September 10, 2008
Vol. 76, No. 37 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
ff
'Rvo
women
stabbed
Lack of
officers makes
situation
more
dangerous
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
and
SUSAN HARRIS
Editor & Publisher
The stabbing of two fe
males on Stokes Drive in
the early morning hours of
Aug. 31 set off what police
described as an angry mob
involving approximately
80 people, some throwing
rocks and beer bottles at
police who responded to the
scene.
See related stories,
page 2
Police reports state Alex
is Dominique Warren, 22,
of Wynne Fork Road, was
cut on the neck, treated at
a local hospital and later
released.
A 14-year-old was stabbed
three times and was trans
ported to the hospital
where, police say, she later
underwent surgery.
Three other women were
charged for their part in
the incident. Alexia Foster,
16, of 321 Stokes Drive, was
charged with assault with
a deadly weapon with in
tent to kill or inflict serious
injury and felony inciting
a riot, held under a $40,000
secured bond; Kwanza Kee,
21, of 109 Pine Ridge, was
charged with assault with
a deadly weapon resulting
in serious injury and felo
ny inciting a riot, held un
der a secured $25,000 bond;
and Vera Lee Kee, 20, of 328
Stokes Drive, was charged
with felony inciting a riot,
held under a secured $10,000
bond.
A variety of weapons
were reportedly used dur
ing the attack including a
knife, razor and an unspeci
fied blunt object.
Volatile situation
Only one law enforce
ment officer was on duty in
town when the stabbing call
came in around 3;35 a.m.,
setting up a potentially life-
threatening situation.
CONTINUED on page 10
'News from Next Door
-1 •'
ff
a.
WtaM
Thursday
High: 75 Low: 69
Showers
Friday
High: 83 Low: 70
Few Showers
Saturday
High: 84 Low: 69
Scattered T'storms
6"«89076 47143
SEP I 0 2008
s inic
PHOTO COURTESY FRANK JAKLIC
TROPICAL STORM HANNA DIDN'T bring serious damage to Perquimans County, but the Perquimans River did spill over its
banks at Hertford, giving a new meaning to living "on the river" for Frank and Connie Jaklic on Church Street. The causeway
closed due to high water and overwash.
Tropical storm relatively mild
Tropical Storm Hanna
didn’t cause much damage
as she blew through the
area Saturday, but she did
force officials to cancel the
27th annual Indian Sum
mer Festival.
The festival, which is
sponsored by Historic
Hertford, Inc., was can
celled Friday afternoon af
ter officials met to prepare
for the arrival of the tropi
cal storm.
On Monday, Ed Muzzu-
lin, chairman of HHI, said
officials were scheduled
to meet again Tuesday af
ternoon to decide whether
or not to reschedule the
event.
“We have a lot of differ
ent opinions on the mat
ter,” he said.
Apparently, the festival
was the worst local victim
of the storm.
Jarvis Winslow, emer
gency management co
ordinator for the county,
said no reports of damage
around the county were
received. The causeway
was closed for about sev
en hours Saturday due to
overwash and debris.
Some limbs were blown
down, and about 100 scat
tered power outages were
reported by Albemarle
Electric Membership Co
operative at the height of
the storm.
Most of those outages
were on the western side of
the system, which includes
Chowan and Perquimans
counties. Outages were
mainly due to fallen trees
and limbs.
“We were able to initi
ate restoration work im
mediately because of the
storm’s relatively low in
tensity,” said Brad Furr,
general manger of Albe
marle EMC.
As of2;30p.m. Saturday,
all electrical outages on
EMC’s system had been
restored.
According to Tommy
Harrell, the county’s unof
ficial rainfall recorder, 1.18
inches of rain fell at his
Bear Swamp farm Friday
and Saturday.
The River City Bull
Bash, scheduled to be
held Friday and Saturday
nights at Meyler Farm in
Woodville, was held Satur
day and Sunday instead.
The Friday night competi
tion was moved to Sunday
afternoon.
The Har rah Players ’pro
duction of “High School
Musical” was staged as
planned Friday night.
CIS returns program funds to county
Thanks to the generosi
ty of the community. Com
munities In Schools of
Perquimans County (CIS)
was able to give money
back to the county.
