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Weekly
Marijuana uprooted in New Hope Tourism
August 16, 2006
Vol. 74, No. 33 Hertford. North Carolina 27944
PHOTO BY MARGARET FISHER
The Sheriff's Office located eight pot plants, some as
high as eight feet tall during a flyover done in con
junction with the SBI and the National Guard.
Town to hire P/T
police officer
MARGARET FISHER
Hertford town coun
cilors on Monday night
voted to use more than
$12,600 that was budgeted
for the Main Street
Program to pay the salary
for a part-time police offi
cer.
The money was the
salary that would have
been paid to the Historic
Hertford Inc. director for
the months of July through
September. The former
director, Wendy Jewett, left
the position at the end of
June and the town is cur
rently seeking a replace
ment.
Concerns by citizens
about crime activity
throughout the town led
councilors to say, last
month, that they would
look into whether the
police department needs
another officer.
At this month’s meeting,
Sid Eley read a proposal he
drafted that would use
money that the town had
already allocated for the
director position to pay. for
another officer. The salary
would pay a part-time offi
cer to work a maximum of
two 12-hour shifts per week
at $13 an hour or the hourly
rate paid to a beginning
police officer - whichever
is lower - for 10 months.
Hertford Police Chief
Dale Vanscoy said that he
would utilize the officer at
peak times, such as at
night.
“Any help we can get
from the county at this
stage is welcomed,” he told
the council.
Horace Reid, JoAnne
Morris and Anne White
approved the decision.
Carlton Davenport, who
voted against the decision,
said that seven police offi
cers in a small town should
be sufficient.
“Fd like to see the police
department used efficient
ly,” he said. In addition, he
indicated that the 10-month
trial basis would show
whether the department is
utilizing their officers effi
ciently or not.
“If they show that they
have a big improvement,
that’s good,” Davenport
said, adding that the oppo
site would show inefficien
cies.
Hertford Mayor Sid Eley
said that the money is
already on the budget, no
benefits would have to be
paid out and the salary
could be budgeted into next
fiscal year if it is success
ful this year.
“It would give us a
chance to see if (hiring an
officer) is really benefi
cial,” Eley said.
White, although not sup
portive of raising taxes,
expressed concerns about
hiring an officer that would
only be available during
two shifts a week versus
hiring a full-time officer.
“Fm wondering if we
aren’t just putting on a
Band-Aid,” White said.
Setback restrictions relaxed
MARGARET FISHER
The county has amended
the protective covenants
for the Commerce Centre to
allow setbacks to be less
restrictive.
When the Centre was
planned 10 years ago, lots
for light industry and man
ufacturing spanned about
five or more acres, said
County Manager Bobby
Darden. But the trend has
been for smaller businesses
to locate on about two
acres.
Setbacks that worked
well on large lots where
noise and other buffers
may be needed are not
appropriate for smaller lots
MARGARET FISHER
A stand of marijuana
plants were found growing
in New Hope during a rou
tine fly-over in a Marijuana
Eradication effort.
The fly-over was con
ducted jointly last
Wednesday by Perquimans
County Sheriff’s Office, the
State Bureau of
Investigation and the Army
Air National Guard.
Seven plants were spot
ted by one of two National
Guard helicopters and
ground support moved in
and located them off of
Deep Creek Road, said
Sheriff Eric Tilley.
The plants were located
behind an old hog opera
tion about a quarter mile
from the nearest residence.
“A couple of (the plants)
probably reached about
eight feet tall,” Tilley said.
There was evidence of
fertilizer sprinkled around
them where the weeds had
been cut back in about a 4-
foot circle to allow sun to
reach them. There were
also jugs nearby of bluish
water that looked like liq
uid fertilizer, Tilley said.
“It’s obvious somebody
had been there and planted
them,” he said. Tire
impressions were found in
the grass where someone
parked and likely walked
into the wooded area.
Another marijuana
plant was found near the
Perquimans/Chowan coun
ty line off of Highway 37.
While residents were
questioned about traffic in
the area and no suspects
have been found, the fly
over is basically a seizure
program, Tilley said.
“It’s not the first time
we’ve found marijuana off
Deep Creek Road,” he said.
Last year, young plants
were found growing in
plastic cups.
The marijuana plants
were destroyed, Tilley said.
Guilty AS charged
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PHOTO BY MARGARET FISHER
Three petty "criminals," Judy Bateman, Heather Byrum and Mayor Sid Eley, wait
for their bail to be paid after they were locked-up in the courthouse Friday. Funds
raised went to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Police ‘arrest’ town residents
with service and retail
businesses.
“It allows the property
owner to have more usable
property,” Darden said.
One 5-acre corner lot
that sold recently would
have had one and a half
usable acres under the
original covenants because
it fronts two roads, he said.
Building sites on Harvey
Point and Wynn Fork roads
must now be situated from
100 feet to 125 feet, instead
of 150 feet, from the main
road, depending on where
the property is located.
Setbacks are now 30 feet,
rather than 75 feet, from
the side and rear property
lines.
