BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- Ever since Linda Edwards, 44, hanged herself in the Bladen County Jail last week, we've heard several reports of poor conditions inside the jail. So today WWAY went back to Bladen County looking for answers.

"You have no moving space, no nothing like that," former jail inmate Robert Dicicco said. "I mean it's just, like I said, it's just cramped up."

Dicicco says he has been held in the Bladen County Jail a few times. He says the old jail needs an upgrade.

Michael Monroe agrees. He says his friend was just in the jail and told him about the conditions inside.

"They told me about the shower being broken for over two weeks," Monroe said. "The shower has not been fixed yet, as we have heard. And, you know, the conditions are terrible in there."

We tried to talk with the County Manager Greg Martin, who referred us to Sheriff Prentis Benston. We also tried speaking with the sheriff a number of times, but he told us the county attorney advised him not to talk with us, so we decided to talk with County Attorney Leslie Johnson, but said he did not have time for an interview today.

However while we were outside the jail, inmates once again had plenty to say about the conditions inside.

"You got inmates in here sick," one inmate said through a window. "You can't get no attention with the doctor or nothing. The shower has been broken for 2 weeks."

He says there is mold and asbestos in the jail. But he says when they express their concerns, their complaints fall on deaf ears.

"Every time we write y'all, they throw our mail away," the man said. "Whenever we write grievances, they throw our mail away. They don't care."

The county attorney asked us to e-mail our questions about the jail, which we already did Thursday and never heard back. We have sent another e-mail to the county attorney to discuss conditions in the jail. We are still waiting to hear back.

DUBLIN, NC (WWAY) -- A facilities utility problem is forcing administrators at Bladen Community College in Dublin shut down the campus early today.

School marketing director Jack McDuffie says there is an issue with the Town of Dublin's sewage system.

McDuffie says classes will end at 10 a.m. The entire campus will shut down at noon, he said.

There's no word yet on when the school will be able to reopen.

BLADENBORO, NC (WWAY) -- For the second time this year, Bladenboro's town administrator has been charged with a crime.

The Bladen County Sheriff's Office says Delane Jackson was served with a warrant for arrest for simple assault and a criminal summons for communicating threats just after 2 p.m. after meeting a deputy at the Magistrate's Office.

Jackson was given a $500 unsecured bond and he was released. He is due in court Jan. 2.

In March two women took out warrants against Jackson for communicating threats after an incident in a laundromat he owns. Jackson took out a counter warrant against one of the women. It was not immediately clear if either case has gone through the court system.

CLARKTON, NC (WWAY) -- An ordinary school day turned into one a little girl will never forget, when her father returned home early from Afghanistan.

Caroline McKernan thought she was performing on stage for her class, but she was in for a big surprise.

He's a father who spent nearly a year deployed to Afghanistan away from the little girl he loves so much.

"She's my short blonde hair, blue-eyed Carolina girl, and she's very sweet," Army Maj. Bill McKernan said. "I'm just looking forward to getting back together with her."

It's a Christmas wish come true for Maj. McKernan and his daughter.

"I'm very nervous," Maj. McKernan said as he waited to surprise Caroline. "This isn't something I do on a regular basis. It's just good to get back with my kids."

Now instead of miles, the only thing between them is the school stage curtain.

Their hug is one neither side wants to end; an embrace as strong as the bond between them that no deployment could break.

"He sacrifices his life for me, and he'll do anything to make me happy," Caroline said after the reunion.

"It's really hard to explain," Dad said. "I'm really excited kind of at a loss for words. We always do things all together, and it's good to be all back together again."

What was once just an empty school stage will now be a place this family will never forget.

And if you're wondering, Caroline didn't have to stay for the rest of the school day. She got to leave arm in arm with her hero, or as she calls him, Daddy.

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- Bladenboro's Town Administrator resigns one week after he was served a warrant for simple assault and a criminal summons for communicating threats.

Delane Jackson resigned Monday at noon after Bladenboro Mayor Livingston Lewis said commissioners asked Jackson to step down.

