PROGRESS SENTINEL
VOL. XXXXVI1N0. 16 USPS 162-860 KENANSVILLE, NC 28349 16 PAGES THIS WEEK APRIL 19.1984 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
Close-Up Students Visit Mobile Crime Lab In
About 155 students from Duplin's 11th and 12th grades attended the Duplin
County Close Up session based on the James Sprunt Technical College
campus in Kenansville April 12 and 13. The Close Up sessions looked at
government, industry and business, law enforcement, agriculture, and
human resource services in Duplin County. The local Close Up was planned
, in coordination with the state and national program, Chairperson of the
; Duplin Close Up Planning Committee Shirlie Gaskins said. Along with tours
of the government offices of the Duplin Courthouse and the Kenansville
'P.'MnMBIMIHHkk. ?
Duplin
Correctional Center, the students visited the county sheriffs department
where a team from the State Bureau of Investigation displayed eauipment in
a mobile crime lab and explained its uses. Students are pictured above,
outside the Duplin County Sheriffs Department viewing crime lab
equipment. Close Dp also featured session with officials from the areas of
study in the program. The biennial Close Up is scheduled again for 1986 and
the 1984 event is the second held in Duplin County.
Guilty Verdict Returned
Woman Denies Killing Child
( Pearl West screamed and broke
i into tears Saturday when a jury
found her guilty of smothering a
2-year-old boy Feb. 9.
The child, Jason Lamar Fillyow,
was the son of a woman having an
affair with Mrs. West's husband, the
Rev. Carlton West, according to
testimony in a preliminary hearing.
A jury of 10 women and two men
pronounced Mrs. West, of Warsaw,
guilty of second-degree murder
about 1 p.m. The jurors deliberated
? 11 Vi hours Friday and Saturday.
Mrs. West, who is black, was
convicted by a jury of 11 whites and
one black.
Mrs. West was taken to the
judge's chambers for about 10
minutes. She was quieted by her
attorney, Gary Trawick of Burgaw.
Superior Court Judge Mary M.
Pope recessed court for an hour.
When court resumed at 2 p.m., Mrs.
West stood quietly as Judge Pope
sentenced her to 25 years in prison.
The minimum term for second
degree murder is 15 years in prison,
according to the state's presumptive
sentencing law. Judge Pope said she
increased the term by 10 years
because of the victim's age.
Mrs. West's outburst at the guilty
verdict triggered crying among
ffiends and relatives in the Kenans
ville courtroom.
"Sheriff, if these people don't
quiet down, remove them from the
courtroom," Judge Pope said. The
crying was stilled, but sobs could
still be heard from the gallery.
Duplin County Sheriff T. Elwood"
Revelle said Mrs. West, in her
mid-30s, caused no problems for
deputies. She was taken to the
Duplin County Jail and then to the
Women's Correctional Center in
Raleigh.
She filed an appear, seeking
review of the case by the N.C. Court
of Appeals. Judge Pope refused to
free Mrs. West on bond pending the
appeals court hearing.
Judge Pope said this was her first
criminal trial since being appointed
to the bench. She is the third woman
to be named a N.C. Superior Court
judge. The first was Judge Susie
Sharpe who later became the first
woman judge of the state Supreme
Court. The second was the late
Winnifred Wells of Wallace.
Jury selection was completed
Tuesday and testimony began Wed
nesday in the trial.
Pearl West, testified Thursday
that she did not harm nor kill the
child.
Mrs. West testified Thursday that
she was unable to rouse the boy after
she found him under a closet door
that fell onto a bed. The door fell,
she said, when the boy's mother
came out of the closet in which she
had been hiding.
Mrs. West told the court that on
Feb. 9 she telephoned West from
Warsaw and told him she was in
Washington, D.C. She testified he
told her he was hungry and had no
money, so she drove back to
Wallace, stopping in a neighbor's
yard before walking to her house.
She entered through the side door,
she said, walked down a hall toward
the bedrooms and saw her husband.
