Tag Archive for: #vancecountysheriffsoffice

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

TownTalk: Think Community Event To Raise Awareness About Domestic Violence

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There may be someone in the audience at Clearview Church on Saturday afternoon who has been a victim of domestic violence in the past; that person may be alongside someone who is trying to muster up the courage to break free from an abusive situation.

That’s exactly what Debbie Scott expects from the Think Community event that begins at 3 p.m.

Scott, a domestic violence educator with the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, has worked to organize the event, which will feature local speakers and musical talent. She wants everyone in attendance to be inspired by the musical performances and draw courage from the speakers they hear during the fifth annual event to observe October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

“It will be a great day of inspiration for victims and survivors,” Scott said on Wednesday’s TownTalk. “It’s a day of raising awareness, a day of educating our residents…of educating victims,” she said.

Besides just gathering together to provide emotional support, Scott said there will be lots of information about resources that she hopes will serve to empower people to “break the cycle, stop the violence” surrounding domestic violence and abuse.

“When people attend this event from year to year…they find the strength to do better about problem-solving,” she said, to make different decisions and change the direction their lives are taking.

In her role as advocate, Scott said she meets with individuals who come to the sheriff’s office for help. She shares the importance of having a safety plan for the individual and other family members who may be at risk. She can walk individuals through the process of getting a domestic violence protective order, for example, and other legal processes that can help.

“We’re making progress,” Scott said, with the number of calls that come in about domestic assaults or disputes. Five years ago, when the first Think Community event was held, Scott said emergency operations received 1,304 calls. Five years later, than number is down 20 percent – a total of 1,038 calls have been reported.

 

The Local Skinny! Vance Co. Sheriff’s Office Presents Domestic Violence Awareness Event

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The fifth annual “Think Community” event is set for Saturday, Oct. 28 in observance of October as Domestic violence Awareness month. The program will begin at 3 p.m. at Clearview Church, 3485 U.S. Hwy 158 in Henderson.

Debbie Scott, domestic violence educator with the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, has planned an afternoon full of inspiration and remembrance for participants to “break the silence, stop the violence” around domestic violence.

Others in attendance include Deputy Lawrence Carter, of the Vance County Sheriff’s Patrol Division, Jayden Watkins, local minister, author (and WIZS Radio employee), as well as Chief Magistrate Debbie Small and others.

Special guests include God’s Men of Harmony who will provide musical entertainment and “Miss Get It Right” will perform a poetic tribute as part of the day’s activities.

To learn more, contact Scott at the sheriff’s office at 252.738.2235 or by email at dscott@vancecounty.org.

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Vance Sheriff Accepts $691,536 From N.C. Rep. Sossamon For Body-Worn Cameras

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Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame wants his employees to be safe when they are performing their duties, and he’s crunched the numbers, so he knows the price tag for state-of-the-art equipment.

When he learned that local legislators could make a request for body-worn cameras and supporting equipment from something called non-recurring funds, he got in touch with N.C. Rep. Frank Sossamon, (R. Dist. 32) who represents Vance County and most of Granville County.

“I gave him the numbers and the platform (information and) it was granted, thank God,” Brame told WIZS News in advance of a meeting Thursday, where Sossamon presented a check to Brame and county officials for $691,536.

“This will be a big help for us,” Brame said. The funds will be used to outfit sheriff’s staff and detention staff with body-worn cameras and the supporting equipment needed to upload and store video footage. In addition to providing an extra layer of protection for the officer, Brame said the cameras will be useful if a situation were to arise and false claims are lodged against his officers.

In an interview earlier this week, Sossamon said he’s “elated” for Brame, his staff, and the residents of Vance County.

“We have some appropriation chairs that are very, very pro law enforcement,” Sossamon said in an interview this week. “Any time they can support law enforcement, they’re going to do it.”

The equipment, Sossamon predicted, will be a selling point for recruiting, not to mention “a morale booster for the sheriff and for his officers.”

