THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume 3d, Wo. 38 USPS 428-080 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 18, 1980
20 CENTS
Student assaults stand-in
teacher, appeals ruling
A Hertford youth was convicted in
district court last week of assaulting a
substitute teacher at Perquimans High
School but filed for appeal to superior
court.
According to court testimony, Delma
Marcell Leigh, of 208 King Street, an It
year old ninth grader at Perquimans
< ligh School, struck Mrs. Betty Jean
Beers of Hertford pfter she attempted to
break up a fight between Leigh and a 13
year old youth on Sept. 8.
Mrs. Beers was substituting for
physical education teacher Celvin
Webster when the incident occurred.
Different groups were taking turns
playing basketball in the gym.
The altercation began when Leigh
refused to leave the floor after his
group's turn was over. He was con
fronted by another student, and ac
cording to court testimony, assaulted
that student.
When Mrs. Beers attempted to step in
and break up the fight, she was struck on
the nose, cheek and arm and her glasses
were knocked off.
According to testimony, Leigh struck
Mrs. Beers with both his open hand and
his fist.
The student was immediately expelled
from school and principal William
Byrum swore out a warrant charging
Leigh with assault on a female.
Leigh received a nine month prison
sentence suspended for two years based
on a lengthy list of conditions. He was
also fined $250 and cost of court.
One of the condition* was that he not go
on the high school premises for two
years.
But the sentence was nullified when
Leigh appealed his case to superior
court.
County declines land
records management
Pleading too little funds, the
Perquimans County Board of Com
missioners elected Monday night not to
'nitiate a land use management
^ogram, at least in the present year.
The commissioners had been awarded
a $7,000 grant from the state to begin a
property mapping and parcel iden
tification system that was hoped to
improve county land records
Initially enthusiastic about the
program, board' members began to get
skeptical when they found at a special
meeting last week that the three year
Program would cost some $160,000, and
that an employee would have to be hired
to keep the maps up to date.
Though grant money was thought to be
available to pay for part fo the project,
none had been approved except for the
$7,000 already promised.
In another matter, the commissioners
endorsed five nominations to be
recognized by Governor James B. Hunt,
Jr. for outstanding volunteer service.
% The five were: Leslie Paul Smith, Sr.,
nominated by the Winfall Volunteer Fire
Department; Beecher P. Chappell,
nominated by the Belvidere VFD;
William Edward Leicester, nominated
by the Hertford VFD; Eugene Rountree,
Sr., nominated by the Inter-County VFD;
and Oliver Wayne Winslow, nominated
by the Perquimans County Jaycees.
The commissioners were also visited
fy Cynthia Wortz, deputy director of the
overnor's office of citizen affairs.
Ms. Wortz encouraged the board to
designate an invovlement council to be a
clearinghouse for information on state
programs and volunteerism.
The involvement council could also be
utilized when federal grants for various
projects require citizen participation and
to get the word out when citizen input is
needed at public hearings.
The board elected to form a council
through the community schools advisory
council and social services. Other civic
and volunteer organizations may also be
drawn into the council.
County water department head Keith
Haskett reported to the commissioners
that the departments quarterly meter
reading effort had not worked well over
the summer months.
Water bills are based on estimates
over a two month period and in the third
month, meters are read and bills are
adjusted if any overcharge or un
dercharge has been made in the previous
two months.
Haskett said the department is getting
numerous complaints because the
September billing is in many cases twice
as"high as bills for July and August.
He said that if the estimates do not
become more accurate, the department
might request meter readings every
other month, rather than quarterly.
The commissioners also accepted a
$14,167 bid from Business Insurance
Management for an umbrella style
policy that will take care of virtually all
of the county's insurance needs.
A total of $15,000 had been budgeted for
insurance, but the umbrella policy af
fords more coverage for about the same
price as the several individual policies
the county presently holds.
"We're getting a whole lot better
deal," said county finance officer D.F.
Reed, Jr.
A representative of Business In
surance Management had provided an
audit of county insurance, and compiled
bid specifications for an umbrella policy.
The county was to pay some $450 for
the audit unless the firm won the bid.
Business Insurance Management's
bid, however, was some $5,000 cheaper
than the closest competitor.
The commissioners also heard from
Wayne Floyd of the engineering firm
Rivers and Associates, who relayed a
message that Holiday Island property
owners had voted to seek county water
for the community.
Floyd said that property owners
agreed to pay the cost of running a six
inch water line to the community and of
installing meters, estimated at some
$100,000.
