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Rogue ex-LAPD officer believed dead after standoff

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By GILLIAN FLACCUS and TAMI ABDOLLAH - Associated Press
 
The manhunt for a former Los Angeles police officer suspected of going on a killing spree converged Tuesday on a mountain cabin where authorities believe he barricaded himself inside, engaged in a shootout that killed a deputy and then never emerged as the home went up in flames.
 
A single gunshot was heard from within, and a law enforcement official told The Associated Press Tuesday evening that officials had found a charred body. Later, San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller said that the remains had been found inside the burned-out cabin.
 
Investigators will use forensic tests to determine if the body belongs to Christopher Dorner. If the results are positive, the search for the most wanted man in America over the last week will have ended the way he had expected - death, with the police pursuing him. He is believed to have killed at least four people.
 
Thousands of officers had been on the hunt for the former Navy reservist since police said he launched a campaign to exact revenge against the Los Angeles Police Department for his firing. They say he threatened to bring "warfare" to officers and their families, spreading fear and setting off a search for him across the Southwest and Mexico.
 
"Enough is enough. It's time for you to turn yourself in. It's time to stop the bloodshed," LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith said at a news conference held outside police headquarters in Los Angeles, a starkly different atmosphere than last week when Dorner was on the loose and officials briefed the news media under heavy security in an underground hallway.
 
A short time after Smith spoke Tuesday, smoke began to rise from the cabin in the snow-covered woods near Big Bear Lake, a resort town about 80 miles east of Los Angeles. Flames then engulfed the building - images that were broadcast on live television around the world. TV helicopters showed the fire burning freely with no apparent effort to extinguish it.
 
"We have reason to believe that it is him," said San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Cynthia Bachman, adding that she didn't know how the fire started. She noted there was gunfire between the person in the cabin and officers around the home before the blaze began.
 
There were conflicting reports about whether a body had been found inside shortly after the fire, with both the Los Angeles and San Bernardino authorities disputing the find in separate news conferences. But an official later told the AP a body had been seen in the rubble. The official requested anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.
 
Until Tuesday, authorities didn't know whether Dorner was still near Big Bear Lake, where they found his burned-out pickup last week.
 
It's believed that Dorner broke into a house near where his truck was found and tied two people up.
 
About mid-day Tuesday, wardens from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife spotted a purple Nissan car that had been reported stolen, department spokesman Lt. Patrick Foy said. The wardens recognized the driver as someone matching Dorner's description.
 
They pursued the driver and briefly lost him when he turned onto a side road. Three other wardens in two vehicles turned onto the road a short time later, and were searching for the car when they saw a white pickup truck driving toward them erratically and at a high rate of speed.
 
Wardens got a close look at the driver and realized it was Dorner, who rolled down his window and opened fire, Foy said.
 
The wildlife vehicle was hit numerous times, and one of the wardens was able to get out and fire at the driver, who escaped on foot after crashing his truck.
 

Kinston arrest reports

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Tameka Clark, 29, 2658 Pershing Terrace, Kinston, Jan. 28, felony all traffic, misdemeanor all traffic. Bond: $5,000. Arresting officer: C. Coulombe.
 
James NMN Turner, 36, 116 W. Shine St., Kinston, Jan. 28, felony possess with intent to sell/distribute schedule IV, misdemeanor possess drug paraphernalia. Bond: $5,000. Arresting officer: B. Wells.
 
William Moore, 32, 1107 Layne Drive, Kinston, Jan. 28, two counts misdemeanor contempt of court. Bond: $1,000. Arresting officer: T. Johnson.
 
James NMN Turner, 36, 116 W. Shine St., Kinston, Jan. 28, misdemeanor failure to appear/order for arrest. Bond: $500. Arresting officer: B. Wells.
 
James NMN Turner, 36, 116 W. Shine St., Apt. A, Kinston, Jan. 29, misdemeanor failure to appear/order for arrest. Bond: $500. Arresting officer: B. Wells.
 
Stephen Irwin Crooms, 37, 207 Pierce Road, Kinston, Jan. 29, misdemeanor contempt of court. Bond: $500. Arresting officer: A. Walker.
 
Jamison D. Dunham, 30, 2738 S.C. 301 W., Hamer, S.C., Jan. 30, misdemeanor carrying concealed weapon. Bond: $300. Arresting officer: B. Turner.
 
Clinton Thomas Streeter, 29, 2423 Grimes St., Winterville, Jan. 30, misdemeanor carrying concealed weapon. Bond: $300. Arresting officer: B. Turner.
 
Robert Jason Banks, 27, 4039 Falling Creek Road, La Grange, Feb. 1, misdemeanor driving while impaired. Bond: $300. Arresting officer: D. Conner.
 
Deonna Patrice Jones, 23, 3405 Coleman Drive, Kinston, Feb. 1, misdemeanor contempt of court. Bond: $1,000. Arresting officer: T. Domer.
 
John Howard Smith, 68, 302 E. Caswell St., Kinston, Feb. 1, misdemeanor aggravated assault. Bond: $300. Arresting officer: T. Johnson.
 
Joshua James Wilson, 30, 810 Fountain Park Drive, Kinston, Feb. 2, misdemeanor drunk and disruptive. Bond: $100. Arresting officer: S. Kivett.
 
Kamisha Koonce, 32, 912 E. Highland Ave., Kinston, Feb. 2, misdemeanor contempt of court. Bond: $500. Arresting officer: J. Walker.
 
Kishawn Carpiallen Matthews, 20, 3219 Carey Road, Kinston, Feb. 2, misdemeanor burglary - forcible entry, misdemeanor equipment/paraphernalia - possessing/concealing, misdemeanor drug violations. Bond: None listed. Arresting officer: A. Walker.
 
Megan Scott Hill, 21, 1822 Lazy R. Blvd., Kinston, Feb. 3, misdemeanor driving while impaired. Bond: $1,000. Arresting officer: A. Walker.
 
Sarah Dallas Evans, 31, 5456 Sidbury Road, Castle Hayne, N.C., Feb. 3, misdemeanor contempt of court. Bond: $255. Arresting officer: T. Johnson.
 
