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Thirtieth Yeor, Number 1 5
Shollotte, North Carolina, Thursday, February 13, 1992
50$ Per Copy
38 Pages, 3 Sections, 1 Insert
Soon To Ring?
This bell could call four-year
olds to Head Start classes
this fall at the old Leland
High School if a lease and
other details are worked
out. Page 3-A
mmmmmmmsm&sx, m m. m -
Changing Of Guard
The South Brunswick Islands
Chamber of Commerce be
gins a new year, installing
1992 officers and recogniz
ing members' efforts. For
this and other business
news see Page 12-C.
SHIS ? I
r vfwpost 8
? Y ' 8866 2
. V , & C
# Ladies Aux
to ""
Home Sweet Home
Holden Beach VFW
Commander Dave Beiiamy
stands outside the post's
new home on Sabbath
Home Road. The story's
on Page 3-B.
Filing Brisk For
County Offices
BY THE NEWS STAFF
Filing was brisk at the Brunswick
County Board of Elections office
Monday, the first day of a filing pe
riod that had been delayed from Jan.
6.
Between noon and 3 p.m., nine
candidates had filed for I oral office.
Filing had been delayed by the state
legislature pending approval of state
House and Senate and Congressional
rcdistricting plans by the U.S. Justice
Department. That approval came
through late last week, clearing the
way for filing for all offices to begin.
Filing ends at noon Monday,
March 2. Party primaries will be
May 5 and the election Nov. 3.
Local seats up for election this
year are the Districts 1, 3, and 4
seats on the Brunswick County
Board of Commissioners and Bruns
wick County Board of Education,
county coroner and county register
of deeds.
Filing also began for state offices.
In addition to governor, lieutenant
governor and all Council of State of
fices, all state House, state Senate
and congressional seats are up for
election.
County Commissioners
The three incumbent county com
missioners have all announced they
will not seek re-election to the
board.
Frankic Rabon, of District 4,
Gene Pinkerton of District 3 and
Kelly Holdcn of District 1 have all
said they will not seek the two-year
terms.
Five candidates did file for com
missioner Monday:
?Steve Foster, of Long Beach,
Republican, District 3;
?Tom Simmons, of Boiling Spring
Lakes, Democrat, District 4;
?Bob Slockett, of Yaupon Bcach,
Republican, District 3;
?Don WarTcn, of Shallottc, Dem
ocrat, District 1 ;
?Tom Yeaglc. of Route 1, Bolivia,
Republican, District 3.
School Board
Up for election on the board of
education arc scats held by Bob
Slockett, District 3; Doug Baxlcy,
District 1; and Donna Baxter, Dist
rict 4.
Siockctt ended speculation Mon
day about whether he planned to file
for rc-clcction when he tossed his
hat into the ring for the District 3
commissioner's race instead.
Others filing for the school board
were:
?Sam Flctcher Fnnk, of Calabash,
Democrat, District 1 ;
?Bill Fairlcy, of Southport, Repub
lican, District 3;
STAFF PHOTO B* TERRY POPE
BRUNSWICK COUNTY Coroner Greg White, who is seeking re-election, was one of the first candi
dates to file for office Monday. Handling the paperwork above is Supervisor of Elections Lynda Rritt.
?Joseph V. Bmst, of Occan Isle
Bcach, Republican, District 1;
?Carlton L. Sligh, of Caswell
Bcach, Democrat. District 3.
Register of Deeds
Incumbent Register of Deeds
Robert J. Robinson will face a chal
lenge in the primary if he decides lo
file fur re-election. A.s of Tuesday
aftcirux>n, he had not.
Filing for the four-year seat were:
?Edward F. "Porky" Mintz, of
Bolivia, Democrat;
?Bill Kirby, of Southport, Republi
can.
County Coroner
County Coroner Greg White of
Supply filed for re-election to office
Monday as a Democrat.
Other Offices
As of mid-aflcmoon Tuesday, no
candidates had filed for the state
House or Senate from districts that
include Brunswick County, foi the
7th Congressional District scat.
