I MB 'Ml. ■ m ri' j* olMOf-Rl' 1 w- ' :• 1 Twenty-sixth Year, Number 1 .pFv iNfiPor'iT 1 :>nailotte, North Carolina. Thursday. November 12. 1987 ^CON 25c Per Copy 36 Pages Plus Insai i Robinson Gsts 28 Yoors As Throe Sentenced In Cocoine Coses BY RAHN ADAMS Three Supply area men who wore indicted in June by a special In vestigative grand jury on cocaine charges were sentenced Nov. A in Brunswick County Superior Court. According to the clerk of court’s of fice. Rocky Ivee Robinson and Kdgar Lee Caison Jr. received active prison terms, while Jerry Gale Clemmons got a suspended sentence. All three were awaiting sentencing after having entered guilty pleas Aug. 13 in Superior Court. Robinson, 26, of Route 3, Supply, received the stiffest sentence of the three. Judge Samuel T. Cuirin gave Robinson a 28-year prison term and $200,000 fine, on two counts of con spiracy to possess more than 28 grams of cocaine and two counts of trafficking by possession of more than 28 grams of cocaine. He had pleaded guilty as charged in his in dictment. Robinson’s attorney. Michael Ramos of Shallottc, gave notice that the sentence will be appealed, accor ding to the clerk of court’s office. District Attorney Michael Easley said this week that Robinson receiv ed the minimum mandaton' sentence in his case, which included a $50,000 fine for each of the four counts. Court documents showed that Robinson could have gotten a max imum of 60 years in prison. “It Robinson’s sentence) is con sistent with those who have not fur nished .substantial assistance to the state." Easley said this week. "He fRobinson) didn’t render much assistance.” Robinson’s sentence was not the most severe judgment handed down in recent years in a Brunswick Coun ty drug case. Easley said, citing a 35-year prison term and S200.000 fine given Christopher Glenn Ford of Tuscon, Ariz., in 1983. Ford was arrested in May 1983, in connection with the seizure of H.OOO pounds of marijuana from a trailer at I.akewood Estates near Ocean I.sle Beach. According to the clerk of court’s of fice. Caison, 41. of Route 2. Supply, received a 10-year active sentence. Caison had pleaded guilty in August to six counts of possession of cocaine and six counts of conspiracy to traffick in cocaine, involving bet ween one and 28 grams of Uie con trolled substance. Ho had been in dicted on six counts of conspiracy to traffic and trafficking by possession of more than 28 grams of cocaine. During the .same Augu.st term, Clemmons, 27, of Supply, entered a guilty plea to possession of more tlian one gram of cocaine, and an addi tional charge of conspiracy to traffic in cocaine against him was dismiss ed. I^st week. Clemmons was handed a two-year sentence, suspended for three years, with three years of supervised probation. Also, he was ordered to pay a $500 fine and court costs, and must submit to counseling, warrantless searches and lie detector tesls. Some 21 drug defendants fi'ui) in dictments in June and Jul> have entered guilty pleas and are awailirm sentencing in Brunswick (’ouiiIn Superior Court. According to Easley .unl ,\.>.si.sta. : District Alt(nney William WoJak. who has handUvl me.st t*f the d-ug cases in court, many ef defendants will be .senleuLed dunug the Nov. 16 lenn of Superior (. ouri. In all. 38 persons were indieled. here on cocaine charges in June and July, with eiglit of tied number std! awaiting trial. Citizens Support Reactivotbn g| Of Cawcaw Drainaae District COMMISSIONER CHRIS CHACPElJ. (second from left) answers questions from clUzens atlciidhig Friday night’s public hearing n( the Calnha.sh Fire Station con cerning the r(^cstabll.shment of the Cawcaw Drainage SIAM fttolOKr AOa'AS Dist4‘icl. Also pictured (from Icftj are Cumuiissiuner Jim Poole. County Attorney David Clegg ami Brunswick County Soil and Water Conservation District Chairman James Bellamy. TERMS ARE RUNNING OUT Calabash Board Hastens Wafer Project BY DOUG RUTTER In an effort to make its last month in office productive, Calabash Town Council Monday took several .steps which may provide county water ser vice to the town's waterfront. Following a brief executive sc.s- sion, council adopted a preliminary assessment resolution for water line installation along Ivey High Road and Oak Street. Although no specific tenns of the resolution were decided. Mayor Doug Simmons said the resolution will mo«st likely call for property owners receiving the ser\'ice to pay 100 per cent of the installation casts after the work has been completed. He said the town will probably fund the project upfront, assess the pro perty owners, and use the collected assessments to proceed with the next phase. Council set a public hearing on the resolution for Nov. 30, which will like ly be the last meeting of the current tx)ard. All but three members. Mayor Doug Simmons and Councilmcn Sonia Stevens and Pati Lewellyn, will be replaced come December. Stevens was the only member al> sent at Monday's meeting. Council also asked Alan Lewis of Ix*wis & Associates to draft a con tract for the installation of water lines and to complete the $9,000 water engineering study as soon as possi ble. I^wis was hired last month to con duct the study and design, which in cludes a loop off N.C. 179 consisting of Ivey High Road, Oak Street and RivcR'iew Drive. Council called a special meeting for 4:30 p.m., Nov. 16, at which time it expects to approve the engineering design. lycwis said he could have the plans completed by Nov. 13, and if council approves the plans Monday they will be sent to Raleigh for state aproval. I^wis said it would take at least 30 days for the state to approve the plans and that council could not sign with any contractor until that time. Council also decided Monday to use one contract for the project, with the contractor supplying the materials himself instead of contracting out both materials and labor. I.