Rico Jermain Davis, 19, 500 Jackson Lane, Kinston, Feb. 3, misdemeanor disorderly conduct. Bond: $300. Arresting officer: C. Woodling.
 
Kristopher Rayshawn Smith, 22, 3201 Crestwood Drive, Kinston, Feb. 3, misdemeanor all other/filing false report of motor vehicle theft. Bond: $500. Arresting officer: T. Domer.
 
Michael Shawn Suggs, 39, 3235 U.S. 258 S., Snow Hill, Feb. 4, misdemeanor possessing/concealing weapons. Bond: $300. Arresting officer: E. Mills.
 
Nathaniel Earl Barrow Jr., 34, 709 Jones Ave., Kinston, Feb. 4, misdemeanor failure to appear. Bond: $500. Arresting officer: LoPresti.
 
Dominique Marquez Rouse, 22, 508 E. Caswell St., Apt. A, Kinston, Feb. 5, misdemeanor failure to appear/show cause. Bond: $240. Arresting officer: M. Mooring.
 
Mark Anthony Jones II, 26, 712 Haskett Ct., Kinston, Feb. 5, misdemeanor contempt of court. Bond: $500. Arresting officer: C. Woodling.
 
Treshon Hudson, 22, 1602 Dupree St., Kinston, Feb. 6, misdemeanor drug violations. Bond: $500. Arresting officer: D. Hathaway.

Superior court decisions

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The following decisions were reached in Lenoir County superior court in October, 2012. The presiding judge was the Hon. Phyllis Gorham. Matters may be resolved as the result of a guilty plea or dismissal negotiated with the district attorney without a trial. Matters may also be resolved as the result of a trial during which the judge dismisses the case for insufficient evidence or renders a verdict of innocence or guilt. In any case in which a guilty plea or verdict is entered, sentencing is determined by the judge:
 
Ishmael Lewis, larceny of a firearm, drug paraphernalia, guilty, sentenced to 5-6 months in the Dept. of Correction, suspended to 24 months supervised probation.
 
Jonathan NMN Best, possess drug paraphernalia, guilty, sentenced to 45 days in the Dept. of Correction, suspended to 12 months supervised probation. Maintain dwelling, guilty, sentenced to 45 days in the Dept. of Correction, suspended to 12 months supervised probation.
 
David NMN Hardy, possess cocaine, guilty, issued deferred judgement (90-96), suspended to 24 months supervised probation.
 
Mark NMN Waller, assault by strangulation/assault on a female, issued prayer for judgement upon no contact with victim (75 days in the Lenoir County jail suspended).
 
Monroe Flowers, larceny from merchant by removing tag, sentenced to 110-144 months in the Dept. of Correction with habitual. Common law robbery, guilty, sentenced to 20-33 months (consecutive) in the Dept. of Correction.
 
Curtis NMN Pate, attempted financial card theft, pleaded no contest, sentenced to 75 days in the Lenoir County jail, suspended to 12 months supervised probation.
 
Donna NMN Reese, possess stolen goods, guilty, sentenced to 30 days in the Lenoir County jail, suspended to 12 months supervised probation.
 
Harvey NMN Reese, possess stolen goods, guilty, sentenced to 30 days in the Leonir County jail, suspended to 12 months supervised probation.
 
Shawngreene Smith, disorderly conduct, guilty, sentenced to 30 days in the Lenoir County jail, suspended to 12 months supervised probation.
 
Michael NMN Cotton, assault on a female, guilty, sentenced to 150 days in the Dept. of Correction, suspended to 24 months supervised probation.
 
Emanuel Sutton, possess with intent to sell/distribute marijuana, guilty, sentenced to 5-6 months in the Dept. of Correction, suspended to 24 months supervised probation.

Album reviews: My Bloody Valentine and Barry White

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New album: MBV

Artist: My Bloody Valentine

Label: mbv

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Just before My Bloody Valentine dropped off the face of the earth in the early 1990s, the band released the seminal “Loveless” album in 1991. The reverb-drenched, multi-layered sound transmitted by My Bloody Valentine was eventually given the “shoegaze” tag and roughly 1,000 bands adopted the group’s style.

After the critical and commercial success of “Loveless,” guitarist Kevin Shields led the band through many recording sessions that yielded no finished albums. The inclusion of a MBV track (along with bits of score from Shields) on the “Lost in Translation” soundtrack in 2004 pulled the band back into the spotlight and apparently unclogged the logjam. After a few live shows and the odd internet rumor, the “MBV” album landed on earth in 2013.

“She Found Now” gets things rolling — or would that be gently swaying — with a traditional MBV squall of sound. The trippy lushness one would expect from these guys is here, but the furniture has been rearranged. The subtle guitar parts overpower the squalling guitars, which creates an interesting feeling of disconnect. Instead of taking over the spotlight, the vocals simply blend in with the waves of sound.

Guitarist Bilinda Butcher’s lead vocal on the quirky “Only Tomorrow” is as close to sweet as MBV will probably get. Teetering between vixen and kitten, Butcher’s delivery is a nice counterpoint to Shields’ more plaintive style. Drummer Colm Ó Cíosóig pushes “In Another Way” into various tempos that slam up against one another in an oddly appealing way.

Sounding like a pedestrian who is in a hurry but lost, the drumming on this track would make Keith Moon proud.

“Nothing Is” and “Wonder 2” round out the album in an aggressive, not-shoegaze-at-all manner that makes much of the current macho-infested alternative scene sound anemic. These songs are symphonic but delivered with the perfect combination of professionalism and garage band malice.

Any blog rats who claim the band ended with “Loveless” have been trapped in their parents’ poorly-ventilated basement for too long. “MBV” rates with the band’s best work; hopefully a follow-up will come before we’ve all snuffed it.

 

Classic album: I’ve Got So Much to Give

Artist: Barry White

Label: Polydor/Hip-O

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

 

Barry White’s music is as synonymous with romance as roses, chocolate and oysters. Released in 1973, “I’ve Got So Much to Give” was White’s first album, but his signature sound was already in place.

