VOL. 99 NUMBER 26
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 1986
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA
Wife, Former Employee Also Charged
Bennett J. Masters, 53, Kings Moun-
. tain mortician, was arrested Monday
afternoon on 28 counts of securities
fraud after he was indicted by a
Cleveland County Grand Jury earlier
in the day.
Masters is in Cleveland County Jail
in lieu of $75,000 bond.
Masters’ wife, Betty Masters, who
recently filed for divorce, also was ar-
on six counts of
and was released on
rested Monda
securities frau
$4,000 bond.
Former associate at Masters
Funeral Home, Raymond J. Galloway
45, was also arrested and charged with
one count of perjury. He is accused of
swearing to a Cleveland County Assis-
tant Clerk of Court that he witnessed
the signature of Earl Harmon on a
document prepared by Masters and
purported to be Harmon’s will.
Galloway was released on $1,000 bond.
Masters was arrested by two agents
of the Special Bureau of Investigation
at a Gastonia residence.
If convicted, he faces more than 100
years in prison as well as possible fines
and restitutions reportedly at a half
million dollars.
The indictments against Bennett
Masters include seven counts of
embezzlement, six counts of selling
unregistered securities, six counts of
acting as an unregistered securities
agent, six counts of securities fraud
and one count of obtaining property by
false pretense.
Betty Masters was indicted on two
counts each of selling unregistered
securities, acting as an unregistered
securities agent and securities fraud.
The indictments followed an in-
vestigation by SBI Agent B.M. Lea of
Kannapolis and after a Superior Court
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Masters Jailed On 28 Charges
Judge ordered Masters Funeral Home
closed on April 26.
Bennett Masters is accused of ob-
taining $20,000 in cash from Hattie
Bess Harmon and Steve Harmon, ex-
ecutors of the estate of the late Earl
Harmon, on Feb. 21, 1983. According to
the indictment, Masters gave Mrs.
Harmon a document reported to be the
last will and testament of Earl Harmon
which instructed the executors of the
estate to buy $20,000 worth of stock in
Masters Funeral Home ‘‘when
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A two-car crash on Dixon
Road Sunday afternoon at
5:20 p.m, claimed the life of a
former Kings Mountain
fireman and injured seven
people. Three members of
the victim’s family remain
hospitalized.
Killed in the collision was
Larry Dale Smith, 42, of 110
Center St., who died after the
car he was driving and a
truck driven by Michael Jef-
frey Smith, 18, of Hiddenite,
collided when the truck cross-
91-Year-Old
Is Beaten
And Robbed
Robert Cook, 91, of 215
Fairview Street, was severe-
ly beaten during a burglary
at his home at 12:15 p.m. Fri-
day night, police said.
Mr. Cook was treated for
injuries and hospitalized until
Tuesday when he was
discharged from Kings
Mountain Hospital.
According to investigating
Ptl. Steve Brown and Sgt. Bil-
ly Benton, of the Kings Moun-
tain Police Department, a
neighbor called police who
found the elderly man lying
in the yard where he was
reportedly dragged by one or
two suspects who fled the
scene, after stealing a pistol
and shotgun. Mr. Cook told
the officers he was lying in
bed and was awakened by a
noise. He said he went to the
kitchen area of the house and
someone hit him from
behind. He said he was drag-
ged through the kitchen,
own the back porch steps
and into the yard.
Det. Sgt. Richard Reynolds
is continuing the ‘investiga-
tion into the incident.
Scene Of Sunday’s Fatal Wreck...
ed over the center line in a
curve just below the old Com-
pact School.
Highway Patrolman R.D.
Keenum, who investigated,
‘charged Michael Smith with
death by vehicle.
Three members of the
Larry Smith family remain
hospitalized in Kings Moun-
tain Hospital in fair condi-
tion. They are Larry Smith’s
wife, Linda Leigh Smith, 34;
their sons, Larry Dale Smith,
Jr., 8, and Billy Smith, 8.
Their daughter, Keisha, 6,
was treated and released.
A passenger in Michael
Smith’s truck, Paul Rash, 17,
of pies Point, was admit-
ted to the hospital Sunday,
but was released Monday
morning. Michael Smith and
another passenger, Monte
Dean Rhyne, 17, of Stoney
Point, were treated and
released.
