4
\
The
ERQUIMANS
^b.WKKKT.V
"News 'front Next Door"
Pirate season memorable to Worrell, 7
Man faces 911 abuse charge, 8
NOVEMBER 17, 2010 - NOVEMBER 23, 2010
NOV I / tUiU
Officials probe well tied to town’s supply
Well is under Hall
of Fame building
By CATHY WILSON
Staff" Writer
Hertford town officials
discovered in September
that a downtown building
housing a restaurant and
other businesses was using
untreated water pumped
from a private well.
Also, the well, which was
connected to the munici
pal water system, resulted
in untreated water mixing
with the town water sup-
Human
remains
found in
\^mfall
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Two hunters backtrack
ing a deer Friday morning
found human skeletal re
mains instead in a wooded
area behind Miller Street
in Winfall.
Chief David Shaffer
with the Winfall Police
Department said the re
mains were discovered
300 feet inside a wood line
adjacent to a cell phone
tower about 500 ft. from
US. Highway 17.
A Bible, driver’s license,
passport, wallet contain
ing money and a mili
tary duffel bag were also
found.
“I sure didn’t expect to
find that,” said Jared Stan
ton of Hertford, one of the
two hunters who found the
remains.
“I was looking for the
big buck I shot yesterday,
and nearly stepped over
the bones on my way out.”
Chief Shaffer said the
identification cards found
with the remains were
that of a 39-year-old white
Currituck County man.
Chief Shaffer would not
release any names until
next of kin is notified.
“The preliminary evi
dence doesn’t appear to
be foul play,” said Shaffer,
“but, that is still being in
vestigated.”
No vehicle was found in
the area, he added.
Shaffer said he believed
the remains may have been
there for several months.
The remains were taken
to Greenville for examina
tion by the state medical
examiner.
Weekend
Weather
Friday
High: 58 Low: 37
Sunny
Saturday
High: 62 Low: 43
Sunny
Sunday
High: 65 Low: 46
Mostly Sunny
89076
7144
ply
Town Manager John
Christensen said town
employees found a pump
and pressure tank inside
the budding connected to
a well underneath the Hall
of Fame building located
on Church Street. The
discovery was made after
tenants in the building
complained of the water
tasting “like well water”,
Christensen said.
Public works employees
were also trying to find out
why chlorine levels in the
water in that area of town
were lower than normal.
he added.
Chris
Wharton,
public
works di
rector for
the town,
and Harry
Sanchez,
chief wa
ter plant
operator, said they contact
ed the building’s owner,
Randy Lassiter, and imme
diately shut down the op
eration. They also watched
as Lassiter disconnected
the wen from the town’s
water supply
Christensen
Town of
ficials said
that when
the well’s
pump was
operating,
it back-fed
untreated
weU wa
ter into
the town’s
treated municipal water
system, reducing the chlo
rine levels in the town’s
water supply in that gen
eral vicinity.
Wharton said water sam
ples were taken and tested
to make sure no harmful
Wharton
bacteria had entered the
system.
Town officials made no
public notification about
the breach in the water
supply.
“Test results showed the
water was not harmful for
human consumption,” said
Christensen. “We were not
required to notify the pub
lic.”
Wharton contacted the
owner of Nickalena’s Res
taurant, which up until
three weeks ago, operated
in that building. The wa
ter lines in the restaurant
were flushed for two to-
three hours to make sure
any remaining untreated
water in the system was
deleted. In addition, ice
and tea machines were
dumped.
Clmistensen said the
restaurant owner was not
aware that untreated weU
water was being used in
the restaurant. Wharton
said there was no imme
diate health danger to the
public.
Lassiter said the well
was installed 10 years ago
when he planned to install
See WELL, 5
IHIomii
STAFF PHOTOS BY CATHY WILSON
Veterans across the country celebrated Veterans Day on Nov. 11. Local veterans (top photo) salute the colors during last week's Veterans Day observance
held on the historic courthouse green. Mack Nixon (bottom photo), a Vietnam War veteran and chairman of the Perquimans County Board of Commission
ers, was the keynote speaker during the Veterans Day observance last week.
Residents remember ^
veterans, then and now
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
W ith colorful
American flags
fluttering in the
cool fall breeze overhead,
local residents paid
tribute on Veterans Day
to those who fought for
freedom.
During the annual
Veterans Day observance.
Mack Nixon, chairman
of the Perquimans Board
of Commissioners and
himself a veteran, said
freedom obtained by the
sacrifices of veterans
applies not only to those
who support this nation’s
causes, but those who op
pose as well.
“I returned home from
Vietnam 44 years ago this
month,” he told the crowd
who gathered on the his
toric county courthouse
lawn. “We were confront
ed with war protesters in
front of Oakland Army
terminal in California.
The way we were treated
stuck with me for many
years.”
“Today, our young
men and women get the
homecoming they truly
deserve,” he added. “The
true greatness of our
nation is shown when we
defend and protect the
protesters as well as the
supporters of our armed
forces.”
Nixon reminded the
audience that veterans
return home, find jobs,
and blend back into the
community
“We volunteer as fire
men, rescue squad mem
bers, civic club members,
church members, and
even elected officials,” he
said. “...God bless veter
ans and their families,
past and present, for all
they have given to make
this such a great coimtry
to live in.”
The observance,
which was sponsored by
American Legion Post
See VETERANS, 2
Many animal-caused wrecks reported
From staff reports
Perquimans and Chow
an counties lead the area
in animal-related car
crashes last year, accord
ing to the figures released
by the North Carolina De
partment of Transporta
tion (NCDOT).
Seventy-four crashes
were recorded in Perqui
mans County in 2009 while
Chowan County showed 77
crashes occurred during
the same time span. The
largest number of crashes
involved deer and occurred
during the fall months.
Pasquotank County re
corded 59 crashes, Cur
rituck 46, and Camden
showed only 18 crashes in
volving animals last year.
To help reduce the num
ber of wildlife-related
automobile crashes this
year, the NCDOT officials
remind motorists to be
aware of the increased
presence of deer on state
roads-especiaUy during
fall months.
“People need to also
understand that often a
worse crash occurs when a
driver swerves to avoid the
deer in the roadway,’’ said
NCDOT Director of Mobil
ity and Safety Kevin Lacy.
“This reaction can cause
the driver to hit another
car head-on or run off the
road. It is better to hit the
deer than to lose control of
your vehicle and hit a tree
or someone else head on.”
While a crash involving
a deer can happen at any
time, the majority of deer-
vehicle collisions occur
between the months of Oc
tober and December, when
deer activity increases due
to mating and hunting sea
sons.
Last year, nearly half of
the crashes that occurred
See WRECKS, 4