Two V\
Two defendants from last year's in
vcsugauve grana jury arug proDe in
Brunswick County were sentenced to
fines and active pnson terms last
week.
Judge F. Gordon Battle of
Hillsboro sentenced Mark A. Berry,
29, of Sugarloaf, Fla., and Darrell
Craven Stephens, 25, of Hallsboro,
last Thursday in Brunswick County
Superior Court.
Hie pair were among 48 indicted on
drug trafficking charges last April in
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I
^ Twenty-seventh Year, Numl
k !
x*.
PARKS AND RECREATION DIREC
(left, foreground) and Commissione
(second from right) engage in a heal
Thursday over the handling of di:
Purchase O
Discretionar
BY RAHN ADAMS
At the prompting of a newlyelected
board member, Brunswick
County Commissioners last week
adopted what had been an informal
policy on purchase orders?one that
commissioners accused themselves
of violating in the past through the
use of discretionary Parks and
Recreation funds.
In turn, Commission Chairman
Frankie Rabon indicated that the
board may delete the discretionary
accounts in the next fiscal year. "I
think possibly at budget time we'll
take a close look at it and consider
doing away with the discretionary
funds," Rabon told the Beacon last
Thursday.
The board's unanimous approval of
a formal policy on purchasing and
contracting guidelines?pi jposed by
new Commissioner Kelly
Holden?came last Thursday morning
during the second of two day-long
work sessions attended by all five
commissioners.
The policy spells out that county
department heads must follow state
bidding laws on construction and
repair projects costing more than
$50,000 and equipment purchases
worth more than $20,000. They also
must obtain informal bids on lesser
expenditures that exceed $1,000, even
if the guidelines conflict with the
wishes of individual commissioners
in any particular project.
me aigiiaiuie ui uac ur more
members of the Board of Commissioners
on any purchase order shall
not be construed to be in any way permission
to avoid strict compliance
with the letter of, or spirit of, these
guidelines," the policy states.
The guidelines also set out that
"any employee who knowingly
violates the provisions of this
Woman Die
BY RAHN ADAMS
l.ocai and state lawmen Tuesday
continued their investigation of an
early-morning shooting Monday that
claimed a Shallottc woman's life.
The victim was identified as Cheryl
I.ynn Hill, 23, of Mulberry Street, according
to Brunswick County
Sheriff's Det. Gary Shay.
Sheriff John C. Davis said Tuesday
no determination had been made concerning
the exact nature of the
i *
(hitt? Tide l
"Operation White Tide," which was
the second special grand jury investigation
in the county and state.
Both men's sentencings were continued
from last June when they
entered guilty pleas through plea arrangements.
Berry?a Brunswick County
native?pleaded guilty to two counts
of conspiracy to traffic in more than
28 grams of cocaine, four counts of
trafficking in more than 28 grams of
cocaine, conspiracy to traffic in more
w. nng
HO AG & SONS BOOK BK
1 rw-iY
SFRINGPOHT "I
3 ... ~s.ry\.\jn
TOR Bobby Jones funds. Also picture
r Benny Ludlum man Frankie Rat
led exchange last County Attorney
.cretionary park Holden and Count
... . . . . .. k... -< - Jrder
Policy Is
y Accounts N
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ii aivr tut y fJUi
nothing but abused
years, and I'm read
changed."
memorandum shall be subject to
disciplinary action ... In requesting
the policy, Holden pointed
out that even state law prescribes no
punitive measures for bidding law
violations.
Holden's proposal was in answer to
a recent controversy over three
Parks and Recreation purchase
orders authorized in November by
lame duck Commissioners Chris
Chappell and Jim Poole. The orders,
which were promptly cancelled by
County Manager John T. Smith, were
for the same local construction company
to do $81,500 in paving work at
Shallotte, Waccamaw and Smithville
Township District Parks.
When questioned about the matter
by the entire board last week, Smith
defended the Parks and Recreation
staff, who he said had been instructed
by Chappell and Poole to obtain
the paving work and to backdate
the orders to appear that they
weren't "spur of the moment" requests.
