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PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD NC 27944
Perquimans
September 14, 2000
Vol. 68, No. 37 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
iSSi
SEP 1 0 20:0
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Virginia Beach man holds family at gunpoint
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
A Virginia Beach man
remains in Albemarle District
Jail on charges that he held his
girlfriend’s family at gunpoint
in Perquimans County.
Jason Scott Romhan, 27, of
Virginia Beach allegedly held
his girlfriend and four of her
family members at gunpoint
on Sept. 2 in an unfinished
house on Puddin Ridge Road.
According to Perquimans
County Sheriffs Investigator
Nate Zachary, the girlfriend
told him she had escaped from
Romhan and called law offi
cials. She told Zachary that she
and Romhan had come from
Virginia Beach to stay in her
grandparents’ unfinished
house in Perquimans County
several days earlier while they
fought drug addiction.
The girlfriend told Zachary
that Romhan got drunk,
prompting her to call her fami
ly to come and get her. He, she
said, did not want her to leave,
and allegedly held the family at
gunpoint. She was able to slip
away and caU for help around
8:30 p.m..
Zachary said he arrived to
find Romhan getting out of a
small pickup that had run into
a ditch on Puddin Ridge Road.
The investigator said Romhan
was bleeding from his head
and left hand. Zachary was
later told that Romhan was
injured when a family member
tried to get away from him, cut
ting Romhan’s hand with a
butcher knife and hitting him
over the head with a flashlight.
In the truck, Zachary said
he found items reported stolen
from a residence on Mill Road
on Aug. 31. Other items were
later recovered at the Puddin
Ridge Road house.
Romhan told Zachary that
Romhan left the residence
around 10 a.m. on Aug. 31 and
returned after 5 p.m. with sev
eral items, including perish
able foods, that he had not had
when he left.
All but three of the items
that were stolen, which includ
ed two guns which were in the
truck, were recovered. Zachary
said the items, the guns, a cam
corder, money, fishing equip
ment, lawn equipment, a vacu
um cleaner and food, were val
ued at around $5,000. Further
investigation also showed that
the truck Romhan apparently
ran in the ditch was stolen
from Virginia Beach.
Romhan was arrested and
charged with felonious break
ing and entering, felonious lar
ceny, felonious possession of
stolen goods, three counts of
assault while pointing a gun,
assault on a female, simple
assault and injury to personal
property. He was placed under
a $65,000 secured bond and
taken to Albemarle District
Jail. He was bound over for
trial, set for Sept. 20, at his
Sept. 6 first appearance in
Perquimans County District
Court. He was still in custody
last week.
In a separate incident, offi
cers arrested a Perquimans
County woman and charged
her with possession of cocaine,
marijuana and drug parapher
nalia, as well as maintaining a
dwelling for the purpose of
seUing/manufacturing a con
trolled substance.
Melva Boyce Cartwright, 31,
of Lot 15 Longview Estates,
Hertford, was charged on Sept.
5. Also arrested was Jamie
Curtain, 17, who was apparent
ly living in the home with
Cartwright.
The investigation was the
result of information from a
confidential informant that led
to the issuance of a search
warrant. Zachary said officers
executed the warrant around
6:30 p.m. and found cocaine,
marijuana, drug parapherna
lia and unidentified prescrip
tion pills which had been
placed in plastic bags. All the
drugs were sent to the state
crime lab, he said.
Cartwright posted her
$10,000 secured bond through a
bail bondsman later that
evening. Curtain was granted
pre-trial release program by
District Court Judge J.C. Cole.
Zachary said there were
young children at the home
who fled when officers arrived.
They were later released to a
neighbor.
Festival
weekend
is sunny,
fun-filled
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Folks tired of rainy days
and spoiled plans were happy
with the sunny, dry weather for
the 20th annual Indian
Summer Festival and the
Hearth & Harvest Festival.
Most also seemed quite
pleased with the quality and
variety of items offered by the
vendors whose booths lined
Church and Market streets in
the downtown district. Many
vendors, as well as downtown
merchants, reported brisk
Sides during the event.
Children flocked to the
game area, which was expand-
ed'from years past. Tykes kept
barehts heading for the moon-
walk, while older children and
adults tended to hang out at
the dunking booth.
. Everyone lined up at the
food- booths, which were busy
all day.
As has become customary,
the Marching Pirates opened
the 'entertainment. A wide
variety of musical styles was
performed on the courthouse
lawn during the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, those who
either drove or took one of the
free shuttle buses to the
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People poured into Hertford Saturday to enjoy the 20th annual Indian Summer Festival downtown and the Hearth & Harvest
Festival at the Newbold-White House. Downtown (above left) was packed with people enjoying browsing at the booths and
in stores, food, entertainment and games. At the Newbold-White site, Perquimans' rich history could relived with several
displays and activities including cooking brunswick stew over a fire (above right) making candles (below right) and spin
ning and weaving (below left).
