Lieutenant Chris Scott , who graduated from Northwest Halifax High School in 1998, has been with the sheriff's office since 2003.

He was promoted in 2006 to corporal, then to detective in 2013.

He plans on obtaining his bachelor degree in criminal justice in May rom North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount.

He and his family reside in Roanoke Rapids.

His promotion duties will include supervising the sheriff's office Civil Division. His division is responsible for execution of civil process, all pistol permits and the monitoring of sex offenders.

New hire Steven Stansberry graduated from Northwest Halifax High School in 2009 and started his career with the Sheriff’s Office in July. He's a graduate of East Carolina University with a major in criminal justice and a minor in forensic science. He is currently working courtroom security and is going to Basic Law Enforcement Training at Halifax Community College in January 2015. He and his family reside in Halifax.

New hire, Marcus Morris graduated from Southeast Halifax High School in 2007 and started his career with the sheriff's office in August.

He worked three years prior with the state Department of Correction. He is currently assigned to courtroom security and will be attending Basic Law Enforcement Training in January. He and his family reside in Scotland Neck.

Deputy Emerson Carroll is originally from Scotland Neck. He graduated from Southeast Halifax High School in 1989. He was initially hired as a telecommunicator before he was eligible to work in Law Enforcement, then went on to be certified in 1990. He was hired by the sheriff’s office in 2008, promoted to corporal in 2009, and is now promoted to Sergeant.

Deputy Al Donald is originally from Orange County New Jersey. He is expected to graduate Basic Law enforcement training at Halifax Community College on December 17. Al and his family are living in Roanoke Rapids.

Deputy Stephan Bryant graduated from Roanoke Rapids High School in 2009. Stephan was employed by the Department of Public Safety for two years before being sworn as a deputy. He is expected to graduate from Basic Law Enforcement training at Halifax Community College on December 17. Stephan lives in Roanoke Rapids.

Deputy Phillip Moyer is a 1991 graduate of Northwest Halifax High School. He served in law enforcement in Warren County since 2010. Phillip was hired in July 2013 and now has been promoted to corporal. Phillip and his family reside in Hollister.

Deputy Brian Knight is originally from Scotland Neck. He graduated High School from Northwest Halifax in 2006. He initially worked as a police officer for the Warsaw Police Department in 2009. Brian and his family currently live in Enfield.  

Enfield police responded to K's Lounge within minutes of receiving the call at the club and found one person had been shot.

Detective J.M. Clark of the Halifax County Sheriff's Office said in a statement the sheriff's office was called in to assist in the investigation.

Clark's investigation led to warrants being obtained for the arrest of 23-year-old Quayshawn Tremayne Bryant for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and going armed to the terror of the public.

No further details were immediately available this afternoon. The sheriff's office is seeking the public's help in locating Bryant, who frequents the Rocky Mount and Tarboro areas. He is considered armed and dangerous.

The condition of the victim, who was taken for treatment to an undisclosed medical facility, was not immediately known. Clark was not immediately available for further comment at the time of this report.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the sheriff's office at 252-583-8201 or Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444.

Bryant

The details of what prompted the shooting outside K's Lounge remain unclear, Detective J.M. Clark said.

The victim was shot in the torso more than once with a handgun.

Clark's investigation led to warrants being obtained for the arrest of 23-year-old Quayshawn Tremayne Bryant for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and going armed to the terror of the public.

The sheriff's office is seeking the public's help in locating Bryant, who frequents the Rocky Mount and Tarboro areas. He is considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the sheriff's office at 252-583-8201 or Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444.

Around 10 p.m., Officer Patrick Smith responded to a breaking and entering call at the Carolina Inn on Jackson Street.

Smith, according to Chief Chuck Hasty, learned that two people had allegedly entered an unoccupied room by going through a window.

Lieutenant Jeff Baggett and Officer Matt Hunsucker also responded to assist in checking the room. Once inside the room the officers located Chinita M. Williams, 43, and Edward L. Crowell, 53, both of Pleasant Hill.

Williams and Crowell were taken into custody without trouble abd were charged with breaking and entering and given a $500 bond with a court date of January 16.

It was unclear why they allegedly broke into the room, Hasty said.

Around 11:45 p.m., Officer Gerald Morris stopped a vehicle for an equipment violation.

During the interaction with the driver and passenger of the vehicle, officers reportedly observed marijuana in the vehicle.

