Pilkey: Sunset Beach Is ' The best Beach
Community in North Carolina '
BY RAHN ADAMS
Duke University professor Orrin Pilkey and local
"Save Our Bridge" supporters ex
pected several television news
crews to be on hand at the Sunset
Beach Pier Tuesday morning for
the renowned geologist's an
nouncement that Sunset Beach is
his pick as the "best" barrier island
community in the state.
But as the news conference
wound down with Sunset Beach
Taxpayers Association officials'
comments against the proposed re
placement of the island's 30-year-old pontoon swing
bridge, three television news crews and at least one dai
ly newspaper reporter waited on the mainland for unan
nounced bridge repair work to be completed.
Despite the reduced attendance for the informal press
conference, Pilkey and N.C. Coastal Federation Direc
tor Todd Miller presented their rankings of North Car
olina's 25 barrier island communities. Sunset Beach
stood at the top of the list. Of Brunswick County's other
island towns. Long Beach and Bald Head Island were
listed in ninth place; Holden Beach, 15lh place; and
Ocean Isle Beach, 21st place.
Minnie Hunt, an SBTA official and former town
councilwoman, told reporters that Sunset Beach's top
ranking was a mixed blessing. "It's going to make this
the premiere pb?ce to be," Mrs. Hunt said, "and that
(high-rise) bridge is going to make it easy to get here."
SBTA President Clcte Waldmiller pointed toward a
single high-rise condominium unit on the west end of
Ocean Isle Beach, then toward the row of high-rise
buildings to the southwest at North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
"That's what we would like to prevent from happening
on Sunset Beach," he said.
Warren "Bud" Knapp, who heads the taxpayers asso
ciation's "Save Our Bridge" committee, asked for the
media's support in opposing the N.C. Department of
Transportation's plans to replace the Sunset Beach pon
toon bridge with a high-rise fixed span.
"We're trying to protect this island for our children,"
Knapp said, "and we hope you will help us in this 10
year fight. .Unless we get support from people such as
yourselves, we are going to lose."
DOT officials say construction bids on the new
bridge are scheduled to be received in mid-September.
Construction of the S7.88 million structure is expectcd
to take two years.
Traffic across the one-lane bridge initially was halted
for 45 minutes Tuesday morning as DOT workers be
gan replacing a section of wooden decking on the island
side of the bridge. Sunset Beach Town Administrator
Linda Flucgel told the Beacon that traffic was stopped
several other times later in the day while repair work
was under way Tuesday. She added that DOT did not
give town officials prior notice that the repairs were go
ing to be made.
Tuesday's event was part of a three-day news media
tour which began Monday at Folly Island, S.C., and
was to conclude Wednesday at Boguc Banks. The
(See PILKEY, Page 2-A)
TWenty-elghth Year, Number 21
?1 WO TOE BRUNSWICK BEACON
Shallotte, North Carolina, Thursday, April 5, 1990
25c Per Copy
36 Pages, 3_ Sections, 3 Inserts
STAFF PHOTO BY DOUG HUTCH
I^AW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS wailed for more than two hours outside the Shaliotte area residence of Jerry C. Scott last Friday be
fore the man surrendered.
Shaliotte Man Holds Children At Gunpoint
BY DOUG RUTTER
A Shallotte man remained hospitalized Tues
day, four days after he held off police with a
shotgun and threatened to kill himseif and his
children.
No shots were fired and nobody was injured
during the two-hour standoff last Friday outside
Shallotte. Charges in connection with the inci
dent wcic pending ad ui TiKMUijf aiidiiuoii, said
John Marlow, chief deputy with the Brunswick
County Sheriff's Department.
The incident started Friday at 4 p.m. when
sheriff's deputies went to Green Bay Village
north of Shallotte to arrest 30-year-old Jerry C.
Scott Jr. on misdemeanor choigcs of aSSauit on a
female and communicating threats. The charges
had been filed by Scott's girlfriend, Laurie Cur
tis, said Marlow.
When officers arrived at the mobile home.
Scott met them at the front door carrying a shot
gun and holding two young children. "He said
he wasn't going to jail," said Marlow.
