The
ews
J oumal
it happened, it's news to us'
No. 28 Vol. 91
50 cents
Wednesday, October 14,1998
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www.dicksonpress.com
Maryland decision
changes nothing
— Editorial
Page 2A
B
i-.
Vi r
State Fair opens
Friday
Page 1B
Births 3B
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 9-1 OB
Deaths 4A
Editorials 2-3A
Engagements 3B
Legals 7-8B
Public Record 4A
Religion 8A
School 5A
Socials 3B
Sports 6-7A
TV Listings 4-5B
Weddings 3B
Around Town
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1 II II II II 1
I •• •• '• •• I
By Sam C. Morris
Contributing Editor
I know that the fall season
is here when the air condi
tioner is turned off and you
need heat in the mornings. The
lows have been in the low 50s
for the past few days. The h ighs
have been in the 7()s. We didn’t
get as much rain last week as
the areas nort h of us. M y gauge
had a reading of six one-hun
dredth of an inch.
The forecast for the remain
der of the week, Wednesday
through Saturday, calls for the
highs to be in the 70s and the
lows in the low 50s. There
isn’t any rain in the forecast.
Now we can look forward
to raking leaves and the color
ing of the leaves. This is my
time of the year.
* ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Recently I wrote that Susan
Stauffer had resigned from the
advertising department to be
home with her children. Last
Thursday Amber Liebers
Brannen joined our advertis
ing staff. She is married and
has two children, a two-year-
old son and a three month old
daughter. They live in the
Arabia section of the county.
Amber is learning her job
(See AROUND, page I2A)
Maryland drops charges against Davis
FAA probe continues
By Knight Chamberlain
Editor
The Maryland State Attorney,
citing a lack of evidence, has
dropped charges against Demo
crat nominee for sheriff Jim
Davis, effective September 30,
for carrying a loaded handgun in
a Baltimore airport last July.
Davis was arrested on July 18
at the Baltimore-Washington In
ternational Airport after the gun
was detected in his carry-on lug
gage at a security checkpoint.
The Maryland Transportation
Authority seized the weapon —
a loaded, .25 caliber Titan—and
charged Davis with carrying and
transporting a handgun on his
person.
A Federal Aviation Adminis
tration investigation, initiated in
response to the Davis arrest, is
, ^
. j
Firefighters’ contest
Hillcrest firefighters scramble to fill a barrel with water during the
bucket and ladder competition at a Saturday event which marked the
close of National Fire Prevention Week. LaFayette Ford hosted a
firefighters’ competition for the county’s volunteer fire departments.
(Pat Allen Wilson photo)
OSHA fines reduced
By Pat Allen Wilson
Staff writer
Hoke County Sheriff Wayne
Byrd, Health Department Direc
tor Don Womble and County
Personnel ManagerShirley Rush
communicated with a North
Carolina Department of Lxibor
official in a phone conference
last week to discuss citations
against the sheriff’s department
involving hepatitis B shots. The
federal Occupational Safety and
Health Division imposed the ci
tations which are enforced by the
Department of l^bor.
As a result of the conference,
a fine for $875 which had been
levied against the Sheriff’s De
partment has been reduced to
$500.
An anonymous complaint was
Eff probing hit-and-run death
By Pat Allen Wilson
Staff writer
The N.C. Highway Patrol
is investigating the hit and run
death of a Raeford resident on
Scurlock School Road Mon
day night at 8:25.
William J. Bratcher,45,403
Stephens Street, was walking
south with a friend on the south
side of the road when he was
struck from behind, and the
south-bound vehicle sped
away. Bratcher’s friend was
not hurt.
Investigating Trooper E.D.
Pender said parts of the ve
hicle which hit Bratcher were
found on the roadway. He said
the car was possibly a maroon
(See DEATH, page IlA)
continuing. While the FAA can
not lodge criminal charges
against him, fines of up to
$10,000 are possible. In Davis’
case, however, a fine of $500 to
$1,000 is more likely.
The Titan, a semi-automatic
handgun, is commonly referred
to by vereran law enforcement
officials as a “Saturday Night
Special” or “throwdown” due to
its cheap construction and inher
ent unreliability.
