Warren and Granville Legal Press Releases

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Warren 02-23-16 Press Release

Granville 02-26-16 Press Release

 

Warrenton, NC – Warren County Superior Case Management Court was held Monday, February 22, 2016. The Honorable Donald W. Stephens was the Superior Court Judge presiding over this session of Court. Bond motions were held in the cases of State of North Carolina vs. Darren Alston, State of North Carolina vs. Marquis M. Davis and State of North Carolina vs. Montrell Davis. These defendants are each charged with First Degree Murder arising out of the death of Michael Pressley on August 9,2015. After hearing from Assistant District Attorney Onica Fuller, and the attorneys for each of the defendants, bond was set at $1,000,000.00 secured in the cases of State of North Carolina vs. Marquis M. Davis and Montrell Davis. Defendant Darren A. Alston did not ask to be heard on bond at this time. The fourth defendant charged, Kadeem J. Grooms, was not in court on February 22, 2016, because his attorney was unavailable. A fifth defendant, Keshan Goode, is charged with Felony Accessory After the Fact to First Degree Murder, and his bond was set at $50,000.00 secured.

 

Oxford, NC – Granville County Criminal Superior Trial Court was held during the week of February 22, 2016. The Honorable W. Osmond Smith, III presided over the week long session. The Office of District Attorney Mike Waters was represented by Assistant District Attorneys Allison Capps, Tasha Gardner and Mike Putney.

Davey Allen pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder in the death of Suzy Hester. Ms. Hester was the nighttime caregiver for Mr. Allen’s grandmother who was an invalid. Mr. Allen entered his grandmother’s home on the evening of October 5,2013, and stabbed Ms. Hester multiple times. Judge Smith sentenced Mr. Allen to 365 to 450 months in the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Division of Adult Correction (DAC). This case was investigated by the Oxford Police Department and was prepared for trial by Assistant District Attorneys Tasha Gardner and Allison Capps.

After Judge Smith declared that he was capable of proceeding to trial, Jose Dominguez-Lopez plead guilty to Second Degree Sex Offense. Dominguez-Lopez received an active sentence of 78 months minimum to 148 months maximum in DAC. Dominguez-Lopez was charged after he assaulted a woman on Westbourne Drive in Creedmoor. After a short man-hunt, Dominguez-Lopez was apprehended by officers of the Creedmoor Police Department while hiding in a shed on nearby Sam Moss Hayes Road.

Tyre Burnette pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Assault with a Deadly Weapon Inflicting Serious Injury. Burnette received an active sentence of 28 months minimum to 43 months maximum in DAC. Burnette and a co-defendant, Anthony Mann, were involved in the beating of Kedric Hester on Otho Mangum Road. Anthony Mann also pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Assault with a Deadly Weapon Inflicting Serious Injury, as well as, various drug and weapon charges. Mann received an active sentence of 18-31 months in DAC. Detectives from the Granville County Sheriffs Office investigated all
of these cases.

Thurston Darius Bobbitt pleaded guilty to Attempted Common Law Robbery and Felony Fleeing to Elude an Officer. Bobbitt received an active sentence of 16 months minimum to 38 months maximum in DAC. The Attempted Common Law Robbery charge arose from the attempted robbery of the Shell Station located at 3901 Oxford Loop Road on September 16, 2014, and was investigated by detectives of the Oxford Police Department. The Fleeing to Elude an Officer charge arose from a high speed chase that began in the city limits of Oxford and ended at Wilton Elementary School on February 2, 2016. The chase involved officers from Oxford Police Department and The Granville County Sheriffs Office.

Phillip Markunas pleaded guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. On September 9,2014, the United States Marshall Service, Eastern District of North Carolina, Violent Fugitive Task Force assisted the Granville County Sheriff’s Office with verifying registration compliance of all registered sex offenders in Granville County. Upon search of the camper that Markunas resided in, officers recovered several firearms and knives. Markunas was previously convicted of Indecent Liberties with a child on December 2, 2013.