State Reps. David Rcdwinc, D
Brunswick, and Leo Mercer, D
Columbus arc the incumbents for
the newly-aligned, two-member
14th District that includes most of
Brunswick as well as portions of
Columbus and Robeson countics.
A portion of northern Brunswick
County is also part of the 98th
District, a new minority district an
chored in New Hanover County and
including portions of Columbus and
Pender countics as well.
R.C. Sulcs Jr., D-Columbus
County represents the 18th Senate
District.
That single-member district now
includes Columbus and Brunswick
counties and all but the northwestern
portion of Bladen County.
Ocean !s!e Tax Hike Proposed
To Fund Inlet Dredging
BY DORI C. GURGANUS
Occan Isle Bcach officials may consider raising
property taxes lo fund the proposed dredging of
Shallollc Inlet, since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
isn't interested in taking on the project.
Odcl! Williamson, local developer and utilities com
missioner for the town, told the board Tuesday morning
he believes the inlet needs to be dredged to keep prop
erty values and tourism revenue high at Occan Isle.
He proposed a three-cent increase in property taxes,
raising the current rate of i7 cents pci 3100 of valua
tion to 20 cents.
That extra money would enable the town to get the
project started, Williamson said, and perhaps the Corps
would decide to assist the town with cooperative cost
sharing later.
The increased property tax, he estimated, would
bring an added $95,000 to $100,000 into the town cof
fers.
At a Jan. 28 meeting with several town officials.
Corps engineers advised that the project is not finan
cially feasible for the federal agency to undertake. It
cited low commercial boat traffic through the inlet.
However, the engineers left open the possibility of
the town undertaking the project at its own expense.
The cost could be reduce* I by scheduling the project
while dredging equipment is in the area for routine
maintenance dredging of the Atlantic Intracoastal
Waterway.
In tiiS cuiiiuiciiLn TuCSuay, Y/iaauaiiiSCia aiSG niCfi
tioncd digging a deep hole in the inlet, which he specu
lated would postpone the need for any maintenance
dredging for several years.
Commissioner Kendall Suh suggested wailing for
help from Congressman Charlie Rose, who he suggest
ed might be able to influence the Corps to change its
mind.
Suh said he had recently spoken with a represcnta
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live of Rose's office and believes the congressman
would support the town's efforts.
Williamson, however, told the board that it needs to
act quickly. "We're going to have to help ourselves," he
said.
!n the long run, he continued, the increased property
value and seasonal vacation dollars brought into the
town would make such a big expenditure worthwhile.
DcCarol Williamson, sportfishcrn.an and son of the
longtime developer of Ocean Isle Beach, spoke pas
SiOnutCiy LO uiC uudiu utjuui iliv; iicvu iO CiCui uiC ifiiCi
for boat traffic.
He cited the need to keep property values high, in
stead of letting them drop due to strangled boat naviga
tion through the inlet.
"Tax dollars generated by those canal homes are all
directly related to having access to the Atlantic Ocean,"
he said, supporting his lather's argument that the dredg
ing would pay for itself.
Mayor Betty Williamson agreed with the two speak
ers, saying that the three-year-old dredging proposal
will only become more and more expensive if the town
waits.
"It is time we moved on," she said. "We need to do
* liaicvei wc ncvu to gel Uii? done.
"The town's intent is to restore navigation to the in
let," the mayor continued, asking for volunteers to or
ganize a research group to look into moving ahead with
the project
m. . i ......... j l . -?r r* l s~\ i-H
OIIC i .lie i luuiitu iicixii, .>u?i, vyucn aiiu
Commissioner Debbie Sloane Fox to the panel.
In the meantime, the board voted unanimously to
proceed with applying for permits for the project.
