The
ews
No. 1 Vol. 94
Visit us
on the web
www.thenews-journal.com
This week
Rest home gets
facelift^ new
management
page 1B
WHMS Winterguard
wins it all
page 4A
Johnny McKinnon
turns 109
page 10 A
Index
Births 3B
Business/Farm 5A
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 8-9B
Deaths 6A
Editorials 2-3A
Legals 6-7B
Public Record 4A
Religion 2 A
Social News 3B
School 10B
TV Listings 5-6B
Around Town
Fr-o’st
aWNHIt
By Sam C. Morris
Contributing Editor
Maybe the cold weather has
left us. I know that Raz Autry
will like this, but he still has to
worry about hail. Sunday af
ternoon there was hail the size
of golf balls in some parts of
the state. There was also winds
that blew down trees and
power lines. Harold Gillis was
telling me Monday morning
that his power was off for over
four hours. Clayton Buoyer
said there were trees down in
the Thomasfield subdivision.
1 haven’t heard wind make
this much noise since the last
hurricane. I haven’t had a
chance to find out if there was
any serious damage to prop
erty in the county.
The forecast for the remain
der of the week, Wednesday
through Saturday, calls for the
high Wednesday to be in the
60s and the low in the 50s. For
the remainder of the week the
highs will be in the 70s and
60s and the lows in the 50s and
60s. There is a chance of rain
on Wednesday and Thursday.
*****
Last week I mentioned two
people who sent money for
the City of Raeford Museum
Fund. Since then 1 have re
ceived two more checks, one
from James and Dodie Currie
and the other from John Reid
and Virginia Davis of Oxford.
The following letter was with
the check from John Reid:
“Dear Sam - We supported
the Hoke County Library,
Hoke County Rescue Squad,
(See AROUND, page 5A)
J oumal
' If it happened, it's news to us
50 cents
Wednesday, April 4, 2001
Deputy shot, men at large for 4 days
After pursuing robbery suspects and ramming their car, is shot repeatedly
By VicTORiANA Summers
Staff writer
“Scotland County deputy shot
at Park’s Grocery — shots fired
—fiveshots;officerdown!”blared
across Hoke police scanners
around noon last Friday. Inflicted
with multiple gunshot wounds
from two alleged burglars he
chased across the county line,
Major Dan Skamperle was re
ported in stable condition on Mon
day after undergoing surgery.
What witnesses said preceded
the alarming report was the “cold-
Supptcte holt up In houi
T,
blooded” shooting of Skamperle,
accompanied by a frantic air-
ground chase and tri-county
search for the men who allegedly
tried to kill him.
A massive four day manhunt
was conducted by the N.C. State
Bureau of Investigation and Scot
land Sheriffs Office to capture
4 tense
days in
Hoke
^ a
a'
.y.
Shoot doputy
'4,
\
Sunroof shoot-out stuns witnesses at country store
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
“They were shooting at the deputy from the
sunroof of their vehicle as he pursued them down
Highway 211 until they pulled off at Park’s Gro
cery,” said an eye witness to a macabre Hoke
shooting on Friday.
“It was almost like something you would watch
on TV, but this was real. The deputy did not appear
to be firing back at the men from his car because he
probably did not want to hurt any innocent people.
“If it was not for the deputy being so brave, we
could have all been taken hostages or probably
Hunt warns planning board
to heed correct acreage request
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
A request from Hoke’s Plan
ning Commission to reduce land
parcels from a minimum of 10
acres down to two and one half
that would have quadrupled land
use was axed by county com
missioners on Monday. It was
also the consensus of the plan
ning commission not to address
“road standards” in the proposed
text change, said County Plan
ner Linda Revels
In unanimous opposition, the
board denied the request report
edly spearheaded by realtor
Harold Brock, planning vice
chairman, that was approved at
the commission’s March meet
ing for the second time. In spite
of the topic not being announced
to the public when the agenda
was published. Brock asked the
commission to vote on the issue,
said Zoning Administrator
Donnie Bowen.
“1 would hate to think that
someone had a hundred acres of
Expo goodies
From left, Allie Wilson, Dustin Ellis and Chelsea Strickland of
Linda’s Child Care examine their pickin’s at the Hoke Expo, held
this past Wednesday. The event drew approximately 1, 100. See
related story, page 3A.
the “armed and dangerous” male
suspects described with “bushy
hair and messy clothes.” It ended
with the pair arrested and placed
behind bars on Monday.
After the two men surrendered
“peacefully” early Monday
morning in a wooded area off
Pittman Grove Church Road
where they were hiding for two
days, the SBI charged William
Glenn Barefoot and Timothy Lee
Jordan with the attempted mur-
(See SHOOTING, page 9A)
killed at the grocery store. Those two men shot that
deputy in cold blood.”
