Car Break-Ins At School
'Baffle' Local Officials
BY RAHN ADAMS
Officials at West Brunswick High
School and lawmen said last week
they are baffled by a series of vehicle
break-ins occurring over the past six
weeks in the school's student parking
lot. all in daylight during school
hours.
But authorities last week were tak
ing steps to solve the break-ins and
hopefully put an end to the problem.
Principal David Corley said Friday
that the break-ins. which began last
month, started as •petty thievery"
but had became more serious over
the previous two weeks.
"We provide a place for students to
park, but we’re having a difficult
time maintiiining it.” Corlcv said.
"and it’s taking a lot of time away
from why we're here tto educate
studentsi.”
According to Assistant Principiil
Koy Deal, the vehicle break-ins oc
curred in the middle to back sections
of the student parking lot. which is
composed of eight rows of 110 parking
spaces.
The West Brunswick campus Is
located on N.C. KIO near Shallottc.
witli the student [Kicking lot situated
near the highway.
Deal said the first incident occur
red about six weeks ago, when a win
dow glass was knocked out of a
pickup truck in the student lot.
On Nov. 9, thieves entered five
students’ cars and removed niainlv
expensive stereo equipment, taking
about $1,000 in goods from one vehi
cle alone. Deal said.
Two attempted vehicle break-ins
occurred Nov. 17, he said.
Then last Thursday, custom
"mag" wheels were removed from
two cars, both of which were jacked
up and left on cindcrblocks in the
parking lot, he said.
According to Bnmswick County
Sheriff’s Dct. I.iirry Joyner, the vehi
cle break-ins occurred during the
morning hours—probably between 8
a.m. and 9 a.m.
"I find it kind of .strange that they
(thieves) can come in and do
something like that and not be
(Sec BREAK-INS. Page 2-A)
VANDALISM AND THEFT have plagued West
Brunswick High Schonl's student parking lot recently.
Above, Donna Athan of ('alabash uas one of two
students who had all
Thursday morning.
Athan’s car stereo u
four tires s
.lust two
as stolen.
■,*AM .-MOI. 'KJ\JC, #lj t -I
tolen friiin her ear last
weeks earlier. Miss
iir nniiRi
binoep,
Iwenty-sixth Year, 1
North Carolina, Wednesday, November 25
Shallotte Fire Department
Begins Rebuilding Process
SHALLOTTE MAYOR JERRY JONhZS (right) eheeks
in the equipment of former firefighters Joey Hill (left)
and Herman Berr>- .Ir.. two of 13 volunteers who
SIAM ♦‘MOIORT OOUOBUlmi
resigned after grievances between the town and fire
department could not be settled last Wednesday night.
Four More Sentenced In Drug Cases
BY RAHN ADAMS
Four more defendants indicted in
June on drug charges were sentenced
last week in Brunswick County
Superior Court.
Three of the four received active
prison sentences, while the fourtli is
already serving time on a separate
conviction.
Judge Henry W. Hight Jr. handed
down the sentences last week in
Bolivia, according to the Brunswick
County Clerk of Court's office
The defendants included I’errv
Alfred Brown, Eddie Roderic Jones.
Grady Ford Long and Arnold
Douglas Smith—four of 32 persons in
dicted on cocaine trafficking charges
in June by a special investigative
grand jury in Brunswick County.
Brown, 25, of Supply, last Thursday
w'as .sentenced to two years in prison,
with inunediate work release recom
mended by Hight.
Brown pleaded guilty Aiig. 13 to
felonious pos.session of more than one
gram of cocaine.
He faced a po.ssible maximiim
sentence of five years in prison. The
mandatory minimum was two years.
On Nov. 17, Jones, 2^1, of Shallotte.
was given 10 years in prison and a
$25,000 fine on charges of conspiracy
to pos.sess and trafficking by posses
sion, involving more than -100 grams
of cocaine.
He also received a 35-year suspend
ed sentence and five years of super
vised probation on one additional
count of each charge.
Jones entered guilty pleas .Aug. 31
to tlic charges, as indicted.
He faced a mandators- minimum
sentence of 35 years in prison on each
charge and a possible maximum
sentence of 40 years on each count.
Long, 29, of Shallotte, pleaded guil
ty Sept. 8 and Sept. 10 to indictments
including two counts each of con
spiracy to possess and trafficking by
possession, involving quantities of
lx>th more than 28 grams and more
than 400 grams of cocaine.
list Thursday, I.ong was sentenc
ed to a 4*'.{-year prison lerm on the
28-gram charges. He received a
12-year suspended sentence with five
years of supervised probation on the
400-grarn counts.
rhe mandatory minimum sentence
on each of the 2&-gram counts was
seven years.
