Recycling's Back
County transfer stations in the Lelan
Southport and South Brunswick
areas are accepting glass, aluminum
cans and newspapers for recycling.
See Page 6-B.
I Second Chance
First graders involved in a Reading
Recovery pilot project at three
county primary schools get a second
chance to grasp the basics of
reading. The story's on Page 9-B
THE
Thirtieth Year, Number 19
Tournament Champs
South Brunswick's Tasha Sellers
helped lead the Lady Cougars to the
Waccamaw Conference tournament
championship over Whiteville Friday.
For details, see Page 1-D
CI 993 TM{ B*JNSW>CX 8EACON
Shollotte, North Carolina, Thursday, March 12, 1992
50c Per Copy
44 Pages, 4 Sections, 2 Inserts
STAFF PHOTO BY DOUG tUTTER
Friendly Reminder
This speed indicator was set up on t he U.S. 17 Shallotte bypass Monday as a friendly reminder of the
55 mph limit. The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles is loaning the device to the Shallotte Police Depart
ment said Chief Rodney Gause. Radar clocks the speed of cars approaching the indicator to let mo
torists know how fast they're driving. Gause said the device will be set up at various spots on' the by
pass. A computer logs the speed of each passing vehicle.
Shallotte Police Officer Suspended
For Harassing Woman Motorist
IJY IJUUl. KlITTER
Shallottc Police Dcl Tom Hunter
is serving a four-day suspension af
ter alt cftdly making a
gesiivc ccoment 10 a weman mo
torist during a routine traffic slop.
Police Chief Rodney Cause sus
pended Hunter without pay after the
officer reportedly said he wanted to
strip search a young woman stopped
at a roadblock on the U.S. 17 bypass
last month.
The incident occurred Feb. 24
around 4 p.m. near Smith Avenue,
Gause said. Officers were using rad
ar to detect speeders and stopping
cars to check for seat belt and other
violations.
Gause said the woman, Natalie
Oldcnkamp of Wilmington, was
stopped at the roadblock and a uni
formed police officer asked to see
her license and registration.
The officer, Shallottc Patrolman
Keith Croom, informed her that her
tinted windows were darker than
North Carolina law allows. Ms. Old
cnkamp said the tint is legal in Flor
ida where her car is registered.
According to the woman's state
ment, a plainclothes officer "said he
would like to take me in and strip
search me. He laughed and told me
to have a nice day."
Gause said he didn't find out
about the incident until he talked
with the woman last Thursday.
"The only thing 1 can do at this
point is make sure it doesn't happen
again," the chief said Friday. "We're
going to make sure that this won't
"Officers joke among themselves
to relieve tension. This whole
thing took about 20 seconds and
was an ill attempt at humor. "
? Shallotte Det. Tom Hunter
ever happen again 10 her or anyone
else."
In a telephone interview Sunday,
Hunter admitted that he made the
comment and was wrong for making
it. "I shouldn't have said it."
Hunter, who also serves as police
chief in Sandy Creek, said the com
ment was directed to the other town
officer who was working at the
roadblock.
"I didn't know she was offended.
I didn't even know she heard it,"
Hunter said. "She was laughing and
joking with him. I had no idea she
was upset about it."
Hunter planned to send the
woman a letter of apology and said
he would have apologized to her im
mediately if he had known she was
upset by the comment.
Ms. Oldenkamp was driving to
work in Nonh Myrtle Beach, S.C.,
where she is a waitress at Hooters.
Waitresses at the restaurant wear
skimpy T-shirts and shorts.
Dct. Hunter said the woman's at
tire had nothing to do with his com
mcni bccausc he didn't see how she
was dressed when he made the state
ment.
Hunter said the two town officers
and one highway patrolman had
been working six hours at the road
block when the incident occurred.
"You never know if the next per
son who comes through will pull a
gun on you," Hunter said. "Officers
joke among themselves to relieve
tension. This whole thing took about
20 seconds and was an ill attempt at
humor."
Hunter started serving his suspen
sion Monday and expected to return
to work Friday.
From now on, Gause said all town
officers working at roadblocks will
wear uniforms and "conduct them
selves in a professional manner".
"I appreciate her bringing this to
my attention bccausc if we don't
know anything about it we can't do
anything to correct it," Gause said.
"Not only is it an embarrassment to
the officer but a discredit to the de
partment."