Homeowners Warned
Ocean Isle homeowner; will be issued a warning no
tifying them to equip their houses with visible house
numbers before the county's 911 emergency response
(See TAX HIKE, Page 2-A)
SERVED FOUR YEARS OF 35-YEAR SENTENCE
Willis Released Under Intensive Parole
BY THE NEWS STAFF
ShaHoitc buSiuCSSuiun who rc
ceived the longest prison term of a
group of more than 30 drug defen
dants indicted by an investigative
grand jury in 1987 is out of jail.
Alvin Bryan Willis III was
paroled Feb. 4, after approximately
four years, two months in the state
correctional system. He spent por
tions of that time at Central Prison
in Raleigh, the Brunswick Center in
Columbus County, and most recent
ly, the state correctional facility in
New Hanover County.
He has relumed home to Shallotte
under the intensive parole supervi
sion program, according to Norman
Holden, district supervisor of adult
probation and parole. "That means
he is under closer surveillance than
we do with some of our other
clients," said Holden.
If Willis successfully completes
six months of intensive supervision,
he can be recommended lor transfer
to regular parole, said Joel Dove, the
county's intensive supervision offi
cer and one-half of the county's in
tensive parole/probation team. Dan
ny Holland is the surveillance offi
cer.
"Between the team, a client can
expect to see one or the other of us
three to five times a week ,** said
Dove.
Under current parole regulations
he would remain under some kind of
parole supervision for a minimum of
three years since his original sen
tence was for more than 20 years.
He must abide by the usual parole
provisions, including those set for
drug offenders. Among other provi
sions, he is to provide at least 672
hours of community service, but if
he serves the first 336 on schedule,
the balance could be remitted. Other
provisions include a curfew, no out
of-state travel except in an emergen
cy and no out-of-county travel with
out permission, submission to war
rantless searches and drug testing.
Willis was sentenced in Decem
ber 1987 to a 35-year prison term
and lined S250,000 after admitting
to having been "a major cocaine
dealer in Brunswick County."
Willis was one of 37 defendants
indicted on drug charges by an in
vestigative grand jury in June 1987.
He was indicted on 12 counts each
of conspiracy to traffic and traffick
ing by possession of more than 400
grams of cocaine.
In November 1987 he pleadal
guilty to a single count of conspira
cy to traffic under a plea bargain
agreement dated Dec. 18, 1986.
Following a two-day sentencing
hearing in Columbus County Super
ior Court, Willis received the statu
tory minimum sentence, with special
Assistant District Attorney William
Wolak saying the defendant had not
"substantially cooperated" with in
vestigators.
Wolak said at the time that Willis
would have to serve a minimum of
14 years without benefit of parole.
Of the 37 defendants indicted, 35
were eventually tried. One defen
dant died before his case could go to
court, and another was a federal
fugitive. Of the 35 tried and sen
tenced, Willis received the lengthiest
sentence.
The defendant who faced the
most counts, 46, was Olaf Dale
Vamam of Supply. After cooperat
ing with investigators for 1 1/2
years, he received a 15-year sus
pended sentence and live years of
probation.
In January Varnam was accused
by the Brunswick County Sheriff's
rX'partmcnt of leading a lloldcn
Beach area theft ring. He is charged
specifically with six counts of sec
ond-degree burglary and six counLs
of larceny after breaking and enter
ing.
S1AFF PHOTO BY SUSAN USHER
A TRACTOR-TRAIIJ?R hit two cars and snapped a pole supporting traffic lights at the intersection of
N.C. 130 and the U.S. 17 bypass at Shallotte Friday afternoon. One teen-ager was hospitalized and
three others received less serious injuries.
Four Injured When Tractor-Trailer
Goes Through Red Light On Bypass
BY SUSAN USHER
A tractor-trailcr attempting to slop
Tor a rcdlight crosscd the median at
the intersection of the U.S. 17 by
pass and N.C. 130 Friday afternoon,
hitting two cars and a utility pole
and sending traffic signals crashing
to the road.
Four persons were injured in the
accident, with three treated and re
leased Friday for less serious in
juries.
The fourth, Kevin Jason Stanley,
17, of Bricklanding community and
a student at West Brunswick High
? J
JLIIUU1, W<15 1 VIKLXAJ Ifivnauttj ?