The passenger, Sean T. Hester, 39 of Roanoke Rapids was arrested for the marijuana.

During the search of Hester after his arrest officers reportedly found a concealed gun and some pills.

Hester was arrested and charged with possession of 7.2 grams of marijuana, possession of schedule IV — two Alprazolam pills and one Diazepam pill — possession of drug paraphernalia and carrying a concealed weapon.

Hester was given a $700 bond and a court date of February 14.

The matter was pulled from city council's agenda in April after initial approval by the planning board in March.

The proposal on the table for the planning board is a conditional use permit application for an amendment to the planned unit development map, according to the agenda for the 5:30 p.m. meeting that will be held at the Lloyd Andrews City Meeting Hall on Jackson Street.

According to a December 9 memo from Planning and Development Director Kelly Lasky to members of the planning board, an application for a conditional use permit was submitted by MaSuki Incorporated, which is the applicant and owner of the property.

The amendment requests the conditional use permit for a Planned Residential Unit R-3 residential zoning to accommodate the construction of eight buildings containing a total of 192 residential units.

According to the memo, the company proposes two- and three-bedroom options with amenities to include a 3,200 square-foot clubhouse; swimming pool; picnic area; playground; dog park; sidewalks and private storage garage. It would have direct access to Highway 125.

The development requires an overall concept plan for the development of the tract prior to rezoning or establishing the zoning district.

In the memo, Lasky provides a background of the project that includes its permitting history as well as approvals.

The Villages at Cross Creek was initially approved in 2005 as one planned unit development project that comprehensively addressed traffic, density, utilities and infrastructure.

City council approved a conditional use permit authorizing the project as a planned unit development district with various zoning districts that allowed multi-family, single-family and commercially zoned areas fronting Highway 125.

At the time of the development approval, the site consisted of a single parcel of land that was nearly 195 acres and was approved to be comprised of eight designated individual development areas.

Initial plans were approved for 32 town home buildings with a total of 102 units and one club house, swimming pool and tennis court.

“The project was intended to be developed in two phases,” according the memo, however,. “After a few years of sales and development, the original developer suffered with the down economy and lost ownership of the property to the bank. Today, the project is less than half-built.”

Late last year, MaSuKi purchased a 104-acre tract of the property from Benchmark Community Bank and subsequently applied to rezone approximately 25 acres of the 104 acre tract from R-12 to R-3 zoning, which permits multi-family development.

Initially, the request was processed as a standard or conventional rezoning. “Staff determined that if the zoning districts of the Villages at Cross Creek had been approved as standard zoning districts, then the legislative rezoning process would have been appropriate. However, the standard rezoning process did not apply to the property given the approved conditional use permit for the Villages at Cross Creek planned unit development zoning map.”

Such a district, Lasky said in the memo, requires an overall concept plan for the development of the tract prior to rezoning or establishing the new zoning district. ”An authorized conditional use permit is perpetually binding upon the property unless subsequently changed by city council.The city council may amend or change any CUP, after a public hearing upon recommendation by the planning board and subject to the same consideration for the original issuance of the permit.”

Jefferson

The victim in the case was reportedly assaulted by strangulation and dragged by hand away from his residence, sustaining minor injuries, for which he was treated, according to Lieutenant Joseph Sealey of the Halifax County Sheriff's Office.

Sealey said it is not clear what prompted the alleged assault, which occurred shortly before 7:30 p.m.

The fight, he said, was reportedly started by Terrell Jefferson, 34, of Roanoke Rapids, one of the people wanted in the fray, Sealey said.

Heather Nicole Williams, 26, is also wanted for simple assault and aiding and abetting. It is not clear the relationship between the three, Sealey said.

Jefferson is wanted for assault by strangulation, simple assault, second-degree kidnapping and interfering with 911 services.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the pair is encouraged to call the sheriff's office at 252-583-8201 or Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444.

Baker should know because he has been entrenched in the genre since a boy and has been bringing radio listeners the music since 2010, his Confessing the Blues program now in syndication through 53 affiliates in 10 countries.

Last month Baker, part of the Good Morning Lake Country talk show team on WPTM, received news his blues show was named Best International Blues Show in an international poll by the UK-based Blues Matters Magazine, one of the oldest in the country.

“I was taken aback,” Baker said Monday. “I was humbled and proud.”

