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The Perquimans W eekly
350
Vol. 66, No. 41
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Inside
Happenings
in the schools
Pages
Pirates, Tigers
sports
round-up
Pages
Family of
abusers must
help stop
domestic
violence
Page 4
Winfall
Elderly woman scammed last week
Cash, items
totalling $4,000
stolen from home
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
An elderly woman in the
Bethel community was appar
ently robbed of $4,000 in cash
and valuables last Wednesday
by two possible scam artists.
According to the woman’s
niece, the woman allowed the
men to come into her home to
measure for floor covering.
The niece described the pair as
“distinguished-looking” men
driving a late-model, mid-size
tan car.
About an hour after the men
left, her niece said the woman
checked her purse and found
her money missing. A lock box
containing the woman’s car
title, will and other important
documents was later found to
be missing. The total value of
the money and other items
stolen was estimated by the
niece at $4,000.
A Perquimans County
Sheriffs Deputy investigated
the incident, but the niece said
the officer was not optimistic
about catching the alleged
scam artists.
Sheriff Ralph Robinson said
Friday that the apparent scam
should serve as a warning to
people, especially the elderly,
not to allow strangers into
their homes.
WEEKEND WINNERS
By GINGER LIVINGSTON
The Daily Advance
A Winfall man was arrested
on Sept. 25 after the
Pasquotank—Elizabeth City
Drug Task Force discovered 16
grams of crack cocaine in the
man’s home.
William Payton, no age
available, of Route 2, Box 346,
Winfall, is charged with pos
session with intent to sell and
deliver crack and with the felo-
mious maintenance of a
dwelling to sell cocaine, said
Pasquotank County Sheriff
Randy Cartwright.
He was taken to Albemarle
District Jail after a $40,000
secured bond was set.
The drug task force started
investigating Payton at the
request of Perquimans County
Sheriff Ralph Robinson.
“Sheriff Robinson has been
receiving numberous com
plaints from (Winfall) resi
dents that Mr. Payton could be
selling drugs from his home,”
Cartwright said.
Task force Agent John
Forbes initiated an investiga
tion. On Sept. 25 task force
agents and Perquimans
County deputies obtained a
search warrant for Payton’s
home, Cartwright said.
The search turned up 46
rocks of crack, $661 in cash
and a pistol, Cartwright said.
The search also turned up
some jewelry that appears to
match the description of sever
al items reported stolen earlier
in September from a
Perquimans County residence,
said Perquimans County Chief
Deputy Eric Tilley.
Deputies are investigating
to see what, if any, connection
Payton may have to the bur
glary, Tilley said.
Early Tuesday morning,
task force officers arrested
Andrew Eugene White, also a
resident of Perquimans
County, on drug charges,
according to Tilley.
Cartwright was not avail
able with details at press time.
‘A" '' ^
PHOTOS BY SUSAN HARRIS
The PCHS Marching Pirates claimed the prestigious Marvin Shaw Award at Saturday’s
Peanut Festival in Edenton. The award is given to the band with the top combined scores in
both the parade and field show competition. Perquimans claimed first place in the parade
category and third place overall in 3-A field competition. Accepting the awards were drum
major Kim Stallings (center); understudy drum majors Elonda Jones and Courtney Harris;
horn line captains Adam Swindell, Dail Nixon, Lee Thach and Natalie Long; percussion cap
tains Kera Johnson, Nick Litterst and Tabitha Warrener; and color guard captains Stacie
Overton and Danielle Hurdle. The band performs under the direction of David Ziemba with
assistance from several instructors.
Brandy Hollowell was
crowned Queen and Andre
Moore, King, during halftime
homecoming festivities Friday
night at PCHS (left). Both can
didates represented the senior
class along with LeAnn Ferrell
and Paul Spence. Crowned
prince and princess were
juniors Blair Winslow and
Clifton Jenkins, who repre
sented their class along with
Shara Leigh and Johnny
Warren. Named Mr. and Miss
Class of 2001 were Shanna
Nixon and Darion James.
David Byrum and Starr
Stepney were also sophomore
candidates. Hannah Winslow
and Justin Roberson were
voted Mr. and Miss Class of
2002. Also representing the
freshmen were Candace
Bonner and Kevin Gordon.
The crowning ceremony
capped a week of fun activi
ties for students, including
Opposite Sex Day, Career
Day, Blast From the Past,
College Day and Black and
Gold Day. A pep rally ended
classes Friday.
“People have got to be
aware of who they let in their
homes,” Robinson said. “They
can be taken advantage of.”
If people need home repair
or maintenance, Robinson said
they should call individuals or
companies they know or that
are known in the community.
Scam artists generally work
an area for only a short while,
then leave before law enforce
ment authorities are alerted to
the problem. By the time offi
cers are called in, the scam
artists usually have moved on
to another area.
The niece of the woman
scammed said she was publi
cizing what happened because
she wants to alert the public.
She said her aunt asked that
her name and other identify
ing information not be pub
lished. According to the niece,
the woman feared that the men
would return if she were iden
tified.
Robinson said the incident
is still under investigation.
