THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Votume59, No.2 .. USPS 428-080 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., ThurstJay. January l 1, 1990 _ _30 CENTS
Farm
Beyond the Weeds
Page 10
The Desert Mght
Pag* 4
Briefs
Mumps outbreak
reported here
There have been several cases of
mumps confirmed in the health dis
trict area according to Howard
Campbell, Health Director for the
PPCC District Health Department.
The Health Department serves
Pasquotank, Perquimans, Camden
and Chowan counties.
Mumps is an acute viral disease
characterized by fever, swelling
and tenderness of one or more sali
vary glands / bout one third of ex
posed susceptible persons have no
apparent symptoms. Mumps oc
curs less regularly than other com
mon communicable diseases of
childhood such as measles and
chickenpox. Winter and spring are
seasons of greatest prevalence.
Susceptibility is general. Most
adults are likely to have been in
fected naturally and may be con
sidered to be immune, even if they
did not have recognized disease.
If you have a child who exhibits
the symptoms of mumps, it is rec
ommended that you see a physician
for confirmation. If mumps is con
firmed, it will be reported to the lo
cal health authority by the
physician. Children are advised to
return to school 9 days after the on
set of swelling. No specific treat
ment is indicated.
County Heart
Association
names Board
The Perquimans County Board of
Directors for the American Heart
Association's 1990 campaign year
include the following officers:
Chris 0. Lane, president; Pat
Rountree, secretary (and Home
With Heart Chair); Roy S. Chap
pell, Jr., treasurer (and Memorial
Chair).
Additional volunteers include:
Robert Lam:^^p^(l^ind^^-,
(Residential Chair); Paige L. Un
derwood (Rural Heart Fund Drive
Chair); Lessie E. White (Rural
Community Chair-Winfall); Jua
nita Bailey (Food Festival Chair);
Sharman Haskett (Telepledge
Chair); Suzanne Haste (Poster
Chair) and Susan Winslow (Educa
tional Community Program
Chair).
The American Heart Association
is the nation's largest voluntary
health organization dedicated to
the reduction of disability and
death from heart and blood vessel
diseases, which annually kill al
most one million Americans. Last
year thge AHA spent more than
$150 million for research support
and public and professional educa
tion and community programs.
Minorities are
encouraged to
get farm ioans
Melvin E. Howeii, County Super
visor for Farmers Home Adminis
tration, (FmHA) in Chowan and
Perquimans County is encouraging
the participation of minorities in
the Agency's Farm Loan program.
Howeii stated that as a resuit of the
Agricuiturai Credit Act of 1987,
twenty-one (21) percent of the farm
ownership ioan funds and farm in
ventory property wiil be reserved
for minority farmers in North Car
olina. The targeting of ioan funds to
minorities wili assist FmHA in its
efforts to reverse the loss of farm
ownership by that group. Persons
interested in the program should
contact the iocal county FmHA of
fice located in the ARPDC Budding
on Church Street Extended, Hert
ford, NC (919) 426-5733.
FmHA is a lender of funds for Ag
riculture and Rurai Development
within the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.
(Katd^ * pirate
feuer!
Watch Pirate
basketbai! each
Tuesday and Friday
Joint drug operation nets no arrests
We got burned, said Sheriff
Joe Lothian discussing a drug oper
ation conducted jointiy by his de
partment and the Hertford Poiice
Department Friday evening.
According to Lothian, an apart
ment at 225 Wynn Fork Courts oc
cupied by Coriie L. Askew was
searched. Informants had given lo
cai iaw enforcement officials infor
mation that significant quanities of
controlled substances were in the
apartment.
Approximately one hour before
the search was to get underway,
another iaw enforcement agency in
the Aibemarie Area caiied to say
that they had received word from
their sources that corroborated the
information Lothian had received
from his informant.
While iocai officials mapped out
their search and seizure strategy,
Lothian feeis that one of his infor
mants decided to "roil over," to
warn Askew of the impending raid.
Although this has not happened to
Lothian often in his career, he said
it sets up real danger for his men.
"The people knew we were com
ing," Lothian commented.
No drugs were found, but Lothian
said the operation was not a total
failure.
Although we didn't find any con
trolled substances, we found va
rious pieces of information that will
be turned over to the Nassau
County (New York) Drug Enforce
ment Task Force," the sheriff
stated. "We found a lot of informa
tion showing a connection between
here and major drug dealers in
New York City. For the past coupie
of months, Chief Sample and my
self have been working on an infor
mation exchange between here and
Nassau County that has proved
very productive.
The officers also found other in
formation which indicated that
large quanities of money are being
moved in and out of this area. "For
a low-income housing project,
that's kind of an amazing situa
tion, "Lothian said.
Another fact draws attention to
the drug dealers in Wynn Fork
Courts. "It's not unusual to see
large luxury cars sitting there,
such as Mercedes, BMWs," Lo
thian stated. There was a Mercedes
in the parking lot at the time of the
raid.
