Clarkton fire chief and asst. fire chief charged with fraud

August 7, 2013, 12:45 pm

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BLADEN COUNTY, NC (NEWS RELEASE) -- Allen Robinson, 35, of 10963 US 701 S. Clarkton and Joshua Edward Simmons, 25, of 8347 NC 242 S. Bladenboro have both been charged with crimes resulting from the search warrant which was served on 07/09/2013.

Robinson, who was the Clarkton Fire Chief, has been charged with (2) counts of Insurance Fraud, (5) counts of Embezzlement, and (2) counts of Corporate Malfeasance. The case was presented to a Bladen County Grand Jury Monday (08/05/2013).

Robinson was released on a $175,000 unsecured bond.

Simmons, who was the Assistant Clarkton Fire Chief, has been charged with Felony Conspiracy and was released on a $5000 unsecured bond.

Robinson and Simmons are accused of cutting a water pump off one the fire trucks in 2012 and reporting the pump as being stolen for the insurance money. The pump was valued at close to $13,000.
Robinson also reported several air tanks as being stolen in 2010, when in-fact, they were still being used by the Clarkton Fire Department.

Robinson is also accused of misappropriation of funds while he was chief of the Fire Department.

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Elizabethtown man facing 12 drug charges

August 11, 2013, 4:56 pm

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ELIZABETHTOWN, NC (WWAY) -- An Elizabethtown man was arrested Thursday night after allegedly selling crack cocaine.

According to Elizabethtown Police Chief Bobby Kinlaw, 56-year-old Levale Rogers was arrested after selling cocaine to undercover narcotics agents on multiple occasions.

Kinlaw said officers served a search warrant on Rogers’ home where they found over 18 grams of crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

Officers also seized a 2011 Honda, the vehicle used by the suspect during the drug buys.
Rogers now faces 12 drug related charges including: 2 counts Felony PWISD Cocaine, 2 counts Felony Manufacturing Cocaine, 2 counts Felony Maintain Vehicle for sale of cocaine, 2 counts Felony Sell Cocaine, 2 counts Felony Deliver Cocaine, 2 counts Misdemeanor Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Rogers was released from jail after posting a $21,000 secured bond.

Vineyard owner wants Bladen Co. voters to approve alcohol sales

August 12, 2013, 2:33 pm

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BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- Bladen County has long been a dry county, but with muscadine vines now growing in fields that used to grow tobacco, some are calling for the sale of alcoholic beverages to become legal.

"It's hard for me to explain to my friends that I meet from outside of the area why we can't even sell our own product in our own county," said Ron Taylor, who owns Lu Mil Vineyard in Dublin.

Taylor recently approached county commissioners asking for a countywide vote to allow the sale of beer, wine, and liquor. It's a decision he says won't be popular with everybody.

"My mother was a tea totaler, and I'm sure that she would ball up her fist every time that anyone mentioned alcohol," Taylor said. "She was a very strict Southern Baptist."

But Taylor argues that even his late mother could see the benefits of allowing liquor sales in a county that is branching out to rebuild from the collapse of the tobacco industry.

"There's an overwhelming demand on taxes that are collected in our area now," he said. "I think it would be a great revenue boost for our county to be able to collect the revenues off of products that are already being consumed in our county, and yet they're bought somewhere else. I think it would be in some way for bladen county to be accepted more widely from the traveling public."

We tried to speak with county commissioners about this topic, but were told that County Manager Greg Martin told them not to comment to the media.

Elizabethtown man charged with shooting brother

August 14, 2013, 7:40 am

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BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- An Elizabethtown man is in jail charged with attempted murder after investigators say he shot his brother.

The Bladen County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded around 5 p.m. to a report of a shooting at 92 Curtis Lewis Road. They found Terry Devane Lewis of Dublin laying in the front yard with a shotgun wound to the abdomen. EMS took him to the hospital.