Baker began Confessing the Blues in March of 2010 but his connection with the music goes back to his boyhood in Pitt County where his grandfather, a farmer, also ran a country store. It was at that store on weekends the farmhands would gather and play Son House and Howlin' Wolf. “I really came to find it satisfying and dug it. I stuck with it when most blues fans found it through rock and roll, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones.”

A poster of some of today's current acts.

In his journey through the blues and the people he has met who love the genre, he has come to realize, “Blues fans are generally the happiest people on earth. The blues are songs about life and living, taking about it's high points and low points.”

The umbrella that shelters the music, Baker is, is huge. “It's a pretty big umbrella. It's a pretty wide umbrella. It's got a lot of funk and soul. The blues can come from the Delta and they come from the Muscle Shoals horn sound.”

It was always Baker's dream to have a blues radio show if he ever got back in radio. Born in Pitt County, he moved to the Roanoke Valley in 1970.

He went to North Carolina State University and has held a number of jobs in a number of cities, including Richmond and Louisville where he was a shift supervisor at LG&E.

In 2007 he came back to the Roanoke Valley. In 2009 he got into local radio and began thinking about a blues program. “I really didn't have any intention for it to be a syndicated show.”

He saw it as a way to continue the vibe created by Johnny Draper's Beach Blast program on WTRG, which ends at 9 p.m. Fridays. “I felt like a void was there. There is a relationship between the two. It is really close.”

He was told, however, by radio professionals, it wouldn't work. After the first 90 days it was carried on two of WTRG's sister stations.

Now it is heard on 53 affiliates in 10 countries that include Canada, Russia, New Zeland and more, as well as 10 to 12 states in the United States.

To make Confessing the Blues become a popular international blues show took work, Baker said. “I sent out 800 letters and demos.”

Some decided to run the show. Others didn't. The show is aired on Internet stations as well as terrestrial radio, which is a station like WTRG. The stations Confessing the Blues airs on cross all formats, including Russia Speaks, a pro-democracy talk show in Russia that is heavily monitored by the government.

In all, conservative estimates show his program reaches some 1.5 million listeners and there are only two blues shows that have more affiliates, one being actor Dan Akroyd's show.

Baker does it for the love of the blues. “It's certainly not a financial gain. It's more of a passion,” he said.

It takes 30 to 40 hours of work to put the three-hour show together.

The music is of current blues artists. “It's all fresh,” he said. “These are artists who are trying to make a living. I don't do a whole lot of flashback.”

They include artists like guitar prodigy Quinn Sullivan, artists like 25-year-old Samantha Fish and Sugaray Rayford.

Baker is pleased the show has taken off like it has. “I've been fortunate to interview some of the biggest names in the industry.”

Patricia Copeland, mother of Carolyn Copeland, a senior at Roanoke Rapids High School, has set up a A new start for Carolyn page through youcaring.com to help her meet some of those needs.

A honors student in the National Honor Society and French Honor Society, Carolyn has been accepted at North Carolina State University for the fall semester where the 17-year-old plans to study psychology.

“She lost everything,” Mrs. Copeland said of her daughter. “We're trying to supplement everything she lost.”

That includes a laptop and furniture she will need for school. “It will be for everything she needs in the dorm. The insurance will max out on the big ticket items.”

Carolyn, who lost her cat in the Thursday morning fire, has been stoic in the aftermath, her mother said. “She has been incredibly brave. She's devastated by the loss of her cat and everything she had. She has lived in that house since she was born. Even though she has not been able to be with her friends, she has been keeping a stiff upper lip.”

Her daughter went to school the day after the fire and has had a perfect attendance record the past four years her mother said.

Following the fire the outpouring has been tremendous, Mrs. Copeland said. There have been clothes and financial contributions.

While separated from her husband, Greg, Mrs. Copeland still had all her belongings in the house on River Road. “We saved some clothes and baby pictures. My husband lost all his fishing equipment.”

Mr. Copeland is going through all the paperwork. “It's going to be a lot of paperwork and healing,” she said.

The family just bought Carolyn clothes to get her through the rest of the school year at Roanoke Rapids. “We're doing everything we can for her to restore some semblance of normalcy,” Mrs. Copeland said.

HCC President Ervin V. Griffin Sr. said, “This is great day for the citizens of the Roanoke Valley region. Although the FIT is housed here at Halifax Community College, we want you to know that the FIT is open to everyone to use.”

