November 30,1995
08/17/1996
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The Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 63, No. 46
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Five plead guilty to drug charges
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PHOTO COURTESY JOHN MATTHEWS
This year’s late fall has presented a colorful holiday golden yellow tree at the home of Mrs. Walter Edwards Sr.
approach. Reds, yellows and golds dot the landscape. This on Dobbs Street is one of the most beautiful around.
Holiday celebrations begin in
downtown Hertford Saturday
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
City sidewalks
Busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air there’s a feeling of
Christmas.
The words to the well-
known carol will describe
Hertford Saturday when a fes
tival atmosphere will usher in
the holiday sei^son.
Volunteers will kick the day
off around 10 a.m. when they
assist residents on North
Church Street to string tiny
white lights on trees and
shrubs from the S-bridge to the
downtown block.
All those living on North
Church Street are urged to
support this effort by making
certain you have lights and
extension cords.
For information, contact
Bert Hayes at 426-7800.
The Stand Up Band will
begin playing downtown at
noon. The Christmas parade
will step off from Perquimans
High School at 2 p.m., arriving
downtown at approximately
2:30. After the parade, the
Rockin’ Willie Band will take
center stage. The Stand Up
Band and Rockin’ Willie Band
were engaged by the Hertford
Downtown Merchants
Association.
Parade route changes;
traffic patterns altered
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Traffic patterns will be
altered in Hertford
Saturday to accommodate
the parade and downtown
events.
The parade will follow a
different route this year.
Entries will leave the high
school and go down
Edenton Road Street to
Grubb Street; follow Grubb
Street to Church Street;
turn right onto Dobbs
Street; follow Dobbs back to
Edenton Road Street and
end up at the high school.
Santa will get off his
sleigh downtown, so those
who wish their children to
see Santa and his reindeer
should park on the north
side of town. Santa will not
be on the sleigh on Dobbs
Street.
Those wishing to drop off
parade participants at the
high school should enter
Jimmy Hunter Drive from
Edenton Road Street, then
turn right onto Ainsley
Drive to leave. Jimmy
Hunter Drive and Ainsley
Drive will be one-way
streets on parade day for
the safety of participants.
The gates to Cedar Wood
Cemetery will be locked at
10 a.m. The Hertford Police
will be patrolling the area.
All cars should be
removed from the down
town block of Church Street
by 1 p.m.
The downtown block of
Church Street will be closed
to tfic immediately follow
ing the parade.
Changes in traffic pat
terns and street closings
have been approved by the
Hertford Police
Department.
The Chamber of Commerce,
sponsors of the Christmas
parade, will take orders for the
Perquimans County afghans at
a downtown booth. Raffle tick
ets will also be sold for $1. The
fmst prize is $100 in cash. The
second prize will be an assort
ment of gift certificates from
downtown merchants. Third
prize is an afghan. The draw
ing will be held around 4 p.m.
The Cancer Society will
hold its annual made-from-
scratch bake sale.
The Perquimans County
Athletic Boosters will sell
nachos, popcorn and novelties.
Grand marshal for the
parade will be Don Slater,
weather forecaster from
WAVY-TV channel 10.
The parade will feature five
bands, floats, baton twirlers, a
drill team, cheerleaders, horse
and more. Bands include the
award-winning Marching
Pirates of Perquimans High
School, the Perquimans
Middle School Eighth Grade
Band, Northeastern High
School, Creswell High School
and Elizabeth City State
University.
Santa Claus will leave his
sleigh at the courthouse to
hear the wish lists of local
boys and girls.
Parade entries are still
being accepted. For informa
tion or an entry form, call
Diane Stallings at 426-5723 or
Susan Harris at 426-5728 (busi
ness numbers).
County in need of office space; options to be considered
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The Perquimans County
Commissioners will meet soon
to discuss building needs and
projections, county manager
Paul Gregory said this week.
Gregory will present some
options to the board to help
alleviate overcrowding and
consolidate related services.
Gregory said the most feasi
ble plan he will submit to the
board will be to add on to the
extension building. In addition
to providing space, that would
allow federal farm agencies to
move into the extension build
ing with other agriculture-
related services.
The county is already nego
tiating with Carolina
Telephone to rent a portion of
its Grubb Street building .to
house the dispatch depart
ment.
