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Friersons to get Habitat home
Rage 2
Pirates get stuck on third in loss
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Small towns are 'people estuaries'
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PEPQUIMAHS COUHTY I.JBilARY ^ _
110 W ACADEIIT ST ''■^-4/18/2006
HERTFORD, HO ^
S/ti
The
Page 6
Perquimans
April 19, 2006
Vol. 74, No. 16 Hertford, North COroHna 27944
Weekly
Sunday fire
raises arson
suspicions
MARGARET FISHER
A fire at Michael Brusko
Design Build destroyed the
building at the Commerce
Centre on Sunday night.
At about 9:40 p.m.,
observers driving past 1100
Harvey Point Road noticed
that the architecture and
read estate building was on
fire and called Central
Communications.
In the'meantime, owner
Michael Brusko of Edenton
received a call from his
security alarm company
and was told that some
thing was wrong with the
sensors in his building. He
then received another caU
informing him that his
office building was on fire.
Hertford Fire Chief Bob
Reed said the fire had bro
ken aU the way through the
roof with heavy smoke
when he arrived at the
scene about five minutes
after getting the call.
Winfall and Bethel fire
departments also respond
ed.
“It took us probably
about 45 minutes to bring it
under control,” Reed said.
Hertford Fire
Department turned the
case over to Hertford Police
Department because of the
time of evening, intensity
of the fire and how quickly
it spread, said Hertford
Police Chief Dale Vanscoy
The fire was likely con
tained in the attic until it
broke through the roof,
causing it to collapse,
Vanscoy said. A ladder
truck from Elizabeth City
Fire Department was sum
moned because of hot spots
on the roof.
Arson investigators
from the State Bureau of
Investigation spent about
eight hours on Monday sift
ing through the debris to
find a cause. Elizabeth City
Fire Marshal Barry
Overman brought his
arson canine, Sheba, to find
a possible accelerant.
The canine alerted her
handler in an area towards
the back of the building
near some windows,
Vanscoy said. Soil samples
from that area were taken
to the SBI lab on Tuesday.
“We’re just at the begin
ning of the investigation,”
Vanscoy said. “It could
have been arson. We’re
treating it as a crime scene.
Nothing has been ruled out
at this time.”
Brusko, who appeared
visibly upset, said that he
was able to retrieve his
important files and draw
ings, although some of
them were damaged by
smoke and soot. Brusko’s
building was the first to be
built at the Commerce
Centre.
“If it is arson, then I
hope they catch whoever
Speeding cause of
Monday wreck
MARGARET FISHER
A one-vehicle accident on Snug Harbor
Road ended with injuries to a man.
At about 7:15 a.m., Ernest Howell, 38,
of 2551 Jones White Road, Roper, was
driving southeast at an unsafe speed,
according to a N.C. Highway Patrol
report.
Howell lost control of his 1997 Ford at
a curve and traveled left of the center of
the road. He headed into the left shoulder
of the road and into a ditch bank. He con
tinued along the ditch and struck a drive
way culvert, crossed the driveway and hit
a utility pole. His vehicle continued
across another driveway and overturned.
Trooper K.R. Briggs and Perquimans
County Emergency Medical Services
responded. Howell was flown to Sentara
Norfolk General, treated and released.
Charges to Howell are pending.
Man charged with credit card,
truck theft in separate cases
Truck stolen
from neighbor,
card from
stepfather
MARGARET FISHER
A 20-year-old man allegedly
stole a truck from his neighbor
and a credit card from his step
father, using it to make a num
ber of purchases.
Myron Hill, 55, of 899 Ocean
Highway, told Perquimans
County Sheriff’s Office that he
saw Daniel Crandall of 905
Ocean Highway driving north
in Hill’s 2001 Ford F-150, said
Sheriff Eric Tilley. The truck
made a U-turn at Snug Harbor
Road and was then parked at
Emmanuel Pentecostal Church.
Investigator Shelby White,
assisted by an officer from the
Hertford Police Department,
found Crandall walking along
Snug Harbor Road. Some of his
personal belongings were found
in the truck.
Crandall was charged with
breaking or entering a motor
vehicle, felony larceny and pos
session of a stolen vehicle. He
was taken to Albemarle District
Jail and placed on a $10,000
secured bond.
In mid-March, Frank
Norman reported that a credit
card that he had recently
applied for had been activated
and someone had been purchas
ing items with it at the Red
Apple and WilcoHess. Norman
had not actually received his
card in the mail, to his knowl
edge, Vanscoy said.
