DA’s office secures 13 Warren County DWI convictions

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Warrenton, NC— A special Driving While Impaired (DWI) session of District Court was held in Warren County on March 21, 22 and 23, 2017, with District Court Judge John W. Davis presiding.

The Office of District Attorney Mike Waters had a successful session where they secured 13 guilty convictions.

The District Attorney’s Office was represented by Assistant District Attorney Nicole Louis and Johnathan Evans, a Traffic Resource prosecutor with the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys.

The DWI cases during this session were investigated by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, under the direction of First Sergeant Jeff Rowan, the Warrenton Police Department, under the direction of Chief Goble Lane, and the Warren County Sherriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Johnny Williams.

Mike Waters

Local Chambers of Commerce to Host Administrative Professionals Luncheon

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The Granville County Chamber of Commerce, together with Franklin, Warren and Vance Chambers, and the Small Business Center of Vance-Granville Community College,  are sponsoring the annual Administrative Professionals Luncheon.

This year’s event is being held Wednesday, April 26 at noon, at Henderson Country Club.  Business owners and administrators are encouraged to treat their administrative professionals to lunch, networking and an interesting presentation in observance of Administrative Professionals’ Day.

Lunch reservations are required ~ $20/person by April 14th to either of the Chamber’s offices – 919.693.6125, wanda@granville-chamber.com or 919.528.4994, tawheeler@granville-chamber.com.

Granville Chamber Requests Nominations for Small Business of the Year Award

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The four area Chambers of Commerce – Granville, Franklin, Vance and Warren, along with Vance-Granville Community College’s Small Business Center, are sponsoring the annual Small Business Award Luncheon May 3rd at Henderson Country Club.

The criteria is as follows:

  • Employs a maximum of 50 people
  • Member of the Chamber and located in the county
  • Viable, on-going business for three or more years
  • Provides critical service or product
  • May have overcome diverse or extraordinary circumstances to remain in business
  • Business is supportive of community growth sustainability
  • Is not a governmental agency or municipality

Anyone may nominate a business they feel deserves recognition and meets the criteria.

Companies may nominate themselves.  Past Granville County recipients are:  Cardiovascular Care; Stovall’s Gifts;  Preferred Communications; Royster, Cross and Hensley; House of Ribeyes; Lewis Electric of Oxford; The School of Graphic Arts,  Express Employment Professionals, Oxford Ace Hardware, Creedmoor Drug Company, Whitco Termite and Pest Control, F. O. Finch Insurance Agency and Floyd Management and Realty.

Nomination forms are available from a Chamber office or from the website, www.granville-chamber.com and are to be returned to the Chamber by April 13th.

 

Local Blood Donation Opportunities Coming in April

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RALEIGH, N.C. (Mar. 20, 2017) – The American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to give blood during National Volunteer Month this April. Donating blood is a simple way to make a profound difference in the lives of patients.

Nearly 2.8 million generous people donated blood through the Red Cross last year. The Red Cross salutes these volunteer blood donors who helped fulfill its lifesaving mission and invites others to roll up a sleeve and join them.

Bill Parr has been donating blood for more than 30 years. “I think it’s one of the most rewarding things you can do, knowing that such a simple act can have such a positive impact on another human being in a time of need,” he said.

Volunteer donors are the only source of blood products for those in need of transfusions. Donors of all blood types are needed this spring.

Make an appointment to donate blood by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

NC

Granville

Oxford

4/10/2017: 1:30 p.m. – 6 p.m., Oxford United Methodist Church, 105 W McClanahan St

Stem

4/5/2017: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Granville Central High School, 2043 Sanders Rd

_______________

Person

Roxboro

4/13/2017: 1:30 p.m. – 6 p.m., Person Family Medical & Dental Center, 702 N. Main St.

_______________

Warren

Macon

4/7/2017: 2:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Macon Baptist Church, 159 Church Street

How to help

Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood donors can now save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started and learn more, visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.

Volunteers needed

Another way to support the lifesaving mission of the American Red Cross is to become a volunteer transportation specialist and deliver lifesaving blood products to local area hospitals. Volunteer transportation specialists play a very important role in ensuring an ample blood supply for patients in need by transporting blood and blood products. For more information and to apply for a volunteer transportation specialist position, visit rdcrss.org/driver.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

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Glen Raven joins VGCC as partner in Apprenticeship program

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The Glen Raven, Inc., site in Norlina recently became the third area manufacturer to join Vance-Granville Community College in the North Carolina Triangle Apprenticeship Program (NCTAP), a partnership that seeks to provide new opportunities for local students and to prepare a skilled workforce.

Representatives of VGCC and of the two other local NCTAP members, Oxford-based Dill Air Controls Products and Revlon, recently visited Glen Raven’s Warren County location to discuss the partnership with Robbie Earnhardt, owner of Wake Forest-based Superior Tooling and chairman of the apprenticeship program.

Typically starting in the 11th grade of high school, NCTAP is a four-year program that leads to a student obtaining an associate degree at the community college and paid, on-the-job training at the participating employer. Eligible students’ VGCC tuition will be covered by a waiver from the state of North Carolina. After they graduate from high school, students in the program will be employed full-time by the company.

