tabor-loris tribune wednesday, may 23,...

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TABOR-LORIS TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2012 PAGE 3 P age from the ast Compiled by Al Leonard Town Manager Town of Tabor City An Award Winning Weekly Newspaper Published Each Wednesday Owned and published by Atlantic Corporation of Tabor City, NC, Inc. 102 Avon St./P.O. Box 67, Tabor City, NC 28463 (910) 653-3153 email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] SUBSCRIPTION RATES $19.95 per year in Columbus and Horry counties; $24.95 per year elsewhere in the Continental United States; $60.00 per year abroad. Periodicals postage paid at Tabor City, NC 28463 Tabor-Loris Tribune © All material 2012 All rights reserved “Life is precious...Mankind has no mandate or inherent right to limit opportunity and privilege to his fellowman of a different color or culture.” - W. Horace Carter, founder. POSTMASTER: send address changes to: Tabor-Loris Tribune P.O. Box 67 Tabor City, NC 28463 USPN PUBLICATION NO. 532-380 ISSN: 2156-2334 tabor-loris.com Jan. 11, 1950 Recent ads We have just received a car load of mules, ages 4 - 6, all well broke at A.B. Jackson Stables, Dewey Cox Manager Tobacco Canvas now at new low prices---J.M. Soles, Co. Announcing the New DeSoto now on display at White Motor Sales of Tabor City New Tabor Theatre now showing Lucille Ball and Wil- liam Holden in “Miss Grant Takes Richmond.” Remembering Jasmine Thar at a rally Saturday were (from left) brother Luther Geath- ers, classmates Alexis Phifer and Alexandria Cruz, mother Carlletta McNeil, and sisters Raquel and Whitley Geathers. (Deuce Niven photo) About 70 gather at rally for Jasmine By DEUCE NIVEN Family, friends, and people Jasmine Thar never met gathered in Chadbourn Saturday to rally for justice for the Charlotte teen killed in a bizarre pre-Christmas incident that saw two other women also injured by a single bullet. Just what justice means isn’t yet clear, civil rights activist John C. Barnett told about 70 people who gathered in the Westside Community Building. Barnett and family members have previously called for the arrest of James Anthony Blackwell, 23, whose high-powered rifle fired that shot that killed Thar. Investigators and District Attorney Jon David have said they are still working to determine exactly what happened, and if the incident was the ac- cident Blackwell described, or something else. Complicating the is- sue is the fact that dozens of lawsuits are pending involving the type of rifle Blackwell owned, each al- leging that the rifle fired without a trig- ger pull. Rem- ington, the gun’s manu- facturer, has refuted those claims. Emotional mo- ments Thar, who was 16, was loved by her friends at Ar- drey Kell High School in Charlotte, class- mate Alexis Phifer said dur- ing an emotional moment of the rally. “Jasmine was one of my best friends,” Phifer said. “She meant a lot to me. It’s hard. I should be hanging out with her.” Barnett said there will be additional rally’s, one set for noon on June 30 at the Whiteville City Park on Nolan Avenue. Barnett was joined by others who said they have been the victims of racial discrimination through intimidation by authorities in law enforcement and bail bond regulators, and by wrongful ter- mination from jobs. Support Barnett asked for seven leaders to step up and get orga- nized in Chad- bourn, and found 13 vol- unteers, most local, who said they would work to draw attention not only to the Thar case, but to other issues too. NAACP leaders from Johnston County said they would be in contact with their Columbus County counterparts, who did not attend the rally, seeking support. TCFD Asst. Chief charged with DWI Jeff Fowler, Tabor City’s veteran assistant fire chief, was arrested on a driving while impaired charged by the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Fowler has been suspended form driving town owned vehicles, Fire Chief Jerry Hodges said Tuesday. Hodges said he would meet with Town Manager Al Leonard today (Wednesday) to decide if any additional action should be taken before the case makes its way to court. Fowler, on Tuesday, said he regretted his arrest, but was not guilty of the crime. “I was not drunk,” Fowler said. “I just want this thing cleared up.” Fowler said he had con- sumed alcohol Friday evening, but was not impaired. Arrest made in kidnap, rape case By DEUCE NIVEN A Tabor City man was ar- rested last week in a kidnap and rape case that originated in Horry County on May 6, Sgt. Robert Kegler of the Horry County Police Department said. Anthony Jamel Grate, 32, was arrested on an assault charge in Columbus County on May 10, records at the Colum- bus County Detention Center show. Grate was brought back to Horry County last Tuesday to