THE
h
E E KLY
"News from Next Door”
SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 2023
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PAGE 2
Durants Neck
Ruritans seek
donations for April
22 auction
PAGE 6
No comeback
needed: Lady
Pirates defeat
Panthers
PAGE 7
Postcards
from Ukraine:
Ukrainian
gardener sows
seeds of hope in
a gray land
Sheriff: 9 nabbed in ‘one of largest’ drug roundups
White: 20-plus could be
arrested after year-long probe
BY JULIAN EURE
Managing Editor
HERTFORD — Illegal
drugs like crack, cocaine,
heroin and fentanyl were a
lot harder to find in Perqui
mans County late last week.
That’s because on Thurs
day, March 9, the Perqui
mans Sheriffs Office —
with assistance from the
Pasquotank Sheriffs Office
WHITE
— served
arrest
warrants
on nine
Perquim
ans men
charging
eight with
illegal drug
trafficking
and the
ninth with possession of
drug paraphernalia.
Sheriff Shelby White said
deputies planned to arrest
two or three more suspects
on illegal drug charges Fri
day, March 10, and up to an
other eight this week.
“We still have a few more
to pick up,” he said.
In all, the Perquimans
Sheriffs Office expects to
make more than 20 arrests
in what White said was “one
of the largest” roundups
of illegal drug suspects in
Perquimans since he’s been
sheriff. He believed the de
partment’s last large round-
up of drug suspects was in
2019.
White said the arrests
stemmed from an investiga
tion of illegal drug activity
in Perquimans that began
about a year ago. Officers
made undercover drug buys
of cocaine, crack, heroin
and fentanyl.
“The guys did all the buys
and setting up the cases. We
felt this was the right time
to move forward” with the
arrests, he said.
White said deputies made
the arrests at multiple sites
across - Perquimans on
Thursday, some in Hertford,
others in the county. In all,
the operation took three to
four hours, he said.
“The guys did a good job,”
he said. “I’m glad it worked
out like it did.”
Asked if the arrests would
have an effect on illegal
drug sales in Perquimans,
White said they “absolutely”
would.
“The drugs are still there,
they’re just not as easily
available right now,” he said.
White said the investi
gation is still ongoing and
more charges are likely.
Those arrested Thursday
and the charges they’re fac ¬
ing included:
• Scott White of the 1800
block of Harvey Point Road,
Hertford, who was charged
with selling or delivering
Schedule VI of a controlled
substance, possession with
intent to manufacture, sell
or deliver Schedule VI of a
controlled substance and
maintaining a dwelling or
vehicle for the sale or de-
livery of illegal drugs. His
secured bond was set at
$20,000.
See DRUGS, A3
The Pizza Man
Volunteer shortage
forces elimination
of one meal route
TYLER NEWMAN/THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Tommy Barrett, owner of Tommy’s Pizza in Hertford, stands behind the counter of his pizzeria in the Food Lion
shopping center off U.S. Highway 17 in Hertford. Tommy’s Pizza turns 30 this year.
Barrett’s Tommy’s Pizza turns 30
DIGITAL NC
In this
newspaper
clipping from
1993, Tommy
Barrett, then
in his 30s, is
shown spinning
pizza dough
at the first
location of his
restaurant,
Tommy’s Pizza,
on Edenton
Road Street in
Hertford.
INSIDE TODAY
2023
PROGRESS BIC
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@2021 Perquimans Weekly
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Therapy dogs listen, educate
Dogs helping schoolkids
learn to spot an emergency
BY CHERI L. SHERIDAN
Correspondent
Patton, the Perquimans
County therapy dog, loves
his pals at Perquimans
Emergency Services.
He brings his happy tail
with him whenever he
walks into their headquar
ters in Winfall. He’s goofy,
enthusiastic and has never
met a stranger. He’s
a world-class stress
reducer.
But he and his
black lab partner,
Bunsen, play two oth
er important roles in
the community.
First, they listen
Barrett: Customers, supporters,
family made biz a success
BY TYLER NEWMAN
Staff Writer
When Tommy Barrett’s
grandfather arrived in
America from Naples, It
aly, seeking the American
Dream, he had nothing but
the clothes on his back.
Decades later, in a small
North Carolina town called
Hertford, his grandson forged
to kids. An ambulance ride
as either an observer or a
passenger is stressful. At a
community event last fall,
a little girl climbed aboard
and started petting Bunsen.
Intently. She then shared the
story of her father’s heart at
tack and then repeated sev
eral times “then they shut
the door, the fights were
flashing, and they drove
away.”
Imagine being a small
child, watching Daddy be
whisked away in an emer
gency. She needed to say
out loud what she held in
her heart. Bunsen listened.
Another young man ex
plored the ambulance with
one hand firmly planted on
Bunsen’s head. As he asked
See DOG, A3
his own American Dream.
And now three decades
later, Tommy’s Pizza — the
fruit of Tommy Barrett’s
dream — is a Perquimans
County institution. Located
in the Food Lion shopping
center off U.S. Highway 17 in
Hertford, Tommy’s Pizza has
served freshly made pizzas to
several generations of loyal
customers.
A lot has changed in Bar
rett’s life over the past 30
See TOMMY’S, A3
PHOTO COURTESY CHERI L.
SHERIDAN
Patton the therapy dog
is helping Perquimans
Emergency Services
by both “listening” to
children and helping with
community education.
Consolidation of routes leaves
12 seniors without meal
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
A shortage of volunteers
has forced a reduction of
Meals on Wheels routes in
Perquimans County from
six to five, leaving about a
dozen senior homebound
residents unserved by the
program.
Laura Rollinson, volun
teer and administrative
services coordinator for
the Albemarle Commis
sion’s Area Agency on Ag
ing, told Perquimans com
missioners last week that
the county senior center
had been forced to con
solidate three senior meal
routes into two because of
a shortage of volunteers.
The merger means that
See MEALS, A3
TYLER NEWMAN/THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Author Talitha Stallings talks about her new self-
published book, “The Wife and the Mistresses," at the
Perquimans County Library last week.
Local author’s new
book puts spotlight
on marital abuse
Stallings discussed ‘The Wife
and Mistresses’ at library
BY TYLER NEWMAN
Staff Writer
To kick off Women’s His
tory Month, the Perquim
ans County Library hosted
a book signing last week
for a local author who just
published her first book.
Nearly a full house
greeted Talitha Stallings of
Hertford as she took to the
podium to discuss her new
novel, “The Wife and the
Mistresses.”
The novel, which draws
inspiration from Stallings’
past relationship with a
former spouse, describes
12 older adults who could
benefit from the program
are unable to right now,
she said.
Rollinson told commis
sioners she was asking for
their help in raising aware
ness about the need for
volunteers.
An additional 20-30
volunteers are needed to
reopen the closed route
in Perquimans, Rollinson
said.
Rollinson’s plea for
help comes amid the Area
Agency on Aging’s partici
pation in the annual March
for Meals campaign that
raises awareness about the
Meals on Wheels program.
The campaign uses well-
known local residents to
volunteer to deliver meals
in an effort to encourage
other people to volunteer.
the damage that infideli
ty and abuse can cause a
marriage.
A 1997 graduate of Per
quimans County High who
also graduated from College
of The Albemarle and the
University of Phoenix, Stall
ings is a mother of three and
a grandmother of one.
A licensed evangelist,
Stallings said she spends a
lot of her time advocating
for women in abusive rela
tionships. She said her pas
sion in life in fact is helping
and advocating for “those
that have been abused in
some way, shape, form or
fashion.”
“I just want to help
See LIBRARY, A3