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No. 44 Vol. 95
Raeford & k
Wednesday; January 22, 2003
County’s audit late, shows $1.1 million deficit
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
The Hoke County audit for the fiscal
year ending last June 30 — normally
presented in November — was pre
sented to the county commissioners last
night. It indicated a $ 1.1 million deficit,
according to auditor Ty Cox, partner in
Cox, Gibbs and Thomas in Durham. His
firm was hired last year to replace
Raeford CPA Frank Baker.
Cox’s audit was also delivered after
the deadline required by state auditors
at the Local Government Commission.
“The county’s audited financial state
ments were not received by our office
until December 12,2002, well after the
due date of October 31,2002,” said Ren
Wiles, assistant director of the LGC in
the Department of State Treasurer, in a
letter sent to the county dated December
31, 2002. “Although late, this was a
considerable improvement over the pre
vious year’s statements which were not
received until February of the following
year.”
In last night’s presentation, the tardi
ness of the audit was not mentioned
specifically by Cox..
The report showed the deficit last
year was because of the state withhold-
ing revenue reimbursements of
$396,000. Reduced investment income
accounted for another $270,000 loss.
The Hoke County Sheriff’s Office, un
der former sheriff Jim Davis, also over
spent its budget by approximately
$106,000, the audit revealed.
Noted in the combined balance sheet
for Hoke, the general fund balance was
listed as $6.1 million. Of those funds,
only $3.4 million represented funds not
earmarked for projects or spending.
Commissioners said after the meet
ing they were unaware and never ad
vised by their administration that the
audit had not complied with the state’s
timetable. Commission Chairman
(See AUDIT, page lOA)
William Glenn Barefoot (right), convicted of attempted murder, hears indictments against him for the kidnapping of Hoke
businessman Richard Allen.
Felons face new charges in crime spree
By Vk roRiANA Summers
Staff writer
Convicted felons Timothy Lee Jor
dan and William Glenn Barefoot were
back in court last Thursday handcuffed,
wearingbasicorange. After being found
guilty of attempted murder last Octo
ber, they appeared in a locked Hoke
courtroom, without spectators, and pre
sided over by Superior Judge B. Craig
Ellis. A grand jury handed down addi
tional criminal indictmentsagainstthem
relating to the robbery and kidnapping
of Richard Allen on March 13, 2001,
said District Attorney Kristy M. New
ton.
“Mr. Jordan and Mr. Barefoot were
each brought in separately to the court
room to hear the indictments,” Newton
said. “They are currently serving sen
tences in state prison for the shooting of
Major Dan Skamperle of the Scotland
County Sheriff’s Office that occurred in
Hoke County.”
Allen, 70 at the time, was one of the
first victims of the outlaws in their vio
lent armed robberies across Hoke,
Robeson and Moore counties, where
they left homes like “war zones.” Allen
was a key witness at Barefoot’s and
Jordan’s trial last year. They were con
victed of attempted murder following
incidents Newton called a “reign of ter
ror.”
The recent charges filed against Bare
foot and Jordan in connection with Allen
are assault with a deadly weapon with
intent to kill, second-degree kidnap
ping, robbery with adangerous weapon,
attempting to break and enter a motor
(See NEW CHARGES, page lOA)
MePhatter’s tax case
goes to trial Monday
Embezzlement charges to be tried later
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Former Hoke County manager
Bernice MePhatter’s trial on four
counts of income tax evastion is
scheduled for Monday, according to
the N.C. Revenue Dept. An October
trial date was postponed in order for
MePhatter’s attorney to review the
state’s documents.
MePhatter is being prosecuted by
State Attorney Rudy Renfer of the
N.C. Attorney General’s Office. A
spokesman from the Wake clerk of
court’s office said Raeford Attorney
Gregory Thompson remains
MePhatter’s attorney of record.
Monday’strial will take place in Wake
County Superior Court in Raleigh at
9:30 a.m.
