July 27,1995
11
/j;/y5 20
■ Y L I . R A ~ Y
44
The Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 63, No. 30
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Two new
officers
at work in
Hertford
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
E^tor
Two new officers are wear
ing the blue uniforms of the
Hertford Police Department.
Thanks to state and federal
grants, Ronald L. Jacobs and
Nathan W. Zachary have
joined the ranks of the local
loaw enforcement unit, bring
ing the number of officers on
staff to 10.
“I feel good about both of
these (officers),” said Hertford
Police Chief Bennie Murphy.
The chief cited Jacobs’ expe
rience in military law enforce
ment and canine handling and
training as assets to the
department. Jacobs, 42, retired
to Holiday Island after serving
20-years in the U.S. navy.
Zachary, 21, is a
Perquimans County native. He
attended Elizabeth City State
University, where he took
some law enforcement cours
es. He also served an intern
ship lastyear with the
Perquimans County Sheriffs
Department. His knowledge of
the area will enhance the
department, said Miu*phy.
Both men have completed
Basic Law Enforcement
Training, and started their
jobs on July 17.
In addition to the officers,
the department received funds
for a fuUy-equipped new vehi
cle, equipment for the officers
and office equipment. The
funds came through the feder
al COPS FAST program and
the Governor’s Crime Control
Commission grants. The
town’s share of the cost for the
1995-96 fiscal year is around
,$16,000, Murphy said. The fed
eral grant provided over
$45,000.
The new personnel will
allow the department to devote
one officer to the Problem
Oriented Policing System,
tagged POPS. The program
puts an officer in high crime
areas to concentrate on prob
lems there. Murphy said the
officer wiU work directly with
the Hertford Housing
Authority to stem crime in
those areas.
Another outcome of the
department expansion wiU be
designating an officer as a full
time investigator. Murphy
said having an investigator
will allow better coverage and
take the responsibility of fol-
lowing-up cases off of the
street officers, giving them
more time to patrol the streets.
Inside
Spotlight on
Business:
Woodard’s Pharmacy
Pages
Babe Ruth baseball
tourney results
Pages
PCHS students
serve as pages
Pages
Classifieds
Page 7
New ELECTION BOARD
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
The Perquimans County Board of Elections
was sworn in last week by Sheila H. Onley,
assistant clerk of Superior Court (left).
Beside Onley is Board of Elections
Supervisor Eula Forbes. Board members
are (left to right) Marie Byrum, Gail Daneker
and L. Paul Smith Jr. The next elections will
be the municipal races in November.
Hertford files suit against
StanciFs Bi-Rite Market
Town alleges store
does not conform to
zoning ordinances;
seeks damages
The Town of Hertford filed
civil papers in Perquimans
County District Court on July
10 seeking to force Stancil’s Bi-
Rite Market to conform to
town zoning ordinances.
According to the documents
filed by town attorney Walter
G. Edwards Jr., Bi-Rite was
issued a privilege license on
July 7, 1989 to operate a vari
ety store or grocery store “lim
ited to the sale of frozen foods,
canned foods and goods and
prepackaged items only” at 206
Dobbs Street. The address is
located in a C-3 zone according
to the town’s zoning ordi
nance. The suit maintains that
the business gradually
changed, and began to sell
damaged food products and
also “began butchering, pro
cessing and selling meats and
other items associated with a
full scale grocery store, such
as fresh fruits.” 'The store also
enlarged beyond the 1,500
square foot floor space allowed
in the town’s zoning ordinance
for C-3 zones.
Residential neighbors of the
store began complaining to the
Hertford Town Council about
the smell and loud noises com
ing from the store in June
1994.
The documents filed in the
lawsuit state that at the time of
the complaints, John
Christensen, town zoning
enforcement officer, found the
store to be in violation of the
town’s zoning ordinance. Per a
letter and memorandum dated
Nov. 8, 1994, Christensen
advised store owners that they
were operating in violation of
the town’s zoning ordinance
and could only continue to
operate if the butchering, pro
cessing and selling of meats
stopped and the square footage
of the store’s floor space was
cut back to 1,500 feet. The own
ers were given until May 15,
1995 to comply. As of May 15,
the papers maintain, the provi
sions of the town ordinance
“have been entirely ignored by
Defendants.” The store contin
ues to operate.
The town is seeking to force
Bi-Rite to comply with the C-3
zone in which it operates. The
suit requests a temporary
restrining order, preliminary
and permanent injunction and
order of abatement directing
the defendants to cease the fuU
scale grocery operation and
meat processing and selling in
violation of its ordinances and
to cut back to 1,500 square feet
of floor space. Further, the
town seeks damages of $50 per
day from May 15 until Bi-Rite
owners comply with the zon
ing ordinances. The town also
requests that Bi-Rite be
ordered to pay the town’s costs
and expenses incurred in the
lawsuit, including attorney
fees.