Investigators say Tony Elmore Lewis, 51, Tony Lewis refused to come out of his home and had several weapons inside. The Robeson County Sheriff's Office tactical team arrived, and the suspected surrendered around 8 p.m. after officers used tear gas in the house. Tony Lewis is in jail under $104,100 secured bond.

The Sheriff's Office says Terry Lewis is in critical condition.

NC's first military public charter school celebrates grand opening

August 19, 2013, 2:48 pm

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ELIZABETHTOWN, NC (WWAY) -- North Carolina’s first military public charter school celebrated its grand opening today.

Students, dressed top to bottom in military uniforms at the new Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy will be getting a different educational experience this year.

Students, or cadets as they are called, must learn to march to a different beat.

“At a military school, you learn to fend for yourself,” Commandant of cadets, Carl Lloyd, said. “You learn to stand on your own two feet."

A stricter, and more disciplined beat at that.

"When you go to a military school, you don't just walk into the dining hall and say, 'I'll have that, I'll have that, I'll take that, Lloyd said. “There's a procedure to it."

There are currently 65 cadets enrolled in the academy right now, but they're hoping those numbers will grow with time.

One of those cadets says she's already seen a change in her behavior.

"I had a bad attitude before I came here. It was like extremely bad,” student LaShay High said. “But, now that I'm here, it changed a lot. I'm more polite than I was."

But what exactly has she learned so far?

"Like table manners and like the way you treat other people and talking to adults,” she said.

She says she is looking forward to learning many new things at this school.

"Getting more disciplined and learning the ways that I should go instead of the ways I shouldn't go,” High added.

But Lloyd says it's more than just learning discipline.

"You can have that great American dream that we all aspire for as long as you’re willing to work at it, and that's what they'll learn here,” Lloyd said. “You want to get promoted, work hard. You want a medal for your academics, work hard at it. You want to play a sport; you give 110% out there on the athletic field."

The school will have a small sports program with basketball, cheerleading, softball and baseball, and even archery.

Students will be required to participate in at least one sport, whether on the field or on the sidelines.

Police: Two men hospitalized after shooting each other

August 21, 2013, 1:41 pm

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ELIZABETHTOWN, NC (WWAY) -- Two men were taken to the hospital after they apparently shot each other yesterday in Elizabethtown.

Elizabethtown Police says around 4:45 p.m. officers responded to shots fired near 418 Martin Luther King Dr. While officers were responding, dispatchers told them that someone had arrived at Bladen County Hospital with a gunshot wound.

Officers went to the hospital and met with Taquay Montez Newkirk, 22, of Whiteville, who had a gunshot wound to his head. While they were there, a second man, Gerald Bennett Thomas, 56, of Elizabethtown arrived with a gunshot to his left leg.

Officers learned that the men got into some sort of argument and began shooting at each other. Both men were transferred to New Hanover Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening wounds.

Officers say the men gave them conflicting stories. The investigation continues, and charges are still possible.

Army paratrooper drowns at White Lake

August 27, 2013, 8:53 am

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WHITE LAKE, NC (AP) -- A paratrooper from Fort Bragg has drowned while swimming in White Lake.

White Lake police Sgt. Terry Fell says 21-year-old Pvt. Jordan Miles of Longview, Texas, was swimming with others at the lake last Saturday when he apparently hit his head on a pier. Rescuers were called and found his body about 20 minutes later.

Fell says the drowning was ruled accidental. He said it's the second drowning at White Lake in 2013.

Miles was an intelligence analyst assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Broken taillight leads to drugs, counterfeit money

August 28, 2013, 10:39 am

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BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- A deputy noticing a broken taillight landed two men behind bars on drug charges. At least one of them may also face counterfeiting charges.

The Bladen County Sheriff's Office says around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, a deputy on patrol saw a white truck on NC 20 with a back light out. When deputies stopped the truck, they noticed the smell of marijuana. Investigators say a search led to 19 baggies of marijuana packaged for sale and a set of digital scales.

Deputies also found 14 pink tablets in the pocket of one of the suspects, Oliver Arrendondo. They say he admitted they were Percocet. Officers say money they found in his pocket included seven counterfeit $20 bills and a fake $10 bill.

