STAFF PHOTO BY DOUG ?Uni?
7"VV6> PEOPIJi WERE INJURED last week at Holden Beach
when an explosion blew out one side of this camping trailer.
Drinking Party Dispute
Ends With Man's Shooting
An afternoon of drinking ended in
violcncc Sunday when a 61 -year-old
ex-convict shot his neighbor in the
chest at a mobile home park near
Southport, police said Monday
['he victim, Michael Ixc Terry,
39 was listed in stable condition at
New Hanover Regional Medical
Center Monday, investigating Del
ccuve Nancy Simpson said.
Arrested in the shooting was
Edward Earl Steppe, a native of
Charlotte who "has been in and out
of prison sincc 1954," according to
Assistant District Attorney Lee
Bollinger. He said Steppe has served
Uinc for armed robbery breaking
an>' ' ucring and drug charges.
Siep}.;, has been charged with as
sault with a deadly weapon with in
tent to kill, indicting serious injury.
The two men live two trailers
away from each other in the Sea
Pines Community off Long Bcach
Road.
Witnesses to the shooting told
Simpson that Steppe, Terry, another
man and a woman had spent the af
ternoon sitting in chairs beside
Terry s mulct. Ihey had been drink
ing lot about two hours, Simpson
said
Steppe and Terry got into an ar
gument that ended when Steppe
pulled out a .25 caliber automatic
and shot Terry in the chest between
his heart and his stomach, Simpson
said. She did not know the nature of
the disagreement.
Other neighbors reportedly told
Simpson ttiat Steppe had "Jibllccrdut
the gun earlier in the day but had
not threatened anyone.
An initial bond of S1(),(XX) was
set for Steppe's release That figure
was raised to S5(),(XX) alter a first
appearance m court Monday.
Man Charged With Raping
Friend's Pre-Teen Daughter
A North Myrtle Beach, S.C., man
has been tharged with nine sex of
fenses involving a girl under the age
of 13 in a series of assaults that al
legedly occurred in Brunswick
County over a period of two years,
police said Monday.
Ronald Lynn Kimball. 48, has
been charged with one count of first
degree sexual offense with a child
under 13, statutory rape, two counts
of crimes against nature, three
counts of taking indecent liberties
with a child and two counts of sexu
al activity by a substitute parent.
If convictcd of all charges, Kim
ball could face a maximum sentence
of two lite terms plus 8U years.
Brunswick County Sheriff's Dc
tecuve Nancy Simpson said Monday
that the charges were brought after
information was received from
South Carolina indicating that the
offenses had occurred here when the
victim was age 12.
The victim, now 15, is the daugh
ter of Kimball's female friend, Sim
pson said.
Kimball was arrested July 30 by
North Myrtle Beach Police. He did
not l^ght extradition to Brunswick
County, where he is being held in
lieu of$l(X),000 bond.
At a first appearance in Bruns
wick County District Court Monday,
attorney Michael Ramos was ap
pointed to defend Kimball. A proba
bic i-uu-vC hearing wsS set for Asjg.
19.
Main St., Shallotte^754-4846
VISITING HOLDEN BEACH
Couple Burned
When Camper
Explodes
BY DOUG R UTTER
A Shelby man was listed in good
condition Monday alter suffering se
rious bums when a camping trailer
filled with propane g^s and explod
ed last week at Holden Bcach.
Todd Huss, 31, was recovering at
the UNC Hospital Bum Center in
Chapel Hill following the explosion
last Wednesday morning at Camp
ground By The Sea.
His wife, Laurie, 28, was dis
charged from The Brunswick Hosp
ital in Supply Monday after five
days of treatment.
The couple and their two children
were staying in a 1972 Terry camper
they had borrowed, said Brunswick
County Fire Marshal Cecil Logan.
" l ne trailer exploded, " Holden
Bcach Police Chief Robert Cook
said. "It literally blew the sides out
of it "
Authorities said the children, a
boy and girl who appeared to be 4 or
5 years old, were outside when the
explosion happened around 8:05
a.m. and were unharmed.
Cook said their father suffered
bums over about 80 percent of his
body. "He was in terrible shape, had
very little skin left," Cook said. "He
was burned everywhere except his
hands and his face."
Cook said about half of Mrs.
Huss' hair was burned as well as her
eyelashes and eyebrows. She also
suffered burns on her lower legs and
feet.
Police got l he man and woman
out of ihc trailer and stabilized them
until Coastline Volunteer Rescue
Squad arrived The man was imme
diately transported from The
Brunswick Hospital to Chapel Kill.
Logan said the family was appar
ently cooking on a hot plate, but one
of the children wanted oatmeal so
they dccidcd to use the gas stove.
A gas line to the camper's heater
was disconnected, and gas filled
storage areas inside the camper
when the tanks were turned on to
use the stove.
Logan said the explosion oc
curred when a match was struck to
light the stove.
"Il was actually a very, very
small fire. It was a lot of heat but a
small fire," he said.
fire was cut bcfArp i^i-Rftach
Volunicci Fiie Deparuiiem ai lived
An emergency medical technician
from Charlotte who was staying at
the campground turned off the gas to
prevent the fire from spreading.
Cook said the fiie didn't bum
long. "It was more or less a flash,
just an explosion and gone," he said.
The young boy told authorities
that he saw flames underneath the
trailer just before the explosion.
"He said he hollered for his daddy
and before he could answer it just
blew up," Cook said.
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The two children stayed with
someone in a nearby camper until
their grandmother drove down from
Shelby to take care of them.
?kT*? - J I At/ ?* | ????
lllCy 5CCIIIVO IV UV vi\, l~\s?o*i
said. "They were shook up ot
course, as any kid would be seeing
mommy and daddy taken away in an
ambulance."
Cook estimated the camper was
about 19 or 20 feet long.
"They said they heard the explo
sion halfway down the island," he
noted.
Despite the force of the explo
sion, Cook said no other campers
nearby were damaged and nobody
else was injured.
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