face charges of kidnapping, first degree criminal sexual conduct, and armed robbery, Kegler said. Grate was held without bond. The woman, a 47-year-old from Horry County, told in- vestigators that she had left her van unlocked that Sunday evening while she went into the Wilco-Hess convenience store in Loris. After leaving the store, “an unknown male appeared from the back of her van and told her he just needed a ride, and was not going to hurt her,” an Horry County Police Depart- ment report said. Unfamiliar with the area, the woman told police she was not sure where the man had her drive, but that he finally told her to stop and turn the lights off. At that point, the woman told police, the man forced her to commit a sex act and raped her. She told police the man might have left DNA evidence on a seat. After getting dressed, the man told the woman to continue driving, telling her the way to Tabor City, and he eventually “told her to slow down and he jumped out of the van and the victim kept driving.” The woman drove to Tabor City, where she sought medical attention and contacted police. Strangulation charged Arrests for assault by stran- gulation and driving while im- paired are included in reports on file at the Tabor City Police Department this week. Those reports include: James Manley Raynor, 24, of March Ave., was charged by Det. Christopher Hilburn last Tuesday with assault by strangulation. He is accused of attacking his girlfriend, Shan- tell Dozier, 33, placing his hands around her throat and leaving nail marks and scratches on her neck on the day he was charged. Terrance Keith Rowell, 29, of West 3 rd Street, was charged by Lt. Ronnie Carroll Friday with driving while impaired, driving with a revoked license, operating a vehicle with ficti- tious tags, and an inspection violation. A breath alcohol test showed Rowell with a blood alcohol content between .36 and .37, more than four times the .08 state standard for legal intoxication. He was admitted to Columbus Regional Health- care until his blood alcohol level dropped low enough to allow him to be booked at the Columbus Detention Center. Rowell’s arrest followed an auto crash on School Street. Warrants charging two counts of obtaining property by false pretenses have been ob- tained for Christopher Mincey, 32, of Sun Lit Meadows, Loris, Lt. Detective Jerry Sarvis said Monday. Detectives with the Horry County Police Depart- ment linked Mincey to the theft of a Wii game system and a chain saw which were pawned by Mincey at Pawn South in Tabor City on March 14 and April 10, a report by Sarvis said. Mincey provided a signed confession, the report said, but has not been charged on the newly obtained warrants. DWI suspect requires hospital A warrant charging Malick Jeter, 18, of West 6 th Street, with misdemeanor larceny has been obtained in connection with a theft last Monday of chicken wings worth $3 from the Vasco on Fair Bluff Road. Tiffany Nance Thomas, 34, of Parkwood Road, Shelby, was charged by Capt. Dean Foley Thursday with possession of marijuana, driving with an expired license plate, and op- erating an uninsured vehicle. Christopher David Lloyd, 23, of Rough and Ready Road, Whiteville, was charged by Officer Jeff Grainger last Wednesday with driving with a revoked license and failing to stop for a stop sign. Terry Thomas Clowdiss, 52, of Rolling Meadows Road, Randleman, was charged by Officer Christopher Cotton last Wednesday with possession of drug paraphernalia after a spoon in his possession tested positive for cocaine. Four inmates at Tabor Correctional Institution were charged last Wednesday and Thursday with possession of a controlled substance, mari- juana, by an inmate. They are Christopher Allen Vaughan, 30; Byron Scott Small, 28; Charles Whimple, 30; and Reginald Jenkins, 25. Bridgett Williams, 38, told Officer Michael Jamison Sun- day that someone thrown rocks, breaking two windows at her Pine Street home as the family slept. Raheem Jamese Riggins, 26, of Grace Street, told Officer Jamison Friday that someone apparently bumped into his 2008 Dodge while he was parked at the Vasco on Fair Bluff Road, causing $500 damage to a rear door. - Deuce Niven Cocaine found during car search Officers on the hunt for a breach of trust suspect in Loris Friday found her, and made two arrests for cocaine possession, a report by Sgt. Adam Bell and Officer Greg Dewitt of the Loris Police Department said. Britney Kiensha Jackson, 20, who shows addresses on Ashmun Road in Longs and in Columbia, was charged on warrants with breach of trust with fraudulent intent with a value of $5,000 or more, and by Loris police with possession of crack cocaine and having an open container of alcohol in her vehicle. She remained held at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center