The commissioners agreed to continue
to work with Holiday Island and to at
tempt to include the community in Phase
II, an expansion of the system on hold
pending the approval of funds.
Floyd said the county stands to gain 500
potential customers. He said that the
community's water plant would probably
not be usable.
Finally, board chairman Joe Nowell
announced that Dare County is seeking to
be included in the Albemarle District
Jail, and that he would attend a Sep
tember 22 meeting onthe matter.
Life is slow and easy
for yacht dwelling couple
When Dana and Maggie Goodridge
visited the county recently, they
brought their house with them.
That may seem difficult for most
people, but for the Goodridges, it was
as simple as cruising their 37 foot
yacht up the Perquimans River.
For the past three years, the couple
ihas called their boat, the Sou'wester,
home. Much of that time has been
spent cruising up and down the east
coast on the Intercoastal Waterway.
But for a recent stretch of about
eight days, the Sou'wester stayed tied
up at the Reed Oil Company dock in
Hertford, some 30 miles off the
waterway.
Was the Miami couple a little more
than slightly off course? Well, no.
They had visited the area by car and
decided to return by boat. While here,
they traversed the county with
realtors, looking for a new "home
base," a waterfront home with
Dam i and Maggie Goodridge ,
! time yacht dwellers
docking facilities for the boat.
The Goodridges are looking for
warmer (as in friendlier^ climes from
which to base their work with the
Waterway Guide, a yachtsmens Bible
to cruising on the Intercoastal
Waterway.
Dana is a contributing editor, which
means he rewrites and updates
passages describing stretches of
waterway and anchorages to insure
that they remain accurate.
That involves a whole lot of what the
Goodridges love most, "cruising,"
and getting paid for it.
Though their yacht appeared
terribly lonely on the Perquimans
River, the Goodridges say that
cruising is a terribly popular pastime
in other areas.
"The waterway at certain times is
extremely crowded," said Dana. "At
the right times you see almost no
boats, but at the wrong times you
almost need traffic signals." >
The couple expressed surprise at
the absence of yachts in the area. "It
surprises m? that such a great
cruising country is so little used,"
said Dana. "Of course, we don't want
to see a big crowd of boats in here. It
would spoil the placc for us."
The Perquimans gets top iharks
from a couple with plenty to compare
it with. "I'd say this is one o< three or
four ?f the prettiest rivers along the
entire east coast," said Dana, "and
we've seen moat oc' them."
Suspected deed forger
Hertford Police chief Marshall Merritt
escorts suspected deed forger Edwin
Earl Lightfoot from the office of town
attorney William Bentley. Lightwood
was alledged to have sought $4,700 for
property that wasn't entirely his.
Land
scheme
blocked
Concealing themselves in the home of
town attorney William Bentley Sunday
afternoon, Hertford police officers
listened as a suspected deed forger at
tempted to obtain $4,700 for a condemned
piece of property that wasn't entirely his.
Edwin Earl Lightfoot, 35, of Newport
News, Va? was arrested after he
allegedly forged the names of three heirs
to two lots condemned in the King Street
Redevelopment project by the town of
Hertford. Lightfoot was the-fourth heir to
the property, according to Hertford
Police Chief Marshall Merritt.
While police officers Robert Morris
and Mike Jasielum listened from another
room, Bentley carried out the tran
saction with Lightfoot, Merritt said.
Had the suspected ploy been suc
cessful, the three other heirs would have
been defrauded of their share 01 the
money.
But one of the forged names on the
document was that of Myrtle Lightfoot,
of Bethelehem, Pa. The estranged wife of
the suspect, Ms. Lightfoot notified
authorities that Lightfoot might attempt
a forgery, Merritt said.
Lightfoot is being held under $30,000
bond At the Albemarle District jail. A
probable cause hearing is scheduled
September 24.
Agri-business cleaning
up but concerns remain
Most of the several Winfall residents'
complaints about Albemarle Chemical
Company, Inc., have been corrected,
according to the three women who
brought complaints against the agri
business to the attention of the
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY in July and
" the Winfall Town Council last month.
The women were unhappy about the
frequency of amonia spillages occuring
at the company, as well as their method
of drying corn, soybeans, and peanuts,
which caused excessive amounts of
flying debris, they said. Other com
plaints ranged from the speed at which
employees and customers drove on
Albemarle Street (the road leading to the
business from Highway 37), the volume
of the company's loudspeaker, and the
smell coming from rotting corn and
grain.