Accusations Made
During discussion last Wednesday
of Holden's proposal, which had been
tabled from the Jan. 3 commissioners'
meeting, Commissioner
Benny Ludlum admitted that the
county has violated bidding regulations
in the past.
"We just shove it under the table
3S In Shooting A
shooting. "We're just treating it as a
'death by gunshot wound' at this
time," Davis said. "There are some
questions about it."
The shooting was reported Monday
at 2:30 a.m. by Joseph E. Hill from
his mobile home on Hale Swamp
Road. Hill is no relation to the victim,
Shay said.
According to a report on file at the
sheriff's department, Hill told officers
that he was in his living room
IMiMMiaMMIMMi
ldui its
than 400 grams of cocaine, and three
counts of trafficking in more than 400
grams of cocaine.
Stephens pleaded guilty to con
spiracy to traffic in more than 28
grams of cocaine, trafficking in more
than 28 grams of cocaine, conspiracy
to traffic in more than 200 grams of
cocaine, and two counts of trafficking
in more than 200 grams of cocaine.
According to the Brunswick County
Clerk of Court's office, Berry was
sentenced last Thursday to a $10,000
in
Shallotte, North Carolina, 1
fflsP ,VL
STAFF PHOTO BY RAHN ADAMS
d are (from left) Commission Chairion,
Finance Director Lithia Hahn,
David Clegg, Commissioner Kelly
ty Manager John T. Smith.
,..:M i%i-K ' '?
Approved;
\ay Be Axed
rk funds) has been
over the past
y for if to be
?Bobby Jones
Parks and Rec. Director
and go on," Ludlum said, indicating
that the board has been made aware
of questionable Parks and Recreation
projects before.
After taking exception to Ludlum's
remark at Wednesday's work session,
Commissioner Grace Beasley
last Thursday defended Parks and
Recreation's handling of the current
Northwest Park project. Although
Parks and Recreation Director Bobby
Jones said he did not seek informal
bids on certain park work, he
said Ms. Beasley has never specified
which vendors he should use for
goods or services.
Jones said he bypassed the informal
bidding process "because of the
time frame ... I was told to get the
park built, period." As a result, the
county has had to obtain two grant
extensions, to meet the requirements
of a two-year, $140,000 state grant
that was received in early 1980.
According to Finance Director
Lithia Hahn, up to $280,000 has been
spent so far on Northwest Park,
which is expected to open this spring.
Admitting that there have been cost
overruns, Jones told commissioners
that the average cost for the county's
other district parks was between
$300,000 and $400,000.
Also last Thursday, Rabon charged
that Ludlum misused his discre(See
DISCRETIONARY, Page 2-A)
J Hale Swamp F
when he heard a gunshot. He said he
ran into a bedroom and found Ms.
Hill lying injured on the bed.
The man said Ms. Hill, who was
bleeding from the wound, told him to
call the rescue squad. He went next
door and asked a neighbor to call for
help, the report states. Shay said the
victim died in the bedroom before
assistance arrived.
An autopsy performed Monday at
the regional medical examiner's of
f T CI i m rN/%
VCI 9 II ICO,
fine and 12-year prison term;
Stephens, to a $5,000 fine and six-year
prison term. Both were recommended
for work release.
Until Battle found that both men
had supplied "substantial
assistance" to drug investigators,
Berry faced a mandatory minimum
prison sentence of 238 years, while
Stephens faced at least 56 years in
prison, court records show. State
drug trafficking laws allow a judge to
hand down a more lenient sentence if
Thursday, January 12, 1989
Vote Lea
Annexati
For One
BY SUSAN USHER
A 3-2 vote by the Sunset Beach
Town Council Monday night leaves
me idic ui a uiviaivc aiuieActuon proposal
undecided until the board
meets again on Feb. 6.
Mayor Mason Barber kept the
debate alive when he broke a 2-2 tie
vote on whether the town should extend
its corporate limits eastward
along a strip extending east to the
Seaside intersection of N.C. 179 and
N.C. 9(M, then north up N.C. 904 to encompass
the proposed site of a shopj>
ing center.