She said he asked, "What are you
doing here?"
She said he grabbed her arm and
wouldn't let her pass. She said she
kicked open the door to the television
room and saw the child watching
television. She and her husband
"tussled" and she fell, she said.
The child tried to run past the
struggling couple, she said, but she
grabbec him. She said West told her
to let the boy go. She said she told
him she would let the child go if
West released her. He let her go and
she. ;.i turn, let the child go, she
said. West then pushed her down,
she said.
Mrs. West testified she got past
her husband and opened their bed
room door. She said she saw a
woman's coat on the bed and knew a
woman was !n the house.
Mrs. West said she thought the
woman might be hiding in the closet,
so she started to slide the door
open. She said Mrs. Fillyow dashed
out, knocking the door and Mrs.
West down.
She testified the door fell against
the bed.
Mrs. West testified the woman
and West fled into nearby woods.
Mrs. West returned to the hall and
bedroom to get her car keys and
house keys.
She testified she lifted the door
from the bed and saw the child lying
on the bed. She called him twice and
then shook him, but he did not
repsond, according to her testimony.
She drove then to Goldsboro. slept
for a whiler and then drove to her
preacher's house in Washington,
D.C., arriving about 7:30 a.m. Feb.
10. After learning she was wanted in
connection with the boy's death, she
returned to Duplin County that night
and surrendered to sheriff's
deputies, she said.
West refused to testify Thursday,
saying he could not be forced to
testify against his wife. Judge Pope
agreed, but directed a deputy to read
West's testimony during the pre
liminary hearing.
In that testimony, he admitted to
having an affair with Mrs. Fillyow.
He said Mrs. West returned home
unexpectedly and in a violent rage
when Mrs. Fillyow was in the house
with him.
His testimony indicated he and the
woman fled. He said in the state
ment that he thought the child had
escaped, but when they returned to
the house, Mrs. West was gone and
the child was dead.
Budget Revisions Encouraged
At Goshen Medical Center
A revision of the Goshen Medical
Center budget was suggested to the
Board of Directors during the April
. 10th meeting.' The revisions would
* ? reflect income loss due to staff
changes at the medical center in
Faison.
Terry McDaniels of the Atlanta.
Ga., office of Grants Management
told Goshen Medica! Center Di
rectors the health facility budget
needed revisions resulting from the
loss of a full-time physician which
would reduce fees collection income.
Under the medical center budget 60 (
patient encounters are needed per
^ day at Goshen. With other health
care providers, such as the physician
assistant and dentist, full-time and
part-time medical doctor positions
are slotted within the medical center
budget to treat the needed 60
tucounters a day. Goshen Adminis
trator Bob Hauck stated a. me
Tuesday night meeting the center is
only two to four days behind the
required encounters needed to meet
the budget.
Goshen, a federally funded health
care facility, receives monies allo
cated to dental and medical services
for migrant workers and McDaniels
encouraged directors to plan ex
tended evening hours, an outreach
program and treatment follow-up
activities during the summer season
for the migrant population. Accord
ing to McDaniels, funds for hiring
additional personnel to work evening
hours during* the migrant season
would be provided in the grant
monies. However, he cautioned
directors that federal grant funds
could not be used to pay overtime
wages to any employee of the
medical center.
McDaniels also requested the re
structuring of Goshen's grant appli
cation for health care and disease
prevention among the elderly. The
application is for $25,000 and will be
effective July 1, if awarded Goshen.
Goshen employee Pam King ap
peared before the directors request- '
ing a time clock be installed. King
told directors a majority of the staff
had requested a time clock during a
meeting of the Goshen employees
April 10. Directors agreed to carry
out their original decision to pur
chase and install a time clock.
According to the directors, only
employees subject to overtime pay
ments will be required to punch in
and out on the time clock. Members
of the staff such as the adminis
trator, family counselor, physicians
and dentist are not subject to
overtime payments.