Officers backed away from the trailer imme
diately and called for backup. For the next two
hours, officers pleaded with Scott to throw
down his weapon and release his seven-year-old
son and five-year-old daughter. Ms. Curtis was
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OiXJ UlUUgllt IU UIC dU/llV IU UUA r? iui wvClL
About 10 patrol cars and 20 officers lined the
road leading to the trailer by 5 p.m. While offi
cers negotiated with Scott, the dirt roads leading
to the neighborhood were blocked off and the
few nearby residences were evacuated.
In addition to sheriff's deputies, law enforce
ment officers with the N.C. Highway Patrol and
N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries and police
officers from Shallotte and Ocean Isle Beach re
sponded to the scene. Also, an SBI officer and a
negotiator from the Wilmington Police Depart
ment assisted, said Marlow.
Scott surrendered to authorities at 6:15 p.m.,
but only on the condition that his son be hand
cuffed to him. About three hours later at the
county jail, officers and Ms. Curtis persuaded
Scott to release the boy.
Marlow said Sgt. Carl Pearson of the sheriff's
department was the first officer on the scene. He
ottockvi Srntt on the misdemeanor charges after
the man's surrender.
Immediately after the incident, authorities
said no additional charges had been filed be
cause Scott had not held the children against
their will.
Marlow said Scott was taken to Cherry Hos
pital in Goldsboro last Friday nigh! for a psychi
atric evaluation. A hospital spokesman con
firmed Tuesday that Scott had been admitted as
a patient, but officials refused to release any
other information.
Oyster Relay Shifts
To Lockwood Folly River
The state's oyster relay program
shifted to the Lockwood Folly River
Tuesday morning when resources
started drying up in Shallotte River
after only four dsys of transfer.
"We moved to Lockwood Folly
because we weren't sure there were
enough oysters to continue relaying
in Shallotte River," said Rich Car
penter, southern district manager
with the stale Division of Marine
Fisheries, which sponsors the relay
effort.
Under the program, the state pays
fishermen $1 per bushel to move
oysters from polluted areas closed
to shellfishing to clean waters
where the oysters can cleanse them
selves and become safe for harvest
ing.
The state originally planned to re
lay oysters for two weeks this
ppnng in Shsllcits River 2nd to
postpone any oyster relay in Lock
wood Folly River until the fall, said
Carpenter. Plans changed, however,
when oysters became scarce in
Shallotte River after only one week
of relaying. .
Eighteen fishermen relocated
6,823 bushels of oysters during the
four-day relay in Shallotte River,
March 20-23. Canwnter said offi
cials didn't think there would be
enough oysters to last another four
days, and the relay was moved to
Lock wood Folly.
About a dozen shellfishermen
moved oysters in Lockwood Folly
Tuesday, said Carpenter, and the re
lay will continue- through Friday.
Oysters are being shifted from
the Davis Creek section of Lock
wood Folly River to the Sheep
Island Management Area at the
mouth of the river.
"That's about the only place we
have left down there that we can de
pend on being open with any regu
larity," Carpenter said of the man
agement area, which was closed to
shellfishing Tuesday and will re
main closed until the start of oyster
season this October to protect the
relocated oysters.
Pollution problems in Lockwood
Folly River have gradually wors
ened over the past 10 years, and the
river has been closed to shellfishing
off and on for the past two years.
State environmental officials
have said septic tanks and stormwa
ter runoff are the most likely sourc
es of pollution in the river, but spe
cific sources have not been pin
pointed.
The lower section of the river,
about 400 acres, opened to clam
mers last Wednesday, but was
closed to shellfishing one day later
due to heavy rainfall and stormwa
tcr runoff.
Calabash Vet Drops Appeal; Relocates Over State Line
BY RAHN ADAMS
A local veterinarian who last
week dropped his appeal of recent
animal cruelty convictions has
moved his Calabash office across
the state line to the Little River,
S.C., area.
Dr. Kenneth Neal, 30, owner of
Calabash Animal Hospital, with
drew his Superior Court appeal last
Wednesday, according to a court
document on file at the Brunswick
County Clerk of Court's office. The
handwritten notice of withdrawal
was signed by Neal's attorney. Car
ter Lambeth of Wilmington.
