THE
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"News from Next Door"
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021
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PAGE A2
Feasibility study
for regional water plan
discussed
Sudoku, crossword, word scram
ble and more!
PAGE B5
a:
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SBI Probes Whether Councilor’s Emails Taken
Investigation also appears
focused on alleged extortion
BY JULIAN EURE
For Perquimans Weekly
HERTFORD — The State Bu
reau of Investigation is apparently
investigating whether a Hertford
town councilor’s personal emails
were retrieved from a town com
puter without his permission and
then used by another town coun
cilor to extort him.
A spokeswom
an for the SBI re
cently confirmed
that the agency
is investigating a
matter involving
the town of Hert
ford but declined
to provide details. HODGES
The SBI began
the probe at the request of District
Attorney Andrew Womble.
Documents attached to a search
warrant granted to SBI Special
Agent Steven Norman by Resident
JACKSON NORMAN
Superior Court Judge Jerry Tillett
on Feb. 1 shed more fight on the
reasons for the SBI’s probe.
According to the documents,
copies of which The Daily Ad
vance obtained on Thursday,
Womble asked the SBI on Jan. 29
to investigate allegations of “com
puter intrusion and extortion” that
targeted Hertford Town Councilor
Robert Ashley Hodges.
“It was alleged that some of
Hodges’ personal emails had been
retrieved from a Town of Hertford
computer without his permission
and that Hodges had received
some threatening messages from
another member of the Town
Council,” Norman’s application
for the search warrant states.
When Hodges was interviewed,
he told the SBI the town kept a
personal computer at the Hertford
Community Center for which he,
one other council member, and a
former town clerk had the access
code. The town uses the comput
er to livestream its meetings and
conduct other business, the war
rant application states.
Hodges told the SBI that when
he logged into his personal gmail
account from the computer on
See SBI, A3
Hertford
Police
Chief
Resigns
Brown: Some using town’s
police as ‘tool for discord’
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Hertford's police chief has
resigned, citing an “acrimoni
ous political environment” that
he claims has the town’s police
department
“being used by
some as a tool
for discord.”
Chief Dennis
Brown submit
ted his letter of
resignation to
Hertford Mayor
Earnell Brown,
Town Manag
er Pam Hurdle
and members of Hertford Town
Council on Sunday.
Brown’s letter states that he
has accepted a “more stable
position which will provide in
creased financial support for
my family and professional
growth.” The letter does not
state where he’s going.
Brown, who began work with
the town in December 2018,
said his last day with the Hert
ford Police Department will be
March 31.
The chief said his decision
to resign “was not reached in
haste” and that serving as Hert
ford’s police chief “has been an
exceptional honor,” adding that
he “wishes the department and
the community nothing but suc
cess.”
The chief said his loyalty had
always been to citizens and that
during his tenure he had “em
ployed judicious and equal en
forcement of the law and never
showed favoritism to one per
son or group.”
Unfortunately, he said, “the
police department is being used
by some as a tool for discord.”
“This is not our primary func
tion and is placing staff in the
middle of political disagree
ments,” Brown said.
Brown didn’t mention names
but noted it became public
last year that one member of
Hertford Town Council was
See CHIEF, A3
6 " 89076 47144
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Vol. 87, No. 8
PerquimansWeekly.com
@2021 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
Monsoon Season in Coastal Carolina
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Monsoon season has arrived
and then some in Perquimans
County.
During the last several days,
more than 3 inches of rain has
fallen in Hertford and surround
ing counties - a helpful statistic
learned Tuesday morning- during
the Rotary Club of Herford’s
meeting.
Rain gauge in the back of the
editor’s house says much the
same thing - 3 inches plus of rain
Hertford Council Tightens Access to Center
Councilors now have to get
council OK to enter building
BY JULIAN EURE
For the Perquimans Weekly
Hertford Town Council has
tightened councilors’ access
to the town’s community cen
ter in the wake of a state probe
into allegations a councilor’s
personal emails were illegally
retrieved from a town-owned
computer in the center.
