Sheriff Curtis Brame Appeals to You, Join NC Sheriffs’ Association

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NEWS RELEASE

From:  Sheriff Curtis R. Brame, Vance County

Local County Sheriff Issues Appeal to Citizens In Fight Against Crime

Responding to the increasing number of people wanting to assist law enforcement officials and build a stronger partnership in the fight against crime, Sheriff Curtis R. Brame today announced that Vance County citizens are being invited to become Honorary Members of the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association.

Membership applications go out in the mail this month.  Individuals choosing to join the voluntary program can do so for $25, while businesses can show their support with a $50 contribution.  The funding provides critically important technical resources, legislative support on key criminal justice issues, support for the NCSA Undergraduate Criminal Justice Scholarship Program at the University of North Carolina System, and additional training for sheriffs and their deputies.

Contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law since the Association is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit tax exempt organization.

With funding becoming increasingly important to secure, the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association’s Honorary Membership Program has taken on greater importance than ever before, said Sheriff Curtis R. Brame.  The funding is vital in helping us carry out our mission of making our county a safer place to live, work and play.

Individuals not receiving a membership application or desiring more information may go to the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association website at www.ncsheriffs.org or contact the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association at:

Post Office Box 20049

Raleigh, North Carolina 27619-0049

Telephone: (919) SHERIFF (743-7433)

Meanwhile, residents wishing to become Honorary Members can also sign up for the program by contacting the Vance County Sheriff’s Office.

The Honorary Membership Program was created to provide citizens with an opportunity to lend their support to more effective law enforcement and to better help local sheriffs protect the lives and property of citizens.

As the need for building stronger public-private law enforcement partnerships in this county continues to escalate, programs such as this continue to grow in importance, said Sheriff Curtis R. Brame.  I encourage everyone receiving a membership application to consider joining forces with us by becoming an Honorary Member.  It is a valuable investment in our future.

Founded in 1922, the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association is a not-for-profit professional and educational organization dedicated to the preservation of peace and the protection of the lives and property of the citizens of North Carolina.  The Association office is located in Raleigh.

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Vance County Sheriff's Office

Vance County Sheriff’s Office Arrests Result in More Than $700,000 in Combined Bonds

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— press release from Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame

On Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 5:15 p.m., the Vance County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division responded to 139 East Holly Lane, Henderson, North Carolina to recover stolen property. While at the scene, Deputies recovered a Cub Cadet Side by Side stolen from Wilson County.

The Criminal Investigative Division (CID) was called to the scene where they began to investigate where the stolen Side by Side had come from and how the suspect obtained the Side by Side. During the investigation, as the case unfolded, detectives also recovered other items: a John Deere Gator, Kawasaki Mule, two trailers, Honda Pioneer, and Polaris Ranger.

The Criminal Investigative Division worked in conjunction with Wilson County, Pitt County, Bertie County and Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office.

Arrested during the investigation were the following persons:

Clyde Poole B/M, Age 26, for Felony Conspiracy of a Stolen Motor Vehicle. Bond was set at $100,000.00 and court date was set for 02/15/2021

 

Kevin Powers B/M, Age 30, for Felony Conspiracy of a Stolen Motor Vehicle, Possession of Stolen Motor Vehicle and Possession of Schedule I. Bond was set at $175,000.00 and court date was set for 02/15/2021

 

Justin Batts B/M, Age 34, for Obtaining Property by False Pretense (3 counts) Possession of Stolen Motor Vehicle, Felony Conspiracy, Larceny of a Motor Vehicle (2 counts). Bond was set at $236,000.00 and court date was set for 02/09/2021.

 

Andrew Euper W/M, Age 42, for Obtaining Property by False Pretense (3 counts) Possession of Stolen Motor Vehicle, Felony Conspiracy, Larceny of a Motor Vehicle (2 counts). Bond was set at $180,000.00 and court date was set for 02/09/2021.

 

Michelle Canady W/F, Age 46, for Felony Conspiracy and Possession of Methamphetamine.  Bond was set at $10,000.00 and court date was set for 02/09/21.

 

 

James Godwin W/M, Age 59, for 2 counts of Obtaining Property by False Pretense. Bond was set at $10,000.00 and court date was set for 02/16/2021.

 

The following persons are still wanted regarding outstanding charges; John Erwin Horton Jr. W/M, Age 28 and Christine Wilkins W/F, Age 28 for Felony Conspiracy and Possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

The investigation is continuing.