Griffin thanked the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust for providing the $150,000 grant that has funded the majority of the project. “To make these kinds of activities successful, it takes partnerships.So, HCC is also providing institutional dollars to help fund the trail and to demonstrate our commitment to supporting healthier living in the Roanoke Valley.”

The FIT project is designed to improve the lives of community members, offering full access to a 1/6 mile trail and a fitness area. It features multigenerational equipment and solar lights to provide lighting so that the FIT is available for exercise well into the evening hours.

There is no charge to use the FIT.

Griffin also recognized community partners who have made the project a reality.

Audrey Hardy represents the Roanoke Valley Community Health Initiative and commented, “We are so happy to have this trail here. One of the things that the Community Health Initiative focuses on is trying to improve our health outcomes for the Roanoke Valley. One of the ways to do that is to decrease some of the illnesses that we see at Halifax Regional by changing what we eat and moving a little more. This trail will help us to be able to do that. The other thing that we encourage is selecting healthy options for eating.”

The initiative sponsored fruit that was given away during the event. “The Roanoke Valley Fitness Interactive Trail is an additional outlet in our community for our students, for employees and our citizens to live an active life,” said Cardra Burns, Halifax County Public Health system director. “Everything we do is possible only when we’re healthy.”

Roanoke Valley Early College student Jahlaun Ceasar was the winner of the FIT logo competition. His design was chosen out of 26 entries.

Halifax County District Attorney Melissa Pelfrey said Mason, who spent more than a year on the lam following the slayings, pled guilty to one count of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder today.

The first-degree murder plea reflects the murder of Foster, while the second-degree murder plea reflects the killing of Davis.

Aaron Mills, an accessory in the case, received a 55- to 75-month sentence after pleading to accessory after the fact of murder.

Pelfrey said the family of the pair followed the proceedings through to today's final step in the case. “This family always showed up and were unwaivering in their dedication to seeing someone was held accountable for the death of their children. Obviously they are a very close family to take care of Tom and Jennilee's child who was present when they were killed.”

Pelfrey said the sentence Mason was given is strict to its terms. “It's life without parole. It means he's never getting out.”

Halifax County Sheriff Wes Tripp was pleased with the outcome. “The biggest thing that helped us was America's Most Wanted. They tremendously helped this case. The producers were very cooperative. I can't say how much that show helped us, along with the diligent work of our investigators.”

Mason surrendered to the sheriff's office nearly two years ago in the company of a bondsman.

In March of 2012, the syndicated show America's Most Wanted ran a detailed episode on the case, which shed new light on several matters the investigation turned up.

It also focused on the daughter Davis and Foster had together.

The show says Foster gave birth in 2010 to a baby girl named Nevaeh after trying for years with Davis.

“Nevaeh was a godsend,” Jessica Burnette, Foster’s sister, told the show. “So they named her Nevaeh because that’s heaven spelled backwards.”

The show specifically mentioned Davis’s marijuana dealing, despite the child in their lives. It reported Foster wanted him to stop.

Davis, however, continued to sell and associate with Mason, who is described as a protégée. It also says Davis promised to befriend Mason after his father, Jimmie Mason Sr., went to prison in 2006 when his son was 13.

On the night of the murder, the show reported, Davis invited Mason to their home. As Foster put the baby to bed, Mason and another man, Aaron Mills, drove up and Mason went inside.

The show quotes the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office as saying Mason waited until Davis’ back was turned, and then shot him in the neck, killing him.

Foster, who was holding the baby, came in the room to see what happened and Mason then allegedly shot her while she held the child.

Another detail in the broadcast that investigators did not share with local media was that Mason allegedly left the house after robbing it but came back when he heard Foster screaming for help. “That’s when,” according to the show, “He allegedly executed her with one more shot, leaving Nevaeh an orphan.”

Brace

Edward K. Brace, 55, was charged with possession of schedule II, possession of drug paraphernalia and intoxicated and disruptive behavior Monday evening, according to Chief Chuck Hasty.

Hasty said around 8 p.m. Officer Gerald Morris responded to the area of Premier Boulevard about a person begging for money.

Morris noted during the investigation that Brace had reportedly been drinking. During a search, Morris reportedly found a crack pipe and a user amount of cocaine.

Assisting Morris in the investigation were Lieutenant Jeff Baggett, Sergeant Richard White and Officer Ryan Cross.

