Don’t Miss ‘Music on Main’ in Downtown Oxford!

-Information courtesy the Oxford NC, Historic Downtown Facebook page

Music on Main – Downtown Oxford

Friday, July 20, 2018, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Streets will begin closing at 3 p.m.

Performance by Wood and Steel Band

Bring a lawn chair, blanket, bug spray and your dancing shoes for a night of family fun!

Granville Crime Stoppers

Granville Co. Crime Stoppers: Stolen Utility Trailer/Lawn Mower

-Press Release, Granville County Crime Stoppers

Sometime between Monday, July 16 and Wednesday, July 18, 2018, an unknown person or persons unlawfully went upon private property located off Noblin Road, Oxford, NC and criminally removed one 1998 black in color Leonard/Carson 12 ft. long X 7.5 ft. wide with 4 ft. expanded metal tailgate utility trailer with a 2-inch ball hitch, white rims with round bullet hole design and a dent in passenger fender.

Also, a 2017 John Deere 920-M green in color zero turn lawn mower, which was loaded onto the trailer was taken.

If you have information concerning this incident, please contact the Granville County Sheriff’s Office at 919-693-3213 or call Crime Stoppers 919-693-3100.

THE GRANVILLE COUNTY CRIME STOPPERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS AUTHORIZED THE PAYMENT OF A REWARD OF UP TO $1,000 FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO THE ARREST/INDICTMENT(S) OF PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS CRIME.  IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS CRIME OR ANY OTHER SERIOUS CRIME(S) IN GRANVILLE COUNTY, YOU ARE ASKED TO CALL THE GRANVILLE COUNTY CRIME STOPPERS IN OXFORD AT 919-693-3100.

Oxford’s Public Works Committee Meeting Rescheduled, Mon. July 23

-Information courtesy Cynthia Bowen, City Clerk, City of Oxford 

The Public Works, Water, & Infrastructure Committee for the Oxford Board of Commissioners has been rescheduled for Monday, July 23, 2018, at 2 p.m. The meeting will be held in the First Floor Training Room, City Hall, 300 Williamsboro Street, Oxford.

The purpose of the meeting is to follow up on the items from the last public works meeting including; automated meters, the road condition survey and the existing downtown trash compactor. There will also be a discussion regarding backflow prevention.

All those interested are invited to attend.

Granville County Chamber of Commerce

A New Day Realty to Host Business After Hours at The Hub in Oxford

— courtesy Granville County Chamber of Commerce | Ginnie Currin, Executive Director ~ 919-693-6125 ~ ginnie@granville-chamber.com
A New Day Realty will host a Business After Hours event on Thursday, July 19, 2018, from 6 – 9 p.m. at The Hub, 100 Main St., Oxford. The focus of the event will be on the promotion of “A New Day Realty is Going Mobile.”
According to their website, a New Day Realty LLC provides detailed real estate market information for Creedmoor, Franklinton, Henderson, Oxford, Raleigh, Wake Forest, and Youngsville.
For more information, please call Ellen Padgett, Broker/Owner, at (704) 490-5554
(This is not a paid advertisement)
U.S. Department of Justice

Goodall’s Life Sentence in Kidnapping Case Affirmed

-Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice

First Assistant United States Attorney G. Norman Acker, III announced that the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of SHAMEIKA GOODALL, a/k/a Donna Diva, 32, of Covington, Georgia, who was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever III in June 2017 to life imprisonment for kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

This case involved a conspiracy to kidnap relatives of attorneys that Kelvin Melton, a founding leader of the United Blood Nation, blamed for his conviction and life sentence on two charges pertaining to a 2011 gang-related shooting in Raleigh, North Carolina. In March and April 2014, from the maximum security unit at Polk Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, Melton dispatched three kidnapping teams whose intended targets were family members of the state prosecutor who worked on his case and his state defense counsel. He intended to use the attorneys’ relatives as hostages to extort the dismissal of his life sentence.

