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STAFF PHOTO by DOUG RUTTE*
Marsh Stalker
A blue heron stalks the marsh of lx>ckwood Folly River at Var
namtown Saturday. He was searching for food . oblivious to fisher
men who were working on their boats nearby.
Accused Rapist Gets Life
Sentence In Plea Bargain
A Calabash man accused of rap
ing a woman in Dcccmber was sen
tenced in Brunswick County Sup
erior Court last week to life in
prison plus 30 years.
Louis Harm Ash, 23, of Pinccrcst
Mobile Home Park, Route 4, plead
ed guilly to second-degree rape and
first -degree burglary stemming from
the Dec. 14 incident in Calabash.
Jury selection began last Tuesday.
March 31, after Ash entered not
guilty pleas to first-degree rape and
first nlegrce burglary, charges filed
following an investigation by Bruns
wick County Sheriffs Detective
Nancy Simpson.
His attorney, David Ford of Long
Beach, later accepted a plea agree
ment with Assistant District Atto
rney Lee Bollinger before a jury was
chosen.
Judge Joe Freeman Briu sen
tenced Ash to life in prison for the
burglary charge and 30 years in
prison on the rape charge, to run at
the expiration of the life sentence.
First-degree burglary carries a
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maximum sentcncc of up lo 50 year*
in prison or life and a minimum of 14
years in prison. Second-degree rape
carries a maximum of 40 years and a
minimum of 12 years in prison.
Judge Britt also ordered that Ash
not benefit as a committed youthful
offender, recommended that he not
receive work release and ordered
that he pay court cost and $325 in
attorney fees.
According Lu the indictments. Ash
was accused of forcing his way into
a home occupied by a female, who
he allegedly forced to have sex
against her will. First-degree bur
glary is charged when someone
breaks into an occupied home with
intent to commit a crime.
'Hie defendant allegedly told the
woman that his car was on fire and
asked if he could come inside her
home to use the telephone. When
she refused, he forced his way into
the home, hit the victim and raped
her, a deputy's report stated.
? IN SUPERIOR COURT
\ Locol Nightclub Owner Found
* Not Guilty Of Assaulting Female
BY TERRY POPE
A Holdcn Bcach area nightclub
owner accuscd of assaulting a fe
male at the club was acquitted by a
Brunswick County Superior Court
jury last week.
It took a jury just 14 minutes to
decide Dc me trios Mpatjakis, of
Whispering Heights, Shaliotte, was
not guilty of breaking a Supply
woman's jaw at the Mirage night
club on July 6.
He was accuscd of hitting Vickie
Cumbcc, of Route 2, Supply, in the
face with his fist, of breaking her
jaw in two places and knocking her
teeth out.
Defense attorney James Payne of
Shaliotte introduced eight witnesses
at the trial last Thursday, April 2,
who testified that someone else had
hit Ms. Cumbcc instead.
"Mr. Mpatjakis is an honest, hard
working man who would not hurt
anyone," said Payne. "The Almighty
took care to sec that justice pre
vailed."
Witnesses stated that Mpatjakis
was not near the alleged victim and
that Ms. Cumbec and her husband,
Jimmy Dean Cumbcc. attacked an
other individual at the club after she
had allegedly received her injuries.
The victim was hospitalized with
medical bills in excess of $7,800,
according to documents on file at
the Brunswick County Clerk of
Court's office.
Payne introduced evidence indi
cating Cumbcc had been convicted
of assaulting his wife in 1989, that
she had also filed civil papers and
obtained a protective order against
him.
She obtained a warrant against
Mpatjakis six days after the incident
and did not seek medical treatment
until two days had passed, Payne ar
gued. He asserted that Cumbec had
broken his wife's jaw arid had uieu
to gel money by filing chargcs
against Mpatjakis.
Judge Joe Freeman Britt also
heard the following cases for the pe
ritxl March 30-April 2:
?Curtis Lcc Epps, of Route 3,
Supply, pleaded guilty to seven
counts of forgery and uttering, pos
session with intent to sell and deliv
er cocaine and sale of cocaine, sen
tenced to nine years in prison, or
dered to pay court cost, S367 to
United Carolina Bank and S375 at
torney fees.