Vandals destroy
campaign signs
Candidate asks
boss for full
investigation
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Campaigning is in full
swing for the November gener
al election in Perquimans
County, and with it has come
not only stumping for the can
didates of choice, but the
destruction and theft of politi
cal signs.
According to sheriffs candi
date Billy Spruill, he was alert
ed last week that over 30 of his
campaign signs had been van
dalized, severely damaged or
stolen outright. Spruill said
Tuesday that 13 more signs
were damaged this week. The
first group of signs to be daun-
aged was located along Snug
Harbor Road and U.S.
Highway 17.
Spruill, who is running
against his boss and political
opponent. Sheriff Ralph
Robinson, in November, said
he filed aan official complaint
about the signs with the sher
iff and requested an investiga
tion. Chief Deputy Eric Tilley
verified Tuesday that the
department is investigating
the incidents. He said all
deputies have also been
advised to watch for destruc
tion and theft of political signs
during their patrols.
Spruill said that in addition
to theft and property damage
laws, the theft and destruction
violates the Voters Rights Act,
the Civil Rights Act, the
Perquimans County Board of
Elections regulations, the U.S.
Bill of Rights and the constitu
tion.
During the May primary,
incumbent sheriffs candidate
David Lane was a victim of
vandalism, and also hate mail
and telephone harrassment.
Lane told this newspaper in
July that he had signs stolen
and thrown in his yard. Both
Lane, his wife and his deputies
received anonymous hate mail
during the campaign. Lane
had his telephone number
changed and unlisted the day
after the primary due to the
receipt of harrassing tele
phone calls.
Robinson, who retired as a
sheriffs deputy in December
1995 under Lane’s tenure, was
under contract as the county’s
D.A.R.E. officer through May
31. He ran against Lane in the
May primary, defeating the
incumbent 1,012-832.
In late May, Deputy Billy
Spruill announced that he had
decided to run for sheriff as an
independent candidate.
Because the primary election
was over, Spruill was required
by law to submit petitions
endorsing his candidacy
signed by at least 300 regis
tered voters to the Perquimans
County Board of Elections by
June 26. Spruill met the dead
line, and his name will appear
on the ballot in November’s
general election.
On June 2, Robinson told
The Perquimans Weekly that
Lane had fired him. But Lane
countered that Robinson could
not be fired because he had
resigned in 1995, and was
under contract as a D.A.R.E.
officer only through May 31.
Lane resigned in mid-July,
effective July 31. He said he
left to pursue other job oppor
tunities outside the area, how
ever, he declined to say where
he was going or what his new
position would be.
In a special called meeting
on July 27, the county commis
sioners appointed Robinson to
fulfill Lane’s unexpired term.
Robinson was sworn in by the
Hon. J.C. Cole in a midnight
ceremony at the courthouse on
Aug. 1.
At that time, Robinson
chose former Perquimans
County sheriffs deputy Eric
Tilley to serve as chief deputy,
and also brought former
deputy Ersal Overton Jr. back
to the department. Kevin L.
Byrd, Darlene M. Jacobs,
Homeria V. Jennette and BUly
Spruill, deputies under Lane,
were also sworn in to serve
under Robinson. The new
sheriff also brought David
Lajme on board.
Lane’s chief deputy Dean
Cartwright was not asked to
serve under Robinson.
Deputies Chris Whitmore and
Darrell Felton were also not
sworn in.
Town gets state grant for wasterwater treatment upgrade
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The town of Hertford got a
little help from the state last
week that will reduce the
amount of money the town will
need for its planned infra
structure improvements.
Gov. Jim Hunt notified the
town that it will receive an
$850,000 Small Cities
Community Development
Block Grant Community
Revitalization award to be
used to upgrade the town’s
wasterwater treatment plant.
The funds will be applied
against the $4.8 million the
town needs to finance expan
sion and renovation to both its
water and wastewater treat
ment systems.
Town Council voted in
September to hold a referen
dum in November to let voters
decide whether the town
should issue up to $4.8 million
in bonds to upgrade its outdat
ed, undersized and deteriorat
ing systems.
Hertford Town Manager
John Christensen said during
that meeting that the town is
actively seeking grants to
bring down the amount the
town will need to borrow to
upgrade both systems.
Although the bonds, if
approved by the voters and
issued, would be general oblig
ation bonds backed by the
town’s taxing power,
Christensen said water and
sewer fees should provide the
revenue with which to repay
the bonds with no increased
property taxes.
If the bond referendmn does
not pass, councilmen said they
will be forced to find funds
from otherj sources because
the systems must be improved.
The improvements are
needed to serve present cus
tomers and allow the town to
expand to serve the county’s
commerce centre on Harvey
Point Road. Hertford also
plans treat Winfall’s waste-
water and to receive some
grant funds from Winfall’s pro
ject.
In addition to the water and
sewer improvements, the town
is poised to borrow $850,000 to
finance a major overhaul of its
electric system. Council
approved loan application in
September, and anticipates
approval from the Local
Government Commission this
month.
Christensen said the town
needs to increase its electric
load capacity and improve effi
ciency. The loan is expected to
be paid with savings in line
losses.