James Tunstall pleaded guilty to Felonious Possession of Cocaine. Tunstall received an active sentence of 6 months minimum to 17 months maximum in DAC. Officers of Oxford Police Department executed a traffic stop of the vehicle Tunstall was driving on October 13, 2014. In plain view was an open container of alcohol. A further search of the vehicle yielded illegal controlled substances and drug paraphernalia.

Tiffany Thomas pleaded gUilty to Habitual Misdemeanor Larceny. Thomas received a minimum of 8 months to a maximum of 19 months suspended with supervised probation. As a condition of probation, she was ordered to serve a 60 day sentence. On May 28, 2015, Thomas entered the Family Dollar located at 117 Hilltop Village, shortly before the store was to close. After walking around with a tote and filling it with various household items, Thomas left the store without paying for the items. Officers of the Oxford Police Department responded and Thomas was immediately apprehended.

Granville Vance Tornado Path

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Director of Emergency Operations for Henderson and Vance County Brian Short provided the picture below to WIZS News by email.

In his email, he wrote, “(Wednesday’s) tornadoes caused significant damage in the northern portion of Vance County. While we believe at this time that we had three separate tornadoes in total, I have attached some locational data showing four points that we feel strongly are tornado touchdowns in Vance County. This helps to define the path of the tornado that caused the damage in the northern part of the County.”

According to what Short is saying, there were apparently three separate tornadoes believed to have been in Vance County on Wednesday, while the picture shows the path of a single tornado which it is believed caused the damage in northern Vance County.  The path pictured is of the tornado which caused so much damage in the Huntsboro community in Granville County before moving into Vance County and touching down as many as four more times.

tornado track 022416

4 Confirmed Tornado Touchdowns in Vance County

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Director of Emergency Management for Henderson and Vance County told WIZS News, “We have at least four confirmed tornado touchdowns in Vance County.”

He said he thought it was all from the same tornado. “The weather service will have to confirm that from doppler imaging. They are also technically going to have to confirm that it’s tornadic damage, but I’ve seen enough to know that it is.”

Short said the weather service would be coming in tomorrow or the next day to make that determination.

There are no known deaths or injuries to report in Vance County.

Short said the four touchdowns caused significant damage. He said there were a few isolated power outages “in the Hicksboro, Williamsboro area, which is where most of the damage is.”

There are no roads closed at this time. Emergency crews cleared several downed trees really quickly, according to Short.

Based on our own observations at WIZS, these tornado touchdowns north of Henderson would have occurred right around 5:00 P.M. Wednesday. Additionally, there is an amateur video clip that has been shown several times on WTVD-TV that is supposedly of a tornado just north of Henderson, and if so, this would be in line with what Short is reporting. This stems from the first of three tornado warnings issued for Vance County on Wednesday.

The second and third tornado warnings for Vance County involved mostly areas south and east of the City of Henderson, down towards Bearpond, Kittrell and east towards Cokesbury. When asked if anything materialized from the warnings for the southern part of Vance County, Short said, “Not that I know of, but we had multiple people going in multiple directions, and I have not talked to all of them yet.”

In neighboring Granville County, near Huntsboro, which is not far from the Henderson-Oxford Airport, multiple structures were damaged.  One house was completely destroyed, while adjacent houses received heavy damage.  A local dairy farmer sustained heavy property damage, including two silos as well as equipment and other structure damage.  WIZS News spoke directly with a person on the scene in Huntsboro.  He reported the dairy farmer had not lost any of his cows and that he was observing the aftermath of the storm firsthand while speaking with us.

Severe Weather Threat

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Tornado Watch in effect until 7 P.M. link

Area Schools Dismissing Early.  Most in the Henderson-Vance and Granville area dismissing at 11:30 A.M.  (See WIZS Facebook Page)

National Weather Service link

NWSRaleighLatestBriefing (022416 morning) — as supplied by Brian Short, Director of Emergency Operations for Henderson and Vance County

VGCC Child Care Center awarded Five Stars

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The state of North Carolina has once again awarded a five-star license — the highest possible rating — to the Child Care Center at Vance-Granville Community College’s Main Campus.