Clocking in at just under 40 minutes, the five tracks on “I’ve Got So Much to Give” are not concise pop ditties. The album’s four original tracks and a reworking of the Four Tops hit “Standing in the Shadows of Love” were built for comfort, not speed. With his patented spoken-word introductions already in the mix, Barry made sure to set the proper mood before getting down to business.

“It makes me want to holler/it makes me want to shout/it makes me want to sing” declares White at the beginning of “I’ve Found Someone.” Whether inspired by a real life romance or a Zen-master-like knowing of what women want to hear, “I’ve Found Someone” has served as the blueprint for Boyz II Men, Keith Sweat and Usher, just to name a few.

White’s decision to tell you about his intentions before singing them hit the right nerves, thus creating a genre.

The shortest track on “I’ve Got So Much to Give” is six minutes long, which goes to show just how important the album format still was in 1973. Eventually, White’s material would become more radio friendly, but his deep voice and relaxed presentation never changed.

The subject matter of his songs would forever be concerned with love and its byproducts, but then again nobody wanted to hear Barry White tackle the turmoil in the Middle East.

Once while counseling a young man who was having trouble with the ladies, southern philosopher Tim Wilson advised the romantically challenged fellow to buy a Barry White album. He told the guy if the Barry White album couldn’t fix it, it couldn’t be fixed — and he was right.

If Barry can’t turn your situation around, just give up and start a fantasy football league.

 

Jon Dawson’s album reviews appear every Thursday in the Free Press. Contact Jon at 252-559-1092 or jon.dawson@kinston.com. Purchase books, music and fine hosiery at jondawson.com.

All aboard!

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The Kinston Area Railroad Modelers Association will host its 10th annual Model Train Show and open house Saturday and Sunday. Views of KARMA’s own layout will be joined by operating model train layouts from New Bern, Havelock and Winterville, a Thomas the Tank Train layout and a Polar Express layout.

The hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Community Council for the Arts, 400 N. Queen St. Tickets will be on sale for a chance to win a Lionel Polar express train set. Admission is free.

For more information, call 252-527-2517.

In the galleries

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New exhibits at the Community Council for the Arts will be on display through Feb. 28.

A reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday will celebrate three local African-American artists as part of the Black History Month celebration.

 

A Chick Wooten Retrospective is in the Hampton Gallery. Works by Audrey Coward are in the Permanent Gallery, and a display by Lessette Kornegay is on view in the Minges and Rayner Galleries.

The Children’s Gallery is housing works by the South Lenoir High School art students of Laura Jackson.

Neuse River Music Fest starts Friday

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The Neuse River Music Fest is Friday and Saturday in the Lenoir Community College gym on Highway 70 East.

RV hook-ups are available for all campers, food will be available by Bojangles. for RV hook-ups, call 252-233-6802.

On Friday and Saturday, doors open at 1 p.m. and opening ceremonies are at 2 p.m.

Bands performing Friday are:

2:10 and 6:30 p.m., Samantha Casey & the Bluegrass Jam

3 and 7:20 p.m., Lonesome River Band

3:50 and 8:10 p.m., Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out

Bands performing on Saturday are:

2 and 6 p.m., Al Batten & the Bluegrass Reunion

3 and 6:50 p.m., James King Band

3:50 and 9 p.m., Rhonda Vincent & the Rage

5 p.m. VIP Reception with Vincent and Watson

7:40 p.m., Gene Watson

For ticket information, contact 252-233-6865 or neuserivermusicfest.com.

Out of the attic / Names in the news

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Out of the attic

Family members still honor the memory of the late Margie Grady Paderick Purvis, who would have celebrated her 80th birthday today. She died May 31, 2011.

“We love and miss her very much,” said Deborah Paderick Potts of Kinston, a daughter who submitted the photo on her family’s behalf.

Purvis was married to the late Joshua “Babe” Paderick and the late Aubrey Douglas Purvis. She had two daughters, Potts and Patsy Paderick Barwick, a son Donnie Paderick, and a stepdaughter, Tina Purvis Alvarez, all of Kinston. She had seven grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and 8 step-great-grandchildren.

Her siblings are Glenda Braswell and Robert Earl Grady, both of Princeton; Eugene Grady of Kinston; Linda Howell of La Grange; the late CF Grady, who lived in Kinston; and the late Hazel Phillips, who lived in Dover.

 

Concert to continue Black History celebration

A gospel concert, co-sponsored by Friends of the Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library and the Community Council for the Arts, will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at the library, 510 N. Queen St. The event is free and open to the public.

Gospel music has played a big part in the lives of African-Americans, from Negro Spirituals and hymns to the contemporary gospel. Concert performers will sing songs that influenced all other forms of music that came after gospel music’s creation, including blues, jazz, rock and roll, and rhythm and blues.

Kinston has had its own part to play in this history, with many local groups and national recording artists performing in various venues. Some details of Kinston’s history in gospel music and the African American Music Trail will be revealed at the concert. Regional performers and recording artists who will perform include Bonita Burney Simmons, Elder Booker T. Wiggins Sr., Chris “Da General” White and the United Community Gospel Choir.

Simmons is a 1989 Kinston High School graduate with 20 years of private musical voice training and appearances at the Apollo Theatre in New York City to her credit. She is co-pastor/outreach coordinator of the Family Worship Center Church, Ministry of Restoration in Kinston.

Wiggins, an N.C. native, has been pastor of Greater St. Paul United Holy Church for 31 years. He is a former member of The Wiggins Gospel Airs.

Other performers include Wanda Hall, Lessette Kornegay, the Kinston High School Gospel Choir and Chrystal Cheyenne.

For more information, contact 252-527-7066, ext. 120 or neuselibrary.org.


Jones County’s Island Creek Trail temporarily closed to biking

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POLLOCKSVILLE — A five-mile network of user-built mountain bike trails off Island Creek Trail in the Croatan National Forest is temporarily closed while U.S. Forest Service officials examine whether its use could harm archaeological remains there.

“Archaeological sites with both prehistoric and historic components have been identified under the trails,” said Deborah Walker, interim Croatan Forest Ranger.