near Conway on Tues- day under bonds that totaled $4,915. Dewayne Long, 29, of Un- derwood Road in Longs, a passenger with Jackson, was charged with possession of crack cocaine and having an open container or alcohol. He was released from Jail on Sat- urday after bonds that totaled $1,762.50 were posted. Other reports on file at the Loris Police Department this week include: Derrick Lamonte Curtis II, 21, of Harrelson Avenue, was charged by Sgt. Bell Friday with disorderly conduct, accused of using profane language at a Suggs Street home. Mikella Shavon Jarrett told police she wanted Curtis placed on tres- pass notice, and he was advised, the report said. Angela Marie Duncan, 37, of Olive Drive, was charged by Sgt. Adam Bell Friday with driving under suspension. Stephen Devon Williams, 40, of Westmoreland Road, Con- way, a passenger in Duncan’s car, was charged by Sgt. Bell with having an open container of alcohol in the vehicle. A Main Street woman told Officers Eric Stevens and Blake Jackson last Tuesday that a man cut a tire on her vehicle during an argument. Police located the man, who said he had stabbed the tire after Hunter did the same to his car. Both said they would work their issues out, and would separate from each other. Kimberly Ann Sims, 19, told Officer Alicia Miler last Wednesday that someone broke into her Harrelson Avenue home and took several items and cash worth a total of $250. Tokyo Express employee Roy Paul told Officer Matt Mahon Saturday that someone broke a front window of the Broad Street business with a rock, broke into two candy machines located inside the door, and took an estimated $10. Shirrina Equanna Jackson, 22, of Cedar Branch Road, told Officers Jackson and Stevens Saturday that someone had taken her wallet while she was clocking in at work at the Loris IGA. Tianna Tremaine Brooks, 33, told Officers Stevens and Jackson Sunday that someone took a bicycle worth $100 from the front yard of her Church Street home. Columbus-Brunswick theft ring arrests made At least three Columbus County men and a fourth from Brunswick County are accused in a series of thefts totaling more than $30,000 in the Ash area, Del Routh of the Brunswick County Sheriff ’s Office said Friday. Two men have already been arrested, including the owner of Whiteville based Right Way Vinyl Construc- tion, Routh said, and two more are sought. Investigators believe Right Way trucks were used to transport property stolen by the men, Routh said. Right Way owner Chris- topher Lee Hines, 37, of the 16000 block of Peacock Road, Chadbourn, was arrested on Thursday. He was charged with felony larceny and pos- session of stolen property and held under a $12,000 bond. James Alfred Blackwell, 47, a Right Way employee of the 3,000 block of Happy Home Road, Nakina, was ar- rested Wednesday, charged with felony larceny and chop shop activity theft. He was held under a $25,000 bond. Warrants charging two more men in the theft ring were still un- served late Friday, Routh said. They are Cory Carroll Faircloth, 29, of the 3000 block of Old Cribbtown Road, Chadbourn; and Wilford Benard Gore, 29, of the 1900 block of Cordis Trail in Supply. At least one of those men is also a Right Way employee, Routh said, but he did not know which one. Chevy stop Sheriff’s detectives launched their investiga- tion after Special Operation Units stopped a black Chevy S-10, and discovered stolen property in it, Routh said. Investigators believe the thefts began several weeks ago, and recovered more than $30,000 in stolen property, some in Columbus County, Routh said. Agencies assisting the Brunswick County Sheriff ’s Detective Division includ- ing the Columbus County Sheriff ’s Office, the Shallotte Police Department, and the NC DMV License and Theft Bureau. Alexis Phifer There will be no four-day work week at the Columbus County Health Department, county commissioners said Monday. Commissioners spoke just briefly about the request from Health Director Kim Smith, first presented during their May 7 meeting, before rejecting the request on a 6-1 vote. “I think we ought to give them an opportunity to try it, just to see if it will work,” said commissioner Edwin Russ, who cast the lone dissenting vote. “I feel like if we do for one department, we’ve got to do for other departments the same thing , said commissioner James Prevatte. Smith, earlier this month, told commissioners that a four-day work week would al- low for later closing times that could make health care more accessible for many residents of North Carolina’s most un- healthy county. Columbus County, for three years running, has been ranked the state’s most unhealthy county in studies released by the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 4-day work week nixed at Health