State evaluations of child care programs are conducted once every three years, explained Bridget Perry, the manager of the VGCC center. “On a scale of one to 15 points, our program received 13 total points, earning the renewal of our five-star status,” Perry said. “The five-star rating shows our parents and children how dedicated we are to providing quality care, facilitating positive learning, and maintaining a healthy and safe environment on a daily basis.”

Since the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education began the current system of rating child care centers in 2000, the center on VGCC’s Main Campus has earned the five-star rating in six consecutive evaluations (2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016). VGCC also maintains a five-star-rated child care center on its Franklin County Campus.

As part of the evaluation process, the Main Campus Child Care Center was visited by fire and sanitarian inspectors, a state licensing consultant and two state-appointed evaluators. They rated the center in two categories – staff education and program standards. The center received a perfect score of seven points in the area of staff education, five points for program standards, and a bonus point because all of its teachers have associate’s degrees in early childhood education.

“The strengths of our child care center are the level of commitment the teachers demonstrate every day, the support from Vance-Granville Community College faculty and staff, and the support from the community, students and the families we serve,” Perry said. She also had high praise for the center’s staff. “The dedication of Hilda Cordell, Pam Harris, Kathy Hughes, Deborah Harris, Rhonda Pegram and Lizzie Nelms made our success possible,” Perry said. “They all are eager to come here every day and be the best! They are awesome, and I am blessed to have such an amazing group of teachers. I am grateful I was chosen one year ago to become a part of this family.”

Perry pointed out that not only does the center provide outstanding child care, but it also affords an excellent environment for students in Vance-Granville’s Early Childhood Education program to gain practical training. The VGCC Child Care Center is licensed to accommodate 38 children, toddler to four years old. For more information, parents can call Bridget Perry at (252) 738-3220.

–VGCC–

Early College Applications

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Vance County Schools is now accepting applications for rising ninth graders to enroll in the Vance County Early College High School for the 2016-2017 school year.

Applications can be picked up from counselors at Eaton-Johnson Middle School, Henderson Middle School and the STEM Early High School, as well as on the Early College website and at the school’s office on the third floor of Building 2 on the campus of Vance-Granville Community College off Poplar Creek Road.

The deadline for receiving completed applications is March 3, 2016.

The first of the parent information meetings with parents of current eighth graders will be held Thursday, February 18, at Eaton-Johnson Middle School at 6 p.m. in the school’s media center. Additional, parent meetings are scheduled on February 24, at 6 p.m. at the STEM Early High School on the campus of Northern Vance High School, and on February 25 at 6 p.m. at Henderson Middle School.

(VCS Press Release)

Early College Recognitions

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Administrators and faculty members at the Vance County Early College High School hosted their annual “Leading the Pack” celebration for outstanding students on February 9, in the Civic Center at Vance-Granville Community College.

There were 18 students honored during the celebration as they near the end of their fourth year in the five-year program and are on target to complete their high school education and have two years of college course credits when they graduate in May of 2017.ECHS awards spring 2016a

The students honored included Christopher Blue, David Cobbs, Nealee Fisher, Sierra Hawkins, Mychell Keith, Kristen Oakes, Bali Reavis, Autumn Richardson, Alexandra Saravia, Rebecca Short, Alicia Tucker, Jacob Weaver, Angel White, Darius Williams, Hailey Williamson, Jordan Williamson, Anautica Wilson and April Zuniga-Trejo.

Upon completion of their studies at Early College, the students will receive their high school diplomas and will have college course credits to transfer to four-year colleges and universities as juniors. Some will successfully complete work to receive a two-year associates degree in a chosen field of study from Vance-Granville Community College.

Principal Michael Bullard of Early College, led the celebration. He was joined in recognizing each of the students by Dr. Anthony D. Jackson, superintendent of Vance County Schools; Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of Vance-Granville Community College; Dr. Cindy Bennett, assistant superintendent of Student Services and Strategic Planning at Vance County Schools; and Dr. Angela Ballentine, vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at Vance-Granville Community College.ECHS 2 awards spring 2016b

(Information supplied to WIZS by VCS press release.)