U.S. Forest Service archeologist Joel Hardison is examining the areas where the trails are because they have evidence of a Tuscarora Indian settlement from the 1500s to 1700s and an abandoned African-American settlement and cemetery, she said.

“The ‘spider trails’ off a half-mile trail for hiking and nature study were built by mountain bikers who never came to the Croatan for approval or review of what they wanted,” Walker said.

The original trail was established in 1967 by Trent Woods Garden Club of New Bern with the U.S. Forest Service.

“A Forest Service law enforcement officer was hearing about an extensive trail system that we didn’t know about because the user groups never came to the Forest Service to ask about setting it up,” she said. “If they had, we would have done a site review to make sure they were avoiding sensitive areas. We weren’t out there on the ground until recently, but we were aware there was a sensitive area.”

Walker said the Forest Service archaeologist could be on site until the first of June.

Island Creek Trail is located off Island Creek Road in Jones County about 7.5 miles from the Craven County line. It’s a popular place for hiking and nature study, and was enhanced with numbered posts and matching interpretive information through an Eagle Scout project of James C. Simmons Jr. of Scout Troop 67.

Walker, who served as a ranger in the Uwharrie National Forest northeast of Charlotte before arriving in Craven County on Monday to take the interim Craven post, has received numerous calls and heard concerns about the closing from bikers. The bikers are also using social media sites to circulate a petition to stop any permanent action prohibiting mountain biking on the trails.

The petition, which now has more than 70 signatures, says the original Island Creek Trail was abandoned after hurricanes in 1993 and 1994, and again in 2000.

“Since 2006, through volunteers (and only volunteers) the existing train systems, to include the use of existing fire ditches, were cleared and have been maintained, which brought the Island Creek Walking Trail back to life,” the petition states.

Supporters urge the Forest Service to “Please keep Island Creek Walking Trail Open, to include all trails within the five-mile perimeter and all the intersecting trails.”

They might eventually get their wish, Walker said.

“This may just be a temporary closing,” she said. “When the agency has a reaction, it is usually pretty swift. We have the federal legal requirement to take steps to make sure there is not any further resource damage.

“There has been an explosion of mountain bike use in recent years, and we understand we need to provide an opportunity. It’s just necessary that we make sure we do it right. We are working on a new bike trail system at Flanners Beach, but we don’t have it in place now, so we don’t have an extensive trail system in the forest now.”

Walker said the review at Island Creek might take a few months, so in the interim, she is urging bikers and equestrian riders not to use the trail system beyond the original half-mile walking trail.

That half-mile loop remains open to hikers, Walker said.

 

Sue Book can be reached at 252-635-5665 or sue.book@newbernsj.com. Follow her on Twitter@SueJBook.

Column: The war on Valentine’s Day

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Smell that? That’s the smell of a million men breaking into a flop sweat over Valentine’s Day.

The origins of Valentine’s Day have nothing to do with chocolate covered diamonds or edible socks. The Orthodox Research Institute describes St. Valentine as “a priest (who lived) near Rome in about the year 270 A.D, a time when the church was enduring great persecution. His ministry was to help Christians escape persecution and to provide them the sacraments, such as marriage, which was outlawed by the Roman Empire at that time.”

According to History.com, St. Valentine was eventually imprisoned by the Romans and sentenced to death. Before his execution, he supposedly wrote a farewell note to a girl he’d healed and signed it “from your Valentine.”

Now how did we go from this to the buy 10 wings/get 10 wings free Valentine’s Day special at Hooter’s? Nothing screams tribute to a wrongly murdered holy man like a bunch of guys eating fried chicken parts delivered to them by buxom ladies who wouldn’t be seen on the same planet with them if tips weren’t part of the equation.

I haven’t always been a Valentine’s Scrooge. In kindergarten, I had two girlfriends at once, and they both knew about it. It was a groovy scene, man.

The other boys thought it was strange that I’d want to spend recess trying to play “McMillan & Wife” with Girlfriend 1 and Girlfriend 2 instead of kicking a stupid ball around.

I gave both of the girl’s Valentine’s cards, but it all went south when we started first grade. The other boys eventually realized kicking a half-inflated gym ball left over from the Reconstruction Era wasn’t nearly as fulfilling as having a girlfriend. Not being the competitive type, I had no interest in jumping through hoops to win anyone’s affection, thus beginning The Great Drought of 1980-89.

While in high school, some friends helped me construct a Valentine’s Day road sign for The Girlfriend (who is now The Wife). The sign did not include any syrupy teenage sentiment and I didn’t cover it with lyrics from a Night Ranger power ballad. The sign simply said “Happy Valentine’s Day” with her name written under it. We attached the sign to a tobacco stick and placed it alongside the road on her route home from school.

It wasn’t as grand a gesture as standing outside her window in the rain with a boombox blaring a Peter Gabriel song, but it got the point across.

The sign now rests in a cardboard tube in the Dawson Family Archives next to my Monsanto belt buckle, the suit James Brown wore on the Ed Sullivan Show and Michael Jackson’s original nose.

When The Wife and I were dating, we were both usually working on Valentine’s Day. I was a table maintenance specialist at a steak house, which meant on Valentine’s Day, it was all hands on deck. The tips were fantastic on Valentine’s Day because these putzoid men would leave big money in an attempt to show off in front of their dates.

The Wife was an in-demand baby sitter so she usually had a gig on Valentine’s Day, as well. You may think this is unromantic, but we thought of it as a way to make the system work for us. The candy tastes just as good on Feb. 15 and its 50 percent cheaper, so take that, Whitman’s.

As for the now, wasn’t everyone supposed to be tightening their belts? Aside from necessities such as food, clothing, shelter and smartphones that can perform mammograms, who has the disposable income for a big Valentine’s Day woopty-doo? The National Retail Federation recently reported Americans will be spending nearly a billion dollars on Valentine’s cards alone, not to mention $1.9 billion on flowers and $4.1 billion on jewelry.

Has this multi-year recession we’ve been going through just been something Pamela Ewing dreamed?