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TABOR-LORIS TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2012 PAGE 3

Pagefrom the

astCompiled byAl Leonard

Town ManagerTown of Tabor City

An Award Winning Weekly NewspaperPublished Each Wednesday

Owned and published by Atlantic Corporation of Tabor City, NC, Inc.102 Avon St./P.O. Box 67, Tabor City, NC 28463 (910) 653-3153

email: [email protected], [email protected],[email protected], [email protected]

SUBSCRIPTION RATES$19.95 per year in Columbus and Horry counties;$24.95 per year elsewhere in the Continental United States;$60.00 per year abroad.

Periodicals postage paid at Tabor City, NC 28463

Tabor-Loris Tribune

© All material 2012 All rights reserved“Life is precious...Mankind has no mandate or inherent right to limit opportunity and privilege tohis fellowman of a different color or culture.” - W. Horace Carter, founder.

POSTMASTER: send address changes to:Tabor-Loris Tribune

P.O. Box 67Tabor City, NC 28463

USPN PUBLICATION NO. 532-380 ISSN: 2156-2334

tabor-loris.com

Jan. 11, 1950

Recent ads• We have just received acarloadof mules,ages4-6,allwellbrokeatA.B.JacksonStables,DeweyCoxManager• Tobacco Canvas now atnew low prices---J.M. Soles,Co.• Announcing the NewDeSoto now on display atWhiteMotorSalesof TaborCity• New Tabor Theatre nowshowingLucilleBallandWil-liamHoldenin“MissGrantTakesRichmond.”

RememberingJasmineTharatarallySaturdaywere(fromleft)brotherLutherGeath-ers,classmatesAlexisPhiferandAlexandriaCruz,motherCarllettaMcNeil,andsistersRaquelandWhitleyGeathers.(DeuceNivenphoto)

About 70 gather at rally for JasmineBy DEUCE NIVEN

Family, friends, andpeopleJasmineTharnevermetgatheredinChadbournSaturdaytorallyforjusticefortheCharlotteteenkilledinabizarrepre-Christmasincidentthatsawtwootherwomen also injured by asinglebullet. Justwhatjusticemeansisn’tyetclear,civilrightsactivist John C. Barnetttold about 70 people whogathered in the WestsideCommunityBuilding. Barnett and familymembershavepreviouslycalled for the arrest of JamesAnthonyBlackwell,23, whose high-poweredrifle fired that shot thatkilled Thar. InvestigatorsandDistrictAttorneyJonDavid have said they arestillworkingtodetermineexactlywhathappened,andif theincidentwastheac-cidentBlackwelldescribed,orsomethingelse. Complicating the is-sueisthefactthatdozens

of lawsuits are pendinginvolvingthetypeof rifleBlackwellowned,eachal-leging that the rifle firedwithoutatrig-gerpull.Rem-ington, thegun’s manu-facturer, hasrefuted thoseclaims.