One Arrest Made In Connection With Stolen Vehicle

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-information courtesy of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office

Vance County Sheriff’s officers took one person into custody Tuesday following a traffic stop on Morgan Road involving a report of a stolen vehicle.

Det. J.S. Anderson with the Vance County Sheriff’s Office stated that the vehicle, a 2022 Toyota valued at $35,000, had been stolen. Arrested and charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle was Donte’ Scott Henderson, 28, of 495 Morgan Rd.

Henderson also was charged with possession of heroin, following a search of the vehicle in question.

Henderson was placed under a $30,000 secured bond and has an initial court date of Oct. 12.

Sheriff Brame Attends NC Sheriffs’ Association’s Business Conference

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 Last week, the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association hosted sheriffs, sheriffs’ personnel and their families from across the state for their Annual Business Conference. Vance County Sheriff Curtis R. Brame was in attendance. Commenting on their experience at the Annual Business Conference, Sheriff Curtis R. Brame said, “I always look forward to the opportunity to meet with fellow sheriffs at Association events. It is important for us to collaborate and always work to enhance the Office of Sheriff in North Carolina. The Annual Business Conference is just one of the many ways the Association allows us to do that.”

 The Annual Business Conference is an opportunity for sheriffs and sheriffs’ personnel to gather for networking, panel discussions, and training programs which cover a variety of topics related to law enforcement. Topics covered during this year’s Annual Business Conference included the sheriff’s role in school safety and active shooter response procedures, among others. Attendees also heard presentations from guest speakers and attended a number of meetings throughout the conference.

The Association also elects new Executive Committee officers each year at the conference. This year’s elections resulted in five sheriffs being elected to new offices:

∙ President – Sheriff Darren Campbell, Iredell County

 ∙ First Vice President – Sheriff Mike Roberson, Chatham County

 ∙ Second Vice President – Sheriff Ricky Buchanan, McDowell County

 ∙ Third Vice President – Sheriff Clee Atkinson, Edgecombe County

 ∙ Treasurer – Sheriff Van Shaw, Cabarrus County

 

 Outgoing President Charles Blackwood, Orange County, will transition into the role of Chairman of the Association’s Executive Committee and Sheriff Alan Jones, Caldwell County, was reelected to serve as Secretary.

 

 Newly-elected Association President Darren Campbell remarked, “The Annual Business Conference is always an excellent opportunity for sheriffs to get together to discuss important issues we are facing, network, and conduct Association business. I am excited for the opportunity to serve as the President of the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association and hope to help enhance public safety in our communities while representing the sheriffs of North Carolina.”

Teen Charged With Possession Of Stolen Gun

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A Guilford County teenager was arrested during a traffic stop earlier this month in Vance County and ultimately charged with possession of a stolen firearm.

Sekius Rainey, 18, was charged in connection with the Feb. 10 traffic stop, which occurred on Newton Dairy Road, according to a press statement from Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame.

The firearm had been reported stolen from Granville County.

Officers turned Rainey over to Granville County officers for questioning and processing. He was given a $20,000 secured bond by a magistrate.

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Henderson Man Jailed On Drug, Federal Detention Order

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A Henderson man is in jail on a couple of charges, one of which is possession of cocaine, according to Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame.

Members of the sheriff’s office narcotics unit assisted U.S. marshals locate Terrance Hargrove on Friday, Feb. 17, Brame stated in a press release Monday.

Hargrove, 45, was found in the area of North Henderson and placed into custody on a federal detention order.

He also was charged with possession of 8.6 grams of cocaine, for which he received a $60,000 secure bond.

Hargrove is being held without privilege of bond on the federal detention, awaiting a court date of Mar. 17, 2023.

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$25,000 Reward Offered For Information About 2018 Homicide

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A $25,000 reward is being offered by the state of North Carolina for information about an almost five-year-old unsolved murder in Vance County.

Gov. Roy Cooper’s office made the announcement Thursday in connection with the death of 22-year-old De’Cedric Tyquon Alston.