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WIZS Local News 2-5-21 Noon

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Vance County Schools Center For Innovation

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Vance Schools Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson shared his vision for the former Henderson Middle School campus recently with Vance County commissioners. The plan includes housing Vance Innovative Schools, as well as spaces for professional development and community use.

“We are excited about the impact this center will have for our staff, our students and in our community,” Jackson said in a written statement to WIZS. Originally unveiled to the school board in December 2020, Jackson shared the plan with commissioners at their Feb. 1 meeting.

Jackson predicts it will take $200,000 to replace the boiler in the main building and to make some cosmetic upgrades to other areas. That cost has been included in the district’s capital improvement budget; at this time, however, “we are not requesting any funding for the project from the county commissioners.”

The school opened in 1936; its last day as a middle school was in 2018, when the county’s two middle schools and two high schools were consolidated into one campus each. Vance County Middle School is located in the former Northern Vance High School. Since it ceased being a middle school, the former Henderson High School campus has housed several other school programs, but the new plan calls for a more comprehensive use of the space.

The building was in very good shape when the two middle schools consolidated, Jackson said, adding that the district had done a good job maintaining the building since then. Originally, the building was offered for sale, but with no immediate offers, Jackson said “instead of allowing it to fall into disrepair, we are using the space to meet district needs.”

Following is a list of specific programs and spaces that will be located in the building: (See map below)

  • STEM Early High School– providing a permanent home for the STEM School.  STEM is currently occupying space at Vance County High School serving 350 students.
  • Vance Virtual Village Academy–  office space and classroom space for testing and face-to-face meetings. V3A is currently serving more than 200 students.
  • Vance County Professional Practice Center– space for district professional development and training.
  • Wayne Adcock Community Auditorium– the auditorium will be used for our district fine arts programs and available to the community.
  • Advance Academy High School– currently located at the Charles Street location.
  • Vance County Empowerment Academy– currently located at the Charles Street location.
  • Vance County Evening Academy– currently located at the Charles Street location.
  • District TV Recording Studio– a new resource that is being fully funded by an anonymous gift to VCS.
  • Technology Assistance Center– currently located at the Charles Street location.

This slide prepared by Vance County Schools shows a mapped overview of the Center for Innovation as presently planned. It was presented to Vance County Commissioners at a regular meeting by Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson on February 1, 2021.

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

Covid Info Granville Vance; Vaccine Info

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— submitted by Lisa Harrison, Granville Vance District Health director