Brace was jailed on $12,000 bond and given a January 29 court date.

Palmer

Meanwhile, Tuesday, around 3 a.m., Hasty said Cross and Morris responded to a call of a person lying in the roadway at the intersection of Highway 158 and Premier Boulevard, reportedly drunk.

The officers, with assistance from White, observed Clarence Palmer, 42, of Roanoke Rapids in the intersection.

Cross charged Palmer with intoxicated and disruptive behavior and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was given a $500 bond and February 13 court date.

While the proceeding before Judge Teresa Robinson Freeman was not specifically about the death penalty in the case, but a bond hearing for one of the four charged — Semaj Short — Halifax County Assistant District Attorney Keith Werner did say it would be the state's intention to announce capital proceedings for three of the four.

He did not specify which ones and declined comment afterward. The declaration is expected next month.

Meanwhile, Short was ordered by Freeman to remain in jail on $1 million bond, his bond being the focus of the hearing.

Robinson noted during the proceeding that Short has been sitting in jail for four months without a DA's report indicating why he was charged in the 2-year-old's death as well as the shooting of her grandmother, Catherine Price, on Cedar Street in Weldon. “I need evidence as to why he's been in jail for four months.”

The reasons why he was being held were not discussed in open court, but instead in chambers with Freeman, State Bureau of Investigation agents, Captain James Avens of the Weldon Police Department, Werner and Short's attorney, Jamal Summey.

At the end of that session, Freeman announced in open court, “The state produced orally the evidence it has and shows the strength of its case.”

While Robinson believed the evidence should have been produced three weeks ago, she said, “One-million dollar bond is sufficient based on the evidence.”

Planning board member Lawrence White made the motion to deny the request, saying he did not believe the proposal was in harmony with the original concept of the development and that he also believed it could be spot zoning in relation to the initial plans.

Charles Landen cast the second. Landen, Sherry Hux, Henry Ford and Terry Campbell sided with White on the matter.

While the planning board denied the request, it still goes before Roanoke Rapids City Council, Planning and Development Director Kelly Lasky said this evening. Council will take the matter up at its January 6 meeting at the Lloyd Andrews City Meeting Hall at 5:15 p.m.

Mark Gregory, developer of the project, said following the meeting he would be moving forward with taking the plans to city council. He said he believed the planning board is incorrect in their belief the project constituted spot zoning since plans originally approved for the development included mixed uses.

Planning Board Chairman Gregory Browning said he did not believe the proposal was spot zoning. “We need to have something for everybody,” he said during discussion following the motion. “They designed it to put in a little bit of everything.”

Donald Vincent, who lives in a house at Villages at Cross Creek, was the primary person to speak against the proposal, which is planned to occupy 20 acres of land behind Roanoke Rapids Fire Station II off Highway 125.

Vincent said he believed there would be major traffic concerns with the development and believed it would affect the value of residential homes in the community. “With the increase in population, we don't have a police substation in there and the fire department would need another ladder truck.”

Vincent also contended the conditional use request was a form of spot zoning.

Lasky, however, addressing a question by planning board member Robert Moore Jr., said the planned unit development concept allowed different uses.

Marilyn Hale, another resident of the development, asked planning board members, “How would you feel if it was in your back yard.”

Ella Ross, another resident, said she believed there were health and safety concerns that needed to be addressed, especially in adding to the traffic on Highway 125.

Bill Dreitzler, a civil engineer, said, however, it was unlikely the traffic impact would even reach the 2005 traffic projections.

Gregory said MaSuki Incorporated, which submitted the conditional use permit application to amend the original planned unit development map, said appraisals have been done to show the affect on property values is negligible.

He said the multi-family apartment development would be market value, not subsidized units and a market study was done showing the need for such a development in the city.

Rent is expected to be between $800 to $850 for two-bedroom apartments and between $950 to $1,000 for three-bedroom units.

Renters, he said, would be a mix of young professionals and retired couples who don't want the headache of lawn maintenance and other concerns that come with home ownership.

Plans for the development include a 3,200 square-foot clubhouse; swimming pool; picnic area; playground; dog park; sidewalks and private garage storage with direct access to Highway 125.

Gregory said the company, which has done other projects in North Carolina, doesn't have any low-income housing. “We're not going to build something in the other direction.”