Arrendondo, 22, of Fayetteville, is charged with trafficking opium or heroin, possession with intent to sell and deliver a Schedule VI controlled substance, manufacturing marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is in the Bladen County Jail under $20,500 secured bond.

Joshua Watkins, 22, of Fayetteville, is charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver a Schedule VI controlled substance, manufacturing marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is out of jail on $8,000 secured bond.

Investigators have contacted the Secret Service about the counterfeit money.

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Man put in cell with, attacks suspect charged with trying to kill him

August 29, 2013, 1:38 pm

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BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- The past of two Bladen County men found them squaring off behind bars yesterday.

Eric Bennett, 27, was arrested and charged with attempted murder back in February. Yesterday one of his alleged victims wound up in his jail cell.

Bladen County Sheriff's spokesman Capt. Rodney Hester says the jailer was not aware of the history between Bennett and Shawn Melvin, 39, and had no idea things would get so violent.

Deputies arrested Melvin yesterday for failure to appear in court, failure to pay child support and driving with a revoked license.

The jailer said when he put Melvin in the cell, Melvin attacked Bennett.

Capt. Hester says they asked Melvin when he was book if had any problems with any of the other inmates.

"Elizabethtown Police Department investigated the original case back in February," Hester said. "Mr. Melvin was asked if he had anyone in the jail that he would not want to be in the same cell with, and he answered no to that question."

Bennett was taken to the hospital, where was treated for a laceration on his head from the fight.

Melvin is charged with assault. Hester says he bonded out of jail.

Man scares off two coyotes, protects dog from attack

September 2, 2013, 8:54 pm

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BLADEN COUNTY (WWAY) -- A daring decision to scare off an animal may have saved a dog’s life.

Early this morning a Bladen county man found himself face to face with two coyotes that were ready to pounce on his pooch.

"I thought they were dogs at first, but I got a good look at them. They were coyotes, and they were huge, and they were coming down the road towards my dog,” Gary Roberts said.

Roberts said the coyotes dropped their heads as if they were ready to attack.

So, he ran toward the front of his home and started yelling at them.

"I started hollering, and my dog didn't see him until they were almost on him, and he saw them and started running,” Roberts explained.

He says one coyote backed down, but the other was hungry for blood.

"The other one started chasing my dog into the yard, and my dog came by me, and the coyotes started still running toward me, and he got within about ten feet of me,” Roberts said.

But Roberts said he stood his ground and kept yelling at the coyote, which finally decided to run away.

Roberts says in his 63 years of living in this area, he has never seen anything quite like this.

"I've never felt threatened like that before by any kind of animal,” he said.

He says the whole ordeal has him and his four-year-old dog, Otto scared for their lives.

"We were both shaken for a while after it happened because we're not used to having any kind of animal like that coming into the yard in attack mode,” Roberts said.

Now he is determined to make others aware of the problem.

"We're trying to protect our pets, and I encourage anybody else if they go outside, if they've got a pet to keep their pet close by, and keep an eye on their pet,” he said.

Roberts says he also worries about young children playing outside. He says if the coyote was brave enough to come within ten feet of him, he worries what the animal might do in different circumstances.

Bladen County man sentenced for creating child pornography

September 3, 2013, 8:42 pm

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BLADEN COUNTY, NC, (WWAY) -- A Bladen County man must spend up to fifty years in prison for creating child pornography.

A federal judge sentenced 46-year-old William Lee Pait Junior of Bladenboro today.

In April, the already registered sex offender pleaded guilty and was also charged with other sex crimes.

Investigators say Pait also posed as a teenage boy online to meet girls and tried to kidnap the ones he met in person.

NC school board considering abstinence grants for Bladen, Duplin Co.

September 5, 2013, 4:25 am

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RALEIGH, NC (AP) -- North Carolina's school board is expected to distribute about $800,000 to 19 rural public school districts to help teach children to abstain from sex.