Since Jan. 26th, there have been 260 new cases of COVID-19 in Granville and 284 in Vance.
Unfortunately, there have been 4 additional deaths reported this week. A 69 year old male from Vance County passed away on Jan. 24th, a 57 year old male from Vance County passed away Jan. 26th, a 45 year old female associated with the outbreak at Central Regional passed away on Jan. 23rd, and a 71 year old male from Granville County passed away on Feb. 1.
The GVPH data dashboard is currently under construction. As we shift our priority to COVID-19 vaccines, we are reevaluating what data we are able to share and how we share it. We appreciate your patience during this time. In the meantime, we encourage you to visit the NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard. Relevant graphs from these dashboards are available on our website at https://gvph.org/covid-19_dashboard/.
We want to reiterate a few points as we do our best work in a tough environment and answer some questions we’ve been receiving.
We only receive a few hundred doses of vaccine each week – that’s true for the hospitals and our health department locations alike. The state asks those of us providing vaccine to be sure to use all of our vaccine allotment each week – they want us to run out before we get more in the next shipment sent to the state from the federal level. If we don’t use it all we risk losing more shipments. For now, we can easily vaccinate more than 200 people per day in our clinics, and at that rate, we are easily all out of vaccine each week and have to wait for the next shipment. For that reason, we cannot keep doing mass vaccination clinics because there isn’t enough vaccine supply for those unless we get a transfer from another area of the state (like last week – that’s why we could have a last-minute effort in Henderson on Sunday).
It is important for people to know when we run out this week, we’re not out for good – we’re just out for this week and more will come in its place next week. I don’t want people to panic when they hear we’re out of vaccine because more is on the way. But, it does make it hard to plan any additional mass vaccine clinics or schedule appointments too far into the future.
Here are some answers to a few additional questions we have heard lately:
Q: How do we get registered in the COVID-19 Vaccine Management System (CVMS) and how did people sign up for the clinic on Sunday at the High School?
  • If you are currently eligible to receive a vaccine, please call the GVPH COVID Vaccine Hotline at 252-295-1503. This hotline is the source for ALL GVPH clinics for vaccine whether they are in Vance County, in Granville County, or even for the clinic we held with Maria Parham and Vance County Schools in Henderson – all appointments are made via the hotline. We receive tens of thousands of calls a day so I know it’s hard sometimes to get through, but we are always increasing the number of people working the hotline and we have to have a fair and equitable approach to the vaccine appointments.
Q: Why didn’t we know about the vaccine clinic on Sunday at Vance County High School? (people entered the traffic line at Clarke Elementary School in Henderson and proceeded through informational stations to Vance High School across the street for the flow of things – but it was all the same vaccine clinic in the same general area).
  • We do not advertise vaccine clinics when we host these because we host what we call ‘closed pod’ clinics which means people must already have an appointment and must already be registered in our Covid Vaccine Management System (CVMS) to streamline the process. The places across the state that have opened up their mass clinics to people who did not have appointments have been over-run with miles-long waits of cars coming from everywhere so we only do closed pods, people must pre-register, and traffic is restricted. As I mentioned, we book all appointments through our hotline so community members should call for an appointment and will be informed of the location at that time. For this clinic, Maria Parham was able to receive a transfer of 975 doses of another hospital’s allotment so it all came together quickly – we all found out about the doses being available on Thursday, January 21 at 9am and the clinic was held on Sunday, January 24 – it came together that quickly strictly based on vaccine availability.
Q: Do I still need to wear my mask after I get my first vaccine shot?
  • Yes! The virus is still spreading in our communities and it takes a few weeks after each dose of the vaccine for your body to build up immunity and be ready to fight it off well. It is still important to practice the 3 Ws – especially with new strains of the virus being discovered, we must stay protected with wearing our mask, washing our hands, and waiting six feet or more apart from others.
Q: How will the public be notified of the timing for their second dose? 
  • Notification comes by way of the COVID Vaccine Management System (CVMS) in which everyone who gets the vaccine must register in NC. In addition, we will be handing out a reminder card for the second dose as well as scheduling people for their second dose when they come for their first dose. It’s important for people to return to their same location for their second dose that they went to for their first dose.
Q: When will frontline essential workers be vaccinated?
  • Soon! Teachers, court system employees, grocery clerks, county and city employees, and so many others are important frontline essential workers. Many have reached out to ensure we don’t forget about them – I promise we won’t forget anyone in this important vaccine initiative. We want EVERYONE who wants a vaccine to get one, and there are some key infrastructure and front line workers who have been very patient. We believe we will get to these groups around the end of February or beginning of March. Front line essential works is a different phase (Group 3 below) than what some have called ‘frontline HEALTH CARE workers.’ So far, we have been focused on those MOST at-risk for severe illness and death from COVID-19 and that includes our health care workers, long term care staff and residents, congregate living facilities (like group homes and homes for the intellectually and developmentally disabled), and other places where we see tremendous outbreak activity and know that we need to focus vaccine administration first. Also, those most at risk of dying from COVID-19 are over age 65. Between these two counties of Granville and Vance, more than 25,000 people in these first two groups alone. Since we are only receiving a few hundred doses of vaccine each week, it’s taking a longer time than we would like to reach the most high-risk groups. As soon as we and the state feel like we have done a good job with the high risk groups 1 and 2, we will be able to move on to group 3. Everyone is important and everyone needs a vaccine, but with vaccine doses coming out slowly as they are produced and going around the country and around the world at the same time, it calls for patience before we can get to some really important groups that we know are all at some level of risk.  Thank you for understanding and for being patient. Again, we will get to EVERYONE who wants a vaccine, just not all at one time. More information and frequently asked questions can be found online here: https://gvph.org/covidvaccines/.
Be Well,
Lisa Macon Harrison,
Health Director
McGregor Hall

McGregor Hall’s February Gospel Concert Postponed Until Sept. 11th

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In a blast email from McGregor Hall in downtown Henderson, WIZS News has learned that the February gospel music concert planned has now been postponed until later in the year.

It’s because of covid.

The concert featuring the Perrys and the Kingsmen will now be presented on September 11th, 2021 at 2 p.m.

The email said, “Your safety is our top priority and we hope you will plan to join us in welcoming two of Gospel music’s greats on this new date!

