October 5,1995
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The Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 63, No. 40
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Couple
pleads
guilty to
state tax
charges
Sheriff cuts down pot plant
m
A Hertford couple entered
guilty pleas to state tax
charges in Wake County
Superior Court on Sept. 21.
Barbara Ann Davenport, 64,
of Box 5423, Lot 18A, Holiday
Island, pleaded guilty to six
felony counts of embezzling
state and Perquimans County
sales tax.
Superior Court Judge
Donald W. Stephens gave
Davenport a 20-year suspended
sentence on the conditions
that she be on five years super
vised probation, pay $29,902 in
restitution to the Department
of Revenue, pay a $6,500 crimi
nal fine, perform 350 hours of
community service, and file
returns and pay, within 90
days, all taxes due for the
years 1991,1992 and 1993.
A Revenue special agent tes
tified that Davenport and her
husband, Stancil Van
Davenport, 67, owned and
operated Stancil’s Bi-Rite
Market at 226 Dobbs Street.
The agent also testified that
Mrs. Davenport collected
$29,902 in state and
Perquimans County sales tax
from November 1991-July 1993,
but failed to remit the tax to
the Department of Revenue.
Her husband also pleaded
guilty to a lesser tax charge.
Stephens gave Mr.
Davenport a two-year suspend
ed sentence on the conditions
that he be on five years super
vised probation, pay a $3,000
fme, perform 100 hours of com
munity service, and file
returns and pay, within 90
days, all taxes due for the
years 1991,1992 and 1993.
The Davenports were
arrested on April 6. Both were
released on bond.
Attempts to reach the
Davenports for comment were
unsuccessful.
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PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Perquimans County Sheriff David Lane cut
into a drug dealer’s take when he chopped
down this marijuana plant in the Belvidere
community last Friday. The 8-9 foot tall
plant has an estimated street value of
$1,600, Lane said, its location was revealed
to Lane after an informant tipped off the
Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Department.
The sheriff took the plant back to the sher
iff’s department for disposal.
Hertford officer
charged with
stealing evidence
Smith charged
with felony;
dismissed from
department
By GINGER LIVINGSTON
The Daily Advance and
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
A Hertford Police officer
was charged by the State
Bureau of Investigation with
stealing evidence of criminal
conduct.
Patrick Smith, 26, was
charged with the felony on
Sept. 22 after a monthdong SBl
investigation. He was dis
missed from the Hertford
Police Department on Sept. 25.
“It was as bad a thing as I’ve
had to do since I’ve been a
chief of police,” said Hertford
Police Chief Bennie Murphy.
The investigation by the SBI
was done at the request of the
town of Hertford and District
Attorney Frank Parrish.
“It’s a very disappointing
thing to happen,” said
Murphy. “You keep hoping
there is some mistake. It’s like
losing part of your family.”
Murphy said the investiga
tion was requested in August
after an officer maintaining
the evidence noticed an undis
closed amount of money was
missing. The chief was noti
fied, and the investigation
requested.
SBI special agent Bill
Godley confirmed that an
investigation took place, but
provided no details.
Smith’s first appearance in
court was Sept. 27 A probable
cause hearing is scheduled for
Oct. 11. Smith has been
released on his own recog
nizance.
The stolen money was evi
dence in a 1993 case, but
Murphy declined to give
details about the specifics of
the case and if the theft will
impact on the case.
Smith was hired by the
police department in June
1994. It was his first law
enforcement job.
“I feel sorry for Patrick and
his family,” Murphy said. “I
hope he learns from his mis
take and can move forward
from here.”
Parrish said if Smith is con-
victed, he can lose his law
enforcement certification. If
lost, Parrish said it is likely
the revocation will be perma
nent.
The district attorney said
that no one else was charged
in the matter.
“He was the only person
implicated-in this at all,”
Parrish said.
Parrish said it is unlikely
under the structured sentenc
ing law that Smith will receive
an active sentence, in particu
lar because he has no prior
convictions.
“It’s not because he is a
police officer,” Parrish said.
“It would be the same thing if
he was a plumber or electri
cian.”
The police department is
currently reviewing its proce
dures for handling and storing
evidence in light of the inci
dent, Murphy said.. At the
time the theft occured, officers
had individual lockers and
they were responsible for
•maintaining their own evi
dence.
