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PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
^ 1 ^ TT1I7 ^ academy ST
HERTFORD NC 27944
January 13, 2000
Vol. 68, No. 2 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
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Fire destroys auto body shop filing
Wind hampers
efforts to quell
Monday blaze
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Firefighters don’t know yet
why an auto body shop on
Center Hill Highway erupted
into flame Monday morning.
Assistant Hertford Fire
Chief Todd Tilley said
Tuesday morning that the
cause of the fire, which con
sumed the shop and three vehi
cles inside, is stiU under inves
tigation.
Hertford firefighters were
dispatched to the shop at about
11:30 a.m. Monday. The shop is
located behind Colonial
Cabinets on Center Hill
Highway, beside the county
convenience center. They
arrived to find the building
fully involved in flame. The
Hertford crew called for a
tanker and additional man
power from Winfall to help con
tain the fire. Tilley said whUe
the cabinet shop was never in
immediate danger, the wind
hampered efforts to extinguish
the fire.
He said because the investi
gation into the blaze is not
complete, it is not known if
any chemicals or other com
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Wind blew dark black smoke from an auto body shop blaze on Center Hill Highway Monday afternoon. Firefighters arrived
to find the shop fully engulfed with three cars inside. The cause of the fire is still under inYestigation.
pounds generally found in
body shops had any impact on
the fire.
Firefighters were on the
scene until about 3 p.m.
Monday, then reported back
around 7:30 when sparks
caused one timhgr to reignite.
TUley said the wind probably
caused the second blaze.
The body shop was operated
by Roland GUliam. Erie Haste
owns the building. x ^
Traffic was routed around
the area on Don Juan Road arid
Sunshine Lane by Hertford
police officers as firefighters
worked to tame the fire.
s, The EMS service was on the
scene. Tilley said that the fire
department is beginning to
have EMS dispatched to all
structure fires as a precaution
ary measure.
Two arrested for
holiday break-ins
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Perquimans deputies solved
a rash of robberies the old-
fashioned way, with tips from
the community and solid
detective work.
Deputy Nathan Zachary
said last week that two sus
pects were arrested and
charged with several holiday
burglaries after the sheriff’s
department pieced together
evidence of their alleged
involvement in at least three
larcenies. Information that led
to solving the cases came from
people in the community who
learned about possible stolen
items and following the leads
as they came in, Zachary said.
Charles Louder, 42, of Route
4, Hertford, and Charlie
Spellman, 34 of Herrington
Village, Elizabeth City, are
charged with felonies includ
ing breaking and entering, lar
ceny, and possession of stolen
goods. Zachary said other
charges may be fUed.
Louder and Spellman were
first interviewed on Dec. 17
when Sheriff Eric Tilley
stopped the pair for suspicious
behavior. The two told conflict
ing stories about how items in
the car, including power saws,
a drill bit set, fishing poles adn
tie down straps, came into
their possession. TiUey confis
cated the items until he could
investigate further.
Zachary would later learn
that the items were apparently
stolen from a shed behind a
Bagley Swamp Road residence
earlier the same day. At the
time Louder and Spellman
were stopped, the owners of
the items did not realize they
were missing, Zachary said.
The two have also been
charged with a break-in at a
Hurdletown Road home on
Dec. 20. From that home, a TV,
VCR, furniture and other
items were stolen. Louder and
Spellman were charged with
that incident after the victims
reported that they had been
told where their stolen TV and
VCR were located. Zachary
said officers believe the pair
sold the TV and VCR to some
one who did not know the
items were stolen.
Spellman was arrested in
December in Elizabeth City.
Zachary went to Albemarle
District Jail where he was
detained to interview him in
early January. During that
interview, Spellman gave
Zachary information that led
to discovery of the owner of
the items Tilley had confiscat
ed on Dec. 17, as well as the dis
position of a pressure washer
stolen from Hertford
Hardware on Nov. 24. The pres
sure washer was recovered in
Elizabeth City on Jan. 4.
Louder was charged with
felonious larceny and felo
nious possession of stolen
goods in the pressure washer
case. Both men were charged
with felonious breaking and
entering, larceny and posses
sion of stolen goods in the
other two incidents.
According to Albemarle
District JaR personnel. Louder
has been released, while
Spellman was stDI in custody
Monday
Zachary said the depart
ment is encouraging people to
keep an eye out on their prop
erty, and to report stolen items
promptly to increase the likeli
hood of recovery. Some of the
items allegedly stolen by
Louder and Spellman have not
been recovered, Zachary said.
In addition, Zachary recom
mends that people keep out
buildings locked.
PCRA chooses new site director
Webb assumes
duties at
Newbold-White
David Webb is now the site
manager for the historic
Newbold-White House.
Webb was hired by the
Perquimans County
Restoration Association and
began his duties on Jan. 3.