In the late evening hours of Feb. 22, 2018, Alston was shot multiple times while driving his vehicle near the 1100 block of Warrenton Road in Henderson. He was transported to the hospital and later died from his injuries.

Anyone having information concerning this case should contact the Vance County Sheriff’s Office at 252.738.2200, Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers at 252.492.1925 or the State Bureau of Investigation at 919.662.4500.

TownTalk: Sheriff Curtis Brame Sworn In; Begins Second Term

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Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame officially began his second term of office today, after a swearing-in ceremony that took place at the Vance County Courthouse at 11 a.m. Monday.

The oath of office was administered in the presence of retired judge Randolph Baskerville.

Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow was one of the speakers during today’s swearing-in ceremony. He said he is proud of their close working relationship when it comes to protecting Vance County and Henderson and keeping residents safe.

In his remarks, Barrow said he picked up on a theme that Baskerville had mentioned in his remarks at the beginning of the ceremony: Character, the judge said, is doing the right thing when nobody is looking.

“I wanted to build off of what the judge had said,” Barrow told WIZS News by telephone Monday. So he added, “Character is doing the right thing when everybody is looking.”

He said that is what Brame does – he makes decisions that the public may not understand, but it’s “still…the right choice, even though it might not be the popular choice.”

“Sometimes we can’t tell the public why we make the decisions we make,” Barrow said.

In previous interviews with WIZS News, Brame has said his office needs more funding to try to fill job openings, and he has been vocal about the need for a new jail. He also has strongly stated to the community that parents need to play a role in the lives of youth in the area, and helping to keep them out of trouble and off the radar of law enforcement.

 

 

Election Coverage: Brame Targets Drug Activity, Addressing Staff Shortage If Elected To Second Term As Sheriff

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-The following is part of WIZS’s continuing coverage of the Nov. 8 election.

Curtis Brame said he looks forward to a second term as sheriff and working collectively with the community to keep Vance County residents safe. During his first term, Brame has had to contend with issues like staffing shortages and increased service calls, deficiencies in the county jail and the burgeoning drug activity. Toss in a two years’ long COVID-19 pandemic, and Brame said it’s been challenging.

But, with his more than 38 years of law enforcement experience, Brame said he knows the “ins and outs, the do’s and don’ts” of the sheriff’s office. “Experience makes the difference.”

Illegal Drug Activity

He said his office gets calls daily about the drug problem, and he said that his personnel cannot do it alone. “We have to educate and train people to say ‘no,’” Brame said in an interview with WIZS’s John C. Rose recorded and aired unedited on Monday.

The traffickers and sellers need to be in jail, he said, but parents have to get more involved in educating their children. “It all comes back to education and training,” he said.

When his office receives a citizen complaint about drug activity, Brame said it’s not as simple as kicking in a door and making an arrest.

“It’s a process,” he explained. Once officers follow up on the complaint and investigate, it’s time to take information to the district attorney and other agencies like the DEA.

Following proper procedure in building a case against a suspected dealer means a better chance of getting a conviction.

Administration

 “The sheriff’s office has a multitude of jobs and responsibilities,” Brame said, from transporting mental patients to processing concealed carry applications and gun permits to making arrests and serving civil summonses. “People don’t realize those responsibilities,” he noted, adding that being a sheriff’s deputy is more than “knocking in doors and serving warrants.”

The caseload is overwhelming for a fully staffed sheriff’s office, but can be almost crippling to an agency that has more than 30 opening between the sheriff’s office and the detention facility.

But Brame said Vance County is not alone – law enforcement agencies across the state and beyond face staffing shortages.

Brame said he appreciates the support from county commissioners and from the county manager to offer incentives for new hires – and for moving forward with a feasibility study to examine just what needs to happen at the jail – repair or replace the 30-year-old facility.

Brame said he stands by his decision to place on paid suspension the three men from his office who face indictments. As stated in previous interviews, Brame said a gag order imposed on him prevents his comment on the case, but said “they want their day in court, I want their day in court.”

Full Audio Interview