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Pirates are conference champs
Page 8
Lassiter earns state honors
Page 8
I Black firsts
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I Page 4
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February 20,2008
Voi. 76, No, 8 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
**News from Next Door
SUSAN HARRIS
Editor & Publisher
“People working FOR
the prison trying to get IN
the prison.”
That’s how Sheriff Eric
Tilley describes a recent
case investigated by his of
fice.
Nancy Britt of 143 Can
nons Ferry Road, Tyner,
was arrested and charged
with four counts of lar
ceny by employee and four
counts of embezzlement on
Jan. 31 after allegedly help
ing herself and her friends
to gas from state pumps in
July.
Tilley said Britt was an
employee at the Pasquotank
Correctional Center. She al
legedly stole a key which
allowed access to state fuel
pumps, and offered to fill
the tanks of others for $15.
She also allegedly filled her
own tank on occasion.
She was caught in
Perquimans County, Tilley
said, when Department of
Transportation employees
saw her gassing a car that
was not a state vehicle at
the pumps in Winfall. She
was identified and the car
license plate number of
the car which was being
filled was turned in. Tilley
said the car was traced to
a Gates County owner, who
told Tfiley that Britt had of
fered to fill the car with fuel
for $15.
Supposedly, Britt told
those whose tanks she filled
that she had been named
Employee of the Month and
was granted unlimited ac
cess to fuel.
Tilley said he inter
viewed Britt, who admit
ted what she had done and
wrote a statement. She was
allowed to resign from her
job and later indicted and
arrested.
Tilley Said during the
course of the investigation,
Britt tried to implicate her
sister-in-law, but while the
sister-in-law admitted re
ceiving gas, she told inves
tigators she had played no
other role in the incident.
In fact, she agreed to take a
voice stress test, which she
passed.
Others who either got
gas or saw suspicious activ
ity at state gas pumps in
volving Britt, came forward
during the investigation,
Tilley said.
In addition to the four
incidents in Perquimans
County that resulted in
the eight charges against
her, Britt was allegedly in
volved in 20 more fill-ups
that could result in charges
in Pasquotank, Gates and
Chowan counties, accord
ing to the sheriff.
Gas records reviewed
during the investigation
show that the key Britt al
legedly stole was used 24
times for a total of 355.8 gal
lons of gasahol, for which
the state pays $2,509 per
gallon, for a total theft of
$892.70.
The most Britt could
have received was $360 if
she received $15 for each
time she used the key.
Perquimans Weekly photos by PHIL HARRIS
CHARLES AND TRISHA SAWYER feel fortunate that the
straight-line winds that blew out a window in their Holi
day Island Road home (above), picked up a dog box from a
truck in the yard and set it on the ground (above), demol
ished and scattered many of their three children's outdoor
toys (right)^crnd, killed four puppies didn't do more dam
age to their honife oflfarm their children.
StraighMine
winds damage
Bethel home
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Charles Sawyer and his
wife, Trisha, heard the
strong winds that he said
“wouldn’t let up” so they
gathered their three chil
dren into their bedroom.
Minutes later, wind
blew out a window pane in
their son’s bedroom, blew
the shutters off the house,
scattered the children’s
outside swing set and toys
“as far as the eye can see,”
and blew over the dog pen,
killing four puppies.
“It all happened so
quickly, less than 10 min
utes tops,” said Sawyer.
Heavy rain, thunder
storms and strong winds
woke local residents early
Monday morning with
damage reported on Saw
yer’s property, and one
lightening strike reported
in Hertford.
Emergency Manage
ment Coordinator Jarvis
Winslow said Sawyer’s
property, located at 949
Holiday Island Road, was
damaged around 5:35 a.m.
“I can’t say for sure
that it was a tornado that
touched down,” said Win
slow, “but I had already
been notified of a warning
for possible tornadic activ
ity eight miles southwest
of Hertford. I called the
National Weather Service
and told them what I found
here.”
The National Weather
Service sent a meteorolo
gist to the Sawyer prop
erty Monday afternoon
and determined the dam
age probably came froom
straight line wind rather
than a tornado.
“They couldn’t rule out
a small tornado because
of where some things
landed, but they think it
was straight line wind in
stead,” Winslow said.
Siding around the sof
fit areas of the Sawyer
home was damaged, and
the children’s swing set,
sandbox, and trampoline
were scattered in a field
as much as a quarter of a
mUe from the house. A dog
box in Sawyer’s truck was
blown out of the truck into
the back yard, yet garbage
bags of trash didn’t move
at all. A child’s plastic bat
lying in the yard wasn’t
moved by the wind either,
Winslow said.