Winter Weather Closings

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Updated:  All campuses of Vance-Granville Community College will be closed on Monday, February 15.

Vance County Schools closed Monday, February 15, for all students and school system employees.

Granville County Public Schools closed for all students and staff for Monday, February 15.

Cast, crew announced for VGCC Dinner Theater production

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Vance-Granville Community College has announced the cast and crew for “Deathtrap,” a comedy-thriller that will be the college’s fourth annual Dinner Theater event.

The dinner theater is scheduled for the evenings of Thursday, April 28, and Friday, April 29, in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. each night. Then, on Saturday, April 30, at 2 p.m., there will be a special encore matinee performance of the play, without dinner, at the same location.

For the first time, the dinner theater will incorporate two casts in order to provide more opportunities for students to participate. On Thursday and Friday, the cast will include Spencer Nunn of Warrenton as Sidney Bruhl, Jessie Hartley of Oxford as Myra Bruhl, Morgan McFalls of Oxford as Clifford Anderson, and Jordan Bunting of Rocky Mount as Porter Milgrim. For the Saturday matinee, the cast will feature TaJuan (“Taj”) Glenn of Oxford as Sidney Bruhl, Tia Garren of Henderson as Myra Bruhl, Malachi Glass of Henderson as Clifford Anderson, and Keyante Lindsey of Oxford as Porter Milgrim. Brittney Patterson of Henderson will play the part of Helga ten Dorp in both casts.

The crew includes Jerome Bulluck of Henderson, who is serving as stage manager, sound designer and lighting engineer; Michael Frink of Raleigh, the sound engineer who is also helping with props; and Ashley McEntee of Oxford, who is supervising props and costumes, with assistance from Jamie McGinn of Wake Forest and Allen Young of Henderson.

All are current students at the college, except for Garren, a VGCC alumna who is now on the staff of the college’s Continuing Education division.

Betsy Henderson, VGCC’s Department Chair/Instructor of Humanities and Fine Arts, is the director of the play.

Written by the late playwright and novelist Ira Levin, Deathtrap enjoyed a successful original Broadway run from 1978 through 1982 and was then adapted into a feature film. Skillfully blending thrills and laughter, the plot concerns the devious machinations of Sidney Bruhl, a writer of thrillers whose recent offerings have been flops, and who is prepared to go to any lengths to improve his fortunes. He receives a script from a student, Clifford Anderson, and immediately recognizes the thriller as a potential hit, setting in motion a suspenseful chain of events.

Tickets are scheduled to go on sale on March 15. For more information, visit www.vgcc.edu/dinnertheater.

VGCC Trustees endorse Connect NC Bond

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The Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees has voiced its support of the Connect NC Bond on the ballot for voters in the primary on March 15.

In a unanimous vote on Monday night, Feb. 8, at the trustees’ regular bimonthly meeting, the board adopted a resolution of support for the $2 billion bond package.

“The Connect NC Bond … will enable North Carolina’s systems of higher education to educate and train a highly qualified workforce for the 21st century and will support our state’s parks, National Guard, community infrastructure, and agricultural resources,” the resolution states.

If approved by the state’s voters, $7.6 million of the bond package “will pay for ongoing, necessary improvements for VGCC and provide a substantial savings to the people of Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties,” the resolution states.

“This is the first statewide bond we’ve had since the year 2000,” VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams told the board. “The state of North Carolina has actually grown by 2 million people since then. We have a lot of new people in our state.

“This will very much benefit our region. Not only will the community college receive funding but also the state parks. Kerr Lake is set to receive $3,750,000. Municipalities can apply for water and sewer infrastructure,” Dr. Williams said.

The college can use its allocation for new construction, renovations and repairs across its four campuses, Dr. Williams added.

VGCC’s proposed allocation is the eighth largest among the state’s community colleges. “The nice thing about this bond for Vance-Granville is that the formula for determining allocations incorporated county wealth and the age of buildings, so we fared well with $7.6 million,” Dr. Williams said.