NCTAP works to recruit, select and induct the participating students, Earnhardt explained. “This is a successful program at helping companies find the right people to fill their jobs because of the rigorous selection process,” he said. “We find students who are responsible and dedicated.”

Earnhardt said that NCTAP was inspired by a similar apprenticeship program in Charlotte. “Apprenticeship programs are really taking off all over the country,” he noted. “We’re currently trying to find more partners and to communicate the value of apprenticeships to high school students and their parents. We know that students who are accepted will eventually help spread the word to their classmates about this opportunity for a debt-free education coupled with a good job.”

Todd Wemyss has been the Norlina site manager for Glen Raven since 1998, and said that this would be his plant’s first experience with apprenticeship, but not his company’s. “The company has apprentices at other locations, both domestically and internationally,” Wemyss explained. Their plant in Burlington has an apprenticeship program, for example, and Glen Raven is interested in expanding such partnerships.

“We have very specific types of equipment here, so one advantage of the program is that an apprentice would be able to come in and learn how to use this particular equipment and be ready to work,” Wemyss said. “That kind of knowledge is difficult to find. This apprenticeship program would broaden our in-house technical capabilities.”

Wemyss serves on the VGCC Endowment Fund board of directors and lauds the longstanding partnership between his company and the community college. “Over the years, VGCC has helped us in numerous ways, including holding mini-seminars on site as well as both continuing education and curriculum courses that our employees attend.” He added that “Vance-Granville continues to help us move forward, and encouraging us to join the apprenticeship program is just the latest example. We’ve grown together.”

Wemyss said that September of 2017 is the earliest that an apprentice could begin the program. Shaler Chewning, a trainer/auditor for Glen Raven in Norlina, added that with many workers nearing retirement at his site, as well as broadly throughout the manufacturing sector, there is a growing need for new employees with various technical skills. Most likely, an apprentice at Glen Raven would enroll in the VGCC Mechatronics Engineering Technology program, which focuses on advanced manufacturing, which is becoming increasingly computerized.

Glen Raven has 40 locations in 17 countries. Headquartered in Glen Raven, North Carolina, the company has grown from a small cotton mill in 1880 into a global leader in performance fabrics. The Norlina location proudly displays the name of the company’s flagship brand, Sunbrella. A strong corporate supporter of VGCC’s Endowment Fund, Glen Raven has endowed several scholarships for students as well as annual awards that recognize faculty and staff excellence.

“We are excited that Glen Raven is continuing to build upon its partnership with VGCC by joining us in NCTAP,” said Ken Wilson, project manager for the TechHire grant at the college and a driving force behind the VGCC “Vanguard Apprenticeship Collaborative,” which is designed to cultivate highly skilled workers for large and small companies in a number of industries. He added that VGCC recently joined the national Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium.

For more information about the apprenticeship program, high school students and their parents should talk with their school guidance counselors or contact Ken Wilson at wilsonk@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3259.

–VGCC–

Rance Richardson Withdraws Not Guilty Plea in 1st Degree Murder Charge

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Warrenton, NC  – Warren County Criminal Superior Court was held the week of March 6, 2017, with Judge Michael O’Foghludha presiding. The State called the case of Rance Richardson for trial. Mr. Richardson was charged with First Degree Murder in the October 11, 2014, death of Daniel Perez Martinez.

During jury selection, Mr. Richardson withdrew his not guilty plea and entered a plea of guilty to Second Degree Murder and Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon.

Judge O’Foghludha sentenced Richardson to active consecutive sentences of 230 months minimum to 288 months maximum and 55 months minimum to 78 months maximum, to be served in the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Division of Adult Corrections (DAC).

Mr. Richardson’s co-defendant, Luchano Johnson, was also sentenced during the term. Mr. Johnson pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder in July 2016, and was also sentenced to an active term of 193 to 244 months in the DAC.

The District Attorney’s Office was represented by Assistant District Attorneys Onica F. Fuller and Melissa D. Pelfrey. The case was investigated by the Warren County Sheriffs Office and Detective David Brown under the direction of Sheriff Johnny M. Williams along with Agents from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

 

Be careful when burning debris in spring

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Wildfire risk typically higher from March to May

RALEIGH – The N.C. Forest Service is urging residents across the state to think safety and exercise caution during the spring fire season, which typically lasts from March to May.

“During the spring fire season, people do a lot of yard work that often includes burning leaves and yard debris,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “There are many factors to consider before doing any burning.”

North Carolinians thinking about burning debris should contact their county ranger for advice first, Troxler said. “The ranger can help maximize safety for people, property and the forest.”