Court records also indicate that
the veterinarian paid $2,200 in fines
and fees last Wednesday afternoon
when the appeal was withdrawn.
Neal was convicted March 19 in
Brunswick County District Criminal
Court of four counts of cruelty to
animals. At the close of the day
long trial. Judge Jerry Jolly returned
the guilty verdicts and sentenced the
defendant to four suspended one
year prison terms, five years of un
supervised probation and fines to
taling $2,000.
Jolly also ordered that a copy of
the judgment be sent to the N.C.
Veterinary Medical Board, which li
censes veterinarians who practice in
the state. A board spokesman told
the Beacon that the license of a vet
erinarian who is convicted of ani
mal cruelty can be revoked or sus
pended after the case is reviewed by
the board.
Dr. Thomas Zweigart, executive
secretary of the veterinary board,
said Tuesday that his office was no
tified that Neal was convicted of the
animal cruelty charges and that the
veterinarian last week withdrew his
appeal. Zweigart added that the
(See VET, Page 2-A)
Brunswick Officials
'Lay Out' Concerns
About Northern Loop
BY RAHN ADAMS
Three Brunswick County repre
sentatives last week "bypassed" a
regional transportation advisory
board by taking their concerns in
volving the proposed route of Wil
mington's "Northern Outer Loop"
directly to N.C. Department of
Transportation Secretary Tommy
Harrelson.
Based on what Brunswick Coun
ty Commission Chairman Gene
Pinkerton called DOT's "receptive
response," commissioners this week
decided to continue paving the way
for more local representation on the
advisory board, which as it now
stands allows Brunswick County's
lone member to be steamrolled on
transportation planning decisions.
"We certainly desire more repre
sentation on that board," Pinkerton
told commissioners Monday. "The
TAC (Wilmington Urbanized Area
Transportation Advisory Commit
tee) should not be the voice to ex
tend boundaries into our county."
Commissioners Vice Chairman
Frankie Rabon added, "I think we
should be the ones making the deci
sions for our county ? not New
Hanover County."
The advisory committee ? which
meets today (Thursday) at 5 p.m. at
Thalian Hall, Wilmington ? is com
posed of two members from Wil
mington, one from Wrightsville
Beach, and one each from Bruns
"I think we should be the
ones making the decisions
for our county ? not New
Hanover County."
? Frankie Rabon,
Vice Chairman
Brunswick Commissioners
wick and New Hanover counties.
Commissioner Grace Beasley is the
Brunswick County member.
Interim County Manager David
Clegg told the Beacon that he, Pink
erton and Planning Director John
Harvey met with Harrelson, Assist
ant State Highway Administrator
Bill Marley and other DOT officials
March 27 in Raleigh.
"We just laid it all out," Clegg
said of the meeting. "I felt that the
trip was well worth it to articulate
our concerns. If we hadn't met with
them face to face, we would have
just been trading letters."
In last week's meeting with Har
relson, the three local representa
tives reiterated the county commis
sion's objections to being allowed
only one member on the five-mem
ber committee. However, Ciegg
noted Monday, "Our concerns about
percentage representation on that
board have not been addressed."
(See OFFICIALS, Page 2-A)
Sheriff's Department Probe
Faiis To Find Stoien Money
BY RAHN ADAMS
Polygraph examinations adminis
tered to seven county employees
were "inconclusive" in solving the
apparent theft of $225 from a cash
drawer in the Brunswick County
Building Inspections Department,
Interim County Manager David
Clegg said Monday.
Brunswick County Sheriff John
C. Davis reported to Clegg Monday
on the missing money investigation,
which was requested last September
by county commissioners. Clegg
distributed copies of the report to
commissioners after their regular
session Monday night; the matter
was not mentioned during the meet
ing.
Davis told the Beacon Monday
that the probe revealed no evidence
that could be turned over to the
District Attorney's office for crimi
nal prosecution. In February, the
sheriff noted that a confession
would be the only admissible crimi
nal evidence that could be drawn
from the tests.