Emotional mo-ments Thar, whowas 16, wasloved by herfriends at Ar-dreyKellHighSchoolinCharlotte,class-mateAlexisPhifersaiddur-inganemotionalmomentof therally. “Jasminewasoneof mybest friends,”Phifersaid.“Shemeantalottome.It’shard.Ishouldbehangingoutwithher.” Barnettsaidtherewillbe additional rally’s, onesetfornoononJune30attheWhitevilleCityParkonNolanAvenue.

Barnett was joined byotherswhosaidtheyhavebeenthevictimsof racialdiscrimination through

intimidation byauthorities inlawenforcementand bail bondregulators, andbywrongfulter-mination fromjobs.Support B a r n e t tasked for sevenleaders to stepupandgetorga-nized in Chad-

bourn, and found 13 vol-unteers, most local, whosaid they would work todrawattentionnotonlytotheTharcase,buttootherissuestoo.

NAACP leaders fromJohnstonCountysaidtheywould be in contact withtheir Columbus Countycounterparts,whodidnotattend the rally, seekingsupport.

TCFD Asst. Chief charged with DWI Jeff Fowler, Tabor City’sveteran assistant fire chief,wasarrestedonadrivingwhileimpairedchargedbytheSouthCarolinaHighwayPatrol. Fowlerhasbeensuspendedform driving town ownedvehicles, Fire Chief JerryHodges said Tuesday.HodgessaidhewouldmeetwithTownManager Al Leonard today(Wednesday) to decide if anyadditional action should betakenbeforethecasemakesitswaytocourt. Fowler,onTuesday,saidheregretted his arrest, but wasnotguiltyof thecrime. “Iwasnot drunk,”Fowlersaid. “I just want this thingclearedup.” Fowler said he had con-sumedalcoholFridayevening,butwasnotimpaired.

Arrest made in kidnap, rape case

By DEUCE NIVEN

ATaborCitymanwas ar-rested last week in a kidnapandrapecasethatoriginatedinHorryCountyonMay6,Sgt.Robert Kegler of the HorryCounty Police Departmentsaid. Anthony Jamel Grate, 32,was arrested on an assaultchargeinColumbusCountyonMay10,recordsattheColum-busCountyDetentionCentershow. GratewasbroughtbacktoHorryCountylastTuesdaytoface charges of kidnapping,first degree criminal sexualconduct, and armed robbery,Keglersaid. Grate was held withoutbond. The woman, a 47-year-oldfrom Horry County, told in-vestigators that she had lefthervanunlockedthatSundayeveningwhileshewentintotheWilco-Hess convenience store

inLoris. Afterleavingthestore,“anunknownmaleappearedfromthe back of her van and toldherhejustneededaride,andwasnotgoingtohurther,”anHorry County Police Depart-mentreportsaid. Unfamiliar with the area,thewomantoldpoliceshewasnotsurewherethemanhadherdrive, but that hefinally toldhertostopandturnthelightsoff.At thatpoint, thewomantoldpolice,themanforcedhertocommitasexactandrapedher. She told police the manmighthaveleftDNAevidenceonaseat. After getting dressed, themantoldthewomantocontinuedriving,tellingherthewaytoTaborCity,andheeventually“toldhertoslowdownandhejumpedoutof thevanandthevictimkeptdriving.” ThewomandrovetoTaborCity,whereshesoughtmedicalattentionandcontactedpolice.