Smith, .’10, of ,Supp)y, last Thursday
entered guilty pleas to three counts
each of conspiracy to po.ssess and
possession of more than 28 grams of
cocaine.
He was given two-year .sentences
on each count for a total of 12 years,
which Hight ordered to run concur
rently with the remainder of a
15-year sentence that Smith present
ly is serving for first-degree
burglary, armed robbery and drug
offenses at Eastern Correctional
Center in Mau.'*y.
One other defendant from the .Iiine
drug indictments pleaded guilty last
week, according to the clerk of
court's office.
I.ast Thursday, Ronald I.ewis l.,ee,
38, of Dunn, entered guilty pleas to
three counts of conspiracy to traffic
in cocaine, involving amounts rang
ing from more than 28 grams to more
than 400 grams.
Also, I.ee pleaded guilty to two
counts of possession of cocaine, with
one charge involving more than 23
grams and and the other involving
more than 200 grams.
Ix?e will be sentenced during an up
coming term of Superior Court.
Some 18 defendants have entered
guilty pleas and arc awaiting senten
cing. Sentencings for a majority of
that number were continued until the
Jan. 11 and Feb. 6 terms of
Bnmswick County Superior Court.
According to the clerk of court’s of
fice. the sentencings of Alvin Bryan
Willis III and William I. Peal IV were
continued until Dec. 7 in Columbus
County Superior Court.
BY DOtIG RU ITER
Acting Shallottc Volunteer Fire
Department Chief Tim Carter said
Monday the department is well on its
way to recoven.'.
"It’s going to take a combined ef
fort between the people and the
town." -said Carter, "and I think we
have the qualified people to help us
get back on our feet."
Following a meeting of the town
board last Wecbiesday, 13 of 18
members of the fire dcfKirtmenl
walked off the job.
At that mecling, town aldermen re-
jeelcd eoncern.s exprc.s.scti ma h*Uer.
a list ol grievances and li^i of po.^sJ-
ble solutions which had been
prepfired by ibc firefighiei-s.
Town Clerk Cynthia lAing said that
since the walkout, several area fire
departments including tho.se at Supp
ly, avietown. Shallotte Point and
Ocaen Isle Beach have said they
would help out if needed.
"Everyone has been ver>- good
about helping us out," she .said. "We
really do appreciate it."
Carter added that in addition to the
five members who stayed in the
department at the time of the
meeting, 10 more have since joined
and a few more have shown interest.
"I believe we’re starting off real
good considering how many left," he
said.
Carter, who is now in his third year
with the fire department, expects it
to take about two years for the
department to fully recover.
He said that in the meantime, other
departments will be called in as
backup in the event of a major fire.
Carter said that the department
has the necessar>- equipment to fight
fires and that the neighlM)ring fire
departments are "more than willing
to afford the manpower. "
Grievances put forth by the fire
department me.mbership at last
week’s town board meeting included
the fact that agreements and actions
taken by the grievance coimiiittee
set up between the department ami
the town board had been overlooked
by the town board and that very little
has been done to correct inadequate
water flow to the areas of Brierwood
Golf Club and West Brunswick High
School.
Another grievance .stated that pa.sl
and present town boards "have con
stantly created problems each year
when it has come lime to .select a
chief. This action has constantly pul
the members in a bad light and has
continually hurt membership
rccruilmenl."
The solution .suggested by the fire
department requested the establish
ment of a fire commission consisting
of the fire chief, two firemen and two
aldermen.
Accorditjg to the proposal, any
town board action concerning the fire
dapartmenl. except in the case of an
mergency. would have to first be ap-
.»rovod by the fire commission.
.At the time. .Mayor Jerr>- Jones
.-^aid. 1 think if there was us much
work pill inlo Dm- fin? ilt-purlmenl as
there was this letter, the depaiCt* ent
would he ,i lot heller off."
Michael Arnold, the former fire
chief, said the members fell
"betrayed by the board.”
A lengthy and sometimes heated
debate began following the town
IxKinl'.s request for three recommen
dations for fire chief.
Arnold, speaking on behalf of tin
department’s new association,
presented only one name. Herman
Berry Sr.
When askeil why the fire depart
ment did not have three recommen-
datiotis, Arnold replied that the
board had never technically in
structed Hie members to provide
three names.
Mayor Fro lein Faui Wayiio
Reeves pointed mil that fire depart
ment member Kicky Dam'ord was at
the meeting when Die l evisums were
maile uuD Dial D«- maiuniy of D»»-
members had to have found mil alxuii
It D;ruugh him or the newspaper. I
don’t Diiiik the tact that you wen- nut
aware of it is the real issue. ”
Arnohl said. • \Ve are more
qualified to decide who shoulii be
cliief than \ou all." He added that the
(See FIRE DEFT., Page 2-A)
County Election Board
Dismisses Complaints
BY DOL’G RL’ITER
The Brunswick County Board of Elections last Thursday dismissed
complaints about the Nov. 3 Long Beach election, .saving its outcome
was not affected.
