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PERQUIMANS COUNTY l.l^SkO^ TXrr^ ^
l^O^W^ACADEMY^ST V JZ/Jj
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HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
December 17, 2003
Vol. 71, No. 51 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
PERyuiivc\NS
Weekly
Four teens charged with kidnapping
Charges stem
from report of
armed
break-in
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Four area teenagers
could spend several years
behind bars for an alleged
weekend incident, even
though they realized after
barging through the front
door of a home and holding
the occupants at gunpoint
that they had the wrong
house.
Rashie Belfield, 19, of
Edenton; and Christopher
Hinton, 18, Quinton Porter,
17, and Andrew Jordan, 16,
all of Perquimans County,
were charged with second
degree kidnapping, first
degree burglary and
attempted robbery with a
dangerous weapon. All
remained in Albemarle
District Jail in lieu of
bonds of $75,000 secured as
of late Monday afternoon,
according to census
records at the jail.
Sheriff Eric Tilley said
Monday that the men
knocked open the front
door of a house on Beech
Springs Road late Friday
afternoon, then entered the
residence. Once inside,
they allegedly held four
adults at gunpoint. There
was also an infant in the
house, Tilley said.
“One of the suspects
realized they had the
wrong house and actually
apologized and left,” Tilley
said.
Tilley said the suspects
were allegedly looking for a
specific house in the neigh
borhood, possibly to steal
weapons.
When the foursome left
the house, those they had
allegedly held captive
reported the incident and
gave law enforcement a
description of the car in
which they left.
Deputy Shelby White
responded to the call and
met a car on Beech Springs
Road matching the descrip
tion called in to law
enforcement.
Hertford Police Officer
TJ. Langley was on the
look-out on the outskirts of
Hertford for the vehicle,
and it also passed him.
White and Langley
attempted to stop the vehi
cle, Tilley said, but the dri
ver would not pull over. A
chase ensued which
reached estimated speeds
of 120 miles per hours
down U.S. Highway 17
South.
Tilley said White report
ed that the vehicle was
weaving in and out of traf
fic. The driver finally lost
control and the car left the
roadway, coming to rest in a
cut-over.
One of the suspects
never left the car and was
immediately apprehended,
TiUey said.
The other three ran into
the woods, where two of
them were caught after
going through a briar
patch.
The fourth suspect.
Porter, evaded capture
until Saturday morning,
when sheriff’s officers
received information that
he was at Wynn Fork Court.
Hertford officers Langley
and McPherson could not
get Porter to open the door,
and called his father,
WinfaU Mayor Fred Yates,
who helped the officers.
Tilley said the weapons
recovered from the sus
pects were determined to
have been stolen about a
month ago in a break-in in
the New Hope Township.
He expects to add posses
sion of stolen property to
the charges the four
already face.
The investigation into
that case continues, and
Tilley said officers have not
determined if any of the
four had anything to do
with the break-in in New
Hope during which the
weapons were stolen.
Tilley expected all four
suspects to have their first
appearance in court on
Dec. 17.
If convicted, Tilley said,
sentences faced by each
will depend on past
records.
Dragstrip
owner
robbery
solved
SUSAN R. HARRIS
The . Perquimans Copnty
Sheriff’s Department used tips
from other law enforcement agen
cies in the region to solve a break-
in that occurred in March 2002.
Sheriff Eric TiUey said Monday
that indictments were handed
down Monday in connection with
the March 29, 2002 robbery of the
home of Curtis Trueblood in
Chapanoke.
Kenneth Lacy, 38, and Clinton
Dawson, 32, both of whom are now
serving down in the Neuse
Correctional Facility in
Goldsboro, will be charged with
breaking and entering and larce
ny for allegedly entering the
Trueblood home and taking what
the sheriff said was “a substantial
amount of money” and several
other items.
Trueblood, who owns the
Northeast Dragway, had taken the
proceeds from the track to his
home when the robbery occurred.
No money or items were recov
ered, TiUey said:
The case was solved when
TiUey followed up on a tip from a
federal drug investigation in
GreenviUe involving Lacy.
TiUey described Lacy as a
“career criminal without a
doubt,” and said he had previous
ly been arrested for the robbery of
the home of a dragstrip owner in
Wilson.
Both men have been convicted
on a variety of state and federal
charges, TiUey said.
A third individual is stiU being
sought.
V
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The roofs on the buildings at Perquimans County Middle and Hertford Grammar
schools need replacement, school officials say. The roofs were already in need of
renovation when Hurricane Isabel came through in September and did extensive
damage at Perquimans County Middle School.
Schools need roofs, HVAC systems
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Schools Superintendent
Kenneth Wells told the
school board Monday night
that the school system will
soon begin formal talks
with the county commis
sioners about needed
repairs at Perquimans
Middle and Hertord
Grammar schools.