The North Carolina State
University graduate brings a
wealth of experience to the
position. He was most recent
ly Exhibit Design Technician
for the NOrth Carolina
Division of Parks and
Recreation in Raleigh. In this
position, he worked on visitor
center projects for Jockey’s
Ridge, Carolina Beach, Mount
Mitchell, Hanging Rock, and
Williams B. Umstead state
parks. Webb’s duties included
researching and writing
exhibit text, planning and
compiling design specifica
tions for visitor center
exhibits, and writing scripts
and coordinating production
of audio-visual interactives.
Prior to his work with the
N.C. Division of Parks and
Recreation, Webb was
Historic Site Curator for
Historic Oak View County
Park in Raleigh. There, he
conducted historical and arti
fact research for educational
and interpretive programs,
developed site tours, designat
ed and fabricated exhibits,
and researched for new
exhibits.
Webb, who has family roots
in Gates County, is enthusias
tic about the potential of the
Newbold-White House.
“I have family ties to the
area and a great interest in
the history of northeast
North Carolina,” Webb said.
“I’m excited about the oppor
tunities that the Newbold-
White House offers for teach
ing history for the community
and I look forward to continu
ing the work of the site to
teach history in a non-tradi-
tional setting.”
Webb holds a master’s
degree in public history from
N.C. State. His undergraduate
degree in history if also from
NCSU.
The Newbold-White House
interprets early 18th century
life in North Carolina. Dating
back to 1730, the house is the
oldest brick house in the state
and is listed on the National
Register of Historic Places.
The house is authentically
restored and features period
furnishings. Guided and
group tours are available. It is
W
David Webb
located just off Haiwey Point
Road.
The house is operated by
the Perquimans Couinty
Restoration Association. The
association promotes the cul
tural heritage of Perquimans
County and preserves the
early 18th century character
of the Newbold-White House.
The site is closed for winter
and win reopen March 1.
For information about the
house, volunteering as a
docent at the site, donating to
or joining the Perquimans
County Restoration
Association, or general infor
mation, call 426-7567.
King Day activities set for Monday
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
will kick off with a breakfast
at Captain Bob’s Restaurant.
The Rev. Keith Vaughan of
Hertford Baptist Church will
be the speaker. Reservations
are required by Jan. 13 by
calling 426-2020. The break
fast is sponsored by
Perquimans 20/20 Vision
Coalition and Communities
in Schools.
Perquimans Middle School
will host and co-sponsor a
program from 10 a.m.-noon.
Guest speaker will he Henry
Johnson, state Associate
Superintendent of Public
Instruction. The program will
include a panel discussion of
ways to help all children
achieve to their fullest poten
tial. Parents and students are
urged to attend and partici
pate in the discussion. The
Bay Branch Girls Outreach
Team will perform. The pro
gram is co-sponsored by the
Council of Negro Women.
The event will conclude with
a hot dog lunch.
Rev. Jasper Horne, pastor
of First Baptist chvurch in
Ahoskie, will speak at the
NAACP service at Galatia
Baptist Church. A motorcade
will form at Missing Mill Park
at 1 p.m. and travel to the
church.
period
opens
Newcomers
among first to
file for office
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Two challengers are the
first to file for seats on the
Perquimans County Board of
Commissioners.
Randy Lassiter, a Democrat;
and Vernon Hammons, a
Republican, were the first two
candidates to file for the three
seats open on the county
board. The seats are presently
held by Archie Miller, Bert
Hayes and Shirley Wiggins.
Hayes has said he will not run
again.
As of Monday afternoon, nq
candidates had filed for thq
three non-partisan seats up for
election on the school boarcL
They are held now by Helen
Shaw, Wallace Nelson and
Thomas L. Riddick.
Deborah Reed has filed to
keep her job as register of
deeds. Reed is a Democrat.
The filing period opened on
Jan. 3 and will close on Feb. 7
at noon. Residents who wish to
vote in the May 5 primary
must register by April 7.
Those who will turn 18
before the general election on
Nov. 7 are eligible to register
and vote in the primary.
However, those who have not
turned 18 cannot vote for
school board candidates in.
May because that election is
not a primary
Under the county’s electoral
plan, aU school board and com
missioners’ seats are at-large.
The three candidates with the
most votes in the non-partisan
school board race m May will
be seated in June.
In the county commissioner
race, the three Democrats and
three Republicans with the
most votes will appear on the
ballot in November. The top
three vote-getters in that elec
tion will be seated in
December.
Elections Director Eula
Forbes said the Board of
Elections hopes to have the
voting machines in place by
the primary. The county
approved the purchase of the
voting machines last fall.
Forbes said the US. Justice
Department must approve the
county’s use of the voting
machines before they can be
ordered and used for an elec
tion.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 74
Low: 41
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 52
low: 38
Mostly Sunny
Saturday
High: 51
Low: 26
Partly Cloudy