Cour
BY TERRY POPE
Brunswick County Coroner
Thomas Gilbert IV and his wife, Linda
H. Gilbert, have been charged
with various violations by the N.C.
Cemetery Commission involving the
operation of their business, the Cape
Fear Memorial Gardens in
Qniithnnt-f
uuu"*
William M. Gladden III, administrator
of the N.C. Cemetery
Commission, filed the charges in
Brunswick County District Court last
Thursday. According to the warrants
filed, the Gilberts are charged with
failing to make monthly financial
reports to the commission, failing to
i
HOBG & SONS
SPRINGPORT
m m !
Vulome 22. Number 22
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IB&e .
*****
^BgfejH9aL-8HI!v^ * 2L3>^BMB^BrJvW9?
** 7 i
GUNPOWDER DRY conditions pushed
this week across Brunswick County und
tinucs on all open burning.
'A TRUST VIOLATED'
Shallotte E
Fires Polio
BY SUSAN USHER p
Shallotte began looking for a new Ji
police chief last week after aldermen a
fired John Wayne Campbell by a o
unanimous vote Wednesday night. g
At least sr.e beard member ir
privately described the situation p
leading to Campbell's dismissal as s?
"a trust violated." a
Campbell had apparently secretly
taped a March 14 meeting betw een he w
and Mayor Beamon Hewett. h
Aldermen talked about what n
Mayor Hewett called 'sort of a
delicate matter" behind closed doors e
for 1 li hours before returning to open a
session. tl
After a statement by the mayor, h
there was a long pause before Mavor C
Pro Tern Paul Wayne Reeves made tl
the motion. k
Calling it a ' tough thing to have to h
do," Hooves said, i have to make a
motion we terminate the chief s pay- s
Hon?or the chief in thai pusitlon. it
Board members, most looking as b
though the) were under severe emo u
banal distress, supported the motion *
unanimously later, they expressed n
regret for having to dismiss Camp- n
bell He is the second police chief w
dismissed by the board within a twoyear
period. Mayor Hewett will act ti
as police chief until a successor to ti
Campbell is hired
Campbell, who had worked n
previously with the Lew Coomy
Sheriff s Department, assumed the u
chief s position on August 1.19? His
ity Coroner
pay fees to the commission for grave
spaces and crypts sold to individuals
and failing to make deposits from the
sale of grave spaces or crypts into
perpetual care funds or required
trust accounts.
Gilbert, as co-owner and general
manager of the Cape Fear Cemetery
Corporation, and Linda Gilbert,
president of the corporation, have
each been charged with six violations
of the N.C. Cemetery Act.
All oKoraoc tn?in? ! 1
.... ^nu.evd iav.mg utc cuujjiu are
misdemeanors, punishable by fines
or imprisonment as determined by
the court. A court date has been set
for April 17 in Brunswick County
? * s"./?
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Shnllottfi. N
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vo
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fire danger levels to their highest ^
all of North Carolina. A ban conm
to
ar
rii
is
ba
kxird w
e Chief ?
redecessor, Hoyal "Red" Vamam
r., was fired the previous March
fler being indicted on federal drug (
mspiracv charges. He later pleaded
uilty to conspiring to possess with ,
stent to distribute 1,100 to 1.400 '
ounds of marijuana. He was
?nfenced to three years in prison
nd fined $10,000.
Hewett had suspended Campbell
ith pay as of March 25, pending a
earing before the board at its
see ting.
At Wednesday's meeting?attendd
by the media. Campbell's family
no officers and former officers of
le police department, Hewett gave
is account of what had happened
ampbell did not comment during
le open portion of the meeting, and
ft quickly afterwards, shrugging
is hands as he said. "No comment"
Hewett earlier had said he
nspended Campbell because of an
KKjem that occurred on ibe l?s,
ut that he did not become aware of
ntil a week later That was when he
as given the tape made of that
leetmg with the chief Hewett would
ot reveal the identity of the person
ho brought turn the tape
"In that particular meeting I asked
* chief if he had ever bugged any of
* police cars. He said he never had
"At that very meeting, unknown to
*. he was taping that meeting "
sternal problems in Use police I
(See TAPE. Pa?e t-A i |_
Faces Cem
District Court.
Both were placed under arrest last
Thursday by Sheriff John Carr Davis
and released without bond. The
charges are the result of an investigation
by U?e coiiunission of
violations that occurred "over a
period of months," Gladden said. "I
don't even have the dollar amounts,
but there were quite a few people in
the Southport area that bought plots
that were affected."
Gilbert was licensed by the commission
to operate the cemetery on
N.C. 211 south of Southport in
December 1981. Under the N.C.
General Statutes, cemeteries are re
1NJSWI
orth Carolina Thursday. >
Woods !
Wildfire scorched 45 acres of young le
les west of Shallotte Tuesday afteron
before forestry teams brought Di
5 blaze of unknown origin under th
ntrol about 4:45 p.m. th
Several fire plows, as well as bj
lunteers from Shallotte, Wac- ai
maw and Supply Fire Depart- th
jnts were released at 5 p.m. tr
An adverse wind profile had push- at
fire conditions to "blow up" prortions,
according to Assistant SI
-unswick County Kanger Philip In- Hi
an of Ash. "It's called that because tr
der these conditions the fire tends dr
blow up."