"There was some success with
this particular raid. However, after
you work several hours on a search
warrant you really hope that you'll
get a little bit more in the way of
controlled substances than we
got, " commented Lothian.
It is not unusual to see police cars
or hear sirens at Wynn Fork
Courts. Several drug operations
have been undertaken in the pro
ject, and many arrests have been
made. There are also numerous
calls requesting law enforcement
assistance due to alleged assaults
and burglary, many instances
through to be drug-related.
"Wynn Fork Courts is one of our
problem areas as far as drug traf
fic in this area, " Lothian said.
Pictured are items confiscated in drug raids conducted by the Per
quimans County Sheriff's Department recentiy. Cocaine, marijuana,
paraphenatia, guns and knives are kept under iock and key and are
used for evidence in triais.
^:' .ah
Drug raids: Long process, dangerous business
What is behind a drug raid? Do law enforce
ment officials plan a raid on the word of an in
formant alone? Are drug operations spur-of-the
moment attempts to nab dealers and quanities
of controMedsubstances.
Not likely, according to Sheriff Joe Lothian.
Most drug operations take time and money to
set up. Anything done on the spur of the moment
can only be done due to prior training of officers,
and will only be done if a situation is serious
enough to demand immediate action.
And Lothian should know. His department and
the Hertford Police Department boast an excel
lent record for drug arrests. Nine officers from
the two departments rated 35th in the state in
drug arrests last year with almost 300 arrests.
That figure does not include citations issued for
such infractions as simple possession of mari
juana and possession of paraphenalia.
Lothian said the record indicates two things:
1. The law enforcement officers here are a very
dedicated group attempting to rid the county of
drugs; and 2. "When nine officers can make al
most 300 drug arrests, it's time everybody takes
a look to see just how big a problem we have. "
The raid set-up
If information concerning drug traffic falls
into die hands of law enforcement officials, they
know they must work discreetly to avoid allow
ing those allegedly involved to become aware
they are under investigation. Surveillance and
buys are two forms of information-gathering.
Officers may keep some alleged traffickers
watched almost around the clock. Or they may
be watched during certain time periods when
officers feel that more useful information can be
gathered.
Drug dealers also keep tabs on officers, so
they must be careful. The officers do not take
any action that might draw attention to an up
coming drug operation. Dealers also hirej young
children - sometimes under 10, according to Lo
thian - to watch officers and patrol cars when
shipments come in or big deals are going down.
Sometimes officer from departments outside
the county buy drugs from local dealers. These
buys are expensive, as cocaine is not a cheap
drug. Even crack, which is considered a much
less expensive drug, must be bought in suffi
cient quantities to build a solid case. The buys
are risky deals for the officer working under
cover. If the dealer realizes he's selling to an
officer, the officer's life is in danger.
Sufficient evidence must be presented to a ju
dicial official so that a search warrant can be
issued.
The search warrant affidavit must be perfect.
Any errors could prove disastrous at worst, em
barrassing at least, in court. The document is
written, then checked thoroughly. It is sub
mitted to a magistrate or district court judge.
This judicial official again checks the document
for accuracy, and makes sure it meets the crite
ria for a search warrant issuance. Lothian said
the thoroughness of the local magistrates has
helped to insure court successes here.
Once the search warrant is issued, all officer
to be involved meet to discuss specific duties.
Lothian said that when every ofncer performs
his assigned task, the operation runs smoothly.
Any deviation can endanger the lives of fellow
officers and innocent buy-standers. For this rea
son, most officers are trained to perform a spe
cific task, and to become an expert in that area.
Just prior to leaving the meeting place to exe
cute the operation, each officer prepares him
self. Some tell jokes, others go over entry
procedures, still others pace nervously. Finally,
when the time is right, the officer in charge
gives the word to move out. The group pulls to
gether like a small army heading out to fight the
war on drug traffic.
When all officers are in position, the word is
given to proceed. The officers assigned to gain
entry approach the dwelling and announce their
presence. If the persons inside the dwelling do
not open the door, the search team may forcibly
enter. Once entry is gained, the first order of
business is to secure the premises for the safety
of the officers and occupants.
After the property is secure, the evidence offi
cer comes in with Ms equipment and the canine
handler brings in the dog. Each room is thor
oughly searched with the dog, followed by a
manual search. Where evidence is found, by
whom it is found, what time it is found and what
it is believed to be is carefully recorded by the
evidence officer. He is responsible for all evi
dence from the time it is found until the case
comes to triai.
Although the canine search is extremely use
ful in quicky and easily finding drugs, a hand
search can unveil other information, such as
written documentation about dealers, that is
beneficial to the overall efforts to fight drug tra
ffic. Often stolen goods are found. The sheriff's
department has never found a controlled sub
stance behind their canine.