The State Board of Education is scheduled to decide Thursday on a plan to distribute the federal money that will focus on students in grades 4 through 6 who are at increased risk for bearing children out of wedlock and academic failure.

A little-known feature of the federal health overhaul law commonly called "Obamacare" extends through next year the program that distributes money to states to teach abstinence education.

The school systems are in Alleghany, Anson, Ashe, Bertie, Bladen, Caldwell, Duplin, Edenton/Chowan, Edgecombe, Greene, Halifax, Lee, Lenoir, Richmond, Robeson, Scotland, and Swain counties. The two others eligible are Nash/Rocky Mount Schools and Robeson County Charter School.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Elizabethtown man arrested for food stamp fraud

October 1, 2013, 11:35 am

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ELIZABETHTOWN, NC (WWAY) -- A Bladen County man is in jail charged with illegally selling a food stamp card.

Elizabethtown Police arrested Richard Ziglar, 51, recently, and charged him with felony selling an Electronic Food and Nutrition Benefit (EBT) card.

Police say in late August the Bladen County Department of Social Services asked them to help invesigate the illegal sale and purchase of EBT cards. Police say their investigation led them to Ziglar. They say there could be more charges in the case.

Ziglar is in the Bladen Co. Jail under $2,500 secured bond.

17-year-old charged with statutory rape

October 7, 2013, 11:23 am

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BLADEN COUNTY, NC (NEWS RELEASE) -- Raquan Alfonzo Kea, 17, of 15 Autumn Dr. Currie, NC was charged with (1) count of First Degree Statutory Rape and (2) counts of First Degree Sex Offense of a Child under the Age of 13.

The incidents allegedly occurred between June 10th and September 8th of this year at a residence in the Clarkton area.

Kea was released from the Bladen County Jail after posting a $10,000 secured bond.

Inmates housed in Bladen County Jail for years before trial

October 7, 2013, 3:13 pm

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BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- The Bladen County Jail has been housing inmates for years before the prisoners see a courtroom.

The Bladen County Jail is home to some people who are charged with violent crimes, including robbery, rape and murder.

Ryan Smithwick is a local attorney running for District Attorney. Over the weekend he posted a story on his campaigns Facebook page that says violent crime has increased in Bladen County, but District Attorney Jon David says there's more to the story.

"As District Attorney I could not be more proud of the team that I have in place in Bladen County. They are doing a wonderful job," said David.

Since his election in 2010, District Attorney Jon David says he's seen crime drop significantly in Brunswick and Columbus County's, but not in Bladen County.

"If we look at efficiency numbers district wide is our efficiency is improving dramatically even as conviction rates are going up," said David.

David says more inmates remain behind bars for a longer period of time for several reasons including; attorney changes, continuances and the back log at the state laboratory.

"When folks are in jail that means we are maximizing a resource too. It means the community is protected from them while their cases are pending," said David.

In a statement on Monday, Smithwick says, "Cases need to be tried and sent to the Department of Corrections, which would save local tax payers money and would send a message to violent criminals."

District Attorney Jon David says two of the inmates who have been in jail for several years will head to trial next week.

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Elizabethtown man accused of car break in

October 14, 2013, 8:53 pm

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ELIZABETHTOWN, NC (WWAY)-- An Elizabethtown man faces several charges for breaking into a car in May.

According to the Elizabethtown Police Department, on May 17, victim reported that someone had stolen speakers and a stereo sound system out of the trunk of his car in the parking lot of Swanzy Ridge Apartments in Elizabethtown. The system was recovered at local pawn shop on Oct. 2.

On Oct. 11, Elizabethtown Police arrested 22-year-old John O'Neal Daniels Jr. after speaking with him at the police department.

Daniels is charged with Felony Break and Enter Motor Vehicle, Felony Larceny, Felony Possess Stolen Property, and Felony Obtain Property by False Pretense.

He is out of jail on a $4,000 secured bond.

Elizabethtown woman accused of selling cocaine

October 14, 2013, 9:00 pm

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ELIZABETHTOWN, NC (WWAY) -- An Elizabethtown woman is accused of selling cocaine.

