THE NEWS-JOURNAL
Raefiird, N.C.
October 9,2002
Sales tax
(Continued from page lA)
Wood and comm issioners trimmed
the county’s budget last year to $20
million, balancing it despite a state
shortfall and additional Medicaid costs
to Hoke.
Other topics
The board tabled decisions again
about increasing building inspection
fees, enforcing fire inspection fees
already approved, and new rates for
potential sewer users on the U S. 401
Highway commercial corridor. They
will hold a workshop next Tuesday
morning at 8 a.m. to discuss proposed
rates.
Linda Revels, clerk to the board,
said Hoke’s proposed increased fees
for inspections are comparable to sur
rounding counties such as Cumber
land, Scotland and Harnett.
However, Hoke developer Ralph
Huff of H&H Constructors Inc. in
Cumberland County cautioned the
board about raising inspection fees.
Huff is a former Raeford resident.
“1 think you can drive develop
ment away from Hoke with our fees,”
Huff said. “If you raise the fees sig
nificantly high, you will affect the
growth.
“I have built 63 houses in Hoke
this year, averaging $148,500 per
house on the price. It is putting tax
dollars on the books.”
Commissioner Bobby Wright
thanked Huff for his input.
“I do not see why the county and
the builders cannot work together,”
Wright said. “We would like to invite
you to our workshop to hear what you
think.”
Write-in commissioner candidate
Freddie McPhaul echoed Huff’s plea
for encouraging development.
“We are not a poor county,”
McPhaul said. "We are a misman
aged county.
“Do not chase youi* money away.
Think about it before you make these
increases. If you raise fees, you will
lose money. You will lose the people
that are paying the taxes.”
The commissioners are concerned
now that the Highway 401 sewer
project is completed that the only
major customer is Federal Express.
The board is considering the pros and
consof making the sewer service avail
able for more residential use.
Huff said he would like clarifica
tion about residential rates because he
could plan for future building projects.
Commissioner Charles V. Daniels
said the county is "on a I imb” to repay
the debt for the project.
“We have costs,” Daniels said.
Executive Director Donald Porter
of the Raeford Hoke Economic De
velopment board reminded commis
sioners that the 4011 nterceptor Sewer
project was intended primarily to pro
mote commercial development.
“It is a giant step, and we are about
to leave a legacy for our grandchil
dren,” Porter said. "1 think it is appro
priate that we put this in perspective.
“You, (the late commissioner) Mr.
L.E. McLaughlin, and the board
passed this project. $1.2 million is a
lot of money, but we are working as
hard as we can to see it (commercial
growth).”
• Libertarian commissioner candi
date Pete Camp expressed concern
over the board not charging for fire
inspection fees. He said fees collected
could help pay the salary of Hoke fire
marshal Al Schwarcbher.
"The fire inspection fees were
passed back in 1992, but the county
has never enforced the fees,” Camp
said.
Camp also urged commissioners
during public comments to adopt a
policy for the Hoke Utilities Depart
ment. He said Utility officials need to
offer a payment plan for water cus
tomers who are unable to pay on time
because of hardships.
The board did not comment, but
may consider his request for possible
future action.
• Assistant Finance Director Scott
Edwards presented a status report to
the board on updating the county’s
computer hardware and software sys
tems. He said a three-month study
currently being conducted by the In
stitute of Government at the Univer
sity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
is halfway completed. It will help to
streamline policies and operations of
the county that may be duplicated, he
added.
• Mary Davis Patterson and Chris
tina Davis McCoy, mother and sister
of Sheriff Jim Davis, presented a pe
tition to the board, protesting the op
eration of Jodie’s Lounge near homes
on Highway 401. They alleged a tem
porary sign is still blinking that was
due to be removed, violating the
county’s sign ordinance.
According to them, the business is
not complying with the rezoning of
that area that only allows business
such as a restaurant or a barber shop.
"In the definition of a lounge, you
are either going to lay back or sit
back,” Patterson said. “401Truck Stop
signs are always up and trucks are
parked knee deep.
“We are not questioning Mr.
(Quinn) Swarthout’s integrity. We are
just concerned about our welfare.”
Afterward, Swartout said the name
of his restaurant is officially Jodie’s
401 Cafe. He said he does not serve
any alcoholic beverages on the pre
mises. He also denied the parking lot
is knee-deep with trucking custom
ers.
“1 am a struggling business,”
Swartout said. “We are trying to in
crease our business. I have been ha
rassed by these people for no reason.
I only serve food in our restaurant,
and 1 cater to weddings or family
events.
"My restaurant is safe, affordable,
and 1 am not going to be run away. 1
only want to get along with every
body.”
Drug
(Continued from page I A)
pitalized, reportedly first contracted
meningitis about two months ago. An
elderly Arabia man, who was report
edly released from an area hospital,
also was infected with meningitis.
Both allegedly received pain-suppres
sant shots from one of several medi
cal facilities in the region. Another
Dundarrach resident may have also
been treated by a pain inoculation at
an out-of-county clinic. They are re
portedly among about 500 people who
were given the injections in an adja
cent county. It is unknown if other
Hoke residents may have received the
shots for pain.
Local families of those suffering
from the disease declined to comment
if there could be any suspected link
between the injections and the subse
quent contraction of the meningitis.
“Three patients treated at pain clin
ics in North Carolina have developed
meningitis in the last two months due
to a contaminated batch of the drug
methylprednisolone,” said Debbie
Crane, director of N.C. Department
of Health’s public affairs office in a
statement. “One of the patients has
died.