High winds were gusting from the to
rsi-suuuiwcsi initially but shifted to T!
? northwest m late afternoon as the tit
e burned along a course almost wi
ralleling N.C. 130. pc
if ihe nre had crossed ine highway, gr
man said, its potential danger
>uld have increased greatly, posing p.
threat to broad stretches of pine In
intation as well as homes and other w;
"ticiures. jjj
A report from Riegel to County at
inger Miller Calson Tuesday in- A:
:ated fire danger was at its highest N.
Sunset Bea
BY TERRY POPE
Sunset Beach Mayor Frances ni
inoy has sent a telegram to town of- nc
rials, saying she has resigned her ti<
isition as mayor effective im- m
ediately with a "letter to follow." ri<
However, by late Tuesday evening, cc
wn officials were still waiting for
i official letter of resignation to ar- in
/e addressed from Ms. Kanoy, who Fi
in Florida caring for her sick husind.
cc
"The intentions here are plain Ki
lough," said Town Manager m
allace Martin Tuesday evening, th
'm going to recommend that the H>
uncil go ahead and accept the ar
signation at the next meeting." m
Gas Chamber Si
Gets Second Ch<
If the staff of the Brunswick County
shelter has anything to do with it, one
care will die of old age.
The 2h- to 3-month-old mixed breed
ed the gas chamber Friday morning.
That's a first since the pound beg
carbon monoxide gassing about four 3
Zelma Babson, animal control supervi
undoes you for a wtule. especially after
The only thing we can figure out is
have been an air pocket." she added.
The pup. whose big feet and light c
golden retriever blood, was under a 1
died.
Gassing takes 45 nunutes to an hoc
finish at the shelter, which is located <
road (a paper company road) to the n
traveling from Supply U> Southpon
Once the gas is turned off. animals a
to 15 nunutes before an air valve is o
some gases to escape After another ]
wait, the doors at either end are ooen
another 10 to 15 minute airing, the ami
out for disposal at the county landfill.
" They heard her whimpering Wbei
the big dog. she poked her head up and w
Babson explained.
The staff may never know bow the p
gas chamber, but they do know it gave I
UD Oi'c.
She's up for adoption?again.
etery Viola
quired to file their annual financial
reports within 60 days of the end of
the corporation's calendar or fiscal
year, or as needed as determined by
the commission.
Cemeteries are also required to
pay a fee for every vault, crypt or
grave space sold into a special fund
that keeps the commission operating,
since no general funds are apDrODriated
hv thp sta?P tn cimnnrf
that office.
"When they don't do that, not only
do they owe us for the fees, but for a
penalty as well," Gladden said. The
penalty for failing to pay commission
fees is $1 per day for each violation.
rwlLl
U1K I
\pril 11. 1985
Blaze He
vel to date, Inman said.
Seven fireplows, owned by the N.C. w
ivision of Forest Resources and T
ree local paper companies, played
e major role in containment, aided tl
' a contract fire bomber that w
imped chemical fire retarelent on h:
( blaze and all over a Supply VFD p:
uck in the Gollie Holmes Road b
ea.
Officers of the Brunswick County H
leriif's Department and the N.C. n
ighway Patrol aided in traffic con- t(
ol as occasionally heavy smoke o|
ifted across N.C. 130. it
At 5 p.m. several plows continued tl
work thf> neriiruilpr nf tHo hloto
? International Paper Co pianta- a
>n of three- and four-year-old pines h
as formerly a bay area. It has the d
!at-type organic soil tliat fuels
oundflrc, Inman noted. ri
The fire apparently began about 3
m. along N.C. 130 across from its c
tersectian with Big Neck Road. It h
as the third woods fire in the past
onth between Big Neck Road, b
>out midway between Shallotte and p
sh, and the Shal'.cttc Fire Tower on C
C. 130. H
ich Mayor F
The town council met last Monday h
ght, but having received no official
tification of Ms. Kanoy's resigna- F
>n, the board took no action on the v
atter. l.ast Tuesday, a telegram ar- ii
yed addressed to Martin and the ii
uncil members. s
"Don't understand you not receiv- s
ibruarv meeting," U began. ii
According to one newspaper acrnnt
of the recent incident, Ms. s
anoy was quoted as saying she had t
ailed a letter of resignation prior to c
e February meeting of the buaru. n
Dwever, Mayor Pro-Tem Ed Gore E
id Martin both stated at the s
eeting last Monday that no letter t
??PPT 1
Animal Control
puppy in their
I female surviv- ""
SB* 7* V
an using direct
ears ago, said Ha 4 >
sor. "It kind of V - ^
four years." fl^
that there must
oloring suggest UBss
arger dog that THmSl
ir from start to lii^B8BP^
*1 the first dirt i nnfaa^
ghton.N.C. 211
ire left inside 10
pened to allow
10 to 15 minute
up survived the
her anew lease THISGOCDEN-HAI1
rtamber Friday, wte
tions
The Gilberts were also charged
with failing to make deposits for
grave spaces and crypts into
perpetual care or merchandise trust i
accounts.