Four deerhound pup
pies were found dead about
100 feet from their puppy
house, which was four feet
off the ground. Both the
puppy house and dog pen
were damaged. Two pup
pies and the mother sur
vived.
“It’s been a right rough
morning,” said Sawyer
who, along with his fami
ly, had been suffering from
the flu for three days.
Winslow said he rode
around the neighborhood,
looking for other damage,
but didn’t see any.
Earlier Monday morn
ing, Mary Harrell’s house,
located at 307 Artie Street
in Hertford, was damaged
when lightening blew a
hole in the gas line leading
to the home’s gas heating
system at 4:42 a.m. No one
was injured.
Robert Reed, Hertford
Fire Chief, said lightening
struck high on the house,
then ran down the gutter
and into the gas line.
Luckily, a neighbor
quickly cut off the gas flow
ing from the propane tank,
averting a potentially dan
gerous fire or explosion.
Members of Hertford,
WinfaU, and Bethel Vol
unteer Fire Departments
responded.
White to lead town’s 250th celebration
Long-time
volunteer
is events
coordinator
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Mary Me White is plan
ning a party and the whole
town is invited!
As the town’s temporary
events coordinator, she is
coordinating the planning
of Hertford’s 250th birth
day celebration which be
gins May 4.
Members of Hertford
Council voted last week to
contract with White, who
has voluntarily organized
and planned events around
the county for years.
“The town selected Mary
White as our coordinator
for our 250th celebration
because of her past involve
ment with community proj
ects and her long—time re
lationship with the people
in our community,” said
Town Manager John Chris
tensen. “She has unselfish
ly contributed to our com
munity for many years and
we are pleased that she is
going to contribute her tal
ents to our celebration.”
In the past. White has
helped coordinate the In
dian Summer Festival, the
Appraisal Fair, Christmas
parade, and the annual
Garden Party, aU events
sponsored locally by vari
ous organizations. She also
helped organize the Farm
Tour this year, which in
cluded a stop at the historic
Springfield Bed and Break
fast owned by White and
her husband, Joe.
In addition, she helped
plan events through her as
sociation with various or
ganizations in the area in
cluding serving as an EMT
with Perquimans Rescue
and as a volunteer firefight-
Resident
tip leads
to drug
arrest in
Hertford
SUSAN HARRIS
Editor & Publisher
One local resident got
tired of seeing what ap
peared to be drug deals go
ing down in a parking lot.
The resident saw it one
time too many, called it in,
and shortly thereafter, the
sheriff’s department made
an arrest.
Robert Brandon Jen
kins of Georgia, was sub
sequently arrested and
charged with posession of a
Schedule VI and possession
of a Schedule II controlled
substance on Jan. 25.
Jenkins was visiting rel
atives in Perquimans Coun
ty, Tilley said.
The information re
ceived by the sheriff’s de
partment was that a blue,
two-door Suzuki vehicle
was pulling into the park
ing lot at Perquimans Cen
tre, known casually here as
the Food Lion parking lot.
People would pull up to the
vehicle for a few minutes,
then leave. Sheriff Eric Til
ley said.
Sheriffs Investigator
Shelby White and Tilley
went to Perquimans Cen
tre, and saw the vehicle.
Upon their approach, a
male subject ran across the
field in the direction of the
mobile home park on Ocean
Highway near the shopping
center. The Suzuki, with a
driver and a passenger in
side, then pulled out of the
parking lot and onto High
way 17. White followed the
vehicle and stopped it for a
traffic violation.
White asked the driver to
step out of the vehicle. Til
ley walked to the passenger
side of the vehicle and saw
the passenger reach into
his left pocket while watch
ing White speak with the
driver. Tilley opened the
passenger door and asked
the suspect if he was reach
ing for a weapon. The sub:
ject agreed to a search, and
Tilley found a small quan-
ity of crack cocaine and a
small bag of marijuana in
the vehicle.
Jenkins was arrested
and transported to Albe
marle District Jail.
“We appreciate the citi
zens of Perquimans County
getting involved and calling
in suspicious activity,” Til
ley said.
er with the Hertford Fire
Department.
“I’m looking forward to
this,” said White. “Right
now. I’m catching up on
what’s already been started
since the town has been
working with a citizen com
mittee to plan the events.”
Council passed a bud
get amendment last week
authorizing $25,000 for the
birthday celebration.
The town was chartered
May 4,1758. The celebration
is expected to last for a year,
with special events planned
monthly including some
to piggy back on annual
events already planned for
the area.
Yh/aim
Thursday
High: 41 Low: 38
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 57 Low: 44
Rain
Saturday
High: 50 Low: 36
Few Showers