King also requested the staff
Uivi.i payment ot overtime
approved by the directors in Feb
ruary. The overtime totalling
approximately $1,000 was instructed
to be paid on the next pay period.
The staff suggestion for extended
evening hours of service at Goshen
Medical Center was presented to the
directors by King. The medical staff
proposed Goshen serve the public by
staying open Monday and Wednes
day nights until 8 p.m. Dentist Bill
Stoppelbein appeared before the
directors suggesting the dental wing
be open one night a week until 8
p.m. The directors referred the sug
gestions to a committee of Board
members for a recommendation in
the May meeting.
Goshen Director Frances Parks
submitted a letter of resignation
from the Board effective April 10.
The directors unanimously accepted
the letter of resignation from Parks.
Wallace To Buy Pumps For Treatment Plant
l he town board Thursday night
authorized purchase of two pumps
I for its sewage treatment plant at an
estimated cost of $7,200.
The pumps will be bought from
. Charles R. Underwood of Sanford,
|
who has been keeping them in
repair. The pumps are considered
worn out.
Henry von Oesen & Associates of
Wilmington, the engineering firm
that has developed plaos for the
town sewage treatment plant im
provements, was rehired to supers
vise and administer the work and
supply whatever engineering studies
are needed for a fee of S69.614.31.
In other business, the board
agreed to have the League of
Municipalities do a town job classi
fication study at a cost of $4,022.
4
Relief Official Can't
Confirm Theft Report
Hiram Brinson. Duplin County
emergency services director, said
Friday he found no evidence of
volunteer workers stealing items
from the area tornado relief ware
house in Wallace.
Brinson said he investigated alle
gations made Thursday night in a
New Bern television news program
to the effect that large amounts of
donated tornado relief material was
being taken by workers.
"No one I talked with had any idea
of such happenings." Brinson said.
"We have a huge amount of clothing
in the warehouse. Three hundred
people have signed in to help sort the
clothes and other items."
Wallace Rescue Squad Captain
Dulan Murray said, "I'm as dumb
about this as anybody. I simply don't
know anything about it."
He referred questions to Brinson,
who is in charge of the center.
Brinson said the source of the
allegations was unidentified.
He said truckloads of clothing
have been sent to tornado relief
centers at Faison and Calypso and a
military truckload to the center at
Maxton.
Brinson said a rumor might have
started out of volunteers picking out
items needed at their centers, refer
ring to Sunday when Calypso Rescue
Squad members picked up a truck
load to distribute from the Calypso
relief center.
"There's no way we can take an
inventory," he said, "We had 10
tractor trailer-loads brought in here.
Nothing was signed in or out. I told
the volunteers to sort out the stuff
that's no good and put it in a big box
for disposal."
He said the relief centers in other
disaster area counties tell him they
all have more than enough clothing.
' We all need more furniture and
household goods for these people as
they begin to get in'o housing," he
added.
Duplin County Sheriffs Deputy
Glen Jernigan said Friday. "I got an
anonymous phone call and was given
five names, which I'll look into. I feel
real bad about it. but even if those
five did take something, there arc
300 volunteers who signed up to help
out. The real story is in those 295 and
I don't have any idea if the five took
anything."
Warsaw Board
Tries To
Answer Questions
One Warsaw resident said she
understood but was unhappy about
paying for water she doesn't use and
another said it appeared he was
getting a run-around on his request
to locate a mobile home in the town.
T':ey appeared before the town
board of commissioners last week to
seek satisfaction.
Sally Kornegay asked why she has
to pay a minimum water and sewer
bill of $13.50 a month when she has
her own well and septic tank and her
home is not connected to the town
system.
"I don't know why I'm paying for
s -tnething that I'm not getting any
use out of," she said.
Garrett Ludlum, town attorney,
replied: "If the system goes by your
house you don't have to hook up, but
it is available and the town ordinance
says while you don't have to hook up
you have to pay the minimum bill.