A clerk who works at one of
the convenience stores told offi
cers that she remembered
Crandall using the credit card,
said Police Chief Dale Vanscoy.
During an investigation,
Crandall, who lives with
Norman, was identified a num
ber of times, Vanscoy said.
On April 10 at about 10 p.m.,
Crandall was picked up by offi
cers and charged with 20 counts
of unauthorized use of a credit
card, financial card theft and 20
counts of obtaining property by
false pretenses. He was trans
ported to Albemarle District
Jail and placed on a $12,500
secured bond. The credit card
was not found.
Antiques
shop opens
MARGARET FISHER
Martha Badger and
Bettie Vail enjoy buying
antiques. But after awhile,
they ran out of places in
their homes to keep their
prized collections.
“When you buy so many
things, you eventually have
to sell them,” Vail said.
Vail and her husband did
just that by selling antiques
at shows when they lived in
Alexandria, Va. But in 1996,
the couple moved to
Edenton where Vail met
Badger.
Badger and her husband
ran a booth in an antique
mall in Nashville, Tenn.,
until 1998. Selling antiques
wasn’t always her focus.
“I’ve always collected
antiques - well, forever,”
Two vie for sheriff
PHOTO BY MARGARET FISHER
The Chamber of Commerce sponsored a ribbon cut
ting for Antiques Limited on Ocean Highway South
last week.
{(Editor’s note: Each candi
date for a contested local
office was sent a question
naire asking him or her to
discuss their qualifications
for and knowledge about
the office which they seek.
This week, we publish
answers submitted by can
didates for sheriff Please
note that David Layne did
not.respond to our written,
mailed request for informa
tion nor to telephone mes
sages left at his home.)
Law Enforcement
she said. “I didn’t always
sell them, I just collected
them.”
The two women com
bined their love of antique
collecting and opened
Antiques, Limited at 658
Ocean Highway South in
March. Last Thursday, they
celebrated their opening
with a ribbon cutting.
Badger, who works part
time as a nurse practition
er at Britthaven of
Edenton, was looking for
Continued on page 7
Experience:
1987-1992 Perquimans
County Sheriff’s Office as
a Deputy, 1992-1996
Elizabeth City Police Dept,
as a Patrol Officer, Field
Training Officer and
Employment Interview
Committee member, 1996-
Continued on page 7
Paper
truck
hits
Popeye’s
MARGARET FISHER
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
A Sunday blaze at Mike Brusko Design Build in the Commerce Centre on Harvey
Point Road may have been the work of an arsonist.
did it,” he said.
Witnesses who arrived
on the scene early told
police that they didn’t see
any signs of a fire until it
broke through the roof.
Anyone who may have
information concerning
the fire at Michael Brusko
Design Build can caU the
Hertford Police
Department at 426-5587.
A Cox Newspapers truck
ran off the highway last
Wednesday and into the
local Popeye’s eatery —
stopping short of shatter
ing the building’s corner of
windows.
At about 5:25 a.m., Randy
Ray Garris, 60, of 541
Burgess Road in Greenville,
was driving south on U.S.
Highway 17 after dropping
off a load of newspapers in
Elizabeth City. As he
approached the Church
Street intersection in the
left lane, he crossed the out
side lane and headed
towards the restaurant.
The truck hit the oppo
site side of a ditch, which
slowed the vehicle down,
and broke a cable guide
wire connected to concrete
barriers. It came to rest at
the corner of the eatery.
The front of the truck bent
the metal framing where
the windows form the cor
ner of the building and
chipped some pieces of the
concrete foundation. No
structural damage
occurred to the building,
said Hertford Police Chief
Dale Vanscoy.
“The driver was kind of
delirious,” Vanscoy said.
“He didn’t know the date or
where he was.”
A blood screen was done,
though no alcohol or drugs
was detected. There were
no signs that he had
received a blow to his head.
Vanscoy didn’t rule out an
illness or falling asleep as
possible reasons for the
accident. Garris had begun
his route in Greenville at
about 3 a.m.
The information gath
ered is being sent to the
N.C. Department of Motor
Vehicles for them to review
Garris’ license, he said.
Garris was charged with
careless/reckless driving
and taken to Chowan
Hospital where he was
checked and released.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 81, Low: 58
Sunny
Name: Eric V. Tilley
Age 42
Present employment:
Sheriff of Perquimans
County
Spouse: Sherry Tilley
Children: None
Education: Graduate of
Perquimans County High
School and NC Justice
Academy
Friday
High: 78, Low: 61
Scahered T'storms
Saturday
High: 78, Low: 61
Scattered Tstorms
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