When individuals invest in spaces ,
or vaults before they are actually I
needed. Gladden said, the money
paid to the cemetery should be invested
into a perpetual care fund or
trust account or used immediately to
go ahead and develop the cemetery.
"When a person buys a grave
space and gets a deed for it, so much
money goes into the perpetual care
fund," he added. "In this case, the
(See GILBERTS, Page 2-A)
imrn
i/bnvv
25c Per Copy
Id To 45,
A Waccamaw volunteer firefiehter man
as apparently the first to report equi
uesday's fire. the f
When John B. McCumbee passed
le Big Neck Road intersection on his A
ay home from Shallotte, the fire to for t
is left was about the size of that 1 ha
ickup truck." he said, pointing to a Und
lue truck parked nearby. ed c
He reached Grissettown resident cupi
larry Somersett on citizen's band spec
idio and Somersett reported the fire St
> the Shallotte Fire Tower. Tower theii
perator Ruby Hawes radioed In- sine
Jan. telling him "somebody's both
irown a cigarette out." than
Inman said he's not certain that is Cres
dually what happened, that it may as o!
ave been incendiary, or a Ai
eiiberately set fire. wee
McCumbee said he suspects a Shal
noker started the fire. blaz
"People shouldn't be throwing out Apri
igarettes when it's so dry like this," acrt
e added. anol
For the past week, fire danger has W
een extreme, at I>evel 7, the highest leas
oint on the scale used by the N.C. can
Hvision of Forest Resources, rose
ieeause the daneer level w?k nn In
designs By T
as arrived at the town hall. T(
Martin stated he did talk to Ms. acct
anov by telephone, who said she vaci
i'ou!d send a telegram to the town whe
mmediately. notifying them of her prio
itentions to resign. Kanoy. who has B'
erved as mayor of Sunset Beach clec
ince 1981, has not attended council mai
nectings for many months wtule car- T1
ig for her husband in Florida. befo
"To confirm my telephone conver- mee
ation this date with Wallace," the
umstances beyond my control, i
riust resign as mayor of Sunset P
leach effectively immediately. I do
o with deepest regret. letter to
allow. Frances W. Kanoy."
iMBU
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HP ?dSSi
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Jawj : *CTfc5gg?^? and
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IED PUPPY, bdd by Animal C?a- "*r<
?? fUh? ?w>1ved Uk gat
ma* a s??nd chance foe ndoptloe
Jjjp
THOMAS GILBERT
County Coroner Charged I
IN
28 Pages
Acres
said, the division had a lot o?
pment readily available to fight
ire.
Ban Still On
statewide burning ban imposed
he second time this year on April
d not been lifted as of Tuesday,
er the ban open burning is allowinly
within 100 yards of an oeed
dwelling and then only if
ific precautions arc taken,
atcwide, forest fires have taken
- Inrupcl tnll in n uincilo oooonn
e the early 1960s, with fires in
the mountains claiming more
8,000 acres and a single fire near
iwell burning about 70,000 acres
f Sunday evening,
ong ihr sir etch of N.C. 130 betn
Big Neck Road and the
lotte Fire Tower, a mid-March
e scorched about 75 acres, an
11 i fire blackened anuUicr 543
:s and then Tuesday's fire added
Lhor 45 acres U> the toes,
bods arson "Lv sukpected in at
it the April 1 fire and is a possible
sc of ull three fires, forestry
iurces officials have indicated.
See OTHER FIRES, Fagr z-A)
Aln^rnrM
CICV^I Ul I I
iwn council members now must
;pt the resignation and declare a
incy in the office before deciding
n or if the seat should be filled
r to the November election.
i not filling the office prior to the
tion, Gore would serve out the render
of the term,
le matter is expected to come
ire the board at its May 6
ting.
lemocrats
o Convene
aturday
runswick County Democrats
rt 1 p.m. Saturday i/i the public
Mnbly building at the Brunswick
nty Government Center to elect
ty leaders for the next two years.,
len Peterson, outgoing chairman.
I delegates to the convention will
:t a chairman, three viceirmen,
a secretary and treasurer
?rve on the county executive comLee.
A nominating committee
iposed of W.T Bow en. Robert
inson, Jim Poole, Barbara Young
Bobby Brown wtJi present a slate
f fleers for consideration
hen announcing his decision last
ith not to seek re-election. Peter
said the nam* of Shallottc stay
Rex Gore had been mentioned
possible candidate for the chairelegates
also will elect two
nbers to serve with the chairman
he state executive committee,
ricrscn said he has received
eral resolutions from the
"tacts for consideration- The
fline for submitting resolutions is
. but Peterson said he would coor
any additional resolutions that
- inadvertently ruX turned in on
i.
VeTJ probably allow them ail on
igenda," he said
I
j