Public records
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on June 3, 2004 1:56 PM
Two hurt in fire
Two men were burned Tuesday night in a grease fire at a mobile home at 106 Dosia Drive in the Hood Swamp Mobile Home Park.
A guest, Robert Mitts, whose age and home address were not available, suffered burns on his arms and other parts. He was taken by ambulance to Wayne Memorial Hospital, stabilized and then transferred to UNC Hospitals at Chapel Hill. He was listed today in good condition.
A resident, Robert Pace, 20, was treated and released from Wayne Memorial Hospital.
A neighbor, Ricky Myers, said Wednesday that Pace had put a pot of oil on the kitchen stove in order to cook french fries, then went outside and forgot about the pot. Later, Myers said, Pace realized the pot was on fire and rushed inside. He picked up the boiling pot, spilled oil on the kitchen floor and then threw the pot outside.
Pace suffered second-degree burns. But the pot struck Mitts, who was seriously injured.
Fourteen New Hope firefighters responded to the 9:13 p.m. call with four trucks and needed about 45 minutes to put out the fire, ventilate the home and finish salvage work. Pinewood firefighters offered mutual aid.
Late Wednesday afternoon, the pot remained on the scorched grass near the front door.
The stove, valued at $500, was damaged in the fire, a New Hope firefighter said.
The home, also occupied by Pace's mother, Gerri, and his sister, Tina, was not damaged, firefighters said.
Well-building fire
A Southwestern Wayne Sanitary District well building at 604 McArthur Pond Road was damaged Wednesday in a fire caused by an electrical failure, a fire official said.
Wires to an air heater in the ceiling had become corroded over time, broke loose, then shorted out and caught the ceiling on fire, Assistant Grantham Fire Chief Richard Proctor said. The fire then spread to the attic.
Damage was estimated at $10,000 to the building and $200 to contents. The building was valued at $100,000 and contents were valued at $175,000.
Seven Grantham firefighters answered the 2:32 p.m. call with three trucks and needed about an hour to put out the fire, investigate the cause and finish salvage work. Jordans Chapel and Smith's Chapel volunteers assisted.
Siding theft
Two men have been arrested by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and charged with felony larceny in connection with the theft of aluminum siding from a building.
Richard Lee Williams, 24, of Durham Lake Road, and Gordon Lane, 35, of Arrington Bridge Road were accused of stealing the siding May 24 from a building at 546 Arrington Bridge Road, Detective Sgt. R. Thomas Flores Jr. said.
The siding had been sold to a recycler and could not be recovered, Flores said.
Williams also was accused of stealing vinyl flooring, light fixtures, carpet and a water heater on May 26 from a home in the 300 block of Durham Lake Road. Some flooring, a light fixture, some carpet and the water heater have been recovered, Flores said.
Williams was placed in the Wayne County Jail in lieu of a $10,000 secured bond. Lane was jailed in lieu of a $3,000 secured bond.
Sheriff has wreck
Wayne County Sheriff Carey Winders was charged Wednesday with following too closely after a rear-end collision on Wayne Memorial Drive near 11th Street, a Goldsboro police report said.
Winders, 47, of Pikeville, was going south at about 2:07 p.m. when his county sport utility vehicle collided with a minivan, driven by Robert Exum Haas III, 33, of Greenville.
The county SUV was not damaged, but Haas' minivan sustained an estimated $1,000 in damages.
Three hurt in wrecks
Three people were injured and damages in three recent traffic collisions in Wayne County, officers reported.
*A driver from Goldsboro was injured in a one-car wreck at 8:25 a.m. Wednesday on North Spence Avenue near Royall Avenue, Goldsboro police said. Ithamar Amezquita, 47, of Quaker Drive was listed today in stable condition at Wayne Memorial Hospital. She was charged with driving left of center after the northbound car that she was driving crossed the southbound lanes and ran off the left side. The car, valued at $2,000, was demolished.
*A pedestrian, Phillip Lee Leverette, 17, of Lowry Drive, was struck by a hit-and-run car at about 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Ashley Plaza parking lot in the 200 block of North Berkeley Boulevard, police said. Leverette said he had walked between bushes and was struck by an eastbound auto that turned onto Berkeley Boulevard. Leverette went home, notified police and then left Wayne Memorial Hospital without being treated, a spokeswoman said.
*A driver was injured in a one-car wreck at 9:10 p.m. Tuesday on Old Black Creek Road near Moye Road, the Highway Patrol said. Kylie G. Hill, 16, of Morris Place, Fremont, was treated and released from Wayne Memorial Hospital. She also was charged with driving left of center after the car that she was driving ran off the left side and struck a ditch. Damage was estimated at $200.
Break-in
A former Wayne County resident who now lives in Fayetteville was arrested Wednesday by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and charged with three felony offenses in connection with a residential break-in.
Leslie Ann Penkala, 28, was charged with breaking and entering, larceny and possession of stolen goods. She was placed in the Wayne County Jail in lieu of a $25,000 secured bond.
Ms. Penkala was accused of breaking into a home on Feb. 16 on Eva Drive near Eureka and stealing a dishwasher and a stove, valued at $900, Detective Sgt. Carl Lancaster said. She was found in the Sampson County Jail after she had been arrested and charged with shoplifting and possession of counterfeit money in Clinton.
A man wanted in the Eureka break-in, Herbert Ainsworth Henderson Jr., 37, of N.C. 222 East, Fremont, was arrested March 10 and charged with assisting Ms. Penkala. He was found in the Cumberland County Jail in Fayetteville.
Missing
Maria Reyes
A 16-year-old girl was reported missing Wednesday by relatives to the Wayne County Sheriff's Office. Maria Guadalupe Reyes of 877 Camp Jubilee Road, Seven Springs, was described as Hispanic, 5-feet-5 and 130 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. When Ms. Reyes was seen last on Friday, she was wearing a white shirt, pink pants and sandals. She had left her home with her sister and their boyfriends to visit friends. Her sister returned home.
Anyone with information on Ms. Reyes' location was asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 731-1481.
Six charges
A 20-year-old man has been arrested by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and charged with six felony counts of passing forged checks.
Justin Dean Hill of Country Run Lane was accused of cashing the checks at Wayne County banks and businesses, Detective Sgt. R. Thomas Flores Jr. said. Hill also was wanted on an outstanding arrest order. He was placed in the Wayne County Jail in lieu of secured bonds totaling $13,500.
Hill's wife, Leanna Marie Hill, 20, was arrested April 27 and charged with forging the checks and passing some of them. The checks had been stolen in April.
Fraud
A 43-year-old man has been arrested by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and charged with two felony counts of embezzlement.
Paul Franklin Potter of Wayne Memorial Drive was accused of embezzling funds from his former work place, Southco Distributing Co. of Goldsboro, Detective Lt. Tom Effler said. Potter was released on a $2,500 unsecured bond.
Car stolen
A teal 1997 Nissan Sentra 200SX was stolen between Tuesday and Wednesday from the 100 block of Durham Lake Road, a Wayne County Sheriff's Office report said.
The driver, Kristy N. Knotts of Pikeville, said the keys may have been left inside. The car, owned by Patsy E. Futrell of Pikeville, was valued at $2,500.