Minority District Separates
Neighbors In Four Precincts
BY TERRY POPE
Neighbors in some northern
Brunswick County communities will
be handed different ballots when
they go to the polls in the May ?S pri
mary.
Portions of four county prccincLs
?Hoods Creek, Leland, Woodburn
and Bclvillc ? arc included in the
newly-created minority 98th State
House District.
The district was created by the
N.C. General Assembly as part of
the state's redistricting plan ap
proved in January. The goal is to in
crease minority representation in the
legislature by creating a district in
southeastern North Carolina that
contains a majority of minority vot
ers. The district will have minority
representation in next year's Genera]
Assembly. The announced candi
dates in the Democratic primary
Ms. Johnnie Fields and Thomas
Wnght, both of Wilmington, arc
both black. No Republican filed for
the seal.
District 98 includes portions of
Robeson, Columbus, Brunswick and
New Hanover counties. Brunswick
County residents in the 98th District
will vote for the same slate of coun
ty candidates but not for those in the
14th State House race.
County officials believe there will
be confusion at first over who lives
where and who gets which ballot in
.. ,^.Pr'mary under the new plan.
We ii do die best we can with
?e ta* KCB*k," said Brunswick
County Board of Elections Sup
ervisor Lynda Britt.
Maps showing the district lines
will be posted at the four precincts
involved on election day. Elections
ollicials will also try to match regis
tered voting records with parcel
numbers on the tax maps before the
primary.
"Wc could go door-to-door in the
Bclvillc precinct since it's so small "
said Mrs. Britt, "but you can't do
that in other precincts."
The district divides the Hoods
Creek precinct, reaching from the
Columbus County line and includ
ing all of the Northwest community.
The line follows Mt. Misery Road
and the Lincoln School Road
through the Leland precinct to in
clude voters in the Phoenix commu
nity and the towns of Navassa and
Bclvillc.
From Bclvillc, the lines form a
gourd-shaped area to encompass
voters in the Chappell Loop Road
community, which is made up of
mostly black families. Residents
there have been the focus of annexa
tion battles between the towns of
Leland and Bclvillc for two years.
_ In some instances, poll workers
may have to rely on the residents to
tind their homes on the map.
When you come in, you've got
to determine where you live so
you'll get the right ballot," said Mrs.
Briti.
Voters in the 98th District have
two Democratic candidates running
for the State House ? Ms. Johnnie S.
Fields, of South 5th Street, Wil
mington; and Thomas E. Wright, of
South 17th Street, Wilmington. Ms.
Fields is a political ncwcomcr while
Wright has served on the Wil
mington City Council.
No candidates from the other
three counties in the district filed for
the scat. Mrs. Britt said a Brunswick
County resident appeared at the
Board of Elections office in Bolivia
around 12:30 p.m. on March 2 to
file. However, by state law, filing
had officially closed at noon.
Residents who remain in the 14th
District will see some familiar
names on their ballot for the State
House.
Running as Democrats arc incum
bent E. David Rcdwinc of Occan
Isle Bcach; Dewey Hill of Lake
Waccamaw; Michael T. Mills of
Bolton and Shirley T. Green of
Robeson County.
Running as a Republican, with no
May 5 primary, is Kelly Holdcn of
Shallottc, current chairman of the
Brunswick County Board of Com
missioners.
Mrs. Brut said her office has re
ceived few questions from residents
concerning the new district.
Residents will not likely notice
the effects of the new district until
election day, predicted Holdcn.
"When they go to vote is when
it'll hit them," said Holdcn. "The
names they thought were going to
be on their ballot will not be on
there."
Voters have until April 6 to reg
ister to vote for the May primary.
Uniformed Patrol Begins
At North Brunswick High
ItY SUSAN UNHKK
A new authority figure can be
seen on the campus of North Bruns
wick High School this week ? a uni
formed law officer.
For the first time Tuesday, the
campus was patrolled part of the
school day by an off-duty sheriffs
deputy, part of an effort to deter vio
Icnc; and increase campus safety
"The only reason I didn't have
anyone there Monday was that 1
couldn't find anybody," said Chief
Deputy John Marlow of the Bruns
wick County Sheriff's Department.
Under a verbal agreement be
tween the Brunswick County Board
of Education and the department, an
off-duty officer will be stationed at
the school for about three to four
hours a day until the end of the
school term, whenever such an offi
cer is available.
