September 5,
The Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 64, No. 36
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Crossing the country
PHOTO BY BRIAN VANDERVLIET, THE DAILY ADVANCE
Perquimans County High School cross country runner Mason Noordsy runs in the Pirates’
match against Hertford County last week. Perquimans’ Patrick Gregory won the race. See
complete information on page 6.
4 face federal charges
for bottle bombs
By GINGER LIVINGSTON
The Daily Advance
A New Hope Road man escaped injury last
Tuesday afternoon after a bottle bomb thrown
into his front yard exploded near him.
The man, whom Perquimans County Sheriff
David Lane declined to identify, reportedly
picked up the bottle after seeing it thrown from
a passing car. The man was going to put it in
the trash he was gathering for dumping.
“When he saw the contents ——•
expanding and fizzing he
threw it away,” Lane said. The
bottle exploded shortly after.
The man called the sheriffs
department with a description
of the car and one of its occu
pants. Deputies and Hertford
police officers mobilized and
quickly arrested four men dri
ving into Hertford.
Those charged are John C.
“It’s not funny. It’s
not a joke. People
are taking it very
seriously.”
Bennie Murphy
Hertford Police Chief
Ritter, 19, of Route 6, Box 198, Hertford; Jason
E. Browning, 18, of Route 2, Box 66, Edenton;
Jason E. Slone, 19, of Route 3, Box 617P,
Hertford; and Eugene E. Moring, 28, of P.O. Box
34, Hertford.
All four men were charged with possessing a
weapon of mass destruction, a Class F felony.
They remain in Albemarle District Jail on
bonds ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.
Ritter has also been charged with throwing a
bottle bomb in Matthews Acres, a subdivision
off New Hope Road.
Ritter and Browning were charged last
Wednesday by the Hertford Police Department
with four additional counts of possessing a
weapon of mass destruction after police found
the exploded remains of several bottle bombs in
the Perquimans High School parking lot;
Cedarwood Cemetery, which is adjacent to the
school; and Jenny’s Gut, a creek which passes
through the high school property.
Because the bombs were exploded within 500
yards of school property, the charges against
them have been upgraded to the more serious
Class C felony, which has a maximum 10-year
sentence. Ritter’s bond was set at $25,000
secured; Browning’s at $20,000 secured.
Hertford Police Chief Bennie Murphy said
Ritter and Browning confessed to Monday’s
incident after their arrest Tuesday. They said,
however, that they were not responsible for a
bottle bomb thrown onto the front porch of a
Pennsylvania Avenue home on Aug. 18.
“From what they tell us a lot of kids know
how to make these things,” Murphy said.
Indeed, the incidents are among the growing
number of bottle bomb explosions across the
state, usually caused by teen-agers trying to
pull a prank, say officials. So
far, no one hasj been seriously
hurt by the explosions.
When Hertford Police Sgt.
Dal Vanscoy contacted the SBI
about analyzing the first bottle
bomb remains, SBI officials
were able to describe the
device without seeing it,
Murphy said.
SBI officials reportedly told
Vanscoy that the number of
bombings has increased to the
point that federal officials have been contacted
for advice, Murphy said.
Murphy said that the bombs have the poten
tial to maim a person if they explode near them.
The bombs are so potentially dangerous, as a
matter of fact, that if a bottle bomb explosion
results in an injury, no matter how minor,
those responsible will be arrested and face fed
eral charges of terrorism and possession of a
weapon of mass destruction, officials said.
“It may seem extreme but people should real
ize the damage caused by these devices can be
serious,” Murphy said.
“It’s not funny. It’s not a joke. People are tak
ing it very seriously.”.
When Deputy Jon Schultz responded to
Tuesday’s call, he met the suspects’ car oh the
Winfall side of the S-bridge. The deputy turned
around and followed the car into Hertford, stop
ping it at the One Stop Convenience Store.
Schultz’s report states that when he
approached the car, he saw a plastic liter bottle,
household cleaners and other materials appar
ently used to make the bottle bombs.
The four had their first appearance in court
last Wednesday before District Court Judge J.C.
Cole. Lane said Friday that Edenton attorney
Sam Dixon will represent the defendants.