“If you have any questions, please call the box office: (252) 598-0662”

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WIZS Local News 2-4-21 Noon

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Virtual Hiring Event Tuesday, Feb. 9th, Sunrock

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According to information obtained from the Kerr Tar Regional Council of Governments and NC Works, Carolina Sunrock will hold a virtual hiring event Tuesday, February 9th.

It will start at 11 a.m. To register, go online to events.kerrtarworks.com.

You are invited to join in for this virtual hiring event at Carolina Sunrock. Jobs opportunities are included for equipment operators, CDL A and CDL B drivers, pipe and grading foreman as well as others.

Call 919.693.2686 for more information or email joseph.jung@ncworks.gov or lonnda.brothers@ncworks.gov.

TownTalk 2-3-21: Hon. Henry L. Gupton, Vance County Clerk of Court

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WHAT AN IMMENSELY ENJOYABLE SHOW WITH VANCE COUNTY CLERK OF COURT THE HON. HENRY L. GUPTON.  FROM HIS BEGINNINGS AS A VANCE COUNTY SHERIFF IN 1986, TO HIS CIVIC DUTIES AS A MAGISTRATE, TO HELPING MANY A VANCE COUNTY RESIDENT AT HIS/HER MOST VUNERABLE MOMENTS, TO HANDLING MILLIONS IN FINANCES EACH YEAR, HENRY GUPTON IS WHO’S HERE FOR YOU IN VANCE COUNTY.  AND NOT JUST GUPTON, BUT HIS STAFF AND ALL THE DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS INSIDE THE VANCE COUNTY COURTHOUSE EACH DAY. THANK YOU MR. GUPTON!  YES SIR, YOU ARE ESSENTIAL AND MORE AS IS EACH OF YOU IN THE NC COURTS. — John C. Rose

Please enjoy our interview from TownTalk by clicking play…as well as our write up below…

The Hon. Henry L. Gupton takes his job seriously, without a doubt. But the Vance County Clerk of Court also values the importance of making personal connections, whether it’s with the courthouse employees, his staff or the people who come to his office for help.

Town Talk host John C. Rose checked in with Gupton, on Tuesday, and the interview aired Wednesday. Gupton talked about his love for working in and with the Vance County community, which began in 1986. Gupton was a deputy sheriff and then became a magistrate in 1993. He became clerk of court in 2017, filling the seat vacated b

y Deborah W. Finch’s retirement. He was elected for the first time in 2018.

“It’s just a passion for me,” Gupton said. “I enjoy serving people and helping people. Everything I’ve done in my career, I’ve felt like at some point, I have made a difference in someone’s life,” he added. “To me, that’s what Henry Gupton and the clerk of court’s office is all about.”

The clerk of court’s office is the record keeper for the entire court system in Vance County, Gupton explained. From wills and estates to small-claims and superior and district court cases, Gupton and his staff are charged with maintaining all documents filed at the courthouse.

And he is afforded the title “the Honorable” because he is an ex oficio judge as his job pertains to probating wills.

The way he sees it, he and his office must “do everything we can to help our citizens – that’s what my office is here for and that’s what we try to do on a daily basis,” he added. When people come to him during an emotional time, after the death of a relative or loved one, it’s important to Gupton to just listen.

“I give them a moment to sit down and cry and just let their feelings out because they’re at a very vulnerable moment… and then do what we have to do to have them move forward in life,” he said.

Restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the courthouse operations a bit, but Gupton said the courthouse operations were only disrupted for half a day. He expects to hold the first jury trial on Mar. 1 – practicing social distancing, of course. He and the courthouse staff must make sure that they are “taking care of our citizens who will be on jury, and our other citizens and the public. At this moment, courthouse staffs are in the Phase 3 category to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Although some form of court is held every day in Vance County, the local courthouse faces serious backlogs, just like other courts across the state. “We’re doing what our North Carolina General Statutes say –  we’re keeping the courts open and keeping them running for business, serving our citizens,” Gupton said.

With lots of sanitizing between court sessions, he added. “The courthouse (staff) is doing a fantastic job,” Gupton said.

The clerk’s office has come through with flying colors two state audits – not a single deficiency, Gupton said. “It’s a great feeling,” he said, responding to a question about the audit. “My hat’s off to all of my staff. I have a wonderful staff in this office. And that lets me and the public know what a great job we do – as a team – in our office.“

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WIZS Local News Audio 2-3-21 Noon

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