Strangulation charged Arrestsforassaultbystran-gulationanddrivingwhileim-pairedareincludedinreportsonfileattheTaborCityPoliceDepartmentthisweek. Thosereportsinclude:• James Manley Raynor, 24,of March Ave., was chargedby Det. Christopher Hilburnlast Tuesday with assault bystrangulation.Heisaccusedof attackinghisgirlfriend,Shan-tellDozier,33,placinghishandsaroundherthroatandleavingnailmarksandscratchesonherneckonthedayhewascharged.• TerranceKeithRowell, 29,of West3rdStreet,waschargedby Lt. Ronnie Carroll Fridaywith drivingwhile impaired,drivingwitharevokedlicense,operatingavehiclewithficti-tious tags, and an inspectionviolation.Abreathalcoholtestshowed Rowell with a bloodalcohol content between .36and.37,morethanfourtimesthe.08statestandardforlegalintoxication.HewasadmittedtoColumbusRegionalHealth-care until his blood alcohollevel dropped low enough toallowhimtobebookedattheColumbus Detention Center.Rowell’sarrestfollowedanautocrashonSchoolStreet.• Warrants charging twocounts of obtaining propertybyfalsepretenseshavebeenob-tainedforChristopherMincey,32,of SunLitMeadows,Loris,Lt.DetectiveJerrySarvissaidMonday. Detectives with theHorry County Police Depart-mentlinkedMinceytothetheftof a Wii game system and achainsawwhichwerepawnedbyMincey at Pawn South inTabor City on March 14 andApril 10, a report by Sarvissaid.Minceyprovidedasignedconfession,thereportsaid,buthas not been charged on thenewlyobtainedwarrants.

DWI suspect requires hospital

• AwarrantchargingMalickJeter,18,of West6thStreet,withmisdemeanorlarcenyhasbeenobtainedinconnectionwithatheft lastMonday of chickenwingsworth$3fromtheVascoonFairBluff Road.• TiffanyNanceThomas,34,of ParkwoodRoad,Shelby,wascharged by Capt. Dean FoleyThursdaywith possession of marijuana, driving with anexpired licenseplate, andop-eratinganuninsuredvehicle.• Christopher David Lloyd,23,of RoughandReadyRoad,Whiteville, was charged byOfficer Jeff Grainger lastWednesdaywithdrivingwitha revoked license and failingtostopforastopsign.• Terry Thomas Clowdiss,52,of RollingMeadowsRoad,Randleman, was charged byOfficerChristopherCottonlastWednesday with possessionof drugparaphernaliaafteraspooninhispossessiontestedpositiveforcocaine.• Four inmates at TaborCorrectional Institutionwerecharged last Wednesday andThursdaywith possession of a controlled substance,mari-juana,byaninmate.TheyareChristopherAllenVaughan,30;ByronScottSmall,28;CharlesWhimple, 30; and ReginaldJenkins,25.• Bridgett Williams, 38, toldOfficerMichaelJamisonSun-daythatsomeonethrownrocks,breaking twowindowsatherPineStreethomeasthefamilyslept.• RaheemJameseRiggins,26,of Grace Street, told OfficerJamisonFridaythatsomeoneapparently bumped into his2008DodgewhilehewasparkedattheVascoonFairBluff Road,causing$500damagetoareardoor.

- Deuce Niven

Cocaine found during car search Officers on the hunt for abreachof trustsuspectinLorisFridayfoundher,andmadetwoarrestsforcocainepossession,areportbySgt.AdamBellandOfficerGregDewittof theLorisPoliceDepartmentsaid. Britney Kiensha Jackson,20, who shows addresses onAshmun Road in Longs andinColumbia,waschargedonwarrantswithbreachof trustwithfraudulentintentwithavalueof $5,000ormore,andbyLorispolicewithpossessionof crack cocaine and having anopencontainerof alcoholinhervehicle.SheremainedheldattheJ.ReubenLongDetentionCenternearConwayonTues-day under bonds that totaled$4,915. Dewayne Long, 29, of Un-derwood Road in Longs, apassengerwith Jackson, wascharged with possession of crack cocaine and having anopencontaineroralcohol.HewasreleasedfromJailonSat-urdayafterbondsthattotaled$1,762.50wereposted.

OtherreportsonfileattheLoris PoliceDepartment thisweekinclude:

• DerrickLamonteCurtisII,21,of HarrelsonAvenue,waschargedbySgt.BellFridaywithdisorderly conduct, accusedof using profane language ataSuggsStreethome.MikellaShavonJarretttoldpoliceshewantedCurtisplacedontres-passnotice,andhewasadvised,thereportsaid.• AngelaMarieDuncan,37,of OliveDrive,waschargedbySgt.AdamBellFridaywithdrivingundersuspension.• StephenDevonWilliams,40,of Westmoreland Road, Con-way,apassenger inDuncan’scar,was charged by Sgt. Bellwithhavinganopencontainerof alcoholinthevehicle.• AMainStreetwoman toldOfficersEricStevensandBlakeJackson last Tuesday that amancutatireonhervehicleduring an argument. Policelocated the man, who saidhe had stabbed the tire after