"My basic attitude is that I'm very
pleased with the way Edgar Roberson
(general manager of Albemarle
Chemical) has cleaned up his property,"
said Mrs. Cheri Williams, a resident
whose home is located directly in front of
the agri-business on Highway 37. "We do
not have the problems we had before,"
she added.
Mrs. Williams said that no amonia
spillages have occured since July, and
that the problem of flies and odor had
been eliminated.
Mrs. Lib Morgan, who also lives on
Highway 37, indicated her overall ap
proval of conditions at the business. "I
feel like Albemarle Chemical has taken
steps to eliminate some of the problems
? like the smell and flies," said Mrs.
Morgan, "and they ought to be com
mended for it if they continue to keep it
clean."
But the problem with flying debris
from drying corn still exists she said.
"The chaff from blowing corn is really
bad," she said, "there's a lot of noise and
dirt from that."
Mrs. Frances Merritt, who lives on the
corner of Albemarle Street and Highway
37, was also concerned about the com
pany's grain-drying technique. While she
said that traffic has slowed down on
Albemarle Street, the loud speaker
volume has been turned down, and the
problem of odor and flies has "im
proved," she said she was still concerned
about the company's grain drying
procedures.
"I am not satisfied with that situation
(grain drying) over there and we intend
an extensive letter campaign contacting
all agencies ? state and national ? that
could possibly be of assistance to us,"
said Mrs. Merritt.
Mrs. Merritt said that while several
state agencies have investigated the
situation at the business, she was not
satisfied with their follow-up because
"nothing has been done."
"Last week the wind was due west and
blowing the debris (from drying corn)
back toward the company," she said.
< Continued on page 2 )
Crime workshop
Robbery precautions are urged
A handful of town and county mer
chants met last week with a represen
tative of the N.C. Division of Crime
Prevention in a workshop designed to aid
businesses in the prevention of robberies.
M.C. Teague, of the division
headquarters in Raleigh, spouted a
number of statistics that indicated that
crime in North Carolina is definitely on
the upswing. At the same time, however,
he said the number of cases being solved
is also increasing.
"In 1978 we had 3,646 robberies
reported in North Carolina," said
Teague, "of these, 2 percent of the cases
were solved." Teague said that some
4,000 robberies were reported in 1979,
with 38 percent of the cases reported
solved.
Robberies occur most frequently
during the months of December and
January, according to Teague, adding
that this was unusual in light of the fact
that all other crimes take place during
warmer months.
In defining robbery, Teague said it was
important to realise that the act is the
"forceful taking or attempted taking of
valuables directly from another person."
"It (robbery) is different from
stealing," he said, "and you need to
remember that because robbery is a
potentially deadly act."
Teague proved some popular con
ceptions false when he asked the group
where most robberies take place. While
most of the merchants present guessed
that robberies occur most frequently at
all-night convenience stores or gas
stations, Teague said that 36 percent of
all robberies occur on highways.
"The open highway is where most
robberies occur," said Teague, "and the
robbers will do anything to get you to
stop your car, even run you off the road."
He said that roadside rest areas were
especially attractive to robbers and
hazardous to motorists.
He said the best way U) prevent high
way robbery was to keep all car doors
locked, refuse rides to hitchhikers, and to
keep on the road. "Do not let anybody
force you off the road ? wreck them, do
anything to stay on the road," said
Teague.
Businesses are the second most
frequently hit targets by robbers, ac
cording to Teague, who said that a
number of steps can be taken to prevent
robberies. He advised the merchants to:
? Lock back doors to businesses (He said
a surprisingly large number of robberies
occur simply because thieves could enter
businesses easily and without force. )
? Observe and report suspicious-looking
characters
? Keep all areas inside and out well
lighted
? Vary times money is taken to the bank
? Maintain high visibility of cash register
so a robber can be easily observed and
reported
? Post a sign stating that the business
does not keep more than X amount of
dollars in the cash register ? and then
keep only than amount.
One large chain of convenience stores
trains all their employees to greet each
customer with a look in the eye and a
salutation, according to Teague.
"I'm sure it's very unnerving to have
someone look you square in the eye and
say 'hello,' if you're about to rob them,"
said Teague.
Teague said that a robber is more apt
to strike a messy, sloppy looking
business than a clean, well-kept one.
"Discourage a robber before he hits ?
communicate to the thief not to rob you,
to go someplace else," he said.
Those attending the workshop also
offered some suggestions for
discouraging robbers. John Beers, co
owner of J.C. Blanchard's Inc., said that
he always leaves the cash register open
at night, displaying the small amount of
change left at the store. Betty Han,
(Continued oaptge 2)