«wis said that in terms of price, "I don’t think you’re going to realize a ver>' significant difference either way." He also warned that if the town decides to build the water system one phase at a time, the pressure to the watertront in phase one will be "borderline" in terms of fire safety and serving a hydrant. He recom mended that the entire loop be com- (Sce CAl4/\BASH. Page 2-A) BY R.\HN ADAM.S "It s one of those situations where you’re never going to please everyone in the di.strict. Rut tonight you’ve seen 175 people here, and they spoke favorably for reorganization." That was Commissioner Chris Chappell’s response following a H'j-hour public hearing Friday night at Calabash F'ire Station concerning reactivation of the Cawcaw Drainage District. As a result of the hearing. comini.s- sioners are expected to meet in joint session with the Brunswick County Soil and Water Conservation Board, to decide whether or not Clerk of Superior Court Diana Morgan should be asked to reactivate the dlslrirl. Chappell said commissioners will probably set a date for the joint ses sion at the coinnussioners* Nov. tr> mceLmg. Chappell and ('ommission CJuiir- mnn Grace Beasley told the gather ing Friday night that action on the matter by tlie two boards Is expected by Jan. 1. "I think that’s wiiat’s going to have to be done (reactivating the district)," Ms. Beasley said after the hearing, "(but) do we do it by going in and requesting that it be re established, or do we do it with a referendum—a vote of the people? "And then your problem after that—or your consideration—is how do you fund it," Ms. Beasley added. Chappell slated during the hearing that the total area affected by the Cawcaw drainage system has an estimated tax value of almost $119 million. At least 175 residents of the area af fected by the drainage district, which is located in southwestern Brunswick County, packed the fire station to question county officials and to pro vide input on how to restore the more than 16 miles of overgrown, neglected canals in the Cawcaw drainage system. On hand at the public hearing were the full Brunswick County Board of Commissioners. Brunswick County Soil and Water Conscrv’alion District • hairman James Bellamy. Dirk t'lallo of the U.S. Soil Conser%'aUon Sen.’ice. N.C. Uep. David Uedwine and three fom^or (*aweaw UrainuKC District Commissioners Kendall Bellamy, Wendell Bennett and Jenn ings Edge. A majority of the ciiizcn.s in atten dance are residents of Carolina Shores, a .subdivision near Calaba.sh with ditches that drain into the Cawcaw system. According to James Bellamy, the subdivision joined the drainage district prior to dissolution of the district in 1976 by the Brunswick County clerk of court. Near the close of the public hear ing, Chappell asked for a show of hands of those who supported re establishment of the district. The vote was unanimous. However, earlier in llie hearing, at least two of the approximately ’() people who addressed commis sioners expressed concerns about re establishment of the draj!jag‘* district. Mendel Norris of Hi kman s Crassroads said he was opposed tn any type of assessment because ln’ fell the people who were in llie original district shmiUln l have to pay again. Also. Wanis Bennett, also of Hickman’s Cro.s.sroads. siiid lie (jp- posed re-activation of the dislrirt because he fell some p«-oper*v owners weren’t treatofl fairly " when the district was esbiblished BeuneU ask'd « call (or a udov«Mu)um amnun *>1 • » ty owners in the dislvu-i 7’he drama,'•'e esU'ibii.sbed in uji/j lo* » mi/o.s .*( canaLs or ditches begun »rt .-irhi completerf in 1967, .According to James Ht-M.-mn di. sy.stein wa.s dc.signed to drain :d l'*a a 40,0(X) acres of potential fai rnland But extensive devehgunent above the original drainage district ha.": in creased the need for maintaining the canal system- work that has been done only by a few private [iroiiei 1.’. owners on their own land m recent years. (See CITIZENS. Page 2-A) Bloodmobile Here Friday The Brunswick County Health Department is again sponsoring a blood drive with the American Red Cross, on Friday, Nov. 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Public Assembly Building at the county complex in Bolivia. Appointments can be made through Hazel Trott at the health department. For answers to other que.stions, contact Edie Fuliwood. The department's numbers are 253-4381 on the Atlantic Telelphone exchange, 457-5381 from Southport and 763-1312 from Ix)land. Health Officials, Holden Residents To Meet Tuesday About Septic Tanks Slate environmental health of ficials are to meet with Holden Beach officials ana residents next Tuesday regarding their concerns about sep tic tanks in the island community. John Crowder, environmental ser vices supervisor for the Bnmswiek County Board of Health, said the meeting is being held at the request of Holden Beach Mayor John Tandy. "It’s to inform the public about what’s going on," he added. Steve Steinbeck of the N.C. Divi sion of Health Services sanitation