Hunterdidthesametohiscar.Bothsaidtheywouldworktheirissuesout,andwouldseparatefromeachother.• Kimberly Ann Sims, 19,told Officer Alicia Miler lastWednesdaythatsomeonebrokeinto her Harrelson Avenuehome and took several itemsandcashworthatotalof $250.• Tokyo Express employeeRoy Paul told Officer MattMahonSaturdaythatsomeonebroke a front window of theBroad Street business witha rock, broke into two candymachines located inside thedoor,andtookanestimated$10.• ShirrinaEquannaJackson,22,of CedarBranchRoad,toldOfficers Jackson and StevensSaturday that someone hadtakenherwalletwhileshewasclockinginatworkattheLorisIGA.• Tianna Tremaine Brooks,33, told Officers Stevens andJacksonSundaythatsomeonetookabicycleworth$100fromthe frontyardof herChurchStreethome.

Columbus-Brunswick theft ring arrests made At least three ColumbusCounty men and a fourthfromBrunswickCountyareaccusedinaseriesof theftstotalingmorethan$30,000intheAsharea,DelRouthof theBrunswickCountySheriff ’sOfficesaidFriday. Two men have alreadybeenarrested,includingtheowner of Whiteville basedRight Way Vinyl Construc-tion, Routh said, and twomorearesought. InvestigatorsbelieveRightWay trucks were used totransportpropertystolenbythemen,Routhsaid. Right Way owner Chris-topherLeeHines,37,of the16000blockof PeacockRoad,Chadbourn,wasarrestedonThursday. He was chargedwithfelonylarcenyandpos-session of stolen propertyandheldundera$12,000bond. James Alfred Blackwell,47, a Right Way employeeof the3,000blockof HappyHomeRoad,Nakina,wasar-rested Wednesday, chargedwithfelonylarcenyandchopshop activity theft. He washeldundera$25,000bond. Warrants charging two

moremen in the theft ringwere still un-served lateFriday, Routh said. Theyare Cory Carroll Faircloth,29,of the3000blockof OldCribbtownRoad,Chadbourn;andWilfordBenardGore,29,of the 1900 block of CordisTrailinSupply.Atleastoneof thosemenisalsoaRightWay employee, Routh said,but he did not knowwhichone.

Chevy stop Sheri f f ’s de tec t iveslaunched their investiga-tionafterSpecialOperationUnitsstoppedablackChevyS-10, and discovered stolenpropertyinit,Routhsaid. Investigators believe thethefts began several weeksago,andrecoveredmorethan$30,000 in stolen property,some in Columbus County,Routhsaid. Agencies assisting theBrunswickCountySheriff ’sDetective Division includ-ing the Columbus CountySheriff ’sOffice,theShallottePoliceDepartment, and theNCDMVLicenseandTheftBureau.

AlexisPhifer

There will be no four-daywork week at the ColumbusCounty Health Department,county commissioners saidMonday. Commissioners spoke justbrieflyabout therequest fromHealthDirectorKimSmith,firstpresented during their May 7meeting, before rejecting therequestona6-1vote. “I think we ought to givetheman opportunity to try it,justtoseeif itwillwork,”saidcommissionerEdwinRuss,whocastthelonedissentingvote. “I feel like if wedo foronedepartment,we’vegottodoforother departments the samething,” said commissionerJamesPrevatte. Smith, earlier this month,told commissioners that afour-day work week would al-lowforlaterclosingtimesthatcould make health care moreaccessible for many residentsof North Carolina’s most un-healthycounty. ColumbusCounty, for threeyearsrunning,hasbeenrankedthe state’s most unhealthycounty in studies released bythe University of Wisconsin’sPopulation Health Instituteand theRobertWood JohnsonFoundation.

4-day work week nixed at Health