I’m not against sending flowers; I’m just against the social pressure to do so. If I get my wife a flower, I tend to pick a random day when it’s not expected. Notice I said “a flower,” not a “bushel of flowers.” A single flower conveys the same sentiment as a barrel of them; everything need not be super-sized.

Just so the florists in our readership don’t bust a vein, I’m not anti-flower. I just believe instead of spending $70 on flowers one day per year, why not spread that $70 out over the course of a year?

Surprise your sweetie with a flower on the anniversary of the pencil sharpener — just to keep her off guard. Send her a nice assortment of tulips on June 10 for no reason at all. You think L.L. Cool J’s wife waits till Feb. 14 to send him a Chapstick bouquet? The man is going to lick himself to death.

If you want to join in with the rest of the lemmings (but just enough to get by), here’s what you do: Stop at the gas station on your way home from work and buy a Snicker’s bar the size of a small dog. Once home, place the candy bar in your freezer.

Later that night, light a few candles and carve the Snicker’s up with a fork and steak knife. Dial up something romantic on the stereo like Marvin Gaye or Boxcar Willie and make a night of it. Candlelight, fine dining and romantic music.

If that doesn’t work, pretend there’s a crisis at work and sleep on your desk. It’s nearly as comfortable as the couch and it’ll save you some time the next morning.

 

Jon Dawson’s columns appear every Tuesday and Thursday in The Free Press. Contact Jon at 252-559-1092 or jon.dawson@kinston.com. Purchase music, books and beepers at jondawson.com.

Richlands man charged with assaulting a 2-month-old

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RICHLANDS — A Richlands man has been accused of fracturing an infant’s skull.

Jordan Thomas King, 27, of Kennebec Lane, was charged Saturday by the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office with intentional child abuse inflicting serious injury.

King is accused of assaulting a 2-month-old and causing two fractures in the rear of the infant’s skull and severe bruising on the back of the head, according to warrants.

Bond was set at $25,000.

Greene’s FFA chapter sees green with state grant

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SNOW HILL — The Greene County Future Farmers of America chapter was granted $7,500 to boost members’ improvements to the community.

The new funds are a way to celebrate the county’s FFA Week celebration this week, which is a few days sooner than the national FFA Week from next week.

During Monday’s Board of Education meeting, Ray Scott Spence gave an overview of the $5,000 grant from the state FFA association and requested an additional $2,500 donation be accepted. Both were presented to the county chapter Wednesday.

“It’s going to be really exciting,” said Spence, FFA Advisor and Greene Central High School agriculture instructor, about projects to be paid for with the funds. “It’s going to give FFA members out there in the community and give them some real-world experience working agriculture.”

The chapter will perform landscaping at Elaney Woods Farmer’s Market in Snow Hill and installation work around the community. Previous FFA community involvements include a Veteran’s Day banquet and members donating plants to seniors in Greene County.

Spence said nearly 120 high school students have enrolled in the agricultural education program at Greene Central, with 65 as FFA members.

FFA is a national organization that provides agricultural education to children across the nation from grades seven through 12. There are more than 550,000 student members in 7,498 chapters.

“The education in agricultural awareness that our programs offers is crucial, I believe,” Spence said.

Getting the local agricultural education may come back to benefit you.

While the $2,500 donation was from the agriculture business Monsanto, it was a Snow Hill farmer who won the check in an America’s Farmer Grow Communities competition and chose to award Greene County FFA as recipients.

“We were, of course, very grateful,” Spence said. “It’s important because we’re training future leaders … who are going to be in the agricultural industry (and) who are going to be responsible for producing our state and nation’s food and fiber.”

Of the hundreds of thousands of FFA members, 71 percent live in rural and farm areas, 19 percent live in small towns and 10 percent live in urban and suburban areas.

Spence said a striking statistic he often shares is one American farmer feeds 168 people on average.

“I’m blown away by that every day,” he said. “I try to make sure my students are carrying an appreciation for agriculture out of my classroom everyday. I try to make sure my kids have a little appreciation for what farmers in the community do.”

 

Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 or at jessika.morgan@kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.

 

BREAKOUT BOX

Future Farmers of AmericaMembership Statistics:

There are 557,318 FFA members in 7,498 chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

n 44 percent of members are female

n 73 percent of members are white

n 15 percent of members are Hispanic

n 7 percent of members are black

n 5 percent of members are American Indian, Asian or Pacific Islander

n 87 percent of members are enrolled in grades 9-12

Source: FFA.org

Speaker proves to teens they can learn from their mistakes

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Anthony Harris, Lenoir County Schools behavioral specialist, said it’s hard for motivational messages to sink into high school students. During a Black History Month program at North Lenoir High School, guest speaker LaNola Goings tried a unique approach.

She highlighted some of her own mistakes.

She told the dozens of students who sat in Young H. Allen Auditorium on Monday morning she flunked out of her first college because she hung with the wrong crowd.

“It meant I did absolutely nothing,” she said as she shared having a 0.856 grade point average that got her released from school.

Goings, who graduated with a 4.06 GPA out of high school, bounced back with a business administration degree from Coker College in South Carolina after some reflection.

“You’ve got to sit down and listen to someone at some point,” she said. “You can learn from your mistakes — I’ve already done it.”

She is now an abstinence and character educator for Heritage Community Services in South Carolina. Because of her work with teens, she called her message timely.

“It’s very relevant, because watching the news you see a spiraling effect with gang initiation, teen pregnancy and the spread of (sexually transmitted infections),” Goings said. “Our kids seem to not be focused, and it’s time to get their focus back on why they’re here in school.”

She spoke to the group about the importance of good grades, personal acceptance and how each of them is unique, hoping to get through to at least one.

“Everyone’s not going to receive a message,” said Gil Respess, North Lenoir principal. “The conditions for that person have to be just right. I’m sure (Goings) is going to make a difference in someone’s life today, even if it’s just one person.”

After the program, 12th grader Brittany Cannon said she recognized the vitality of maintaining good school grades.

“I learned to tighten up in school,” she said.

Cannon also pointed out Goings taught her important pieces of black history that have negatively transferred into today’s culture, such as the origin of saggy pants — which came from prison inmates, Goings said.