Follow guidelines to reduce risk of wildfire

For people who choose to burn debris, the NCFS urges them to adhere to the following tips to protect property and prevent wildfires:

  • Consider alternatives to burning. Some yard debris, such as leaves and grass, may be more valuable if composted.
  • Check with your county fire marshal’s office for local laws on burning debris. Some communities allow burning only during specified hours; others forbid it entirely.
  • Make sure you have an approved burning permit, which can be obtained at any NCFS office, county-approved burning permit agent, or online at https://ncforestservice.gov.
  • Check the weather. Don’t burn if conditions are dry or windy.
  • Only burn natural vegetation from your property. Burning household trash or any other man-made materials is illegal. Trash should be hauled away to a convenience center.
  • Plan burning for the late afternoon when conditions are typically less windy and more humid.
  • If you must burn, be prepared. Use a shovel or hoe to clear a perimeter around the area where you plan to burn.
  • Keep fire tools ready. To control the fire, you will need a hose, bucket, a steel rake and a shovel for tossing dirt on the fire.
  • Never use flammable liquids such as kerosene, gasoline or diesel fuel to speed burning.
  • Stay with your fire until it is completely out. In North Carolina, human carelessness leads to more wildfires than any other cause. In fact, debris burning is the No. 1 cause of wildfires in the state.
  • These same tips hold true for campfires and barbecues, too. Douse burning charcoal briquettes or campfires thoroughly with water. When the coals are soaked, stir them and soak them again. Be sure they are out cold and carefully feel to be sure they are extinguished. Never dump hot ashes or coals into a wooded area.
  • Burning agriculture residue and forestland litter: In addition to the guidelines above, a fire line should be plowed around the area to be burned. Large fields should be separated into small plots for burning one at a time. Before doing any burning in a wooded area, contact your county ranger, who will weigh all factors, explain them and offer technical advice.

For more information on ways you can prevent wildfires and loss of property visit https://ncforestservice.gov.

Horse/Equine Vote March 8th

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Paul McKenzie is the Agricultural Extension Agent for Vance and Warren Counties.  McKenzie wrote the following for WIZS News:

Horse and other equine animal owners/lessors will vote across the state on March 08, 2017 to determine whether to continue to voluntarily assess themselves four dollars ($4.00) per ton of commercial horse feed in order to provide funds to promote the interests of the horse industry.

Morris White, County Extension Director, says the vote in Vance County will take place in the County Extension Center from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Any North Carolina resident who has reached his/her 9th birthday as of January 1, 2017 and who has complete or partial ownership or lease of an equine (horse, pony, mule, donkey or hinny) is eligible to vote.  Individuals must sign a statement certifying eligibility at time of voting.

Since many horse owners work away from home during business hours, a provision has been made for absentee voting. Between the dates of February 20–March 08, horse owners may visit or phone the County Extension Center and request a ballot and absentee registration form. These must be turned in to the Extension office by March 08, and will be counted along with others on March 09.

If the vote is favorable on March 09, the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will continue to receive the assessment funds from manufacturers and/or distributors of horse feed, and will remit the money to the NC Horse Council.  The Horse Council has indicated that the funds will be used for 4-H and other youth and educational programs, trails advocacy, equine research, representation of horse interests in government, marketing programs, enforcement of horse laws, and improved public awareness of diseases and other threats to horses’ well-being.

Many other agricultural commodities have similar voluntary assessment programs.  Horsemen may receive a refund of the assessment by writing to the NC Horse Council within a year of purchase and including proof of purchase.

Franklin County Man Allegedly Shoots Two in Stolen Gun Argument

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Press Release

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Investigative Unit issued warrants on a Franklin County resident. On 02/10/2017, warrants were issued on Jon Edward Check with Assault with a Deadly Weapon Inflicting Serious Injury. On 02/10/2017, Jon Edward Check was arrested by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Investigative Unit. He is under a $40,000 bond.

This incident is alleged to have occurred on 02/09/2017.

Mr. Check is alleged to have shot two victims at his home.

This incident was alleged to been an ongoing dispute over a gun someone had stolen from Mr. Check.

Four individuals came to Mr. Check’s home, an apparent fight ensued and the end result was Mr. Check shooting two victims. One in the legs and the other in the arm.

Both victims were transported by private vehicle to WakeMed North.

Suspect:

Jon Edward Check

136 Elsie Marie Drive

Youngsville, NC 27596

This matter remains under investigation and no further information will be released at this time. If anyone should have any additional information pertaining to this investigation, please contact Detective JC Senter at 919-340-4344.

Warrenton Man charged with Discharging Weapon into Occupied Property

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The Warren County Sheriff’ Office Criminal Investigations Division, arrested Allen Brown of 231 Hester Road, Warrenton, NC on 2/2/2017. Brown was charged with one count of Discharge of a weapon into occupied property stemming from a December 2016 incident involving a shooting into a Warren County EMS ambulance traveling on Hester Road. Bond was set at $10,000 secured, with a court date of 2/22/2017.

Sheriff Williams would like to thank the citizens of Warren County for their continued support in the ongoing efforts of The Sheriff’s Office, in the fight against drug and criminal problems in our county. Anyone with information on this or any other matter is asked to contact investigators at the Warren County Sheriff’s Office at 252 257-3364, M-F, 8 AM – 5 PM, or 252 257-3456 after 5 PM. Callers can also contact the Sheriff’s Office ANONYMOUSLY on our Tip Hotline 252 257-1356 or by email at Eagleeye@Vance.Net.