WeUs said he wiU proba
bly meet with county offi
cials, possibly at a work
session, in January.
The superintendent said
he had made county offi
cials aware about two
years ago that the roofs
and heating systems at
both facilities needed
replacing. The county
. requested cost estimates at
that time, and said they
would begin exploring how
to finance the needs.
He has met with County
Manager Paul Gregory
informaUy since that time.
The. county commission
ers and school officials
were set to meet this faU,
both that tentative sched
ule could not take place
because both groups were
involved in clean-up and
repair after Hurricane
Isabel struck in September,
Wells said.
The superintendent
shared with board mem
bers a letter he had written
to Gregory reminding him
of the need to meet.
Wells said that the esti
mates received two years
ago totalled about
$3 million, and that based
on how prices have risen
since then, he expects the
cost to rise by about 15 per
cent.
The school board is also
studying plans and looking
at cost estimates on build
ing an athletic complex on
land across Edenton Road
Street from the high
school. Wells has been in
negotiation with Dr.
William Nixon, the owner
of the property, for several
months. Nixon has indicat
ed his willingness to work
with the school system on
land acquisition should the
money become available
for the project.
It’s not too
late to shop
in Hertford
JOSH EURE and SUSAN HARRIS
Standing in the frigid December air listen
ing to the sound of a
Salvation Army bell, many waited for the
annual Perquimans County Christmas
parade.
Some shopped, looking for that just-right
item for those on their holiday lists, while oth
ers enjoyed the warmth of InteUiport to share
with Santa their Christmas wishes.
Several interviewed in Hertford that day
agreed that CDs and clothes are among the
most-requested gifts for children. While these
items are not readily available locally, there
are many local businesses that offer a variety
of lovely gifts.
Antiques, vintage collectibles, handmade
crafts, art classes, fragrances, gardening sup
plies, home decorating items, picture frames,
candles, fine candies, items for the outdoors-
man and more can all be found on the shelves
in local shops.
In addition, cell phone and internet service
is also available locally.
For those who don’t know exactly what to
get, gift certificates are always good choices.
To fill the needs of those on your
Christmas list, check out what is available in
local stores located in downtown Hertford, at
Ward Shopping Center, Perquimans
Commerce Cen tre and at shops scattered on
the outskirts of town.
Holiday deadlines
The deadline for the Dec. 24 issue of The
Perquimans Weekly is Thursday at 5 p.m.
The newspaper offices will close at noon on
Dec. 24 and reopen on Monday, Dec. 29 at 8
a.m.
Major leaguer Nixon guest at Edenton Steamers benefit
Major league baseball
player Trot Nixon wiU be
the special guest at a din
ner to benefit the Edenton
Steamers on Dec. 28 at the
Chowan Golf & Country
Club.
Nixon, a right fielder,
shone brightly for the
Boston Red Sox in postsea
son 2003.
“Very simply, this is a
wonderful opportunity for
both the community at
large and the Edenton
Steamers to be involved
with something unique and
exciting,” said Steamers
General Manager* Jeff
Roemer. “Trot offers the
perfect blend of having ties
to the immediate and
regional geographic area,
as well as being on the
national level in our arena
(hasebaU).”
Christopher Trotman
Nixon was born in Durham
in 1974 to Dr. Billy Nixon
and Sandra Hudson Nixon,
both of whom grew up in
Perquimans County. He is
the grandson of Mr. and
Mrs. Breston Nixon of
Hertford and the late Mr.
and Mrs. Arvin Hudson.
A gifted athlete, Nixon
graduated from New
Hanover High School in
Wilmington in 1993 having
been an integral part of a
state 4-A baseball champi
onship team as well as
quarterbacking the
school’s football team.
Nixon had signed to play
football for North Carolina
State University, but one
day before classes began,
he opted to ink a deal with
the Boston Red Sox, who
had chosen him in the first
round with the seventh
overall pick in the Major
League Baseball draft the
previous spring.
At 6’2” and 210 pounds,
Nixon debuted with the Red
Sox during a 1996 call-up
and recorded a stolen base
in Yankee Stadium.
A little over a week later,
he cracked his first major
league lineup when he
started in right field at
Fenway Park against the
Yankees.
Nixon became an estab
lished major leaguer in
1999 and has seen his
career steadily rise as the
Red Sox regular right field
er.
This past season, he
posted career highs for bat
ting average (.306), on-base
percentage (.396), slugging
percentage (.578) and home
runs (28). He was part of a
Red Sox attack that pro
duced historic numbers on
a league level and fell just
short of reaching the World
Series.
Tickets for the dinner
are $35 and a cash bar will
be available. All tickets are
advance and are subject to
sell-out. Call 482-4080 to
reserve tickets.
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 50
Low: 33
Mostly Sunny
Friday
High: 50
Low: 33
Partly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 57
Low: 34
Partly Cloudy