For the annexation to have gone
through on the five-member council's
first vote, a 4-1 tally would have been
required, Town Administrator Linda
Fluegel said. However, when the
issue comes to a second vote next
month, a 3-2 margin is all that is
needed to decide the question one
way or the other.
With his tie-breaking vote Monday,
Mayor Barber joined Council
members Edward Gore Sr. and Mary
Katherine Griffith in voting for the
annexation of an estimated 114 acres
of commercial property, tracts owned
by Sea Trail Corporation, Long
Bay Associates and Pope & Pope.
Council members A1 Odom and
Minnie Hunt voted against the proposal.
In a prepared statement made
during the public hearing that
preceded the vote, Hunt termed the
proposition as "the most important
nnft c:?* I 1
iauu uae uouc nuiuc mc 11101 lctuu use
plan for Sunset Beach was written in
1976," and said it is "an insult to 10
years of land use planning."
Absent was Councilwoman Kathy
Hill Peed, who may well hold the
deciding hand when the issue comes
to a second vote.
Contacted Tuesday, the councilwoman
said she had been out of
town Monday night and that she
preferred not to comment on how she
would have voted had she been present
or how she might vote if present
at the next meeting.
"I've got a month to think about it
and to make a decision that I can live
with," she said. "Nothing is cast in
stone at this point."
Contrary to a rumor circulating in
the town, Peed said her position
regarding the annexation issue is
unrelated to the seafood market
operated on the causeway by her husband,
which she said in any event
would not be seriously affected by a
grocery store proposed for the area.
She said, "My husband has always
told me to vote my conscience."
Town Hall Packed
An audience of more than 75 people
squeezed into the town hall meeting
room Monday night for the public
hearing on the proposed annexation.
At least 10 others were left standing
outside because all scats were taken.
Flashlights in hand, town police
directed parking and allowed additional
people to enter the meeting
load Home
fice in Jacksonville indicated that the
woman bled to death, Shay said.
Ms. Hill suffered a single 12-gauge
shotgun wound to her left thigh, rupturing
her femoral artery, the detective
said. Sheriff Davis said officers
found a shotgun at the scene.
The shooting was under investigation
Tuesday by the sheriff's department
and the SBI. No charges or arrests
were reported as of late Tuesday
afternoon.
r\Liivc oei it
a defendant has assisted the state.
According to the clerk of court's office,
Judge Battle also heard the
following cases during the Jan. 3
through 5 term of Brunswick County
Superior Court:
Robin McKeithan Deason, guilty
plea, misdemeanor possession of
stolen property, two-year suspended
sentence, three years of supervised
probation, $250 fine, court costs, $75
restitution to prosecuting witnesses
and $450 attorney fees.
jm
25c Per Copy
ves Sunset
ion Issue In
More Mon1
room as those inside left.
Ms. Fluegel said it was the largest
crowd to date to attend a town
meeting of this type.
A show of hands indicated that
those who attended the hour-long
hearing almost to a person favored
the annexation.
Arguments Marshaled
About 14 people spoke during the
hour-long hearing. Except for Councilwoman
Hunt and Sunset Beach
Taxpayers Association President
Albert Wells, all spoke in favor of the
annexation.
Convenient location of a planned
Food Lion grocery store was chief
among the advantages outlined by
supporters. Developers of the project
have said that Food Lion will not
commit to locating in the shopping
center unless it can sell beer and
wine. Since the unincorporated area
of the county is "dry," the site must
be part of a town with an ABC board
in order to obtain an ABC license.
Comments by the first speaker,
Julia Thomas of Sea Trail community,
were typical. She said the disadvantages
of annexation would be
outweighed by advantages such as
increased property and sales taxes,
convenient shopping for tourists and
permanent residents, especially the
elderly, as well as the opportunity for
the town to have a say in hov the
commercial area is developed.