"The city council asked me to ask Mr. Jackson to resign because they thought it would be the best interest of the town and the best interest of Mr. Jackson,” Lewis said.

Lewis says the board agreed.

But Commissioner Sarah Benson says that is not what happened.

"I had a call,” Benson explained. “(Lewis) asked if I would talk to him about something, and I went out and met him. He asked, if he could get Delane to agree to a resignation, would I be in agreement with that. And I said, ‘yes that I would.'"

Jackson did not want to do an interview.

He became the Town Administrator in November after residents voted to change the form of government, eliminating Jackson’s town manager position.

In a letter to Lewis, Jackson said, "I regret the events that have transpired in Bladenboro over the past few months. They have been very divisive and have caused ill will within the community. I hope the town can heal from the wounds that have recently been created."

Lewis says Jackson received a severance package of nearly 31-thousand dollars.

"I'm not in total agreement that he receive that severance package,” Benson said.

Benson says she is just trying to put this behind her.

"I just want to move forward. I want Bladenboro to be a place people want to come,” she said.
Although Jackson did not want to do an interview, he told us he is not upset over his resignation.

Dublin, NC (Press Release)-- Lawrence Albert Davis, 24, of Charles Thigpen Dr. Fayetteville and Tracey Nicole Tart, 29, of Jackson St. Hope Mills were charged after shoplifting from the Dollar General in Dublin Sunday afternoon around 4:45 PM.

The manager of the Dollar General noticed that Davis was carrying several items as he was exiting the store. The items had not been paid for and the manager attempted to stop him. Davis jumped into a Beige Toyota Camry driven by Tart and left traveling toward Tarheel on NC 87.
The manager of the business called 911 to report the theft.

A local judge happened to be on his way to Church when he saw Davis run from the Dollar General and jump into the car. The judge followed the car giving deputies updates as to its location through the 911 Center until it was stopped by Bladen County deputies on NC 87 near Smithfield Foods. Once the vehicle was stopped, stolen items were also recovered from Tractor Supply and Food Lion in Elizabethtown. Over $70 in merchandise was recovered that had been taken from the Dollar General.

Davis was charged with Misdemeanor Larceny, Possession of Stolen Property and he was also served with a warrant from Cumberland County for Felony Breaking and Entering. Davis is still in the Bladen County Jail under a $115,000 secured bond.
Tart was charged with Misdemeanor Larceny and Possession of Stolen Property. She is still in the Bladen County Jail under a $10,000 secured bond.

CLARKTON, NC (WWAY) -- Caroline McKernan reflected on the moment her father returned from Afghanistan in a surprise visit at her school. "It felt like I was kinda' in a dream," she said. "You know, I really couldn't feel anything. It was a really cool experience for me."

It was an experience made possible all thanks to her sixth grader teacher Tiffany Gooden. Gooden knew how much a surprise reunion with Caroline's father would mean to the student, so she began emailing with Major Bill McKernan months ago.

After what seemed like forever, her plan became reality in December at Clarkton School of Discovery.

"I was planning the whole weekend trying to figure out the perfect situation," Gooden smiled.

WWAY got to be in on the surprise too. Our cameras were there to capture the special moment under the guise that Gooden was WWAY's Teacher of the Week. But then the real story began when Maj. McKernan showed up on stage from behind a blue curtain. There wasn't a dry eye in the room.

"It was more about Caroline and less about me. I just wanted her and her father to have a wonderful moment," Gooden said.

But one month later, we really got to honor her for her hard work in and outside the classroom.

Caroline remembers the first time she met Mrs. Gooden and said, "She started talking to me, getting to know me better then I got to know her better and then we, now she's kinda' like a mom to me at school."

Hearing that was enough to bring tears to Gooden's eyes who said, "I feel honored, I have two children so I come to school and I want children to feel safe with me."

With an unforgettable reunion with her dad tucked away in her memory, Caroline wanted her teacher to have the spotlight.

Gooden is the Teacher of the Week.

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- A Bladen County man is in jail charged with a Saturday night stabbing.