On April 5, 2014, one of the kidnapping teams violently abducted Frank Janssen, the state prosecutor’s father, from his home in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and transported him to an apartment in Southeast Atlanta. There, Mr. Janssen remained bound to a chair and held in a small closet until the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team rescued him at 11:55 p.m. on April 9, 2014. Just hours before the rescue, Melton called and instructed the kidnapping team (including the member recruited by GOODALL) to find a location, dig a hole, kill Mr. Janssen, and then bury him.

GOODALL appealed her conviction and sentence to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, arguing that the district court erred when it admitted at trial evidence of other bad acts, when it applied certain enhancements at her sentencing, and when it sentenced her to life imprisonment. The Fourth Circuit rejected each of GOODALL’s arguments. With respect to GOODALL’s lifetime term of imprisonment, the Fourth Circuit noted that “numerous conspirators involved in this case each received a lengthy sentence for their individual role in the conspiracy, thus Goodall’s life sentence was not unusually disproportionate.” The Court further recognized that Goodall elected to go to trial and maintains her innocence, unlike some of her co-conspirators who “assisted the FBI in rescuing the victim, decided to plead guilty, cooperated in the investigation, and testified against Melton and Goodall at their trials.”

First Assistant United States Attorney, G. Norman Acker, III, commented: “This crime was monstrously cruel to the victim and his family and a clear attack on our criminal justice system. Those who strike at the peace and security of our community will be held accountable. The affirmance of Goodall’s sentence and conviction reflects this reality. We will continue our efforts to ensure that convicted prisoners cannot reach out from their cells to threaten others and conduct criminal enterprises.”

This case was investigated by the FBI Charlotte, FBI Atlanta, the Wake Forest Police Department, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation with assistance by the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, Raleigh Police Department, Durham Police Department, North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, Garner Police Department, North Carolina Highway Patrol, RDU Police, City-County Bureau of Investigation, the Cobb County Police Department, Alpharetta Police Department, Atlanta Police Department, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina handled the prosecution and appeal of this case.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit hears appeals from the nine federal district courts located in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia, as well as from federal administrative agencies. More information about the Court can be found on its website, https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov. The Court’s opinion in this case can be found at: https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/174383.U.pdf, and the United States Attorney’s previous press releases regarding this case can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usaoednc/pr/goodall-found-guilty-kidnapping-case-wake-forest-man and https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/goodall-sentenced-lifeprison-kidnapping-case-wake-forest-man.

News releases are available on the U.S. Attorney’s webpage at www.justice.gov/usao-ednc. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_EDNC.

Granville County Logo

Granville Co. Residents Encouraged to Register for ‘Code Red’ Notification Service

-Press Release, County of Granville 

When Seconds Count…

Granville County residents and business owners are encouraged to sign up for ‘Code Red,’ a free emergency notification service. ‘Code Red” uses voice calls, text messages and emails to inform the public on weather alerts, missing persons, wildfires, local criminal activity and more.

Granville County Emergency Management encourages all residents and business owners to register their home, business and/or cell phone for this free service to receive targeted alerts that can directly impact you, your family and your employees.

Don’t wait! Start receiving notifications today by securely registering your information. Visit www.granvillecounty.org to learn more!

About Granville County Government:

Granville County Government enhances the quality of life for the citizens of the County by providing an array of services through a responsive, effective, and efficient local government. Learn more at www.granvillecounty.org. Follow Granville County Government on Facebook @GranvilleCountyGov. 

Oxford’s Public Works Committee to Meet Thurs., July 19

-Information courtesy Cynthia Bowen, City Clerk, City of Oxford

The Public Works, Water, & Infrastructure Committee for the Oxford Board of Commissioners will meet on Thursday, July 19, 2018, at 2 p.m. The meeting will be held in the First Floor Training Room, City Hall, 300 Williamsboro Street, Oxford.