Davis, who in his campaign
for sheriff has emphasized his
extensive training and expertise
in more than 40 areas of law
enforcement, said he was un
aware of a common federal regu
lation that requires anyone plan
ning to fly with a gun to notify
the airline ahead of time, check
the weapon at the ticket counter
upon arrival at the airport, and
show security workers that the
ammunition is in a separate bag
from the gun. He said he had
done nothing wrong because it
was an oversight and that he
(See DAVIS, page 12A)
First Lady Carolyn Hunt welcomes
Smart Start to Hoke County
t
By Knight Chamberlain
Editor
1(
First Lady Carolyn Hunt said
she wasn’t going to let a cold
stand in the way of a personal
appearance to formally welcome
Smart Start to Hoke County.
True to her word, the wife of
Gov. Jim Hunt served as Hoke
County Partnership for Children
and Families’ guest of honor
Tuesday at a ribbon cutting cer
emony attended by a who’s who
of Hoke County leaders.
“I’m sorry my husband
couldn’t be here today, but 1 as
sure you he will come to Hoke
County before his term of office
if over,” Hunt told a crowd of
about 100 business, government,
civic and educational learers.
teachers and children. “He would
be proud of all your efforts that
have led to this day."
The ribbon cutting marked two
important occasions for Hoke
County’s Smart Start program. It
represented the official opening
of the new, expanded office of
the Smart Start partnership, and
also the beginningof the first full
year Smart Start services w ill be
available to Hoke County’s chil
dren and families.
(See HUNT, page 12A)
Guilty pleas from parade fracas entered
filed with OSHA in June. Byrd
said he believed an employee in
his department called it in.
“(Whoever called) had a legiti
mate complaint,” he said.
The citation involves a series
of three shots for the hepatitis B
virus, which is present in body
fluids and the blood of an in
fected person. Hepatitis Battacks
the liver causing damage and
sometimes cancer. It kills 4,000
to 5,000 people in this country
annually. It isestimated that 1.25
million people in this country
have chronic hepatitis B.
The hepatitis B shots are given
in a series of three that cost more
than$ 100. ’There was a question
of where funding for the shots
was to come from. Byrd said he
had asked for the funds in his
(See OSHA, page /1 A)
By Pat Allen Wilson
Staff writer
On Monday, Hoke County
District Court Judge Richard T.
Brown sentenced three people
involved in a fracas at the end of
the N.C. Turkey Festival parade
was ending on September 17.
They rendered guilty pleas with
out benefit of attorney. The cases
of four others were continued.
Kenny Kermit Rogers, 18,
Culbreth Estates, and Raymond
Changes
take place
at Sheriff’s
Department
By Pat Allen Wilson
Staff writer
Detective Bob Crull is taking
overthedutiesof Joey Blackburn,
who was the detective assigned
to the investigation of the rape
and murder of five-year-old Brit
tany Lynn Locklear in early Janu
ary.
This assignment is one of sev
eral changes made in the Hoke
County Sheriff’s Department
with the firing of two officers
and the resignation of three oth
ers.
J.P. Brock, a road officer, left
the department more than a
month ago. He cited a better sal
ary as the reason for his depar
ture. He had been demoted as a
detective prior to that. Sheriff
Wayne Byrd said more money is
“usually a considering factor on
the resignations I get.”
Detective Steve Tidwell and
Sgt. Travis Strickland were fired
about two weeks ago. The sher
iff is forbidden by law from dis
cussing the reasons for their dis
missals.
Sgt. Cecil Ard, who headed
the Community Oriented Police
program, also left the department
(See CHANGES, page 11 A)
Locklear, 18, Haire Road, were
sentenced on disorderly conduct
charges as was Denise McNeill,
22.
The case of Gene Bernard
Locklear, 17, Antioch Mobile
Home Park, was continued to
November 17 so that the court
could appoint him a lawyer. He
is charged with disorderly con
duct. The judge wanted him to
have counsel because of his age
and high school student status.
Curtis Locklear, 52, Mary Lee
Locklear, 50, and their daughter
Michelle Locklear, all of Pine
Tree Lane, have been charged
with assault on a government
official and disorderly conduct.
Their case was continued at the
request of their attorney, Greg
Thompson.
The charges followed an ar
gument between Rogers and
Raymond Locklear, who were
cursing and challenging each
other to a fight. Officers were
(See PARADE, page I2A)
Brittany Lynn Locklear, born October 14, 1992, died January 7, 1998.
(Contributed photo)
‘Barney’ was Brittany’s friend
By Pat Alien Wilson to become the family pet for the
Staff writer next four years.
Barney, a chow and shepherd
Three clays before Charles mix, wasjustapupw'hcnhe was
Chavis found Barney, his wife, picked up on U.S. Highway 401
Connie, remembers having a (L,aurinburg Road). “He was
dream about the animal that was (See BRITTANY, page 11 A)