Elizabethtown Police arrested Glynis Denise Powell, 49, at 402 Quail Street on Oct. 9. They say Powell was involved in selling cocaine with Levale Rogers. Police arrested Rogers on August 8 after searching his home on Quail Street in Elizabethtown.

Powell is charged with two counts each of Felony Conspire to sell cocaine and Felony Conspire to deliver cocaine. She is out of jail on a $10,000 secured bond.

Pedestrian killed while walking with family

October 18, 2013, 8:37 pm

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BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) – A Bladen County man was killed last night while walking with his family along Airport Road.

Now his family is left with a void in their heart.

“It just happened so fast,” said Felicia Skinner, wife of Marcus Skinner

Marcus Skinner, 31 was hit and killed Thursday evening.

“We were about to walk down the street, but he was gone so fast,” said Felicia Skinner.

Felicia says a man driving a pick-up truck struck her 14-year-old son and her husband, throwing both of them into a ditch.

Felicia was able to move out of the way, and their son was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Now the Skinner family wants to know why charges have not been brought against the man, she says stole her joy.

“We just want to know why the investigation is taking so long. We just want some answers,” said Felicia Skinner.

In a statement to WWAY, District Attorney Jon David says, “This is a horrible tragedy and my office will be conducting an in-depth review of the investigation. As part of that process, we will be speaking with all parties involved and we will examine the physical evidence. Cases involving loss of life are a priority for my office.”

UPDATE: Leak contained at DuPont plant in Bladen County

October 31, 2013, 6:35 pm

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BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- After a leak at the DuPont Fayetteville Works Plant on Highway 87 in Bladen County, the company says no one in the community needs to take action.

According to a news release from DuPont Operations, methylene chloride leaked at the site around 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Crews were able to contain the material that's used as a coolant in the plant's manufacturing process.

Emergency manager Bobby Kinlaw said five people had to go to the hospital after the hazmat incident. Regional Public Affairs Manager Lisa Randall said one of the those employees was found unconscious. That employee was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center and then transferred to a medical facility in Chapel Hill. But, she does not know why the employee passed out nor how the person is doing at this time.

The other employees are still being at held at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center as a precaution.

OSHA considers methylene chloride to be a potential occupational carcinogen. Short-term exposures to high concentrations might cause mental confusion, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, and headache.

FIRST ON 3: Woman hangs herself in Bladen Co. Jail; inmates complain of conditions

November 5, 2013, 4:23 pm

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BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- The Bladen County Sheriff says a woman is dead after she hanged herself in jail just hours after a judge denied her request for a lower bond.

Linda Hester Edwards, 44, attempted suicide at the Bladen County Jail Monday. She was taken to New Hanover Regional Medical Center, where she died this morning.

Edwards appeared in court Monday to answer to felony charges of larceny and possession of stolen goods. Court records show she was accused of stealing more than $15,000 worth of jewelry. The clerk's office says Edwards's attorney requested her $100,000 bond be reduced, but the motion was denied.

Bladen County Sheriff Prentis Benston says he can only remember one other death at the jail since he took office in 2010. He says that case resulted in a lawsuit the county settled.

The sheriff said he did not have time for an interview with us. However, inmates had plenty to say about the conditions of the jail.

While WWAY was outside the jail, inmates yelled through the windows about bad conditions inside.

"They got inspectors and mold all over the walls in here, and the people be in here sick, throwing up, and they will not come and check on us," one inmate said. "You have to tell them that you're either dying or going to commit suicide for them to come back and check on you."

And several inmates said they need to see doctors, but cannot.

"I've been trying to see the doctor for four and a half months, but they will not let me see the doctor," one man yelled. "I got a hernia."

Inmates say when they have a problem, their complaints fall on deaf ears

"Every time we write a grievance for them, they take it and throw it away," another inmate said.

District Attorney Jon David says the SBI is investigating, which he says is common procedure when an inmate dies in custody. He says the county is looking into building a new jail.