?Robert Williams, 39, of U.S. 17
South, Shaliotte, pleaded guilty to
misdemeanor breaking and entering,
sentenced to two years in prison,
suspended four years, placed on su
pervised probation four years and
1 20 days electronic house arrest be
ginning immediately, ordered to
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Shallotte, NC 28459
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serve 80 hours community scrvicc
within eight months, pay court cost
and $150 in attorney fees.
SRick Ortega, 32, of Maishview
Drive, Calabash, pleaded guilty to
breaking and entering, sentenced to
two years in jail beginning 5:30 p.m.
April 3, not recommended for work
release, ordered to pay court cost
and SI 50 attorney fees.
?Michael Kevin Hayes, 22, of
Route 2, Shallotte, found in viola
tion of probation, sentenced to three
years in prison, ordered not to bene
fit as a commuted youthful offender
and not recommended for work re
lease.
?George Rankin, 27, of Shallotte,
pleaded guilty to accessory after the
fact of rape, received a prayer for
judgment continued until April 20.
?James Gore, 40, of Pinccrest sub
division, Shallotte, pleaded guilty to
one count of misdemeanor breaking
and entering and one count of mis
demeanor larceny, sentenced to two
years in prison on the first count and
12 months on the second count ? to
run at the expiration of the first ? not
recommended for work release, or
dered to pay court cost and attorney
fees.
?Frederick Allen Clcmmons, 35, of
Chappell Avenue, Wilmington,
pleaded guilty to misdemeanor
breaking and entering and misde
meanor larceny, sentenced to two
years for breaking and entering and
two years for larceny ? to run at the
expiration of the first count, not rec
ommended for work release, ordered
to pay $840 in restitution to William
R. Rivcnbark of Iceland and $150 at
torncy fees.
?Gerald Lee Fisher. 29, of Seashore
Estates, Shallottc, pleaded guilty to
manufacturing marijuana, sentenced
to two years in prison, suspended
four years and placed on supervised
probauon four years, ordered to
spend five weekends in the
Brunswick County Jail beginning
April 1 1, ordered to serve 100 hours
of community service within eight
months, to follow all special condi
tions on drug cases, pay court cost
and a S100 community serv ice fee.
?Alberto Perez, 22, of Route 1,
Curne, pleaded guilty to possession
of cocaine and possession with in
tent to sell and deliver marijuana,
charges consolidated, sentenced to
two years in prison, ordered not to
benefit as a committed youthful of
fender, not recommended for work
release and ordered to pay court
cost
?David Leon Floyd, 25, of West
11th Street, Southport, pleaded
guilty to disorderly conduct, sen
tenced to six months in prison, sus
pended for two years and placed on
unsupervised probation for two
years, ordered to serve 24 hours
community service within six
months, to pay court cost and SI 50
in attorney fees.
?Calvin Kemith Gausc, 27, of
Route 9, Shallottc, pleaded guilty to
second-degree rape, sentenced to 15
years in prison, ordered to pay court
cost and S395 in restitution to The
Brunswick Hospital in Supply and
S265 attorney fees.
?Robert W. Pollock Jr., 28, of Tara
Drive, Raleigh, pleaded guilty to
death by motor vehicle, no opera
tor's license and failure to reduce
speed involving a Jan. 18 accident
near Maco. Pollock's car struck the
rear of a farm tractor, killing a pas
senger in his car.
He was sentenced to two years in
prison on the death by vehicle
charge and six months on the other
charges, to run at the expiration of
the two years, suspended for four
years and placed on supervised pro
bation for four years, ordered to pay
court cost, SI 50 in attorney fees and
serve 80 hours community service.
?Steven Lee Steele, 44, pleaded no
contest to misdemeanor breaking
and entering and misdemeanor lar
ceny, charges consolidated, sen
tenced to two years in prison, sus
pended for five years and placed on
five years' supervised probation, or
dered to serve 120 days under house
arrest, 100 hours of community ser
vice, pay court cost, community ser
vice fee and $600 in attorney fees.
Steele appeared in court on April
1 to ask that he serve a two-year ac
tive sentence instead. Motion al
lowed by Judge Britt.
Let's Put A
Businessman in Office.
EDWARD
F. (PORKY)
Register of Deeds
For
Brunswick County
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