In a program themed “Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future,” Goings noted that while black culture is headed in the right direction, it’s “ridiculous” for it to be honored into one month. She said it’s a part of American history as a whole.

“It means a lot,” said North Lenoir senior Jonathan Jones about Black History Month. “It makes us up as a culture, and if we don’t keep it up we’re going to lose it. I feel like programs like this help bring it out and help us share it with everybody else.”

Jones, who recited a black history tribute at the beginning of the program, played piano for the school’s gospel choir, which performed “Awesome” and “The Best is Yet to Come.” 

“I tried to choose a song that is pretty familiar with everyone,” said Choir Director Cynthia Jarman of the selection. “We wanted to do something really fast and up tempo that encourages students to realize the best is definitely yet to come.”

Choir student Jorie Edwards said gospel music is how black people got through the plight of slavery.

“When you think about it, when slaves worked on the field, that’s all they did was sing old hymns and gospel,” she said. “I would say (gospel music) gave African-Americans hope, even until now.”

 

Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252 559 1078 or at jessika.morgan@kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.

A true love story

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A U.S. Navy sailor had a small family, which left him with no one to write to while overseas. He was introduced to a shipmate’s sister by months of writing letters back and forth. Five days after they met in person, they became husband and wife. Since 1964, Bill and Rebecca Stevenson have been married — and here’s their story.

 

PINK HILL — The lonely waters for a U.S. Navy sailor in the Vietnam War were traded for a life full of adventure, art and amore — the most everlasting of sorts.

During the war, he had no one to write to. However, his shipmate had sisters galore, and gave Bill Stevenson the name and address to one of them.

Her name was Rebecca.

For eight long months, Bill, an Arkansas native, wrote letters, sent postcards and mailed trinkets to Rebecca.

She became his wife only five days after they’d met in person for the very first time. He had already asked for her hand in marriage in an unforgettable letter before he got there.

The wedding was held March 24, 1964, a Wednesday. Forty-eight years later, the beautiful couple stands together as blissful from the moment they met.

After years of traveling the world during Bill’s 26-year Navy stint, they eventually moseyed down to their Pink Hill home for retirement in 1982. They’re still very active in the community.

“We do everything together,” Rebecca Stevenson said. “If you get married first and then live together, you learn to grow in your love for each other.”

They sat on their couch Wednesday and danced around the memories of their military adventures in California, Maine, Italy and Cuba — from their two children sleeping in a closeted bunk bed to hearing oversized spiders walk around their Japan cabinet. Their home is filled with cabinets of trinkets they’ve collected from their immense travels.

Rebecca laughed when she said her husband married her to get a pay raise.

“That’s one of our jokes,” she said.

She remembered the first letter she got from him came after she looked up and prayed for a way to stop picking tobacco seeds, which made her hands clammy and sore —  and then, her mom sent her to fetch the mail. 

“Honest to goodness, a silver lining came around that cloud,” she recalled. “I opened the mailbox and thought the (letter) was from my brother, and I looked again and it was from William Charles Stevenson and it was addressed to me. I think God answered my prayer that day, and I’ve felt the same way ever since.”

When Bill came to her family’s house for the first time, he said he got support from her large-numbered family.

“There were so many people in that house,” he said.

Rebecca’s mother knew about their love affair all the while, so she strategically sent them out to the back.

“Mom sent us out to the chicken house to gather some chicken eggs for breakfast, and Bill kissed me,” she said. “That was the first time I’d ever been kissed because my daddy never let me go on a date. … I really liked that kiss.”

That inaugural kiss felt a lot like the same lip lock they shared in their kitchen Wednesday.

“If you see something you want today, you better take it because it might not be there in the morning,” Bill said. “So 48 years ago, I seen it, I took it, I still got it and I like it. In 1964, God brought a special person for me, and it was her.”

The couple is active in the community, participating in extracurricular church groups and various arts and crafts activities. They created heart lanterns to hang on their neighbors’ doors, and Bill paints pictures that are hung up on the pair’s walls.

In fact, he used to trade for art and figurines, which are still in the house. Everything the Stevensons do, they do together.

“I think we became good friends in those letters because I could tell him things that I couldn’t discuss with other people,” Rebecca said, as Bill seconded. “We would write back and forth what was on our hearts and what was on our minds.”

For them, the togetherness has been the glue of their endurance that brought them around the world to settle on 13 acres of land in Pink Hill.

“If you don’t do things together, sooner or later, you’re going to grow apart,” Bill said. “Love is being together.”

 

Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252 559 1078 or at jessika.morgan@kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.

NL boys hope to seize second in EC3A

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LA GRANGE — Its goal of finishing first no longer a reality, North Lenoir’s boys basketball team can still finish second in the Eastern Carolina 3A Conference.

The Hawks will need some help to do so outright, so losing tonight at league champion Erwin Triton is not an option.

After Tuesday’s games North Lenoir (12-11, 7-4) is one of three teams tied for second place as the league wraps up its regular season games tonight.

The Hawks are in a deadlock with C.B. Aycock and Southern Wayne for the No. 2 seed in next week’s conference tournament and for the league’s No. 2 playoff berth barring a team lower in the standings doesn’t win the tournament.

The Falcons travel to last-place South Johnston and the Saints wrap up their regular season at fifth-place Clayton Cleveland. But North Lenoir isn’t going to be concerned with how those two games are turning out.

Not until after its own, at least.

“We’ve just got to win. That’s it,” Hawks coach Anthony Loftin said. “We’ve got to be concerned with beating Triton. If that happens, then we can worry about how the other teams are doing.”

Given who his counterparts are playing Loftin figures there will be a tie for second, making a win tonight that much more important. He also knows his team drew the biggest challenge in trying to stay in the hunt for second place.

Triton (19-3, 10-1) currently has a three-game lead over the trio of second place teams and defeated North Lenoir 61-59 on Jan. 31 in a game where North Lenoir rallied late but came up short.

“We know what we’re up against,” Loftin said, “but our guys are ready for the challenge.”