Councilors approved a
measure last week requiring
PERQUIMANS WEATHER
Round-up
AP and 5K
fell in Edenton too. Thanks to
retired science teacher and chair
person of the Chowan-Edenton
Environmental Group Colleen
Karl, we are members of Commu
nity Collaborative Rain, Hail and
Snow Network (CoCoRaHS), a
network of volunteer weather ob
servers in the United States, Can
ada, and the Bahamas that take
daily readings of precipitation
and report them to a central data
store over the internet.
For those who may be new to
coastal Carolina, monsoon sea
son happens usually in the early
members to first seek the full
five-member council’s permis
sion to use the center at 305
West Grubb Street. The mea
sure also gives the town admin
istrator control of keys to the
facility.
According to Councilor
Frank Norman, one of two
councilors who opposed the
change, Hertford councilors
must now seek the full coun
cil’s authorization to use the
building. They then must seek a
key from the town administra
tor, who is required to get the
key back when they’ve finished
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH
PORCHER JONES
Depends on how
you look at this
wonderful photo
by Elizabeth
Porcher Jones of a
cypress tree in the
Perquimans River,
but the words
optical illusion
come to mind
because of the
tree’s reflection on
the water.
part of the year between Febru
ary and April. Our region has its
dry spells too.
Been foggy of late as this pho
to by Elizabeth Porcher Jones
of Hertford shows of the tree by
the Perquimans River; looks al
most like a mirage. Or if anyone
remembers those personality
tests with the ink blots, what do
you see? Perhaps a tree creature
from the Lord of the Rings mov
ie? Great photo.
Thursday, get ready for some
See MONSOON, A2
use of the facility. Councilors’
hours of use are limited to be
tween 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Nor
man said.
Norman said the change
“doesn’t work for me,” noting
he often holds meetings in the
office with either constituents
or elected officials, some of
which are impromptu and after
hours. He said under the mea
sure, he and other councilors
must surrender their existing
keys to the building.
Councilman Ashley Hodg
es, who voted for the change,
described it as “good gover ¬
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A round-up of all things
Perquimans County...
Congrats to the
recently elected Board of
Directors for Albemarle
Plantation:
■ Anne Lankford- Presi
dent
■ Art Honeycutt- Vice
President
■ Bruce Behrend- Treasur
er
■ Kevin Jackson- Secretary
II Steve Pomp- member
■ Travis Walsh- member
■ Bobby Masters- member
Let’s say like it is - Albe
marle Plantation is perhaps
the best planned neighbor-
hood/development in north-
east North Carolina. Marina
is top notch, golf course and
clubhouse too. People who
live there never cease to
amaze me from former Penn
sylvania congressmen Dick
Schulze to Gary Lico, the
guy who does Forensic Files
television show - it’s world
wide! Winfield Boyer is a
great Rotary president too.
Speaking of the Rota
ry Club of Hertford, the
Students of the Month for
February are Pirates’ seniors
Trevor Smith and Tanaysha
Watson. Trevor wants to be a
farmer, hopes to attend NCSU
and works at Cartwright
Farms. Tanaysha has set her
sites for a career in nursing
with plans to attend Winston
Salem State University. Con
grats!
Another note about Rota
ry, Charles Lacefield, who
was a former Executive Vice
President at Dow Corning and
President of Hertford Rotary
Club, has been returned to
his home for hospice care.
Please keep Charlie, Ruth and
their family in our thoughts
and prayers. Charles was
president for the Rotary year
See ROUND-UP, A3
nance,” noting the town previ
ously had no “documented pro
cedure” for controlling access
to the building. While the town
administrator controlled ac
cess for members of the public,
the town’s four councilors had
unlimited access. Or at least
some did, he said.
“Six weeks ago, locks to the
building were changed,” Hodg
es said. “Councilman Norman
and Councilman (Quentin)
Jackson had keys that worked.
But Councilman (Jerry) Mim-
See CENTER, A2