The purpose of the meeting is to follow up on items from the last public works meeting, including automated meters, the road condition survey, and the existing downtown trash compactor. There will also be a discussion regarding backflow prevention.

All those interested are invited to attend.

Families Living Violence Free

Families Living Violence Free to Hold Quarter Auction at Vino Oasi

– Information courtesy Peggy Roark, Sexual Assault Advocate & PREA Coordinator, Families Living Violence Free

Families Living Violence Free will hold a quarter auction on Friday, August 3, 2018, at Vino Oasi, 3200 Bliss Trail, Stem.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m.- Dinner will be served at 6:15 p.m. – Auction begins at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $10 (dinner and bidding paddle)

All proceeds go to direct services for domestic violence and sexual assault victims and survivors.

Don’t forget to bring rolls of quarters for bidding and extra cash to purchase products from available vendors.

Call Families Living Violence Free at (919) 693-3579 for more information or to get tickets. Tickets are also available online at www.flvf.org

(This is not a paid advertisement)

 

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Forfeits $700K+ in Proceeds Seized from Convenience Store Operators

-Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice

The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced the forfeiture of $765,850.27 seized from Southern Pines residents Mukesh and Daxaban Patel and their company, Shree Zapesvari, Inc., doing business as Jay’s Food Mart 1 and 2. Under the terms of a Settlement Agreement filed on July 13, 2018, in the United States District Court in the Middle District of North Carolina, $100,000 of the total of $865,850.27 seized from the Patels will be returned to them, with the remainder forfeited.

In a Complaint filed on December 23, 2016, the United States alleged that the cash seized from the Patels’ convenience stores was the proceeds of illegal gambling in violation of state and federal law. As alleged in the Complaint, an undercover investigation revealed that the Patels operated several illegal electronic gaming machines and games of chance at both Jay’s Food Mart 1 and 2, machines owned by a third-party, with whom they split the proceeds. The machines, which contain a display similar to slot machines, contained gaming software provided by a gaming software provider. Patrons who won received payoffs on site.

“A segment of the gaming industry continues to foist illegal games of chance on the people of North Carolina,” says United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., “particularly on those least able to afford this addictive and destructive habit – this in spite of clear directives from both the North Carolina General Assembly and Supreme Court of North Carolina barring such games. This case represents one way in which we will seek to limit the reach of this lucrative yet pernicious industry.”

Homeland Security Investigations Resident Agent in Charge Timothy P. Stone says that “as these segments of the gaming industry continue to pedal games of chance onto the public of North Carolina, an environment ripe for illegal behavior is created, one that preys on the livelihood of many while costing others their lives.” Stone says that “the success of the investigation would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, Moore County Sheriff’s Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations Division, and the Office of the United States Attorney, all critical in helping bring the individuals and businesses of this industry to justice.”

Assistant United States Attorney Steve West represented the government in this matter.

News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s webpage at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_EDNC.

Granville Crime Stoppers

Granville Co. Crime Stoppers: Larceny in New Applewood Subdivision

-Press Release, Granville County Crime Stoppers

Sometime between Monday, July 2 and Friday, July 6, 2018, an unknown person or persons unlawfully went upon property located off WB Clark Road in the new Applewood Subdivision, Creedmoor, NC and criminally removed six 31H batteries from equipment (two from a motor grader and four from a tractor).

If you have information concerning this incident, please contact the Granville County Sheriff’s Office at 919-693-3213 or call Crime Stoppers 919-693-3100.

THE GRANVILLE COUNTY CRIME STOPPERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS AUTHORIZED THE PAYMENT OF A REWARD OF UP TO $1,000 FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO THE ARREST/INDICTMENT(S) OF PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS CRIME.  IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS CRIME OR ANY OTHER SERIOUS CRIME(S) IN GRANVILLE COUNTY, YOU ARE ASKED TO CALL THE GRANVILLE COUNTY CRIME STOPPERS IN OXFORD AT 919-693-3100.