Regardless, Loftin is glad he has a certain home game when the boys portion of the league tournament begins on Tuesday.

“We know what’s at stake,” he said. “We control our own fate.”

 

SL boys still in hunt

Following Tuesday’s loss at Croatan, South Lenoir’s boys are still in the hunt to finish in a tie for first in the East Central 2A Conference thanks to Jacksonville Northside’s win over former league leader Clinton.

The Blue Devils (11-7, 9-4) must win at Clinton on Friday and get some help from East Duplin, which hosts Northside, to finish in a tie for first.

 

Area teams going to the state playoffs

With one game left on their regular season schedules, boys teams from Ayden-Grifton, South Lenoir, North Lenoir and Kinston have qualified for the state playoffs. So have girls teams from Ayden-Grifton, South Lenoir and Kinston.

 

BCA opens playoffs at home

Bethel Christian Academy opens the NCCSA playoffs with a pair of home games on Friday. Its girls will face Raleigh Christian Academy at 6 p.m. and its boys will square off against Raleigh Friendship Christian at 7:30 in the sectionals.

 

Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports. 


SL’s Jones headed to LCC

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DEEP RUN — The future plans of Caroline Jones include nursing and playing volleyball.

She gets to do both at Lenoir Community College.

Jones, a four-sport athlete at South Lenoir, will play volleyball for the Lancers and will also pursue her dreams of becoming a nurse.

The senior who also plays basketball and runs cross country and track and field had a Division I offer for track, she said, but turned it down because playing volleyball in college is her dream.

So is studying to be a nurse.

“Volleyball is the main thing because I didn’t want it to be over yet,” said Jones during a signing ceremony on Wednesday.

“I’m blessed with this opportunity. I’m excited.”

Jones has started for the Lisa Smith-led varsity Blue Devils since her sophomore year and has always been an important piece to their success.

Smith sees LCC as a perfect fit for one of her leaders.

“She’s been a tremendous asset to the whole (athletic) program at South Lenoir,” Smith said. “I think it’s a great fit for her.”

Jones doesn’t just excel at one sport, she excels at them all.

She’s currently fourth on the basketball team in scoring at 7.1 points per game and leads it with 16 made 3-pointers. She’s also competed in the state 2A cross country and track and field championships as a distance runner.

In fact, her running led to an offer from UNC-Greensboro. But her heart was in volleyball.

“I didn’t want volleyball to be over yet,” said Jones, who said she hopes to qualify for the Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses (RIBN) Program and earn her nursing degree from East Carolina through LCC.

“I knew I didn’t love running as much as I did volleyball.”

First-year LCC volleyball coach Shelly Barnes said Wednesday that she is trying to change the face of LCC’s volleyball program and is doing so by bringing in strong local talent.

Barnes knows Jones has the talent. She also has the mindset and character that the Lancers need.

“Pretty much everything impresses me about Caroline. She’s a good team leader and, obviously at this school, she’s a tremendous athlete playing four sports — that’s unheard of in high school,” Barnes said.

“That tells me right there that she’s got the qualities that I’m looking for.”

 

Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports. 

N.C. jobless insurance fix nears final passage

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By Gary D. Robertson 
 
(AP) — A Republican plan to cut jobless payments and raise business taxes to speed repayment of North Carolina's $2.5 billion federal debt on unemployment benefits won tentative approval Tuesday in the state Senate, all but ensuring enactment this summer.
 
Four Democrats joined GOP senators in voting 36-13 for the House measure, which would cut maximum weekly benefits for new jobless workers July 1 by one-third and reduce the maximum duration of state benefits from 26 weeks to 20.
 
Businesses both large and small would keep paying higher federal taxes until the debt to the federal government is repaid. Under the accelerated plan, that would probably now be late 2015, instead of three years later if no changes to state law were made. State taxes would go up slightly on a permanent basis, while a surcharge would remain in place until there's a $1 billion cushion in the state trust fund to pay future benefits.
 
A proposed decline in maximum benefits to $350 per week would bring North Carolina's amount about to the average of other Southeastern states, supporters said, while the current maximum of $535 per week is the highest in the region and has been labeled a disincentive for some to find work.
 
The overhaul "tries to take care of the unemployed," said Sen. Bob Rucho, R-Mecklenburg who is shepherding the House bill through the Senate, but "it doesn't put an excessive burden upon the employers that are struggling." Rucho said repaying the debt more quickly gives certainty to businesses and can help them create jobs again.
 
The House passed the bill last week. A final Senate vote was expected Wednesday on the bill. If approved, it would then go to new Gov. Pat McCrory, who would be asked to sign the bill into law. The Republican said in an interview Tuesday he supports the overhaul, which is designed to get the state trust fund on firmer fiscal footing before the next recession and avoid debt in the future.
 
"I firmly believe that North Carolina should not be living off of a credit card and not paying off that credit card. I plan to pay off that credit card," McCrory said, speaking earlier in the day at a Raleigh forum organized by the Institute on Emerging Issues. "And it's going to come to sacrifice to both businesses and people."
 
Labor activists and most Democrats said the measure is weighted against displaced workers by forcing them to shoulder more of the burden. Reductions in the duration of benefits and amount would comprise nearly three-quarters of the $3.6 billion in the cumulative changes required by the bill through 2017, legislative researchers estimated in a document.
 
Businesses received unemployment tax reductions several times during the 1990s, but the taxes were never restored to prepare for recessions when jobless payments outstripped tax revenues during the Great Recession, said Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange.
 
"Over and over and over the employers came, as if there were no lean times ever coming up," Kinnaird said, "and yet we are not giving employees help this time now."
 
Senate Democrats offered a half-dozen amendments, five of which were defeated on party-line votes. A sixth amendment by Sen. Floyd McKissick, D-Durham, that would have reduced maximum weekly benefits to $422 per week but require all workers to pay a 0.48 percent tax on wages to help pay down the debt was withdrawn. A vote potentially could have harmed Democrats politically for supporting a broad tax increase.
 
Democrats also pleaded with the majority party to delay enactment on the bill until next January so a full year of federal emergency jobless benefits would continue. The benefit reductions meant the benefits must be cancelled after six months, affecting 170,000 unemployed workers that would otherwise receive $780 million, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, whose acting commissioner spoke against it Monday.
 