Steve Graham, VGCC’s vice president of finance and operations, said the college has many needs for retrofitting and enhancing instructional program spaces and addressing critical repair and renovation needs with the bond proceeds, if approved.

Graham noted as examples that partnerships with area industry are resulting in higher enrollments in programs such as the new Mechatronics Engineering Technology academic program. Additional space is needed for lecture areas and for housing new equipment.

Some buildings on VGCC’s main campus have air handling units that are over 30 years old, and there are older model fire alarm systems that need to be replaced, Graham added. In some curriculum areas, such as Cosmetology, electrical and ventilation upgrades are needed.

Dr. Williams added that the public school students will also benefit from the bonds in the four-county area, because there are approximately 800 enrolled in the early college high schools on VGCC’s four campuses.

On the ballot, the Connect NC Bond will be labeled the “Connect NC Public Improvement Bond.” Early voting is scheduled for March 3-12, Dr. Williams said.

The board voted to contribute $7,000 of non-state funds to support the Connect NC Bond Committee.

In other action:

  • Mid-Year Amendments to the 2015-2016 Budget Resolution were approved. Trustee Danny Wright, chair of the board’s Budget Committee, said the adjustments were necessary to account for $2,074,022 in carryover funds from the previous year and grant funding.
  • The board voted to close the Industrial Systems academic program, effective in the fall of 2016, upon recommendation of the Curriculum Committee, chaired by Trustee Barbara Cates Harris. More students are gravitating to the Mechatronics program, contributing to low enrollment in Industrial Systems.
  • Under a new sales tax redistribution plan, the state and local sales tax base will be expanded to include repair, maintenance and installation services, Graham reported. A portion of local sales tax revenue will be placed in a statewide pool and allocated under a new statutory method with the proceeds used for expenditures related to economic development, public schools or community colleges. By county, the estimated annual distribution is: Vance, $241,000; Granville, $1,157,000; Franklin, $1,903,000; and Warren, $778,000.
  • Following a report by Trustee Sara Wester, chair of the Personnel Committee, the trustees approved resolutions to adopt two additional Supplemental Retirement Plans established by the State for the benefit of VGCC employees with no cost to the college. All qualified employees are eligible immediately for the NC 403 (b) and NC 457 plans.
  • The Investment Committee, co-chaired by Trustees Opie Frazier and Donald Seifert, reported on a joint meeting held with members of the VGCC Endowment Fund Board of Directors in January. Seifert said the two boards are currently updating the college’s investment policies.
  • In an update for the Building Committee, Graham reported that work began on the Building 10 renovations in January with an expected completion date of June 23.
  • The board approved a course offering at Polk Correctional Institution in Butner and Warren Correctional Institution in Manson. All courses offered at the state’s prisons must go before trustees for approval.
  • Student Government Association President Aleria Perry, who serves as Student Trustee, announced upcoming events at the college, including Fun Friday for Valentine’s Day on Feb. 12, Spirit Week starting Feb. 29, and a Talent Show for students on March 4.
  • In Dr. Williams’ report to the board, the trustees were updated on activities since the board last met in November, including the recent announcement of a former VGCC president, Dr. Ben Currin, winning the community college system’s top award, the I.E. Ready Award, and plans for VGCC’s new online learning initiative, VOLT (Vanguard Online Learning through Technology), to offer online College Transfer degrees starting in the fall. She also announced the dates of an Arts & Sciences Lecture Series that will feature Bill Barker of Colonial Williamsburg, Va., as Thomas Jefferson; lectures are set for Feb. 18, March 17, and April 21, at 11 a.m. each day in the Auditorium in Building 2. The college’s Fourth Annual Dinner Theater will be held April 28-30. The annual VGCC Endowment Fund Golf Tournament is set for Tuesday, May 3.

The Monday night meeting was moved to Feb. 8 because of inclement weather on the original meeting date of Jan. 25. The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is set for Monday, March 21, on the Main Campus.