Investigators say it happened around 10 p.m. at a home in the 200 block of Columbus County Rd. in Council.

The victim says he and Eric Devon Freeman, 35, started arguing after Freeman accused him of "messing with his girl," according to Chief Deputy Rodney Hester of the Bladen County Sheriff's Office.

Hester says Freeman stabbed the victim in the neck. Bladen County EMS took the victim to Bladen County Hospital. Hester says the man was in stable condition when he was transferred to another hospital.

Freeman is charged with assault with intent to kill inflicting serious bodily injury. He is in the Bladen County Jail under a $75,000 secured bond.

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- A Bladen County man is recovering after being shot twice as his home was robbed, investigators say.

The Bladen County Sheriff's Office got a call around 9 p.m. Friday that someone had been shot at a home in the 700 block of Mitchell Ford Rd. in Clarkton. Chief Deputy Rodney Hester says when deputies arrived, they found a man shot twice in the right leg. The victim told investigators he heard a knock at the door, and when he opened it, a man was standing there holding a handgun. The victim said he was shot as he struggled with the other man.

According to Hester, the victim was then tied up and the house ransacked. He says a second man entered the home and tied up a second victim, who was in the kitchen when the shots were fired.

The victims were able to get free and call 911. Deputies say prescription medication and approximately $20 were taken during the burglary.

EMS took the shooting victim to a hospital for treatment of his non-life threatening injuries, Hester said.

ELIZABETHTOWN, NC (WWAY) -- Downtown streets in Elizabethtown were covered with ice and snow early this morning, but some people did not seem to mind.

"Oh, I think it is wonderful," Felicia Mitchell said. "We haven't had snow like this in a few years, and it's real great."

Downtown Elizabethtown was a ghost town, as crews worked through the night to try and keep major highways clear.

Mitchell works at Melton's Restaurant on Broad Street. She says her commute to work this morning took three times longer than normal.

"This is only my second time driving in kinda weather like this, so I am kinda getting used to it," she said.

It took more than two-and-a-half hours for our crew to drive from Wilmington to Elizabethtown. It's a drive that usually takes a little more than a hour.

Those treacherous driving conditions are what made restaurant owner Byron Melvin nervous.

"We have ice, and people around here, they like to close for ice, but I have a couple of reliable employees. Whenever we have a storm like this, I just pick them up and we come up here and open up," Melvin said.

Melvin says he has lived in Elizabethtown for nearly 16 years and knows that even when conditions are rough outside, there are people always in need of a warm cup of joe.

"The only time I have ever closed during this was one time on a Sunday. We lost power for about eight hours and couldn't be open, but as long as the power is on, we will be here," he said.

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- Bladen County deputies say a shooting in an Elizabethtown neighborhood over the weekend ended with one man dead and another man behind bars.

Around 1 a.m. Saturday deputies say they found Antoine Eddington, 44, lying in the front yard of a home at 1017 Jack Richardson Road after dispatchers got a call about a man who was shot and unconscious. They say despite CPR attempts before they got to the scene, Eddington, who lived next door, had no pulse and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputies say the shooting started with a neighborhood dispute, when Eddington left his home and returned with a shotgun. They say Eddington began banging on the door before he allegedly hit the person who opened it with the shotgun.

Deputies say that's when Troy Cromartie, 25, of Garland, confronted Eddington on the front porch and shots were fired. They say they believe Eddington was shot with a round from a revolver before Cromartie ran into the woods behind the home.

Bladen County and Sampson County deputies stopped a vehicle leaving the area and found Cromartie inside. They say he already had warrants out for his arrest for probation violations and failure to pay child support, so he was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and the outstanding warrants were also served.

Deputies say District Attorney Jon David was notified of the incident and asked to look over the evidence prior to any additional charges.

Several agencies helped in the investigation, including the SBI.

Cromartie is in the Bladen County Jail under a $21,500 secured bond.

RALEIGH, NC (NEWS RELEASE) -– During the past month, the Department of Public Safety's Alcohol Law Enforcement section has arrested and charged eight people with drug trafficking, larceny, forgery and other crimes following a year-long, multi-county criminal investigation. More charges are pending.

