Jt. f ; *Volume 61, No. 4 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thuredey, January 23,1992 WEEKLY 36 Cents teams Isplit wins and losses t -;s,fp^p, v^*fi ~ >>r " III ; ' ;< ' '7 C,' ^ : on court, ps^ t» MX 4; *w/ «-wvrr 'sbr gl v> *■ $ 3~ m ■- 7 ir,5 ^'. fi Vf*.' ' & * >t> > /» v a if 4 * § > 4 mm Get to know us staff, writers: pwipipiipppippwwp^p, mmi „ * ■' ’ i', ' < ’> • ■ v •. - - *. ' v ...... - -• w m • ■'.■•■•■.•: - <■ - »y ■ y- *>* t £ h ‘ 5 -5*> 4^^-' i Opinion: Pulse of Perquimans: Reader poll reirlstituted each week: Page 4 r$T< • fcv'S/i if* 5^* 1 fe'. i „>* - • r ' - ^>V’vK ' ‘ Entertainment will be provided during the evening meal. The ,.cost is $3.50.per person. Fresh Start begins Albemarle Hospital will be . sponsoring the American Cancer Society’s “Fresh Start” smoking cessation program will be pre sented on four consecutive . Tuesday evenings Feb. 4-25. The registrations fee is $10 payable to the American Cancer - -Society. The fee will be refunded :to participants who attend all - four sessions. f Pre-registration Is required. .Call 335-0531 ext. 5239 for - more Information or to sign up. : library Board moats .1 The Pettigrew Regional Li brary Board will meet on Mon I day, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. at the Jyrrell County Public Library. Hearing rescheduled J The Utilities Commission Hearing for Holiday Island has been rescheduled for Thursday, Feb. 6 from 2-5 p.m. at the county courthouse. This hearing is to determine whether or not the Holiday Island water system. .. now presently exempt from Commission regulation, should be again subject to the Jurisdlc rtlon of the Commission. At the request of the president of the Holiday Island Owner’s Property Association, the Commission { will also consider the submeter • tag of electricity and water serv ice for the Holiday Island Campground. ^AARPtomest J The Perquimans Chapter , #4118 of AARP Inc. will meet on •: Monday. Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. at i*the Senior Citizens Center In j! Hertford. There will be a board •^meeting at 1 p.m. X Come and join our Chapter ••tfbr the latest Information on X people over 50. We are here “to J«Serve and not be served.” «; For more Information call XMona Sadler at 426-7044. ^Notary class offered ». College of the Albemarle will goffer a one-night Notary Public ^.-Training class on Feb. 6 In EllZ >*aheth City. 'C»1- The class will be held from '.*17^10 p.m. In room 229 of the A *'Building. Jeanne C. White, with '*-lhe Perquimans County Register >tef Deeds office, will teach the Xcpurse. The cost of the course Is :>t3Q plus $6.36 for a required } 7 manual. A social security num {s needed to register. For * more Information, call COA’s ■ > Continuing Education office at * < 335-0821. ext. 250. •? '* Drivers course sat , t 1 ;• A Commercial Drivers Li | “cense course will be offered In VFdaruary through College of the j .«Albemarle's Continuing. Educa (ion Department If :> V For more informabon, tater * tested persons may call CQA’s Continuing Education office In ! Elizabeth City at 335- 0821, ext A ‘250. •I ■ ,,. . ,1 mouNM fob mm mommas mmm AP£ AS FOLLOWS: | Photo by Susan Hants p.V ■ The Perquimans Chapter of the NAACP obeerved Martin Luther King Jr. Day with • motor cade through Hertford and a service at Riddick Grove Church. About go cars participated In the parade. ('J y ' V"' ‘ ' ' < ' : ' • ■' * 1 . " " -.V ' ‘ ' i i ' iC£82 'V:v/9s«iW> ■ ranyseiiaiai' Arrests in Hertford are on the rise according to the 1991 annual report completed by the town’s police department re cently. Tne document reflects an overall 2.9 percent increase in arrests over the previous year, and a 2.5 percent increase in re ported incidents and investiga tions. Chief Aubrey Sample is not Surmised With thp inrreasp “It’s violent crimes, witnesses are of ten afraid to come toward. Lack of evidence means that criminals stay on the street, committing other crimes, because law en forcement officers cannot make a case that will stand up in court. “Without the help of citizens and their information, it’s diffi cult for us to pursue a case.” fiamnle (the Increase) basically In dicative of ev erywhere else,” Sample said. “We’re short on po lice man “It’s going to get worse.” Aubrey Sample Hertford Police Chief Sample said examples of fear to come forward are seen In murder and other violent crimes where of ficers are certain power to handle the rise In the crime rate. It (the increase) might surprise people living here, but if you talk to the aver age (police) officer out here on the street, it won't surprise them. We knew it was coming.” Sample said national statis tics point to a continued in crease in crime. “It’s going to get worse.” the chief said. Topping the list of crimes for which arrests were made in Hertford was drug violations. Suspects were apprehended and charged with a total of 94 drug violations in 1991, compared to seven violations in 1990. Charges ranged from possession of drug paraphernalia to traf ficking cocaine. Arrests were made on 26 charges of possession with in tent to sell and deliver cocaine and 25 charges of selling and delivering cocaine. In 1990, one arrest was made for possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine and two were made for selling and delivering cocaine. No arrests were made in 1990 for trafficking cocaine. A dozen trafficking arrests were made in 1991. "We knew the drugs were here,” Sample said. “We just had to depend on some outside help to get those arrests.” Many of the drug arrests in 1991 were made with the assis tance of the Edenton-Chowan Task Force. An undercover oper ation begun last spring resulted in file apprehension of at least eight Individuals charged with a variety of drug violations in the fall of 1991. Fear is one of the biggest obstacles law enforcement offi cers have to overcome in making cases now. Sample said. Be cause of the chance of retalia tion by those arrested and charged with drug violations and there were witnesses, but those witnesses refuse to supply Infor mation. There Is even a problem (letting people to admit they wit nessed a wreck on occasion. Sample said. There are no cut and dried answers to problems in theludi cial system. Sample said. Tnere must be changes on all levels in order to curb the rising tide of crime. “We’ve got a problem in the correctional system, a problem in the court system, a problem in the bond system, at our level, and there’s a big problem at the citizens’ level,’’ Sample said. “The judicial system all the way around is in trouble. You can't point the finger and put the blame on any one agency. It’s a combination. The Judicial system guar antees those accused of a crime certains rights. Sample said, such as the right to have a bond set and the right to have a case continued. When these rights are added to federal prison caps and an overload in court cases, the result is chaos. Judges often send those convicted tof>rison, only to have them turned back onto the streets early because of prison caps. Some people are arrested three or four times and released on bond before ever having one case heard in court. There are cases where arrests are made and the alleged perpetraitor is out on bond before the law en forcement officers can complete the paperwork. “There’s got to be a change,” Sample said of the entire justice system. If not. it appears that the ar rest report for next year will be even grimmer. n File photo tjf Susan Hants Drugs, drug paraphernalia, money and weapons are regularly confiscated by law enforcement officials during drug raids and routine arraeta. The photograph’ shows contraband confiscated by the Perquimans County Sheriff’s Department, however, aim* Bar (tame hove been recovered by the Hertford Police also. ■"ir £ ..;.v' M<. 'r'i ■ 4: i '