Tile board’s decision came de.spite 76 complaints which had been fil
ed by town residents concerning a period of time when Diere were no
ballots and the fact that the polls were not open the requin ii 13 hour.-
lioard of Elections Secretary Harold Willetts explained that the
board "didn’t find evidence where anybody failed to vote who tried.
He .said that although rumors that the ballots had run out discourag
ed some people from voting, the botird did not find one in.suince in wliicli
a person was "unable" to vote.
"Kvidentally," he added. "ever>body voted who wanted to vote.’
Willetts estimated that the polls were only shut down for about 10 or
15 minutes.
He said that according to the testimony of the five election officials
at Long Beach and about a half dozen registered voters, iho.se who came
to vote waited until the ballots arrived and voted.
Willetts added that the doors never closed and Ifuil election officials
were on hand at all times to tell people that more ballots were on the
way.
-According to Elections Supervisor lAnda Britt, a tran.script of the
hearing is expected to l>e available for public ln.spection at the county
election office before Thanksgiving.
She .sciid that in addition to this, the board will draft a fltK-iimeiu
stating the facts of the case and explaining its conclusions.
Although both of these documents will be reviewed by the Stale
Board of Elections. Ms. Britt .said, "It’s got to be appcaletl for the state
hoard to nilc."
( oncerning the passibility of an appeal. Willetts said, ■They’re
welcome to appeal, but I don’t think they can get anywhere on il."
Committee
A committee named by Holden
Beach to .study po.ssiblc annexation of
the causeway area on the mainland,
agreed last Wednesday night tostudv
a broiider area than previously iden
tified.
Larger Causeway Area
Earlier the town had eyed possible
annexation of the business strip
along the Holden Beach Cau.seway
A map presiuiled Wednesda> night
).v I’arvin Uobinsou, a eausvwav
merinant and .secretary of the coin-
mittei miihnes an larger area that
also me hides reside nlia 1
neighborhoods bordering the
cau.seway.
Robinson explained. "One of the
complaint.s we beard before was that
the town was just interested in an
area that wouldn't cost il anything.
We didn’t want that kind of
criticism."
But the houndanes under con-
sideiation are subject to additional
clianges. depending upon what the
coininillee learns as il proceeds.
"This may look entirely different
by the tune we gel tliiough."
.said
( ommi-s.sioner Ciay Atkins.
Committee members agiccd to
spend the two weeks before their next
mecling informtilly sounding out
residents of the area regarding an
nexation.
"Let’s do this casually." said
Chairman 'Thonuis Gray.
Residents of the study area who
want to exjiress their views or look at
the map slumid contact any commit
tee member, suggested Commls-
sioiKT William William.soii.
On the ea.sl side of the cau.seway.
the study area l uns along the tine bet
ween the J.E. Fiiiiord deveiupiiient
and an undeveloped tract owned by
Goodman Fulford, cutting around
Tu.scarora Village near N.C. 1.30.
"No problem with it,” Williamson
I’m
This
tract is wide, .siiid Rol>inson. l>ecau.se
no
there appeared to bt
“reasonable" cut-off point other than
the Fulford line.
On the we.st side
Ixiundary follows
that runs behind
through the .Newman Fulford
development and out to Old Ferrv
Road.
tlie tentative
an unpaved road
the Beach Marl
said of the newly-mapped area,
for il."
But he and others questioned the
town’s ability to run water ser\dce to
the area within the year allowed
after any annexation.
Along with the sentiment of Hu
an*a’s lesuleiiLs. the feasibility
providing .services will l>e among Hu;
que.stions (he committee lakes up as
It .study continues
Commi.s.sioner .Atkins .said she
thoiight It important for re.sident.s of
the .sliid> area to know that the town
of
does not pay for the «-unn* nis
street paving.
(’urrently. propert\ owners n
petition the town, with 51 pen eii
the read fi.olage uid pr.ipcrt
repre.'ofitct., to be a.s.'-e ».st-d j
mg. 'The owners pay (ill pena-m of
cost and the ivwn jiays It) ju-n t
Four streets on the island ar. .
rently in hoe to !:e paved.
Also present -.i the lu'ding o. ;.-
members bu.elt Eilmit and D;c. d
lioiintret. Alxsent were Lyn Moldto.
Alan Ihilden and .1 U ILilnnso-i