ALE agents and the Bladen County Sheriff's Department acted on a tip provided by a concerned citizen, which led to ALE's prescription pain killer fraud operation. Members of the drug ring are alleged to have fraudulently obtained oxycodone pills in Rockingham, Guilford, Robeson, Cumberland, Bladen, Columbus, Sampson and New Hanover counties.

The State Bureau of Investigation's Diversion Crimes Unit and the Clinton and Greensboro police departments assisted in the apprehension of the drug traffickers.

The following people were charged:

Terry Moore, Council
-Operating a criminal enterprise
-Conspiracy to traffic in opiates
-Conspiracy to obtain a controlled substance by false pretense
-Intimidating a witness
-Larceny
-2 counts of identity theft
-2 counts of trafficking in opiates
-2 counts of obtaining a controlled substance by false pretense
-2 counts of uttering forged papers
-3 counts of possession of stolen property

David "Tommy" Jones, Elizabethtown
-Conspiracy to traffic in opiates
-Conspiracy to obtain a controlled substance by false pretense
-Attempt to traffic in opiates
-Attempt to obtain a controlled substance by false pretense
-3 counts of trafficking in opiates
-3 counts of obtaining a controlled substance by false pretense
-4 counts of identity theft
-4 counts of uttering forged papers
-4 counts of possession of stolen property

Christopher Moore, Elizabethtown
-Conspiracy to traffic in opiates
-Conspiracy to obtain a controlled substance by false pretense
-Trafficking in opiates
-Obtaining a controlled substance by fraud
-Identity theft
-Possession of stolen property
-Uttering forged papers

Beverly Oxendine, formerly of Elizabethtown
-Conspiracy to traffic in opiates
-Conspiracy to obtain a controlled substance by false pretense
-Trafficking in opiates
-Obtain a controlled substance by false pretense
-Common law forgery

Candy Moore, Elizabethtown
-Conspiracy to traffic in opiates
-Conspiracy to obtain a controlled substance by false pretense

Monica Wilkens, Liberty
-Conspiracy to traffic in opiates
-Conspiracy to obtain a controlled substance by false pretense
-Common law forgery

Randy Jones, Liberty
-Conspiracy to traffic in opiates
-Conspiracy to obtain a controlled substance by false pretense

Tammy Jones, Greensboro
-Conspiracy to traffic in opiates
-Conspiracy to obtain a controlled substance by false pretense

ALE agents have the authority to arrest and take investigatory action for any criminal offense. Their primary responsibility is the enforcement of the Alcoholic Beverage and Control laws and the Controlled Substances Act.

ELIZABETHTOWN, NC (WWAY) -- Just when we thought we saw enough snow this winter, Mother Nature strikes again.

"I feel chilly and cold right now, but we're going to enjoy it," said Andrew McKori of Bladen County.

This storm is creating a second winter wonderland in less than two weeks, and the people of Bladen County actually seem to be coming around to it.

"I love it! I love it!" Alfred Pridgen said. "I love to get out and ride in it, to play in it."

"It's pretty. I like it. It's just cold," Kelly Daver said.

"This is a piece of cake here," Bobbie Bordeaux said.

Some are excited about another free day from their job.

"I'm not too crazy about it, but God knows best, doesn't he? And it gets you out of work," Susan Long said.

And schools took another snow day, which is prompting kids of all ages to gear up and jump in the snow.

"I'm going to build a snowman," Anarianaria Sanders said.

This might not be a sight we'd prefer to see, but some can defrost a bit knowing the warm weather is hopefully right around the corner.

"I think we are going to see an early spring when we see a hard snow like this," Alfred Pridgen said.

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- Two criminal charges have been dismissed against Bladenboro's former town administrator.

Delane Jackson faced a charge of assault and a count of communicating threats in separate incidents. His attorney Butch Pope said today those charges dismissed in court today. Pope says Jackson maintained his innocence throughout the process and was ready to go to trial.