According to Davis and Clegg,
all seven employees who had access
to the department's cash drawer ?
including former inspections depart
ment Director Billy Ingram ? were
polygraphed in Wilmington by the
SBI. The alleged theft occurred last
year before Ingram assumed a new
job as county purchasing agent.
"All of the tests were negative,"
Clegg said, reading from the report.
He later commented, "I am some
what at a loss to know how to pur
sue it It has just been inconclusive
up to this point-"
However, Clegg said the matter
was not closed. He also would not
say whether the sheriff's department
investigation yielded any informa
tion that could lead to administra
tive action on his part.
Brunswick County Personnel Of
ficer Deborah Bowling said Tues
day afternoon that no changes have
occurred in the job statuses of the
seven employees as a result of the
investigation.
Registration Period
Closes Monday
For Voters In May
Primary Elections
BY RAHN ADAMS
Would-be voters have through April 9 to register for
the M2y primary elections ? u/hirh as a rpcnlt of a re
Cent change of law, are now more likely to decide party
nominations without the need for second primaries in
June.
According to Brunswick County Elections
Supervisor Lynda Britt, 25,550 local residents are regis
tered to vote this year, including 15,903 Democrats,
8,684 Republicans and 963 unaffiliated voters.
However, those figures ? drawn after voting records
were purged last October ? undoubtedly will increase
by the upcoming deadline.
Ms. Britt said voters can register or change their reg
istrations by visiting the board of elections office by
April 9 at 5 p.m. Registrars in individual county
precincts also can take voter registrations before the pe
riod ends.
As the result of an elections law change approved
last year by the N.C. General Assembly, a candidate can
win a party nomination with only 40 percent of the vote
in the May 8 primary ? a change that reduces the likeli
honrt of Jnn? 5 Second primarv? in rnosl r*fM Ms
Britl said the new law was endorsed recently by the
U.S. Justice Department.
Under the new rule, a nominee can be selected with a
40-percent tally plus one vote in his or her respective
race, instead of needing 50 percent plus one vote to
win, as was the case in previous primaries. Ms. Brill
noted that the change was made to help minorities win
nominations when they are top vote-getiers in the first
primary.
Still, second primaries remain likely in tightly con
tested races that feature more than two candidates, the
supervisor said. In that respect, strictly local primary
races that could easily go to second primaries are the
Democratic races for both county commissioner nomi
nations to be decided and the District 2 school board
nomination; and the Republican race for sheriff.
Brunswick County primary ballots include the fol
lowing races and candidates:
Democrats
?U.S. Senator ? Mike Easley, Harvey B. Gantt, Lloyd
Gamer, Robert L. (Bob) Hannon, John Ingram and R.P.
(Bo) Thomas.
?Court of Appeals Judge ? Eugene H. (Gene) Phillips
and Ellen Bradshaw Scouten.
?District Court Judge ? Wayne Long and David G.
Wall.
?District Attorney ? Tom AJdridge Jr., Rex Gore and
Michael T. Mills.
?State Representative ? Ralph King and E. David
Redwine.
?Sheriff ? John Carr Davis and J.R. (Jim) Vaughn.
?Commissioner, District 2 ? Allan Dameron, W.A.
(Alfonza) Roach and Joseph Stevenson.
?Commissioner, District 5 ? Grace Beasley, V.A.
Crecch Jr. and Mike Holmes.
?School Board, District 2 ? Joseph B. (Joe) Carter,
Polly G. Russ and Dorothy A. Worth.
?School Board, District 5 ? James (Jimbo) Gemmons
and Julie Strickland.
Republicans
?U.S. Senator ? Jesse A. Helms, L.C. Nixon and
George Wimbish.
?U.S. Representative ? Robert C. Anderson and Fries
ShafTner.
?Sheriff ? James Brown, Carl G. Collins, David L.
Gause, Charlie M. Long and William (Bill) Sisk.
?Commissioner, District 2 ? Eugene Hewett and Jerry
Jones.
?Commissioner, District 5 ? Rudy Benton and
Donald Shaw.
Ms. Briu noted that the name of former District 5
Commissioner candidate J.N. (Joe) Gainey also appears
on the Democratic ticket Gainey withdrew from the
race after ballots were printed.