The Brunswick Hospital in Supply,
said Shallotte Police Chief Rodney
Clause
The accident Friday was the third
involving a large truck since the by
pass opened last May.
Shallotte photographer Steve
Smith and West Brunswick High
School student Misty Carmichael
died following a Nov. 1 accident in
which a logging truck ran the stop
light and hit their cars.
No serious injuries were reported
in a Dec. 9 accident that also in
volvcd a logging truck. The injek
ran the red light and struck the front
end of a car headed cast on N.C.
130.
Other accidents at the intersection
have been minor "fender benders"
and did not involve trucks, Gause
said Monday.
The driver of the truck, Joseph
Leon Brooks, 66, of Route 1,
Willard, was charged with running a
red light and exceeding a safe speed.
In his report, Shallotte Patrolman
Keith L. Croom said Brooks was
traveling north on the bypass around
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at the intersection and slammed on
brakes. Brooks was driving a 1989
Ford cab and flatbed trailer owned
by Robbins Nursery of Route 1,
Willard.
The truck skidded 420 feet for
ward before veering across the me
dian into the southbound lanes. It
continued into the intersection, strik
ing two vehicles stopped in the east
bound lanes of N.C. 130 before the
truck jackknifed.
The cab struck a utility pole sup
porting the stoplights at the intersex
lion, sending ihc lights crashing into
the roadway, before iravcling down
an embankment on the west side of
the bypass, pushing one of the other
vehicles with it. The truck traveled
701 feet, 3 inches, before coming to
a rest.
Chief Gausc said no vehicles or
persons were struck by the falling
lights. He said Brooks told him the
brakes loeked and would not stop
the truck, pulling the cab to the left.
The N.C. Division of Motor
Vehicles was inspecting the truck
and ?ls equipment Monday, but that
iCpuil na.1 iiv/l UvdlldUlt ill J/1 v-.l.l
time.
By Gausc 's estimation the truck
was traveling "at approximately, at
least" 70 miles per hour. Based on
the marks on the pavement. Brooks
hit his brakes 579 feet south of the
stop line at the intersection. The
speed limit at the intersection is 55
mph, with a suggested speed of 45
mph.
Stanley was a passenger in a 1990
Ford hatchback operated by Ronald
Everett Evans, 19, of Big Neck
(See FOUR, Page 2-A)
Four Charged In Marijuana Operation
BY TKRRY POPE
t UUi pwpiv nuv ui ? v>hvvi ui ivi mTiuviwI/VVI UII1WI3
investigating an alleged drug deal seized more than 25
pounds of Columbian-grown marijuana last week.
Brunswick County Sheriff's Detective David Crocker
of the narcotics division said confidential information
helped lead to the arrests and what he labels a "signifi
cant" drug bust for February. The marijuana had a street
value of SI 75 per ounce, or close to $70,000.
Charged arc Joseph Carson Brooks 111 of Seaside;
Marion Jensen Rcis and Manin Eugene Rcis, both of
Robbins Trailer Park, Lcland: and Ellis Cordell
Bordeaux, of the Dclco community in Columbus
County.
S'uciiff's detectives and SB1 agents set up surveillance
along Mt. Misery Road in Lcland last Tuesday, Feb. 4,
said Crocker, where about a pound of marijuana was
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Martin Rcis was charged with misdemeanor posses
sion of marijuana and possession of drug (viraphernalia.
Ms. Rcis was charged with possession of marijuana with
intent to sell and deliver. I hey have been released from
the Brunswick County Jail under 52,500 bond each.
An investigation led to the Bordeaux residence in
Columbus County, where an additional 20 pounds of
marijuana was confiscated, said Crocker.
"A large portion of that was individually hagged for
sclbng," he noted.
Bordeaux, 68, was charged with two counts of posses
sion with intent to sell and deliver marijuana and two
counts of maintaining a vehicle for the purpose of keop
(S?e UNDKRCOVKR, Page 2-A)