Space in Winfall has been
rented for more than two years
to house social services’ over-
■ Ford brothers
expected to pull
stiff sentences
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The fancy cars and gold jew-
elery are being replaced by
prison blues for a handful of
county men who pleaded
guilty to drug charges in feder
al court in Raleigh Monday.
Barry Lorenza Ford, 39,
pleaded guilty to conspiracy to
possess and distribute cocaine
base (crack) and agreed to for
feiture of any of his property
which was derived from or
used to facilitate drug traffick
ing crimes, according to feder
al prosecutor Jane JoUy.
Willie Louis Ford, 36, plead
ed guilty to the same charge
and will also forfeit property
derived from or used to facili
tate drug trafficking crimes.
Jolly said neither man was
sentenced Monday, but that
Barry Ford faces a mandatory
term of 20 years to life.
Because of his prior convic
tions on drug charges, Willie
Ford faces a mandatory life
sentence.
Later in the day, both James
Robert Miller, 27, and Fronzy
Levell Miller, 31, pleaded
guilty to conspiracy to possess
with intent to distribute
cocaine base (crack) and
agreed to forfeiture. Both men
face mandatory 10 years to life
sentences and fines of up to $8
million.
Ponce Lemont Lee, 30,
pleaded guilty to distribution
of cocaine base (crack) and
agreed to forfeiture. He faces a
mandatory 5 years to life sen
tence and fmes of up to $2 mil
lion.
Neither the Millers or Lee
were sentenced, but prosecu
tor Christine Dean said sen
tencing should occur within 60
days.
On October 30, Rodney
Lightfoot, 30, pleaded guilty to
conspiracy to possess with
intent to distribute crack
cocaine and agreed to forfei
ture. Nicole Montressa
Lightfoot, 24, pleaded guilty to
distribution of crack cocaine
to a pregnant individual.
Neither has been sentenced.
Jolly said she expects to
travel to Elizabeth City
Thursday for the arraign
ments of James Louis Riddick,
52, and Delaware Khan
Hunter. Riddick and Hunter
are charged with conspiracy to
possess and distribute crack
cocaine and distribution of
crack cocaine.
The cases stemmed from a
long-term, joint investigation
by local, state and federal law
enforcement agencies. A feder
al grand jury sitting in Raleigh
handed down sealed indict
ments on the individuals in
August. All were subsequently
arrested.
Officials:
We’re not
finished
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
They’ve won a battle,
not the war.
That’s the response of
the local sheriff to the
guilty pleas of the Ford
brothers and others sus
pected of playing a role
in the Fords’ alleged
drug trafficking ring in
Perquimans County.
And they’re still
armed for battle.
“It goes to show that
the system does work,”
Lane said about the pleas
entered in federal court.
“It sends out a message
that if you deal with
drugs, it can come back
to haunt you.
‘"This is just the begin
ning,’’ he continued.
“We’re going to keep on
working as hard as we
can.”
Lane is not just talk
ing about his depart
ment. He said both the
sheriffs depEirtment and
Hertford Police
Department will contin
ue joint efforts to elimi
nate drug dealers..
“It just shows what
can happen when all
agencies work together
in a cooperative effort -
local, state and federal
(agencies),” Hertford
Police Chief Bennie
Murphy said.
Murphy said those
indicted in the Ford case
presented a large prob
lem in the county.
Although neitiier Lane
nor Murphy was in office
at the time the investiga
tions began, both
applauded the efforts of
those who spearheaded
the investigation, and
both supported the oper
ation when they signed
on with their respective
agencies.
Quandra Demone Downing,
19, was also indicted, but is
still at large. He is charged
with conspiracy to possess
with intent to distribute crack
cocaine and distribution of
crack cocaine.
According to evidence gath
ered since 1991 and presented
at the first appearances of the
group in federal court in
Elizabeth City in August,
Barry Ford was the apparent
leader of a suspected drug
organization primarily selling
and distributing crack cocaine
in Perquimans County. The
other nine were thought to
hold various positions within
the organization.
Outside
flow.
The county had considered
purchasing the King Street
annex of the high school from
the school board for renova
tion into office space. But
Gregory said refurbishing
only a portion of the building
would cost about $850,000. He
will not recommend it.
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