This is done to enable the town to
support the system. The system
must be self-supporting.''
If no payment were required some
people would put in their own
systems and soon no one would have
a good water or sewer system, he.
said.
Peewee Girfftn said it seems to
him he is getting a run-around from
town agencies. He wants to move a
mobile home to a lot on Front Street
that is zoned for business. The only
place a mobile home can be placed in
town is in an R-6 residential zone.
He said he had asked for a
variance and had been denied. He
then had asked the planning board to
rezone his property. He said the
planning board told him to come to
the town board.
Town Commissioner Walter
Foster said: "While it app< ars you
: get ting a tin-around, it is a
process that must be done. For the
town board to do anything, we need
a recommendation from the planning
board. A hearing will have to be
held."
Griffin has a petition, signed by
landowners of the area, saying it
would be all right with them for him
to place his mobile home on the lot in
question.
Jay Garity asked the board to do
something about an eroding drain
age ditch beside his mother's house
on Bell Street.
Larry Simmons, public works
supervisor, wasdirected to study the
matter and determine the cost of
checking the erosion.
The board is preparing an applica
tion for $750,000 in a community
development block grant from the
state which administers the federally
financed program. It wants $500,000
for housing repair and $250,000 for
drainage.
The board declared a 1%8 Ford
van surplus property. Bids will be
received on the vehicle until noon
April 23 when they will be opened in
the clerk's office.
Farming In Duplin
If you ever dreamed of being a
farmer in Duplin County, the re
cently released 1982 Census on
Agriculture indicates you would be
age 51 and operating a 134-acre
farm.
While Duplin has farms ranging in
size of less than 10 to more than
2,000 acres, the average for the
county's total 1,857 f',rms is 134. The
largest category size for Duplin
farms is 50 to 179 acres. According to
census information, a farm is defined
as any place from which SI,000 or
more of agricultural products is sold.
By census definition, Duplin Agri
cultural Extension Service Director
Lois Britt says many people retired
or working other jobs with as little as
three acres of cucumbers or 10 acres
of corn would be classified as a
farmer.
While the age of 51 years is the
average of Duplin farmers, Britt
stated that factors like retired people
tending small acreages and father/
son operations are not taken into
account when determining the
average age. A percentage of 65 of
the total operators reported the farm
as their principal occupation in the
1982 census.
In recent years, however, Britt
said, the Extension Service in Duplin
has placed a special emphasis on
working with the young farmer.
Today more than 250 farmers 35
years and younger are on the Duplin
Extension Service mailing lists.
"In "our minds, there are more
young farmers in Duplin today,"
Britt said. "And. we are glad to have
the large number of older farmers
because at the age of 50-60 these
men represent a stability in agri
culture and offer invaluable
guidance for the young farmers."
While the number of farms de
creased in Duplin by 386 from 1978,
the total cropland harvested in
creased by 4,620 acres in 1982. The
census also shows the average gross
farm income at $11,835, up more
than $3,000 from 1978. Along with
the rise in farm income came the
increase in production expenses such
as fertilizer and agricultural
chemicals which are up $4,000 from
1978 to 1982.
According to the agriculture cen
sus. the majority of Duplin farms are
family or individual operations.
Since 1978 more than 300 of the
family or individual farms have
disappeared while the acreage re
mains nearly the same for the total
number of these type operations.
Today Duplin has 200,618 acres in its
1,646 family or individual farm
operations.
Duplin farmers sold $207.7 million
in agricultural produces according to
preliminary reports from the 1982
Census of Agriculture. The census
reports that $56 million or 27 percent
of the total farm sales were from
crops while $151.7 million or 73
percent came from the sale of
livestock, poultry and their products.
Agricultural products along with
production expenses have increased,
but so has the value of Duplin farms.
Since 1978. Duplin farms have risen
in value, including houses and
agricultural buildings, more than
$35,000. The average Duplin farm
and buildings are worth $167,161
according to the 1982 Census on
Agriculture.
? :J