Public records
By Other
Published in News on September 16, 2004 1:58 PM
Masked gunman
robs farmer
SEVEN SPRINGS -- A farmer working in his shop Wednesday night was robbed of about $800 by a masked gunman, a Wayne County Sheriff's Office report said.
John Raiford of the 5100 block of N.C. 111 South, Seven Springs, told deputies that a black man wearing a ski mask approached him with a gun and demanded money.
The robber ordered Raiford to lie on the floor and then fired a weapon, sheriff's Capt. George Raecher said. Raiford was not injured, and the gunman fled with the money.
The robber was described as being 5-feet-10, and he spoke with a speech impediment.
A neighbor and friend, Jake Price, heard the gunshots, drove to the home and assisted Raiford.
Sheriff Carey Winders said one shell casing was recovered. Because the shop was "off the road quite a bit," the sheriff said he believed the robber knew Raiford.
Attempts to track the robber with a deputy and a search dog showed that he fled in a vehicle, Raecher said.
Winders, Lt. Dwayne Edwards, Sgt. Carter Hicks and C-shift patrol officers responded. Detective Sgt. Mike Kabler was put in charge of the investigation.
Divers to help
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office dive team and the Arr-Mac water recovery team have been asked to stand by in western North Carolina in order to provide assistance from Hurricane Ivan.
The three deputies and four members each from the Arrington and Mar Mac Volunteer fire departments left Goldsboro at 6 this morning for Yancey County. Gov. Mike Easley had requested 19 swift-water recovery teams from 14 counties to go to western counties. Sheriff Carey Winders said he did not know how long they would be gone.
House fire
An electrical short in a bedroom was blamed Wednesday night for a fire that damaged a double-wide mobile home at 668 Selah Church Road, a fire official said.
Damages were estimated at $16,000 to the home and $7,000 to contents, Assistant Grantham Fire Chief Mike Anderson said. No one was injured. The residents who were not identified were not home.
Eighteen Grantham firefighters answered the 6:01 p.m. call with five trucks and needed about two hours to put out the fire, investigate the cause and finish salvage work. Jordans Chapel offered mutual aid.
Dix employee charged
A state mental health employee from Goldsboro is charged with taking indecent liberties with a patient at Dorothea Dix psychiatric hospital in Raleigh.
Otis Simmons Jr., 26, of Goldsboro was arrested and charged with taking indecent liberties with a minor in his care. The arrest warrant says the victim is a 15 year old. The incident happened between June 14 and June 22.
Simmons was placed on unpaid leave from his job as a health care technician in August, which was 2-1/2 weeks after his arrest. He resigned last week, WRAL-TV reported.
In the adolescent unit, male technicians work with male patients. Female technicians are only allowed to work with female patients. The hospital director told WRAL that there was a clear violation of that policy in the most recent case.
The arrest is the third made by Dorothea Dix police in the last few months involving employees and children. In May, two other health care technicians were arrested and charged with child abuse.
Teen charged
A young teen-aged driver was arrested Wednesday after two traffic collisions in Goldsboro. The second wreck left a driver injured and damages of $13,000 to the two vehicles, police reports said.
Desean Markys Sanders, 13, of Randall Lane was charged in a juvenile petition with a stop-sign violation and no operator's license after the second wreck at about 8 a.m. at East Ash and Lee streets. The report said Sanders failed to stop on Lee Street and the car that he was driving collided with an eastbound sport utility vehicle.
The other driver, Kevin Stewart Coakley, 35, of Trey Drive, was treated and released from Wayne Memorial Hospital, a spokeswoman said.
Police said Sanders was fleeing from another motorist after the car that the teen was driving had struck a parked van on Olivia Lane near South Slocumb Street. The owner of the van, Wade Michael McMillian of Robert Street, saw the crash. Police said he then jumped in a vehicle and followed the hit-and-run car. Damages in the first wreck were put at more than $1,000.
Sanders was charged in a juvenile petition with felony possession of a stolen car, hit and run, failure to reduce speed and no operator's license in the first collision.
The stolen car was registered to Blanche Elaine Brown of Randall Lane.
In other collisions:
*Five people were injured at 3:02 p.m. Wednesday on Wayne Memorial Drive near Fourth Street, police said. William Henry Cobb, 36, of East Elm Street, and his passengers -- Thelma Jones, 48, of East Elm Street; Charletta Strickland, 29, of Annie's Avenue, Dudley; Elton Best, 47, of Alabama Avenue, and Deborah Pridgen, 46, of Denmark Street -- were treated and released from Wayne Memorial Hospital, a spokeswoman said. Allan John Risch, 18, of North Virginia Street, was charged with failure to reduce speed as a result of the rear-end collision. Damages were set at $200.
*Damages were estimated at $6,500 at 11:35 p.m. Tuesday on Buck Swamp Road near Perkins Road, the Highway Patrol said. Blake Wright Lee, 23, of Renee Drive, was charged with a safe-movement violation. The report said Lee was turning left into a parking lot and his car collided with a car driven by Brenda J. McGalliard, 50, of Western Wayne Drive, Pikeville.
Investigations
Wayne County law-enforcement officers are investigating these reports:
*A thief smashed a door at Dewey Development Inc. at 705 S. George St. and then damaged a vending machine in order to steal about $8, Goldsboro police said. Damages were estimated at $1,300.
*Tools, a tool box and two aluminum pipe wrenches were stolen from a home in the 200 block of Charlie Braswell Road, sheriff's deputies said. The resident, James Craig Sellers, put a $1,950 value on his property.