Annual
festival
promises
fun for
all ages
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The 15th edition of the
Perquimans County Indian
Summer Festival will kick off
on Friday, Sept. 20 with a pork
barbecue supper and the sec
ond Miss Indian Summer
Festival Pageant.
Sponsored by Perquimans
County Schools, Captain
Bob’s, Centura Bank and the
Chamber of Commerce, the
supper will be served from
4:30-7 p.m. in the school cafete
ria. Tickets are $5 per plate,
eat-in or take-out and may be
purchased from Chamber
members and at local busi
nesses. Chris Lane is ticket
chairman.
Young ladies from 13-19
years old will compete for the
title of Miss Indian Summer
Festival at 7:30 p.m. in the high
school auditorium.
Participants will be judged on
poise, beauty, citizenship and
talent, according to pageant
chairman Brenda Dail. Dail
said there are already several
contestants, but more partic-
pants are needed. Call her at
426-4039 for an application or
County wetlands to
be restored by state
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The local alternative band Solar Corpse will
make its Indian Summer Festival debute at the
Waterfront Pavilion. Band members are (left to
right) Mike Dail, Andrew Harris, Quinton
Jordan, Terilyn Ross and Justin Beamon. The
Waterfront Paviiion wili cater to youth.
The N.C. Board of
Transportation will pay a
Tarboro firm $352,115 to
restore 600 acres of wetlands
in Gates and Perquimans
counties.
Barnhill Construction was
awarded the contract which
will restore wetland on Folly
Road east of Sandy Cross.
The land was once part of
the Dismal Swamp. It was
drained and cultivated by a
private owner. NCDOT bought
the land and will restore it to
its natural condition. Work is
scheduled to begin this month.
The project is part of the
state’s agreement with the
Army Corps of Engineers to
recreate wetlands in kind
when roadways are built
through environmentally sen
sitive areas, according to Neil
Lassiter, DOT Division
Construction Engineer in the
Elizabeth City office.
During construction, safe
guard will be taken to protect
small streams and wetlands
from contamination by sou or
construction materials. Grass
will be planted to cover bare
ground caused by construc
tion.
Work on the project should
be complete in December.
information.
Saturday will begin bright
and early in downtown
Hertford. Over 60 vendors
have already reserved spaces
to offer everything from jewel
ry to tupperware to homemade
candles. Those who enjoy the
tastes of the festival can feast
on candy apples, pizza,
seafood, Italian sausage, cot
ton candy, funnel cakes, pop
corn, nachos, hot dogs and
more at Corner Cuisine.
The decorating chairmen,
Anna Smith and Harriette
Woodard, have ordered beauti
ful fall banners to fly over the
downtown area.
Judy Christensen and
Suzanne Haste are organizing
a Business of the Hour featur
ing specials by downtown mer
chants.
Entertainers for the down
town stages include the
Harbour Lites, August Band,
PCHS Marching Pirates,
Flatland doggers. Denim &
Diamonds Dance Group,
Jeanie Truesdale, Shades of
Light, Rockin’ Willie Band and
EZ Blues Band. Flynn Surratt
will serve as master of cere
monies.
Behind the town offices, the
young and young at heart can
enjoy Waterfront Pavilion, fea
turing Joy Untold, award-win
ning professional entertainers
who will offer a petting zoo,
clowns, magic, balloon art,
puppets, costumed characters
and more. There will also be
games, canoe rides and story
time. Local alternative bands
Hummer and Solar Corpse will
perform on the waterfront
stage, along with local DJs, the
Phabulous Phelps Boys.
For early risers, Chowan
Hospital will offer its annual
Fun Run/Walk at 8 a.m.
Registration is at the high
school. Hertford Baptist and
Methodist churches will also
sponsor a Family Walk for Life
to benefit the Albemarle Crisis
Pregnancy Center at 9 a.m.
Registration is at the Baptist
Church parking lot.
The festival will climax at
Missing Mill Park when Bill
Deal and Ammon Tharp, the
original Rhondels, take the
stage for the street dance.
For festival information,
contact the Chamber of
Commerc e at 426-5657.
Outside
SATURDAY
-I
High: Low:
80s 60s
CHANCE OF RAIN
See The Perquimans Weekly
on September 19 for our
Indian Summer Festival preview