The suit was filed against
Stancil Van Davenport and
wife, Barbara J. Davenport;
Eugene C. Davenport and wife,
Linda J. Davenport; Beazer W.
Davenport and wife, Mary Dee
Residents will to gather to
consider forming arts council
People interested in all art
forms will meet on Thursday,
Aug. 10 at 1 p.m. at Holy
Trinity Episcopal Church
Parish Hall to discuss the for
mation of a Perquimans
County Arts Council.
Those spearheading the
effort said the forum is open
not only to those whose medi
um is paint and canvas, but to
those interested in all the fine
arts, including writing, music,
dance, clay, wood, metal, fab
ric and all other art forms.
'There was an arts council in
the county previously.
Probably one of the most out
standing undertakings of that
group was the 1976 outdoor
drama, “Freedom’s Way,” pro
duced in conjunction with the
American Bicentennial. For
two nights, audiences gathered
Hertford cq>s
nab false bills
Davenport individually
and/or trading as StancU’s Bi-
Rite Meat Market, Bi-Rite
l\{Ieat Market or Bi-Rite
Grocers.
Reached Tuesday, Eugene
Davenport, one of the defen
dants in the lawsuit and a co
owner of Stancil’s Bi-Rite
Market, said he had been
asked by Edwards not to dis
cuss the case.
The Perquimans Weekly
was notified last Thursday
that the Hertford Town
Council had set a special meet
ing for Tuesday, July 25 at 7
p.m. in the town office.
According to mthe notice the
Council planned to go into
closed session to consider and
instruct the town’s attorney
concerning the handling of
legal proceedings.
Christensen verified
Tuesday that the purpose of
the meeting was to discuss the
pending litigation against
Stancil’s Bi-Rite Market. The
town manager said he did not
know when the town could
expect the case to be heard in
civU court.
Section CS 2-1.9 of the
town’s zoning ordinance enact
ed May 19, 1980 states that C-3
is commercial, neighborhood
zone providing “for the shop
ping and service facilities uti
lized regularly by residents of
neighboring residential dis
tricts, while utilizing such
controls as necessary to pro
tect the residential character
of surrounding districts.”
Section 11-4.5 allows for a
“quick service food store for
minor shopping of everyday
items.”
Men arrested for
passing counterfeit
$10 bills may face
federal charges
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Two Hertford men caught
passing the buck could face
stiff prison sentences.
Milton Anthony Stepney, 29,
of 207 Edenton Road St., was
arrested on July 13 and
charged with three counts of
passing counterfeit money
after allegedly using the bills
at two local businesses.
Hertford Police Chief
Bennie Murphy said Hardee’s
reported receipt of a counter
feit $10 bill on the evening of
July 12. On July 13, Stancil’s
Bi-Rite Market notified police
that they received a counter
feit bill around 1 p.m. on July
12 and another at midday on
July 13. Murphy said a clerk
was able to identify Stepney as
the men who passed the bills
from a photo line-up.
Secret Service agents were
notified by the Hertford Police.
Agents and local officers
picked up and questioned
Stepney, who told officers he
had gotten the bills from a
man at Meads Trailer Park,
Murphy said.
Hertford officer Anthony
Webster went to the home of
the second suspect, Earl Louis
White Sr., and picked up two
counterfeit bills. White, 40,
was subsequently charged
with aiding and abetting a
felony (obtaining property by
false prentenses). Murphy said
White refused to tell officers
from whom he obtained the
fake bills. Other counterfeit
bills were found at the resi
dence at the time of White’s
arrest. Murphy said all the
counterfeits confiscated bore
the same serial number.
Murphy said federal
charges may be brought
against the men. If convicted
on federal charges, Murphy
said the men could each face
up to 15 years for each bUl pos
sessed or passed.
In addition to the charges
relating to the counterfeit
money. Stepney was charged
with possession of a controlled
substance with the intent to
manufacture, sell or deliver.
He was confined to Albemarle
District JaU in lieu of a $4,000
secured bond.
White was also charged
with possession of a controlled
substance and possession of
drug paraphernalia. His bond
totaled $1,200, with $1,000
being secured. He was con
fined to Albemarle District
Jan.
PHOTO BY ANZIE ZIEMBA
New home-delivered meals (left) Robert Creecy and Bert Hayes
discuss their routes with Nutrition Site Manager Katie Lightfoot.
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Senior citizens who have recently chosen to have their lunch at
the Nutrition Site include (left to right) Sarah Baxter, Florence
Clarke, Walter and Naomi Paarson and Robert Ziemba.
Outside
in the stands of Memorial
Field at Perquimans County
High School to watch local
amateur thespians spin a tale
of an acting company traveling
just prior to the American
Revolution.
The desire of those wishing
to ressurect the council is to
bring creative people together
to discuss the arts and how to
best showcase talent.
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