At least six witnesses observed suspects later
identified by the SBI as William Glenn Barefoot
and Timothy Lee Jordan. The pair allegedly at
tempted to murder Scotland deputy Major Dan
Skamperle, who was chasing them on suspicion of
robbery. The law officer was gunned down at
Park’s Grocery on Aberdeen Road after he delib
erately crashed into the back of the jeep four-wheel
drive driven by the men.
Two women and four men watched in horror at
Park’s country store as the two Fayetteville men
(See WITNESSES, page 9A)
Dejavu: Board
at odds on seat
2nd vote to replace McLaughlin fails
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
The chasm widened on Monday night as commissioners re
mained at a standstill in their choice of candidates to replace
Commissioner L.E. McLaughlin. Former Raeford City councilman
Clyde Thomas Jr. and retired school board chairman John D.
McAllister continue competing for one seat vacated after McLaughlin
died in February. With only 13 days left to decide upon filling the
vacant seat of McLaughlin who died of cancer in February, the
commissioners admitted they are equally divided in support of
Thomas and McAllister.
An overflowing assembly room of citizens listened as Commis
sion Vice Chairman Bobby Wright brought up the topic of voting on
a new commissioner for the second time. A split vote at their March
19 meeting created a stalemate in their positions.
“Last time, we had a rather heated discussion about this,” Wright
said. “Have any of the commissioners changed their mind?”
No one responded to Wright. However, Commissioner James A.
Leach asked Charlotte Kelly, Hoke’s Democratic Party chairman, to
present her case again.
“On March 15 our executive committee met to elect a Democrat
to fill the vacancy of Mr. McLaughlin,” Kelly said. “Please accept
our recommendation of Clyde A. Thomas, our recommendation.”
Leach requested a vote to accept Thomas as McLaughlin’s
successor. Leach and Commissioner Tony Hunt supported Thomas.
However, Wright and Commissioner Charles V. Daniels opposed
him. An echo of Wright and Daniels’ negative response was heard
as citizens, who were in support of McAllister, uttered, “No,” in
unison.
Then Daniels moved to approve McAllister as the new board
(See DE JA VU, page lOA)
land out near west Hoke and they
wanted to sell some tracts, but
they would have to sell as much
as 10 acres to one person in order
to deal with the ordinance,”
Brock told the planning com
mission last month. “The state
has all of a sudden found itself
eight million dollars in debt. All
of a sudden they are cutting back,
and Hoke County is going to be
cut back.”
According to Brock, the only
way for Hoke to pick up the loss
(See ACREAGE, page lOA)
Raleigh officer
accused of child
molestation here
BY Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Two Hoke children are the
alleged victims of sexual moles
tation, and a Raleigh Police Of
ficer has been subsequently
charged with the felony crime of
taking indecent liberties with
children. Thomas Boatman Jr.,
41, of Spruce Pine Circle, was
arrested last Wednesday for child
molestation and later released
from Hoke’s Detention Center
on a $10,000 secured bond, said
Sheriff Jim Davis.
Since September 1999, Davis
said. Boatman is suspected of
allegedly molesting his six and
nine-year-old step-granddaugh
ters at his Raeford residence.
Davis said Boatman appeared to
be maintaining dual residency in
(See MOLESTED, page lOA)
. ^
A resident looks at a downed tree on Barefoot Road in eastern Hoke.
Sunday’s winds send
trees, power lines crashing
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
It would seem nature has played tricks on us for some time now
with alternating cold and warm weather. However, warm and cold
air got together and managed an April Fool’s Day performance that
se'ht a thunderstorm roaring across Hoke County early in the after
noon.
The storm released lightning, rain, hail and winds that gusted to
53 miles per hour. Trees on power lines were the most serious
problem caused by winds, according to Hoke County Emergency
Management Coordinator A1 Schwarcbher.
Lumbee River EMC, which received the brunt of the damage,
received approximately 30 calls during the afternoon. Some area
residents retained power while others had their electricity off for
hours.
Hardest hit by the storm appeared to be a corridor that followed
U.S. Highway 401 North east and west, according to Schwarcber.
The first 911 call was a response to a two-vehicle accident in
western Hoke at the Five Points intersection. The pickup-station
wagon collision that occurred just as a tree crashed into a building
nearby left injuries. Moments later, a tree crashed into a car being
driven on Fulford McMillian Road; the driver was not injured.
A downed power line was reported at the Rockfish Rd./Hwy. 401
Business intersection, another vehicle accident with a minor injury
(See STORM, page 7A)