The arrest ended a time of
tension in the Hertford
Department, when officers did
not know who stole the money,
but knew it had to be someone
among their ranks.
“I think everyone’s relieved
that everything is over with,”
Murphy said.
“It’s a sad day when a police
officer does something like
this.”
Energy assistance
applications taken
USDA reorganization continues here
The Perquimans County
Department of Social Services
will begin accepting applica
tions for the Low Income
Energy Assistance Progam on
Oct. 9.
The LIEAP provides a one
time payment in February
1996 to low income households
to help eligible families pay
Sports
Pirates give No. 4
Rams scare...Page 6
Lady Pirates hope for
play-off berth...Page 6
Lady Tigers win
opener...Page7
Tigers fall...Page 7
JVs outnumbered at
Edgecombe...Page7
their heating bills. Most
households who receive food
stamps for October will
receive an application in the
maU. These households do not
need to go to the county
Department of Social Services
to apply. Households who do
not receive food stamps for
October and some food stamp
households must apply at the
Social Services office. An
elderly or handicapped person
may apply by telephone. He or
she may also send a represen
tative to the Social Services
office to apply for him/her.
The LIEAP is not a first
come/first served program.
Any eligible household that
applies between Oct. 9 and
Nov. 22 will receive a payment.
There is also a Crisis
Intervention Program that
provides financial assistance
to eligible households that are
in a heating- or cooling-related
emergency. A household may
receive benefits more than
once a year up to $200.
Call the Perquimans County
Department of Social Services
at 426-1806, Monday-Friday,
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. for informa
tion.
Another phase of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s
reorganization efforts under
the Clinton Administration
took place Monday.
The farm lending programs
of the former North Carolina
Farmers Home
Administration (FmHA) were
transferred to the North
Carolina Consolidated Farm
Service Agency, according to
Thomas L. Riddick, County
Executive Director of the
Consolidated Farm Service
Agency, and William T.
Winslow, Director of the Rural
Economic and Community
Development. The
Consolidated Farm Service
Agency was formerly the
Agricultural Stabilization and
Conservation Service.
Winslow explained what the
changes will mean to clients.
The office locations and
staff in both the former FmHA
and ASCS offices will remain
the same, Winslow said. There
is insufficient space in the
suites occupied by both agen
cies to allow for the physical
consolidation of operations.
Michelle Winslow and Kent
Sawyer are now employees of
the Farm Service Agency.
They will be responsible for
processing farm loans.
Those making payments to
RECD can continue to make
payments at that office,
Winslow said.
Winslow, Barbara Scaff and
Vickie Winslow will continue
working with the home loan
program. In addition, the
RECD office will begin picking
up some of the community
facilities, fire, rescue and
water loans formerly handled
through FmHA’s district
office.
Nationwide, USDA is in the
process of closing or consoli
dating nearly one-third of its
3,700 field locations and estab
lishing 2,535 USDA service
centers where USDA cus
tomers will receive one-stop
service. The largest reorgani
zation in USDA’s history
began last year when USDA
reduced the number of agen
cies from 43 to 29, and began
cutting staff by 13,000 employ
ees. These reorganization ini
tiatives are expected to save
U.S. taxpapeyrs over $4 billion.
Winslow said that this
phase of the reorganization
will involve no office closing
or staff lay-offs locally.
The transfer of the farm
lending program reflects
efforts to streamline govern
ment. For more than 50 years,
farmers obtained loans
through the former FmHA pro
gram, while the former ASCS
administred the farm pro
grams. Now all farm programs
will be administred by one
agency. Consolidated Farm
Service Agency.
“These reorganization
efforts have been made to
streamline the way USDA does
business, to cut out needless
paperwork, to improve service
to North Carolina farmers,
and to save taxpayers money,”
said Riddick. “Ultimately,
when a farmer steps into our
USDA service centers, all of
their needs wUl be taken care
of quickly, and they will be
able to get back to what they
enjoy doing the most, and that
is farming.”
Changes in programs to
date have consolidated the
Perquimans/Chowan and
Pasquotank/Camden/Currituck
offices of FmHA. The
Pasquotank office is now open
only one day per week.
Farmers in that service area
are now handled through the
office in Hertford.
Winslow said those with
questions about housing or
facilities needs may call RECD
at 426-5733. For farm loan or
program information, call FSA
at 426-5802. Either office will
be happy to assist customers
in understanding the changes,
Winslow added.
Outside
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