Jackson resigned from his job in December at the request of town leaders.

ELIZABETHTOWN, NC (WWAY) -- For months we've tried speaking with Bladen County Sheriff Prentis Benston several times since first looking into problems at the county jail.

In November, he referred us to County Attorney Leslie Johnson. So we sent Johnson a long list of questions and concerns about the jail in November, December, January and now February. Today we got some answers. Sort of.

In a letter to WWAY NewsChannel 3, Johnson says that the 50-year-old jail needs to be modernized. Johnson says county leaders were already taking measures to find a solution long before problems arose. He says county commissioners approved money for a feasibility study for construction of a new jail or improving the old one and hiring architects.

We tried once again Wednesday to speak with Sheriff Benston, but once again he did not want to talk. Instead he said everything we need to know is in Johnson's letter. But by not talking to us, Benston again refuses to answer our questions about complaints from current and former inmates that include mold, human waste being thrown, a lack of medical care and other concerns about the safety and upkeep behind the walls of the Bladen County Jail.

We asked the sheriff if we could go inside the jail and see the conditions for ourselves, but he declined for security reasons saying inmates could throw things at our reporter.

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- Nearly three years ago, a string of deadly tornadoes tore through Bladen County leaving the Elizabethtown Baptist Church in shambles. Since then, the church has worked hard to rebuild, and now renovations are complete.

"When we first arrived on campus about five minutes after the tornado hit, it was complete devastation,” Chris Carroll, Elizabeth Baptist Church's minister said. “The buildings were nearly destroyed; we had lost a lot of trees. We've also lost a lot of the buildings, 80% of the buildings were destroyed."

Carroll says buildings were not the only things lost after the storm.

"There was a feeling of hopelessness,” Carroll explained. “There was a feeling that we will never be able to rebuild. How will we move forward?"

But that hopelessness quickly faded as community members came together to clean up debris, and rebuild.

"It was amazing to see how many people came within an hour and were cleaning out here so we could have church the next morning,” church member Tommy Hatcher recalled.

And now, less than 3 years after the tornado, the damaged buildings have been restored.

"There were a lot of tears, a lot of struggles. But today we celebrate for we are revitalized,” Carroll said. “This is the beginning of a new chapter in the life of Elizabethtown Baptist Church."

And both Carroll and Hatcher say they have one man to thank for the blessings they felt Sunday.

"It's all for the honor and glory of God to be a great witness for Jesus,” Hatcher said. “It's his and it is just a blessing that we utilize to get his word out."

Carroll says he is overjoyed to see how far the church has come, and he says he cannot wait to see what the future has in store.

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- A trip to jail is not a visit to a luxury hotel, but there is a basic expectation of safety and health conditions.

For months, though, we've heard complaints about problems inside the Bladen County Jail, and they're not just from inmates. They're also coming from state regulators.

The latest state inspection of the Bladen County Jail happened back in August. The Department of Health and Human Services Jails and Detention Unit found problems with overcrowding, jailers missing supervision rounds, unclean cells with mold and paint chipping, moldy showers in poor condition, AC units broken and leaking and no hot water among other issues.

The inspection confirms reports we've gotten from former and current inmates; complaints they say have fallen on deaf ears inside the jail.

"Every time we write a grievance for them, they take it and throw it away," an inmate yelled to a reporter during a visit to the jail.

We've tried for month to talk with Sheriff Prentis Benston about these issues, but he refuses to talk and won't let us see inside.

"It's so nasty. That's why they won't let you come in," another inmate told us from inside the jail. "There is mold all over the place. The heat don't work. The AC don't work in here."

So in an effort to find out more, we contacted DHHS Legal Communications Coordinator Kevin Howell. He says if inspectors find a problem, the jail must respond with a plan of correction indicating how and when the issue will be fixed.

Records show Bladen County submitted a plan in September saying it had already fixed or was actively working on fixing the problems. But this is not the first time a plan of correction has been submitted. Problems were found in all four inspections over the past two years, and the problems seem to persist even after plans are submitted and inspections continued.