“A fourth case is under investiga
tion.”
According to state health officials,
FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital
Pain Clinic in Pinehurst, Wayne Me
morial Hospital in Goldsboro, and
Johnston Pain Management in Jack
sonville allegedly received shipments
of the tainted drugs. The drug supply
was not used at Moore Regional, but
was limited only to the hospital’s pain
clinic, the health officials added.
Engel said a South Carolina phar
macy manufactured the suspect drug.
He said it was ordered by the federal
Center for Disease Control in Atlanta
to halt manufacture of methylpred
nisolone. He said 4( K) vials w ere seized
in the facility, and others already dis
tributed were recalled.
"The only common thread appears
to be the drug,” Engel said. “We think
the most plausible explanation was
the organism was introduced by the
needle of a contaminated drug prod
uct.
"Absolutely, the spread of the con
tamination could likely have contin
ued if the drug vials had not been
confiscated.”
He said the Moore County victim
was transferred from Moore Regional
to Duke University Medical Center.
Her Duke physician reportedly traced
the origin ofthe disease after she died.
The doctor compared her spinal fluid
with that of another patient being
treated at Pitt Memorial Hospital in
Greenville.
He diagnosed the link between the
two, Engel added.
“We are guiding the investigation
Qieck our calendar to find out what's
going on in and around Hoke County
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MePhatter
(Continued from page I A)
The state’s revenue department
charged MePhatter with four felony
counts of tax dodging that allegedly
occurred between 1997-2000. Con
tained in the indictment documents
are allegations that MePhatter under
stated her income. Among the dates
listed when she allegedly.attempted
to evade payment of taxes were: On
or about June 17, 1999; August 15,
1999; March 26, 2000; and April 15,
2000.
A spokesman from the state’s rev
enue department said no specific
amount of taxes allegedly owed by
MePhatter is listed in the indictments
or public records avai IabIe, accord i ng
to Borden.
MePhatter, of I’hillipi (’hurch
Road, was initially served a warrtmt
by investigators from the N.(’. De
partment of Revenue and released
after paying a $5,000 seen red bond on
August 20.
State Attorney Rudy Renter of the
Attorney General’s Office is pros
ecuting MePhatter on the tax evasion
allegations. Special investigator
Jocelyn Andrews is credited with su
pervising the probe for the state’s
revenue division.
The state’s warrant was delivered
to MePhatter shortly after she was
served with the separate warrant on
August 19on allegations of emb 'Z/le-
ment of county funds. She surren
dered to the State Bureau of Investi
gation, and was released by a Hoke
magistrate after paying a $100,000
secured bond on the embezzlement
Bernice MePhatter
charges.
District Attorney Kristy M. New
ton announced that MePhatter was
eharged with two counts of felony
e m be zz I e m e n t an d 64 cou ti t s o 11 o rg-
ery. Included were $246,247 in what
Newton alleged was "straight theft”
and $23,000 in alleged unauthorized
travel stipends.
MePhatter is also repre.sented by
riiompson in the separate embezzle
ment case, rhomp.son did not return
a telehone inquiry requesting com
ments on Monday. MePhatter was
not avaihible for comment.
New ton has not yet announced a
court schedule on hearings in the
embezzlement allegations. Newton
was unsure if the case would be
prosecuted in Hoke or transferred to
another county. However, New'ton
said she would remain the prosecut
ing attorney even if the location of
the trial is switched.
Newton said MePhatter faces man
datory prison sentences for the two
embezzlement charges. Each count
could carry a penalty from three to 10
years in the North Carolina Depart
ment of Correction.
MePhatter resigned in October
2001 under suspicion of embezzle
ment, earning a salary of $80,000
annually. She was employed by the
county from 1980, but had not ac
crued enough tenure to retire when
she left last year.
In 1994, MePhatter was promoted
to assistant finance director and then
named fintince director in 1995. After
county manager Mike Wood left,
MePhatter was briefly appointed in
terim county manager. In 1998, the
board of commissioners named her
county manager. MePhatter also re
tained her position as finance direc
tor.
She continued in the dual roles
until assistant finance director Shirley
Rush was promoted to finance direc
tor in July 2000.
Rush, a 25-year county veteran,
was also indicted in August on one
felony count of "assessory after the
fact” in the embezzlement. She was
recently suspended without pay after
serving temporarily as assistant trans
portation director until the SBl inves
tigation was concluded in August.
Wood was rehired as county man
ager in 2002, and Scott Edwards, new
assistant finance director, is currently
supervising the finance depart
ment.
in North Carolina,” Engel said. “The
clinics involved are instructing if any
symptoms are observed for people to
go see their doctor immediately.
“These shots are part of a very
common procedure done near a nerve
root on the spinal cord to alleviate
pain. It would be routine under nor
mal circumstances.”
Engel said the pharmacy was a
“compounding pharmacy” that is not
regulated by the Federal Drug Ad
ministration like larger pharmaceuti
cal companies.
“These pharmacies mix up smaller
batches of drugs that may be in short
supply,” he said. “This particular drug
was listed in short supply by the FDA.”
State health officials advised that
patients who may have been infected
through an injection into other parts
of their body, such as their knee or
other joint, may experience symp
toms of a localized infection. The
signs may include: Pain; redness; a
joint that is hot to the touch; swelling;
and difficulty with movement of the
joint.
“It is possible that new cases may
develop well into November,” Crane
said. “Patients who received spinal
injections of the contaminated drug
may experience the symptoms of
meningitis such as severe headache,
fever, stiff neck, vomiting and wors
ening back pain.”
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