Special investigator Jocelyn
Andrews supervised the nearly six-
month probe against MePhatter for
the state’s revenue department.
Accordingtothe criminal division
of the state income tax division,
MePhatter allegedly failed to dis
closed all of her income between
1997-2000. Contained in the indict
ment docu
ments are alle
gations that she
attempted to
evade payment
of taxes on or
about June 17,
1999; August
15, 1999;
March 26,
2000; and April
15, 2000 Bernice MePhatter
MePhatter, 46, resigned as county
manager in October 2001 under suspi
cion of county embezzlement. She was
served separate warrants on August
19,2002 by the State Bureau of Inves
tigation for allegedly embezzling
$269,000 of county funds.
District Attorney Kristy Newton an
nounced a Hoke Grand Jury handed
down two counts of felonv embezzle
ment and 64 counts of forgery. After
surrendering to the SBI on the local
embezzlement charges, MePhatter paid
a $100,000 secured bond in order to
remain out of jail.
She is still awaiting trial on the
embezzlement case. Newton said last
(See MCPHATTER, page lOA)
U-*"
Series of blazes
hits Hoke
page 3A
Civic League
keeps King's legacy
page 4A
Hoke native A&T's
head football coach
page 9 A
Anniversaries 3B
Births 3B
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 5B
Deaths 5A
Editorials 2A
Legals 4B
Public Record 5A
Religion 7A
Schools 2B,6B
Socials 3B
Sports 8-9A
Weddings 3B
Hoke’s top stories
are on the web
www.thenews-journal.com
/
Shown from left, Sgt. Darin Bronson and Bruce Carpenter, forensic technician for the Hoke Sheriffs
Office, Raeford PD Greg Thomas, and SBI agent Melissa Jeffries view a footprint impression.
Schools, volunteers devise gang presentation
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
Even though gangs may be a sign of the times,
Hoke School Superintendent Allen Strickland told
the Board of Education the Hoke-Raeford Gang
Task Force has cultivated methods to put a stop to
illegal gang activity before students can be re
cruited. Comprised of law enforcement, parents,
school administrators and volunteers, the local
task force has recently completed a draft of a
training presentation that will be available to the
community, according to Strickland.
“This presentation will be used in our commu
nities and our .schools to heighten awareness of the
signs of gang activity, recognizing and preventing
gang violence,” Strickland said. “This initiative
started with our late school superintendent Mitch
Tyler and has continued with the Sheriff’s Office
and the Raeford Police Department.
“They are very much aware of the activities
going on in our county. They keep up with people
going and coming out of the county from areas
such as California to recruit here. The Hispanic
communities are also beginning to organize gang
groups — particularly in Robeson County. “
Strickland said for more than a year the local
gang task force has been meeting. It includes
members of the Hoke Juvenile Crime Prevention
(See GANGS, page 4A)
SBI agent Melissa Jeffries (center) displays fingerprint powder with
Murdock McLaurin and John Joseph.
Officers get free training
in investigative techniques
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
“Guess what comes in a pizza box that you cannot eat?” says
forensics specialist Melissa Jeffries, an agent with the State Bureau
of Investigation. “Paraffin paper. This stuff is great to preserve a
footprint — especially if somebody kicked down a door.
“Just tape it down in a pizza box — after you get the print — to
store it.”
Raeford Police detective Greg Thomas responds, “Yes, but do you
deliver in 30 minutes?”
Jeffries laughs then turns serious.
“You bet I c^ — especially if a homicide is involved,” Jeffries
says to a class of law officers. “Where did 1 go? What did I do? What
did I touch? These are some of the things to remember at a crime
scene.”
Jeffries’ cryptic comments and crime processing tips came as she
conducted in-service training for law enforcement last week in
Raeford. Detectives, officers and deputies from the Hoke Sheriff’s
Office and the Raeford Police Department participated in the intio
ductory class.
(See OFFICERS TRAINED, page 7A) '