With the dwelling search over, the officers de
termine what charges are applicable. The per
son or persons to be arrestM are taken to the
law enforcement department in charge of the
operation. The suspects are fingerprinted and
photographed, then taken before a magistrate
who will set bond. If those charged cannot meet
bond, they are transported to Albemarle Dis
trict Jail to await tnal. From there, the case
makes its way through the courts.
Lothian said his department has never had to
use deadly force on a drug raid. He has, how
ever, had officers injured from forcibly entering
a dwelling. Officers have also been assaulted by
drug dealers.
It is upsetting to any law enforcement officer
to go through the time and danger involved in a
drug operation only to have a judge hand down
an extremely light sentence. Some judges from
outside the district have tried cases here, giving
such light sentences law enforcemenFofficials
felt their work setting up drug operations was in
vain.
There is a bright side however. "Our resident
superior court judges have a history of taking a
hard line against drug dealers in our commu
nity," Lothian said, adding that he wishes they
could try all his cases.
Officer training is crucial to drug operations.
Lothian and Hertford Police Chief Aubrey Sam
ple are working to put together a group of offi
cers from both departments who will receive
special training to deal with drug operations. In
the last year, instructors from the Salemburg
Police Academy have worked with the men on
search and seizure procedures.
"Hopefully, we can get some more people in
here to give the men a little extra information on
handling these situations," Lothian said.
Meanwhile, drug dealers beware.
Perquimans
woman arrested
in Day Care
sex abuse case
By JOE SOUTHERN
Oaity Advtnca StaH Wrttar _
EDENTON — A Perquimans
County woman was arrested Tues
day morning and charged with sex
ual offenses against seven children
at the former Little Rascals Day
Care Center.
Robin Boles Byrum, 19, of Route
2 Box 664, Edenton - the address is
Edenton though the residence is in
Perquimans County - was indicted
by a Chowan County grand jury this
week on 13 bills, including eight
counts of first-degree sex offense,
12 counts of indecent liberties, one
count of crimes against nature and
one count of conspiracy to commit
indecent liberties.
Byrum is being held in the Albe
marie District Jail in lieu of a
$500,000 secured bond. She was
brought before Judge Frank R.
Brown Tuesday morning for a bond
hearing. At that time she requested
a court-appointed attorney. She is a
former employee of the center, and
was in charge of caring for two and
three-year-olds.
Byrum is one of two defendants
connected with five other de
fendants in the case. Also charged
in the case this week was Darlene
Harris of Edenton. The other de
fendants include Robert. F. "Bob"
Kelly, Elizabeth T. "Betsy" Kelly,
Willard Scott Privott, Shelley Alyce
Stone and Kathryn Dawn Wilson.
The case now involves seven de
fendants charged with various sex
offenses against 27 children at the
day care center. District Attorney
H P. Williams said as many as 70
children are undergoing therapy in
connection with the case.
Thompson wi)!
seek re-eiection
for third term
Representative R. M. "Pete*
Thompson announced his bid for re
eiection to a third term in the North
Carolina House of Representatives.
He wili be seeking one of the two
seats in the North Caroiina House
First District.
Representative Thompson is a
native of Pasquotank County and
has been employed in Perquimans
and Chowan couinties as Agricultu
rai Extension service Director. He
retired in 1980 and was employed at
Chowan Storage, a peanut seed
processor in Chowan County. He is
married to Caroiyn Pemberton
Thompson, has one son, two daugh
ters and five grandchildren.
At the present time, Representa
tive Thompson is serving on the
Natural Resources Commission as
Chairman of the Wildlife Commis
sion. He also serves on the Finance,
Health andPublic Employees Com
mittees.
Legislation in 1988 that was of
special interest was the establish
ment of the Highway Fund and Sen
ate Bill III that deals with landfills
and recycling. Both of these issues
have great impact on the first
house district.
Representative Thompson said
he pledges to continue to work for
the benefit of all the people of the
First District and believes that his
record will deserve the support.
Mew home
Youthtand Chiidren's Wear moved to a new home !ast week
After 32 years at 123 N. Church Street, Youthiand has set up
shop at 144 N. Church Street. The Chamber of Commerce spon
sored a ribbon cutting on Friday, Jan. 5 in honor of the compa
ny's re-iocation. On hand were Hertford Mayor Bii) Cox,
Youthiand owners Miifred S. and Marjorie F. Rountree, cierkj
Myrtie Copeiand, store manager Eiie Forehand, Chamber presi
dent Lewis Evans, chamber representatives Nancy Newborn and
John Christensen, and Peoptes Bank representatives Janie
Proctor, Reva Evans and Becky Winsiow. i
Youthtand seiis girts' sizes infant to pre-teen, and boys' sizes
infant to 12. The store is open six days a week from 9 a.m. unfit
5:30 p.m.
. &
-' P)
t