Hoiden Beac
Delayed Unt
BY DOUG RUTTER
Hoiden Beach voters will have to
wait one month longer than originally
planned to vote on a proposed revision
in how the town's government
operates.
A state law requiring the advertisement
of an election prior to the close
of voter registration has forced the
town to postpone its Feb. 7 referendum.
Hoiden Beach Commissioners
voted this week to instead hold the
referendum on Tuesday, March 7.
Mayor John Tandy announced during
Monday night's regular meeting
that the town would have to delay the
referendum because it had not met
the public notice requirements. "It's
just one of those things that fell
through the cracks," he said.
Brunswick County Elections
Supervisor Lynda Britt said Tuesday
that the town is required to advertise
the election at least twice in a local
newspaper during a 20-day period
prior to the last day of voter registration.
The notice must include the purpose
and date of the election, the polling
place and deadline for registration.
The final day of registration for
any election, she said, is 21 working
days before the election.
The last voter registration day for
the referendum planned for Feb. 7
was Jan. 9, while voters will have until
Feb. 6 to register for the March 7
referendum.
Residents will vote on a proposed
amendment to the town charter
whereby the form of government
would switch from the existing
mayor/council format to a council/manager
format. The town would
then be able to employ a town
manager who would have more administrative
powers than the current
town administrator.
j
ences
Laura Sue Weaver, guilty plea,
misdemeanor possession of stolen
property, two-year suspended
sentence, three years of supervised
probation to be changed to unsupervised
probation upon payment of $250
fine, court costs and $75 restitution to
prosecuting witnesses.
Wayne Moore, guilty plea, breaking,
entering and larceny, three-year
prison term, credit time served
awaiting trial, work release recom(See
DEFENDANTS, Page 2-A)
? .
iru
wr g w
30 Pages, 3 Sections
Beach
Limbo
fh
The project would also direct traffic
congestion away from the access
area to the island, she suggested.
Bill Jones presented a list of 81
town voters who when surveyed said
they favored the annexation, while
Sea Trail resident Melvin McBride
presented a petition with signatures
of 71 supporters.
Citing expected growth in the area,
Mason Anderson, who has business
interests in Sunset Beach, said the
issue isn't a question of whether the
proposed area would be commercially
developed. Rather, he said, the
issue is whether or not the town
would be "part of that process rather
than an obstacle."
At the request of Planning Board
member Bud Scrantom, Mayor
Barber read a letter from the town
planning board supporting the annex- i
ation as being "in the town's best in- <
terest."
The letter states that in the plann- \
ing board's opinion the development
would not change the town's essentially
single-family, residential
character, and that it would be good
for the town to be able to regulate the
appearance and orderly development
of the town's "gateway." the
area surrounding the N.C. 904/N.C.
179 intersection.
However, a resolution adopted
Saturday by directors of the Sunset
(See ANNEXATION, Page2-A)
h Election
il March 7
Commissioners, who have been
strong in their support of the amendment,
adopted a resolution last
month calling for the special election
and amended that resolution this
week to reflect the new election date.
Discussion of the election prompted
a question from resident Rose
Cole, who was informed that the town
does not offer absentee ballots.
Board members and residents in
attendance agreed that the town
should consider offering voting
powers to residents who will be out of
town the day of an election. Mayor
Tandy said, "I do think it's a shame,
and I think some day we ought to look
at absentee ballots."
Commissioners also discussed sending
out another information packet
on the differences between the two
forms of government. The board
mailed one booklet several months
ago, and some members indicated
this week that they want to push as
hard as possible for voters to pass the
referendum issue.
The board will continue its consideration
of another mailer during a
special meeting slated for Jan. 23 at
10 a.m.
The Holden Beach referendum,
meanwhile, is the third consecutive
special election planned for a local
municipality which has run into problems.
In November, Shallotte held an illegal
alcoholic beverage election
which was later rescheduled for Feb.
7.
Voters in Calabash were the victims
of a mixup in the 1987 general
election. In addition to the regular
town council election, they were supposed
to vote on water system
assessments, but the issue was never
passed on to the proper election
authorities for scheduling of a vote.
\