That the conditional use permit came in as an amendment to the planned unit development was because the initial request was processed as a standard or conventional rezoning. “Staff determined that if the zoning districts of the Villages at Cross Creek had been approved as standard zoning districts, then the legislative rezoning process would have been appropriate. However, the standard rezoning process did not apply to the property given the approved conditional use permit for the Villages at Cross Creek planned unit development zoning map,” Lasky wrote in a memo to the planning board.

The Viriginian-Pilot of Norfolk reported the school board made its decision this evening. He will begin his duties February 16.

Bracy has been superintendent of Weldon City Schools since 2005.

The newspaper reported his Portsmouth contract will go through June 30, 2018, and he will earn $184,000 in base pay.

“I am elated, I am excited and I am humbled to be in this position,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. “I look forward to moving this district forward.”

Portsmouth serves about 15,000 students in 19 schools.

The board unanimously approved Bracy’s appointment.

Since a gang summit in October, the sheriff's office has initiated strategies that will be coordinated not only with the local agencies, but those on the state and local level, Sheriff Wes Tripp said. “The leadership of each agency has dedicated resources to have mutual information collection, establish a dissemination protocol, and have coordinated efforts in prosecutions.”

The Sheriff’s Office has also coordinated with the United States Attorney’s Office Eastern District in order to prosecute federal law violators in the Safe Neighborhoods program.

Tripp said residents are encouraged to call the hotline with any information. “They need be aware of their surroundings and watch out for anything out of ordinary, writings that make no sense.”

Tripp and Weldon Police Chief Mark Macon have went on record as saying two murders in August in the town were gang-related. “We've also seen gang-related crimes.”

There was a time, Tripp said, when the term wannabe gang members was used to describe local activity. “We look at them now as they are just as dangerous because they have something to prove. Hopefully, we are taking a proactive approach to gang activity.”

While a story posted on rrspin following gang summit, which revealed the names of several local gangs, garnered comments saying they were merely rappers, Tripp said, “We have evidence to prove some crimes are gang-related.”

Roanoke Rapids Police Chief Chuck Hasty said he sees the task force and the hotline as a good tool for information sharing, “helping us track anybody that may be with a gang.”

Tripp said messages left will be checked daily. “Leave a message of any kind with information that pertains to crime, anything that raises suspicion. We will take all information.”

In bullet points contained in a statement on the matter, the sheriff's office said there are several reasons to become involved with the hotline:

• If you are tired of the local cycle of violence, where young people and even children are killed.

• If you are tired of substance abuse impacting families.

• If you are tired of repeat offenders committing serious crimes.

• If you want your neighborhood to be a safe place to live.

•If you want to see the bullying style of gang recruitment that exists stop.

• If you know of an offender that needs to be saved before they get killed in gang activities.

• If you are tired of gang activities holding communities hostage.

• If you want to contribute to making your community standard of living improve greatly.

Detective Obert Wiltsie said Semaj Prince, 19, was arrested following a November 15 report that involved the exchange of $10 and $50 bills for goods.

He was arrested on warrants for possession of five or more counterfeit instruments, uttering a forged instrument and obtaining property by false pretense. He received a $15,000 bond and has a January 21 court date.

He also faces similar charges in Roanoke Rapids, court records show.

Wiltsie said continued investigation will focus on trying to determine the source of the bills. “We're definitely going to try to find that out.”

He said the images on the bills weren't bad. “It was the details in the money,” that were giveaway.

On December 14, three people were arrested in connection with several stolen batteries, according to Captain M.D. Deloatch.

Sergeant J. Jenkins along with other deputies arrested Deonta Treiquon Gilliam, 18, and Tre LeShawn Watford, 21, both of Murfreesboro.

Also arrested was Troy Danahue Townes Jr., 22, of Woodland.

The three were charged with possession of burglary tools, breaking and entering and felony larceny. They were all given $15,000 secured bonds.

“We will continue to investigate all suspicious activity and we encourage the public to notify the sheriff’s office of any such activity,” said Sheriff Jack Smith in a statement.

On December 5 the sheriff's office, according to Deloatch, executed a search warrant on a residence on Sandy Ridge Lane in Gaston.

After a three-month long investigation deputies arrested Jarren Squire, 31,of Gaston.

Deputies seized 665 grams of marijuana and $3,498 in currency.

Squire was charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana; felony possession of marijuana, maintaining a dwelling to keep a controlled substance, felony possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was given an $8,000 secured bond.