According to witnesses, the
Hiddenite young people were
headed toward I-85 enroute
from a ballgame
in the
Wreck Fatal To Larry Smith, 42
Shelby area.
A native of Gaston County,
Smith was employed by
Black Electric Co. of
Gastonia. He was a former
volunteer fireman. He was a
member of Piedmont Baptist
Church where funeral ser-
vices were conducted
Wednesday morning at 11
a.m. by Rev. Tim Spencer.
Interment was in Bessemer
City Memorial Cemetery.
He is survived by his wife,
two sons, and one daughter.
Drawing Of Home Federal Expansion...
Home Federal Is Expanding
Home Federal Savings &
Loan Association has begun
work for construction of an
east wing portico and addi-
tional drive-in facilities on
the west side of the existing
home office.
The new addition will house
the mortgage and consumer
loan departments.
President Thomas A. Tate,
Sr. explained the need for ad-
ditional space in these
departments. The loan
volume has increased con-
tinuously since 1979 when the
new facilities at 700 West
King Street were occupied.
At that time, consumer loans
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Firebombing Case
KMHS Custodian
Gives Testimon
A 53-year-old Kings Moun-
tain High School
maintenance man and gun
dealer, William Franklin
Small, testified about his part
in the firebombing of the
home of the estranged wife of
a former federal agent last
Friday in U.S. federal court
in Charlotte.
Small agreed to help agents
develope a case against Dale
Winters, a former Bureau of *
Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms (ATF) agent ac-
cused of conspiring to
firebomb Sandra Winter's
apariment after a felony gun
charge against him was
reduced to a misdemeanor.
Small has pleaded guilty to
the gun charge but hasn’t
been sentenced. Small could
still be charged in the
firebombing, according to
“The Charlotte Observer’’, in
its June 21, 1986 edition in a
news story by Ed Martin and
Pam Kelley.
Winters is the first ATF
agent charged with a crime
since 1979.
James Michael Dunham,
whom Small described in
testimony as a Gastonia drug
dealer, is also charged.
KM Men Face
Coke Charges
Two Kings Mountain men,
Richard Steven Whitley, 30,
of 802 Meadowbrook Road,
and Clemmlie Wayne Hum-
phries, 24, of 300 Midpines,
were arrested last Wednes-
day and charged with traf-
ficking in cocaine and con-
spiracy to traffic.
Bond was set at $100,000 for
each.
Four State Bureau of In-
vestigation agents, the
Cleveland County vice officer
and the Shelby ABC officer
arrested the pair at the south-
bound rest area of 1-85 during
an undercover operation.
Officers also seized a 1978
Datsun 280-Z, two bags con-
taining about eight ounces of
cocaine, a Colt .45 automatic
handgun and one set of
scales.
According to Vice Sgt.
Ralph McKinney of the
Cleveland County Sheriff’s
Department, one SBI agent
went to the southbound rest
area on I-85 Wednesday to
buy some cocaine as McKin-
ney and another SBI agent
covered him. ;
Just after 4 p.m. a car with
two men inside pulled up
beside the agent’s car. One
FRANK SMALL
“The Observer” reported
that ‘‘as though listing ingre-
dients for a cake, Small tick-
ed off the makings of a bomb:
A pound of flash powder, two
9-volt batteries, a small
watch or clock tape, wire,
pocket knife and soldering
iron. Small testified that the
ingredients, when assembled
were meant for Sandra
Winters.
“The Observer’ reported
that when he was questioned,
“You realize Sandra Winters
might die from that bomb”
Turn To Page 3-A
man got out of the car, spoke
to the SBI agent, went back to
his car and returned to the
agent with a white package in
his hands. The man got into
the agent’s car, and after two
minutes, the agent gave the
signal to move in, according
to McKinney's report. At that
point, McKinney said, the
other SBI agent approached
the suspect’s vehicle and
ordered the second man out
of the car. At that time, ABC
Officer Danny Wright and
two other SBI agents arrived
on the scene. The suspects
were handcuffed and ar-
rested.
‘Sale Trial
To Begin
Trial of a Kings Mountain
policeman charged with
misdemeanor larceny of
asoline is slated for Thurs-
ay, June 26, in Cleveland
County District Court.
City Ptl. Gary E. Sale, who
has been suspended from the
force since June 10th when he
was arrested, is charged with
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