Newbold-White House stepped
back into the 18th century.
Artisans demonstrating old
time crafts were scattered
across the lawn. A display of
antique farm equipment was
on site. Period entertainment
was performed in the house,
which was open for tours.
Those who wished tried
their hands at makihg corn
shuck dolls, candles and but
ter; trying out old-fashioned
games; writing with a quill
pen; and grinding corn in a
hand grinder. Lunch sold at
that site was brunswick stew
cooked over a wood fire and a
slice of baked cornbread.
Festival day ended with a
street dance at Missing Mill
Park featuring Carolina Beach
Club.
The Indian Summer
Festival is organized by the
Historic Hertford Business
Association with assistance
from the Chamber of
Commerce. The Hearth &
Harvest Festival is sponsored
by the Perquimans County
Restoration Association.
Both festivals seek to pro
mote Perquimans County as a
heritage tourism destination
and shopping stop.
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Upcoming ALS events promise to be successful
Over 320 people will Walk to
D’Feet ALS in Hertford on
Sept. 23.
The fund raiser is being
sponsored by the ALS
Association North Carolina
Chapter. Hertford will be one of
six walk sites across the state
participating in the National
ALS Association inaugural
Walk to D’Feet ALS.
.Locally, the walk is being
organized by people very close
to. Jim “Catfish” Hunter, who
lost his life last year to compli
cations of ALS. His widow,
Helen, daughter Kim Hunter-
Layne, and family friend Leah
Robertson have been instru
mental in organizing the local
effort.
Hunter-Layne said Monday
that people continue to request
•registration forms. There are
also those who wish to make
contributions who cannot walk
that day. Yet others have told
Hunter-Layne they are not
good at asking others for
money, but would themselves
like to make a donation and
walk. The daughter of the late
Baseball Hall of Famer said it
doesn’t matter how people par-
ticpate, as long as they do what
they can to help fight the dead
ly disease.
Funds from the walk will go
to the ALS Association North
Carolina Chapter. Hunter-
Layne said the Jim “Catfish”
Hunter ALS Foundation works
hand-in-hand with the state
association to provide support
to ALS patients.
Those who wish to partici
pate by walking, donating
money or volunteering to man
break stations or other duties
on walk day may call Hunter-
Layne at 426-1559.
Corporate sponsors for the
walk are Mercedes Benz USA
LLC, UPS, Aventis, Oakland
Athletics Baseball Co.,
Carolina Hurricanes and Par-
One Mortgage.
The same weekend will
bring the second annual Men’s
Softball Tournament to benefit
the Hunter ALS Foundation.
Perquimans County Parks
and Recreation Athletic
Director Guy Webb said that
the 12-team tournament will
get started on Friday, Sept. 22
at 7 p.m. on the county softball
fields. Games will continue
and 8 and 9 on Friday.
Saturday’s games will begin at
10 a.m. At 4 o’clock, there will
be a homerun derby The fee is
$10 for five swings. One of the
highlights of the tournament
will take place at 5 p.m. when
the WVEC-TV team takes on
the Hunter Boys, a team com
posed of Hunter’s family mem
bers.
Play on Friday and Saturday
will take place in three brack
ets. The top two teams from
each bracket will-play in a dou
ble elimination tom-nament on
Sunday beginning at 10 a.m.
Concessions will be avail
able throughout the tourna
ment, as will tournament T-
shirts and hats. There will be
raffles during the tournament
also.
A challenge has been issued
to eight Albemarle area high
schools to raise money for the
Foundation. Perquimans,
Gates, Camden, Northeastern
Pasquotank, Currituck,
Manteo and John A. Holmes
high schools have been invited
to participate in competition
for the “Catfish Cup.” The win
ning school will keep the cup
until next faU when a new win
ner will be announced. Webb
said the idea came about
because Hunter did so much
for sports not just in
Perquimans County, but across
northeastern North Carolina.
For instance. Hunter played a
valuable role in landing the
Babe Ruth World Series for
Manteo several years ago.
Hunter’s niece, Joan
Rountree, is the tournament
organizer. Webb said the
Recreation Department agreed
to assist Rountree because of
the positive role Hunter played
in athletic programs in the
county.
To volunteer to work in the
concessions stand or donate
baked goods for sale, contact
the Recreation Department.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 83
Low: 66
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 84
Low: 63
Isolated TStorms
Saturday
High: 77
Low: 57
Scattered T-Storms