Currently he is superintendent of Weldon City Schools, located in Weldon.

Bracy, a North Carolina native, is a veteran educator.

During the last 20 years, he has held ever-increasing leadership positions in schools and central administration. “I am excited about the opportunities that await me in Portsmouth Public Schools. It is my goal to work closely with the entire faculty and staff to improve academic achievement and graduate students who are prepared for college and careers,” Bracy said. “It is my expectation that we will engage in conversations about where our schools are, where they should be, and what it will take from each of us to reach the highest goals, and then proceed with actions to reach these goals. We have to be student and purpose-driven, our intentions should always come from a place of excellence. ” Bracy began his career in Weldon City Schools as a guidance counselor/teacher; he then served as an assistant principal and principal in Wayne County Public Schools.

After successful experiences as a building administrator, Bracy became director of elementary education and assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction in Northampton County Schools. In 2005, he was named superintendent of Weldon. Under Bracy’s leadership, Weldon City Schools opened an early college high school. In May, the school graduated its first class with students receiving a high school diploma, associate’s degree, or college transfer credits. The district also secured a grant to establish health centers throughout the school district and established the Charger Learning Center to build academic capacity, increase course credit potential, and increase the graduation rate of students.

The graduation rate increased from 67.8 percent to 91.3 percent in the district.

In Bracy’s current district, over the last two years the high schools have celebrated 100 percent college acceptance. His superintendent colleagues in the Northeast Region recognized Bracy’s leadership in 2013 when he was presented the North Carolina Northeast Regional Superintendent of the Year award and competed for state honors. Halifax Community College recognized Superintendent Bracy with its Presidential Partnership Award in 2009. He is an active member of state and national education associations, including the North Carolina Association of School Administrators, Roanoke River Valley Education Consortium, and the American Association of School Administrators.

He has presented at national conferences, including the National Alliance of Black School Educators and the Urban Superintendents Association of America. Bracy earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

He holds master’s degrees from North Carolina Central University in Public Administration and Guidance and Counseling and a master’s degree from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in Education Administration and Supervision.

He attended Kentucky State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.

He and his wife, Kimberly, have three children and one granddaughter.  

The Halifax Solar Power Project, developed in partnership between Geenex, a leading solar energy developer, and ET Capital, an ET Solar energy investment company based in California, was placed into service this month. Duke Energy Renewables will own and operate the site, the company said in a statement.

A transaction price was not immediately known.

“ET Solar and Geenex have created a quality solar facility, and we are excited to add it to our more than 60-megawatts of successful operating projects in Eastern North Carolina,” said Duke Energy Renewables President Greg Wolf. “We also appreciate and plan to support their community-centric vision for the project.”

The project was built on the site of a decommissioned airport in Halifax County, putting idle property into productive use.

“We are proud of the solar farm we built, but even more exciting is the partnership with the community,” said Georg Veit, CEO of Geenex. “In a unique economic development agreement with the county, we have broken ground on our Solar Center of Excellence, which will provide education about solar power and work in partnership with the schools in the region and Halifax Community College to train solar energy technicians.”

“The solar project will inject an estimated $75 million into Halifax County between 2014 and 2029, and it created more than 150 jobs during peak construction,” said Dennis She, ET Solar’s president and CEO.

The project is located in Dominion North Carolina Power’s service territory, and the energy generated from the solar site will be sold through a 15-year agreement with the utility.

The system employs 866 AE 3TL string inverters of 23.2KW AC capacity each and has about 100,000 ET Solar and Chint solar modules. It can produce enough electricity to power approximately 3,500 homes. 

The shooting victim, whose name was not immediately released, is in stable condition, while the wreck victim, who was in a separate victim from the shooting victim is currently in critical condition, Deputy Chief Andy Jackson said.

Chief Chuck Hasty said what sparked the shooting, which was near a barbershop in the Forest Hills Shopping Center and occurred around 5 p.m., is not immediately known. The victim was shot once, Jackson said.

The wreck occurred at the intersection of Becker Drive and East Tenth Street, police said, and involved four vehicles.

A person in one of the vehicles escaped serious injuries, Roanoke Rapids firefighters said.

Thus far there are no suspect descriptions, Jackson and Hasty said.

Details of the how the wreck occurred and speed the shooting victim was traveling in an apparent attempt to get to the hospital are not known at this time.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444.