Howell says inspections are unannounced, but the next one is coming up soon.

County leaders have declined our requests for interviews. They responded only in a statement this month from the county attorney, who says they know there are problems with the jail, which the county hopes to fix or replace.

ELIZABETHTOWN, NC (WWAY) -- Elizabethtown Police arrested a man who was wanted for first-degree attempted murder since a shooting that landed one person in the hospital back in January.

Police say they arrested Saquon Covington, 25, Friday morning, after finding him inside a car police stopped near East Broad and Lower streets. This comes after a shooting on January 18, when Covington was first charged in connection to the crime.

Elizabethtown Police say it all started when they responded to a shots fired call near Quail and Davis streets, just after the shooting suspects took off in a car from the scene. Police say they arrested several suspects soon after, including Covington, charging him with carrying a concealed weapon.

It wasn't until after Covington bonded out of jail that night, though, that police say a man showed up at the hospital's emergency room with a gunshot wound. Officers say they have been looking for the 25-year-old ever since he was released from jail, and say Covington never showed up for his court date on the concealed weapon charge.

He is now charged with first-degree attempted murder and failure to appear. Covington is in the Bladen County Jail under a $1,010,000 bond.

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- One minute it was there, and the next it was gone.

Members of the Haw Bluff Baptist Church in Bladen County say someone stole a trailer full of materials being used to build a handicap accessible bathroom for a double amputee.

When members of the church offered to build Ken Lee a brand new bathroom that he could easily get around in, he was overjoyed. But that excitement quickly diminished when he found out someone stole the materials being used for the project.

"It disappoints me that people would steal from hard-working people and take something that they've not worked for,” Lee said.

Lee’s life changed completely last year. Because of a blood clot disorder, doctors amputated both of his legs. He says living in a wheelchair is a struggle, especially with two active kids at home.

"I sit in my wheelchair and throw ball with them but I can't get out and run and play and show them things. And I can't get out and work and earn a living,” Lee explained.

But the hardest part he says is getting in and out of his bathroom.

"When I go in the bathroom, I'm bumping into stuff, backing up, pulling forward, bumping in backing up, pulling forward to try to get positioned just to be able to use the bathroom,” Lee said.

Members of the Haw Bluff Baptist Church in Bladen County are building lee a brand new handicap accessible bathroom, but thieves stole the donated trailer filled with nearly $1,500 worth of materials.

It was taken from church member, Dwight Horrell's, back yard Thursday morning.

"For a minute it was unbelievable,” Horrell said. “I called one of the guys and said, 'hey man, if you didn't get this trailer today, somebody has stolen it. He said, 'I'm afraid I've got bad news for you."

Pastor Steve Gasque says they reported the missing trailer to law enforcement, but they don't want anyone prosecuted.

"We would just like to get the word out to say, 'hey do you understand why, what that trailer was being used for, what the materials inside were being used for? And just bring it back,’” Gasque said. “We'd love to come out here tomorrow and see it parked right back here."

Church members say this is a huge setback, and they need all the help they can get.

Gasque says if you would like to help out, you can contact the church at (910) 669-2194, or call his cell phone at (910) 233-0058.

The missing items include an enclosed black trailer, and wood for the project.

If you have any information about the crime, call the Bladen County Sheriff's Office at (910) 862-6960.

ELIZABETHTOWN, NC (BLADENONLINE.COM) -- A political action committee was formed last week in support of the passage of Bladen County's beer and wine referendum.

Bladen County Citizens for the County Wide Sale of Beer and Wine says equal opportunity and economic development are among the reasons for creating the PAC.

"We don't think it's fair for somebody to have to drive from north of Tar Heel, past three different stores, all the way to Elizabethtown to buy a six-pack of beer," said Robin Summerlin, who announced the group's formation to about 100 people at Saturday's eighth annual Politician Appreciation Day at the Woodmen of the World building in Bladenboro. "It needs to be more spread out, not just in Clarkton, Elizabethtown and East Arcadia. It needs to be in the western part of the county and the northern part of the county.

Click here to read more at BladenOnline.com