"People in my district are going to be hurt significantly," said first-term Sen. Mike Woodard, D-Durham. "They're clearly going to have fewer dollars. Their benefits are not going to last as long."
 
Rucho and others said waiting another six months would cost businesses another $400 million in taxes, but Democrats said that problem could be fixed with issuing state debt to avoid the extra taxes.
 
Sen. Tommy Tucker, R-Union, who owns a heating and air conditioning service company, said he was unhappy with the solution of higher taxes upon companies like his own. He said he'll owe more than $110,000 in unemployment taxes on his 77 employees and still may be forced to lay off one or two because of increases. But Tucker said he voted for the bill to remove the burden of the debt off businesses.
 
Senate Democrats voting for the bill were Clark Jenkins of Edgecombe County, Gene McLaurin of Richmond County, Ben Clark of Hoke County and Michael Walters of Robeson County.

N.C. men sentenced in crop insurance fraud

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(AP) -- Two North Carolina men have been sentenced for their roles in a massive crop insurance fraud.
 
A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced insurance agent William Larry Rogers to 9 years in prison for conspiring to make false statements, to make material false statements, to commit mail and wire fraud, and to obstruction of justice.
 
The 69-year-old Mebane man was also ordered to pay $8.4 million in restitution, the amount prosecutors say he received in fraudulent federal crop insurance payments. Richard Enoch of Mebane received one day in prison, followed by 6 months of house arrest, plus $58,000 in restitution and a $5,000 fine.
 
Prosecutors say the 68-year-old tobacco farmer filed false insurance claims for lost crops that were actually harvested and sold. Rogers was Enoch's insurance agent.
 

Today, just let your heart take the lead

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It sends a cold shiver up the spine of men and brings a warm glow to the hearts of women.

Oh, that’s just rubbish!

There are plenty of men who think Valentine’s Day is a great chance to romance the women in their lives and plenty of women who wish it would be wiped off the calendar.

What Valentine’s has really become is a commercial holiday that cheapens romance by making it a box to be checked off every February 14.

That’s not what romance is about! Romance is not contrived. It does not come with a “sell by” date.

So how did we get to the current state of Valentine’s Day?

It actually started (and remains) a religious holiday.

The origin of the feast day is traced back to Saint Valentinus who, it is claimed, was imprisoned by the Romans for performing weddings for soldiers who were not permitted to be married. One legend has it that shortly before Valentine was to be executed, he wrote the first “valentine” note himself, to the daughter of one of his jailers.

In the Lutheran church and Anglican Communion, St. Valentine’s is a feast day.

While you might think the practice of giving flowers and love notes is recent, Valentine’s Day romance has been around since the 15h century, when the giving of flowers and written notes began.

So, if you are reading this editorial and have not yet taken action on Valentine’s Day, what might you do?

First, remember the origins of the holiday — Valentine wasn’t honored for promoting gooey romance, but for standing up for true love. For fighting the power of the state, as it tried to deny soldiers the right to marry.

Remember the tradition of writing. There isn’t anything wrong with a greeting card, but if you stopped what you are doing right now and took a few minutes to write a personal note to your spouse or mother or loved one, think about what that would mean to that person.

There is nothing wrong with giving flowers or candy or gifts. But think about the gift of time — a long walk or a relaxing meal or just quiet time on a couch.

Here’s another romantic idea: Service to others. A little indulgence never hurt anybody, but replacing that time (and money?) by giving it to others might be the most romantic Valentine’s ever.

And what about those who don’t have a Valentine. Without making it obvious, taking them to the movies, or to work out or inviting them over to eat might be the most loving thing someone could do on the holiday.

Yes, Valentine’s — like most other holidays — is on the brink of being overrun by commercialism.

But if we hearken back to the founding of this day and remember that “the greatest of them is love,” then we ought to be able to find a way to celebrate the holiday in a way that would reflect well on St. Valentine.

And if all else fails, there is always chocolate and roses.

District court decisions

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The following decisions were reached in Lenoir County district court in Jan, 2013. The presiding judge was the Hon. Brian DeSoto. Matters may be resolved as the result of a guilty plea or dismissal negotiated with the district attorney without a trial. Matters may also be resolved as the result of a trial during which the judge dismisses the case for insufficient evidence or renders a verdict of innocence or guilt. In any case in which a guilty plea or verdict is entered, sentencing is determined by the judge:
 
Watson Dylan Taylor, misuse of 911 system, guilty, sentenced to 10 days in the Lenoir County jail, suspended to 12 months unsupervised probation.
 
Alawisha Fields, communicating threats, pleaded not guilty, sentenced to 10 days in the Lenoir County jail, suspended to 12 months unsupervised probation.
 
Kenneth NMN Lewis, driving while impaired (level 1), guilty, sentenced to two years in the Department of Correction, suspended to 36 months supervised probation.
 
The following decisions were reached in Lenoir County district court in Jan, 2013. The presiding judge was the Hon. Elizabeth Heath. Matters may be resolved as the result of a guilty plea or dismissal negotiated with the district attorney without a trial. Matters may also be resolved as the result of a trial during which the judge dismisses the case for insufficient evidence or renders a verdict of innocence or guilt. In any case in which a guilty plea or verdict is entered, sentencing is determined by the judge:
 
Carlo Carmon, assault on a female, pleaded not guilty, sentenced to 30 days in the Lenoir County jail, suspended to 30 days in the Lenoir County jail.
 
Michael Javon Coleman, assault on a female, pleaded guilty, sentenced to 80 days in the Lenoir County jail. Communicating threats, case dismissed.
 
Robert Earl Taylor, communicating threats, pleaded guilty, sentenced to 120 days in the Department of Correction, suspended to 12 months supervised probation.
 
Christen Morgan King, possess drug paraphernalia, case dismissed.
 
Jeremy Todd Winnie, assault on a female, pleaded guilty, sentenced to 75 days in the Lenoir County jail, suspended to 18 months supervised probation.
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