Monday, at a continuation of their
regular meeting a week ago, the
school board voted unanimously,
with all members present, to pay
SI 5 an hour for a part-time deputy.
"I'm not pleased with the hours,
but I'm pleased that we've started,"
commented District 5 board member
Yvonne Bright.
While the vote was for a thrce
hour-a-day schedule, that figure is
likely to be adjusted upward, said
Superintendent P.R. Nankins, if offi
cers cannot be hired for the shorter
period or if longer hours are needed.
He also expects Harris to try lo
vary the hours an officer is on the
campus, so no definite pattern devel
ops.
Marlow said off duty officers are
eager to work overtime for the addi
tional pay, but usually want to work
a longer block of time to make it
worth their while. "Most aren't go
ing to do il for two or three hours, '
he said.
School board member Polly Russ
broached the possibility Monday
night of using auxiliary officers for
campus patrol.
However, Marlow said Tuesday
that typically auxiliary officers al
ready work fuii-timc jobs during the
wxk and arc o?k y avaMk an
weekends.
The uniformed officcr, who will
patrol North's campus on foot, will
be equipped with all standard coun
ty-issued equipment, including
weapons, said Marlow. "If we is
sued grenades, he would have a
grenade."
(See UNIFORMED, Page 2-A)
Ericksen Is
A Republican
A candidate in the District 1
Brunswick County Board of
Commissioners' race was incor
rectly labeled in an article print
ed last week.
Raymond Ericksen, 60, of
Ocean Isle Beach, is a Republ
ican in that race and will not face
a challenger in the May 5 prima
ry. The Brunswick Beacon erred
when it indicated Ericksen had
filed as a Democrat.
The only other candidate who
filed in District 1 was Don War
ren, 43, of Shallottc, a Democrat.
The two will compete in the
November general election.
The Beacon regrets the error
and any inconvenience it may
have caused.
County Questions
Democratic
Party On Building Occupancy
BY TKRRY POPE
An apparent error led county officials to believe
Friday that Brunswick County Democrats were in viola
tion of state building codes for the party headquarters
under construction near Supply.
A letter sent to Democratic Party Chairman
Crawford M. Hart also accuses the group of violating
state law by occupying die building before obtaining a
certificate of occupancy from the Brunswick County
Inspections Department.
But the confusion resulted from an administrative er
ror over a date and has since been corrected, said Hart
on Tuesday.
Building Inspections Director Robert Tucker sent
the letter by certified mail Friday, March 6. County offi
cials had discovered the administrative error Monday
before Hart and Shallotte attorney Mark Lewis, who
represents the party, arrived to check on the status of the
permits.
'They absolutely are not expired," said Hart. "It was
just misread."
The permits do expire April 24, according to the file
at the Building Inspections Department.
A final inspection must be performed by then. The
last inspection, on April 24, 1991 , indicated the building
lacked bathroom plumbing and handicapped parking
signs.
"As far as we're concerned, they're fine until April
24," said Katherinc Graves of the Inspections
Department.
Tucker's letter had indicated the party needed to ob
tain updated permits for the building by March 13 and to
have all work required to obtain a certificate of occupan
cy permit completed within 30 days. Failure to do so
would result in "future action by this department," he
wrote.
The department also indicated that Democrats owed
the county SI 37 for previous inspections.
"We didn't," said Hart. "It was just an oversight. We
went down, and they had already found the mistake."
Rumois asset ted that the Democratic Parly has re
ceived special treatment from the county by being al
lowed to occupy a building for various functions before
obtaining an occupancy permit and a permanent electri
cal hookup.
The building is being served with electricity tem
porarily from a 100-amp service pole that is routinely in
placc during construction.
"That's been clarified," said Hart. "As far as taking
occupancy of it, we don't have a full staff of people.
We're not having shindigs in there every day. They
know what we're doing."
Hart said Democrats hope to complete the building
within two weeks and to obtain the certificate of occu
pancy then. The original building permits were obtained
on March 14, 1990, indicating a building valued at
$123,900 would be built on the lot.
A framing steel inspection passed on Oct. 25, 1990,
and the flashing inspection passed on April 23, 1990.
Plumbing and electrical permits, good for 12 months.
(See DEMOCRATS, Page 2-A)
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PHOTO BY TISJY POM
BRUNSWICK COUNTY'S Democratic headquarters near Supply remain hooked to a temporary
power source with an April 24 construction deadline approaching.