branch and Dr. Bob Uebler, regional soil specialist, will spend the morn ing conducting four or five site in spections of lots that have been previously classified as unsuitable by local sanitarians. The fieldwork will be followed by a c p.rn. public meeting at the towii hall. Crowder said he didn’t know what the outcome would be of the inspec tions or the meeting. However, he added. "If Uebler has recommendations about these lots we would go with them. "If he agrees with our previous evaluations, the property owners have the right to an appeal." That appeal would be conducted through a hearing under the state’s Administrative Procedures Act, with the further right to appeal to Superior Court. Since the preliminary results were released of a engineering firm s sewage study done at the town's behest, the health departTnent has begun taking a closer look at its classification of lots on the island, particularly those on finger canals "In the study we've seen remarkable increases—especially after a holiday—in the level of fecal bacteria of human origin." said Crowder, especially following the Memorial Day holiday. "Questions were raised in our mind about the success of those septu- .sy.stcms and we have started looking daser at the .soils." As a result, a greater number lots than in the pa.sl have not Im en af> proved for septic lank in.stallatu t*.''-. Candidate Says He Will Take Concerns To State Elections Board BY SUSAN USHER An unsuccessful write-in candidate at Ocean Isle Beach said Monday ho intends to take his concerns about the conduct of the town elections to the N.C. Board of Elections. Harold Wooten, who lost to mayoral incumbent Betty S. William son 92-57, told area reporters last week he was seriously considering challenging the election. However, he missed both deadlines for filing complaints with the Ocean Isle Beach Board of Elections, .said Chairman Martlia Benton. Complaints regarding the manner in which votes were counted or the results Uibulatcd were to have l>ccn filed before the board canvassed the election returns at 11 a.m. Nov. 5, while complaints regarding other aspects of the election could be filed as late as 6 p.m. Nov. 7. Saying he had been "misquoted" by another paper and by area televi sion stations, Wooten had little to say Monday. "I never complained about losing the election,” he said. "I was only concerned about the w'ay the election was conducted. I plan to go to the Slate Board of Elections, only then will I make a -statement locally." However, according to Johnnie McLean, secrctar>- of the N.C. Board of Elections, Wooten’s options arc now limited. ■•'rhe proper procedure would have been for him to file with the local l)oard, ’ she said. "The only thing open to him now would be to petition for removal of one of the local of ficials there. That’s the only thing the state board would hear at this time." Mclx)an .said it isn’t unusual to hear complaints after an election that aren’t followed through. •‘After an election people arc very emotional,” she said. "But when they find out the procedure they must go through they often change their minds. "In essence what he would have to do is prove the (basis of the com plaint) was serious enough to cminge the outcome of the election." The sUitc l>oard take.s no allega tions lightly, .she said, con.sidering each individually. "We’ll just have to wait and .see," she added. Wooten allegedly tohl various reporters that people who live elsewhere voted in the election, that officials left the polling place im properly manned and that candidate Betty Willian\son returned to the polls a second lime during the day, none of which Wooten would confirm Monday. Benton, chairman of the elections board, said the polls wore properly staffed throughout the day by judges Tom Woodson and Mary Samierford and registrar Gail Seagle. "They can’t leave," .she said. However, their assistants—Benton. Margaret A. Byrd and Betty Watt—could and did leave on occasion, but never all at the same. As for the question raised about Williantson’s returning to the polls. Benton .siiid Williamson entered the polls once. Answers to Wooten’s apparent question about non-residents voting aren’t as "black and white," .she noted. • rhere are certain que.stiorLS we ask them; if they answer to suit, they can vote." These include 30-dny residency and mailing address. "It’s not a black and white situa tion where people have two homes and stay here as much as in Charlotte and they choasc this as their domicile and don’t vote there," she said. Also, she added, town books must coincide with the county books, which won’t be purged again until after the pre.sidential eledion in 1988. As for the accuracy of information sworn before the (own’s election board, she .said that giving false in formation is a felony, punishable l»y as much as a $5.(H)« fine If they have told us a lie. that is their pio blem," she added. Wooten could have challenged tln' legitimacy of individiiaLs on the town books before die actual election, slic noted, if he didn't think they shoulil be allowed to vote. Furthermore, she added. It I'oiis down to legal domicile ami Die hoard of elections can't nilc on that. ITial hiis to go before Brunswick ('('unly Superior Court and (he hunlcn f of would b* on liiin i U - • tc'! • iheydonllivelicj.' And in any ca.-e.-Jr. ■*.»-.• !;. ele*lion would he unihanuid. >l,c sugge.stetl

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