Chirleen Evans, execu
tive director of CIS, pre
sented a check for $1,597 to
county commissioners last
Monday night. The funds
were left over from the
county’s summer youth
program.
The county provided
$6,000 to the program, and
community churches, or
ganizations and private
donors added another
$2,350.
The program ran July 7
— Aug. 7, serving 113 chil
dren at three sites in the
county: Missing Mfil Park
in Hertford, WinfaU Land-
MEMBERS OF THE HERTFORD Fire Department showed their
fire apparatus to the children during the summer youth pro
gram held at Missing Mill Park.
ing Park in WinfaU, and
Snug Harbor Community
Church in Bethel.
Youth over the age of
12 had free transporta
tion from the sites to the
county’s recreation center
for activities in the gym
through the Intercounty
Transit Authority
A free lunch and after
noon snacks were provid
ed. Scheduled visitors, ac
tivities and projects were
planned each day at each
site.
Children enjoyed ac
tivities such as local vol
unteer fire departments
giving fire safety presenta
tions, and Cooperative Ex
tension providing cooking
projects. The school sys
tem provided a physical
education teacher once a
week to each site, and the
Perquimans Arts League
did art projects with the
chUdren.
CIS plans to hold the
program again next year.
High rise bridge scheduled for repairs this month
Repair to the high rise
bridge on U.S. 17 over the
Perquimans River may be
gin by month’s end.
The N.C. Board of
Transportation awarded
a $2.2 mUlion contract to
repair the southbound
bridge on U.S. 17 to Lan-
ford Brothers Company
Inc. of Roanoke, Va. Work
is scheduled to begin as
early as Sept. 29, with final
completion set for 135 days
after the start date and no
later than AprU 15,2009.
The project includes re
moving the riding surface
of the bridge deck and re
placing it with concrete
overlay.
The two southbound
traffic lanes wiU be di
rected onto one lane of the
northbound U.S. 17 bridge
throughout the project.
This traffic pattern al
lows northbound traf
fic to use one lane of the
northbound bridge and
southbound traffic to use
the other lane. After pass
ing the construction site,
southbound motorists wfil
then be directed back to
U.S. 17 South.
Hertford
officer
requests
action at
meetiiig
Priebe may be
disciplined by
town manager
after speaking
to council
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
The lone town police offi
cer who faced an angry mob
following a stabbing Aug.
31 expressed his concerns
to Hertford Town Council
Monday night.
Erik Priebe, a law en
forcement officer for 10
years, said the public needs
to know the condition of
the police department.
“The time for talking is
over,” he told council. “The
time for action is now. We’re
at a critical point. There is
no incentive to stay.”
Priebe was referring to
the fact that the town’s po
lice department is down to
four full-time officers and
one of those is out on sick
leave. The town has bud
geted for seven full time of
ficers. Three officers have
left since January, includ
ing the chief and interim
chief.
“This is the most unsafe
environment I have ever
been in,” Priebe told coun
cil.
When Priebe began talk
ing about police salaries.
Town Manager John Chris
tensen abruptly stopped
him, saying it was not ap
propriate for Priebe to con
tinue making his remarks.
“I just want my job safe
ty,” Priebe quickly added
before stepping away from
the podium.
Priebe then gave council
members a copy of a notice
telling them he woifid speak
to the press about the con
ditions of the department
if asked.
Tuesday morning at 6;30
a.m. Priebe was called into
Christensen’s office where
Christensen put Priebe on
official notice that Chris
tensen wfil decide in the
next three days whether or
not to discipline Priebe for
his actions before council,
Priebe said.
Priebe must also write a
letter to council members,
he added, apologizing for
any disrespect he may have
shown.
“Everyone’s got a break
ing point, and I reached
mine last night,” Priebe
said Tuesday morning.
Officer Priebe wasn’t the
only one who spoke to coun
cil about the town’s police
manpower shortage.
MurieUe Harmon, a lo
cal community leader, said
whatever the town has been
doing to hire and keep po
lice officers here for the
last two years simply isn’t
working.
She also pointed out
that former Interim Police
Chief Brian Riddick served
for nearly eight months
without town management
making a decision on hir-
CONTINUED on page 10