MARGARET FISHER
A number of residents,
including the mayor, post
master and downtown
employees, were ‘arrested’
and ‘locked up’ for dubious
charges until they could
get themselves bailed out.
The event last Friday was
the Hertford Police
Department’s first lock-up
fundraiser designed to
raise money for the Cystic
Fibrosis Foundation
Telethon.
A total of $537 was
raised after 24 people were
served with warrants and
taken to the courthouse,
said Hertford Police Chief
Dale Vanscoy.
Vanscoy wrote up a
number of warrants, but
citizens could have their
friends and family arrest
ed, as well. Officer Kevin
Worster served the war
rants.
When Michael
Cartwright, owner of
Carolina Trophy, got
arrested, the employees of
Nickalena’s Deli solicted
donations for his bail on a
chalkboard set up on the
downtown sidewalk with a
cup placed in front.
When Cartwright’s
employee, Beth Rountree,
took the money to the
courthouse to bail him out,
he had her arrested for
incompetent work by
aggravating the boss.
Rountree had Cartwright
arrested in the first place.
The sign was updated
throughout the day as dif
ferent employees had each
other arrested.
Tovvn Manager John
Christensen avoided the
pblice sweep entirely as he
took the day off of work.
But Pam Modlin, the
town’s executive assistant,
didn’t escape arrest.
"It was a bad experi
ence," Modlin said, as she
wore a bright green sign
that said "inmate" on it,
and she called for help
from her cell phone in the
courtroom. She was arrest
ed for filling out counter
feit forms and eating lunch
too late.
"She’s the one that cre
ates the nuisance forms,"
Vanscoy said.
Judy Bateman, a N.C.
Department of Motor
Vehicles clerk, was arrest
ed for changing her hair
color too many times and
opening her mouth and
inserting foot.
Dorothy Owens, a
retired DMV police officer
who works at the Country
Kettle, was arrested for
speeding - talking at a
speed that is hazardous to
the public’s health.
Heather Byrum’s moth
er, Sarah Cox, had her
daughter arrested for
harassing her mother.
Postmaster Dan Moody
was arrested for licking
stamps and failure to deliv
er mail at the proper time.
Hertford Mayor Sid Eley
was glued to his cell phone
in an effort to be released.
"Tell them no checks
will be signed until I get
out of here," he was over
heard telling a town
employee. Later, his wife
bailed him out. "He’s lucky
I was home today," she said.
Worster arrested him
self for "keeping the office
so cold you can hang meat."
Kristy Manning/ adminis
trative support specialist at
the police department, was
arrested by Vansoy for
impeding the flow of traf
fic.
"You’re always in the
way," Worster told her.
The. new public works
director, Chris Wharton,
was arrested for imperson
ating a public works offi
cer. He didn’t have to
appear in court because he
paid his bail.
A local reporter, was
arrested for stalking the
police chief.
Vanscoy was so pleased
with the success of the
lock-up that he hopes to
hold two events a year that
will benefit the local com
munity.
The department is in the
process of creating a
CrimeLine, similar to the
one in Pasquotank County,
Vanscoy said. Money
raised by lock-up and other
events could fund the
CrimeLine, as well as the
fireworks fund, he said.
rising
MARGARET FISHER
While Perquimans
County ranked 93rd in
travel impact among the
100 counties in the state, its
economic impact increased
5.1 percent from 2004 to
2005.
Tourism drew about 64
million people into the
state, while visitors spent
about $14 billion in 2005 - a
7.3 percent increase over
2004.
Information about
tourism was released in
The 2005 Economic Impact
of Travel on North
Carolina Counties, pre
pared for the North
Carolina Division of
Tourism, Film and Sports
Development by the Travel
Industry Association of
America.
Economic impact within
the county of more than
12,000 people was $7.83 mil
lion. More than 50 jobs in
Perquimans were directly
attributable to travel and
tourism, while travel gen
erated a $1.08 million pay
roll.
State and local tax rev
enues from travel to the
county came to $1.27 mil
lion, representing a $105
tax saving to each resident.
“(The figures) are going
up, and it mirrors what’s
happening in other areas,”
Hertford Mayor and
Perquimans County
Chamber Director Sid Eley
said. “If we had hotels
here, they’d be inuch high
er. I think we’re doing very
well for what we have in
place now.”
In comparison, Chowan
County had an economic
impact of $16.61 million,
an increase of 8.6 percent.
Gates County’s impact was
$4.88 - an increase of 8.9
percent. Pasquotank
^ County increased by just
’ 6.9 percent, while it’s
impact was $40.9 million.
Camden County’s econom
ic impact was $1.53 million
at an increase of 6 percent.
Gates and Camden coun
ties’ payroll and revenues
were well below
Perquimans, while
Pasquotank far exceeded
it. Chowan County, with a
popvdation of about 14,500,
had a payroll impact of
$2.81 million and revenues
totaled $1.94 million.
Perquimans County is
one of the few counties
that doesn’t have an occu
pancy tax, Eley said.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 87, Low: 74
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 87, Low: 72
Isolated T'/Storms
Saturday
High: 90, Low: 73
Partly Cloudy