old Michael Sivak was shot in the back by Deputy Frank Hicks following a chase. The deputy said Sivak was trying to run him down with a van. On Oct. 21 a Hoke County grand Jury found probable cause to be lieve the deputy committed vol untary manslaughter. The action, called a presentment, asks the district attorney to investigate the casefurtherandtosubmitbillsof indictment if investigators find them appropriate. “After the Sivak shooting in cident I became more concerned and alarmed that the sheriff’s dept, was not concerned with the residents of Hoke County. The ‘Roundup’ nets big catch By Pat Allen Wilson Staff Writer When Hoke County Sheriff’s Dept. Chief of Deputies David Newton briefed deputies on Op eration Round-up, he referred to “prisoners 1 hope you get.” Before the night was over, there were enough prisoners to fill the Hoke County Jail plus some had to be transported to Robeson County Jail. The operation is held about twice annually to “round up” t hose persons t he department has outstanding warrants on who have proven hard to catch up with. But last Friday was a “day of reckoning” for 21 people who had 38 felony and misdemeanor charges filed against them. At the briefing at the public library, Newton told officers to do things by the book. “Be nice to the people at the door. Tell them the law says we can (make the arrests). If they get belliger ent they can visit us down here.” He reminded officers to “look around for drugs” once they were inside an arrestee’s house. Be “extra careful with chapter 9()s” (drug involvement), he said. He also said priority or “hot” calls were to supersede Round-Up activities. Newton advised deputies to “stop and introduce yourselves the deaths of Jamie Hunter, 38, his wife, Debbie, 37, Tim Powell, 20, and Steve Locklear, 18, at the Puppy Creek Family Fun Center in Hoke County on New Year’s Eve 1994, and that several hours later he shot and killed James Morrison Jr., 31, at the now- closed Zodiac Lounge Just north of Raeford. Ferguson was also found iiv- Knight Chamberlain/News-Journal Rodriguez Ferguson, seated between his attorneys Henderson Hill and Lisa Dubs, appears unaffected as the verdicts are read. guilty of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflict ing serious injury on their Hunt ers’ daughter, Mary Ann Hunter, now 18,whowasparalyzedfrom the chest down by a bullet that struck her neck as her mother attempted to shield her from gun fire. Outside the courtroom fam ily members and friends hugged and cheered. Jamie Hunter’s brother, (See FERGUSON, page 11 A) RPD fires McNeiU James “Jim” Davis shooting itself demonstrated a lack of training on behalf of the officer and a lack of sensitivity by the way it was handled by the department,” Davis said. “I had a conversation with the sheriff (Wayne Byrd) unrelated (See DAVIS, page lOA) By Kristin Guthrie Staff writer After 17 years with the Raeford Police Department, Raeford native J.R. “Dick” McNeill said his final goodbyes to co-workers as City Manager Mike McNeill approved Police Chief Mack High’s recommen dation that McNeill be fired. Mike McNeill said he re viewed the paperwork from Thursday until Monday before supporting High’s decision. Dick McNeill learned of the decision on Tuesday. Manager McNeill and Chief High made no comment on the decision, citing state privacy laws. “1 don’t want to make any comment. It’s a personnel mat ter,” High said Tuesday morn ing. While serving on the police force, McNeill worked as in terim chief, ma jor, captain, pa- trol officer and, most recently, sergeant, after being demoted from interim McNeill chief in April this year. When asked to comment about leaving the police force aftersuch a long time, Dick McNeill said, “No comment.” McNeill said he plans to look for work elsewhere. “I’m Just looking around....Anything right now. We’ll see what comes up.” to people hanging out” when they were in high drug areas. This paid off later that night with co caine confiscation and two ar rests. “We got all night. Take your time,” said Newton, and the last bit of advice came from Chief Deputy Wayne Gardner, “Make sure everybody comes back safe tonight.” Divided into teams, 21 offic ers began the round-up shortly after 5 p.m. A team consisting of team leader Sgt. Chris Fee and deputies Micheal Corcoran, Berney Duron and Robert Caughey hit two houses east of town on Rockfish Rd. under a pouring rain. No luck, it seemed. Then on to west of town and down a muddy John Russell Rd. Again, no luck. Harris Ln. was the next unsuccessful stop and officers were getting discour aged. At a trailer behind South Hoke Convenience Store,officers were greeted by barking dogs and they, like the 27-year-old woman who was charged with possession with intent tosell and delivercocaine, offered no resistance. The mother of two, wearing a T-shirt which read, “I may be a crude, heartless b but I’m good at it,” was taken away in handcuffs. There was another stop on Lantern Ln. before heading to ♦ s .4- Pal Wilson/Ncws-Joumal Deputy Robert Caughey reads a warrant for arrest to one of 21 people picked up during Operation Round-Up. the sheriff’s dept, where the of ficers found that their first stop on Rockfish Rd. had netted them a catch. The mom there had told her daughter officers were look ing for her so she was driven to the sheriff’s office to be served a warrant for three misdemeanor charges. The blotter showed about a half a dozen people brought in. Three of those were Juveniles with some serious charges: as sault w ith a deadly weapon with intent to kill inllicting serious injury, robbery with a dangerous weapon and shooting into an oc cupied vehicle and conspiracy. That trio would go to a Juvenile detention center. The woman from Rockfish Rd. complained to the woman who was facing drug charges, “This is Just messin’ up my time.” “Excuse me,” she called to a deputy, “Could 1 get a note to go back to work?” “Just show your pink slip,” he said, but wrote out the note, while the reporter wondered if she’d still have a Job after she turned in an excuse that she was late be cause she’d been arrested on three charges. The team headed out again but was detoured by a “hot” call when a woman wanted some (See ROUNDUP, page HA) By Pat Allen Wilson Staff Writer A gas line belonging to North Carolina Natural Gas was rup tured Thursday morning, and authorities evacuated Raeford residents within a surrounding block area until emergency re pairs could be made. The gas leak was reported at 8:18 a.m. at 101 Reaves St. at the intersection of Highway 20. A 4- inch line was damaged by a back- hoe while a workman was dig ging to replace a sewer line. A resident of the home said she heard the accident. Another described it as the “sound of gas spewing.” The smell of gas was strong as Raeford police detoured traffic from the area. Firefighters and emergency medical service per sonnel also responded. It took personnel an hour and 45 minutes to cut off the gas, according to Raeford Fire Mar shal Terry Tapp. NCNG employ ees repaired the damage. Call first “If they had located the lines, the problem would have been alleviated,” Tapp said, remind ing residents that there is a toll- (See GAS LINE, page lOA)

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