Public records
By Other
Published in News on February 1, 2006 1:47 PM
Mobile home
destroyed by fire
A rental mobile home at 212 E. New Hope Road was destroyed Tuesday night in a fire that authorities called suspicious. The blaze was referred to Goldsboro police for a further investigation.
Assistant Fire Chief Eric Lancaster said neighbors said they had had heard an explosion just before the fire was reported.
The resident, Wilber Dean Lofton, was not home, but he arrived during the time firefighters were putting out the blaze. He told Lancaster that some of his property had been damaged at the home.
Fifteen firefighters answered the 9:08 alarm with three engines, a ladder and a command car.
"The first engine saw fire showing," Lancaster said.
The first truck arrived within five minutes, and the fire was controlled by 9:30 p.m. No adjacent buildings were threatened.
"The firefighters did a good job in controlling the fire," the assistant chief added.
They remained for two hours to investigate the cause and finish salvage work.
The mobile home, valued at $9,000, was owned by Richard Gray of Goldsboro. The contents, valued at $5,000, were destroyed.
The fire was the first for Lancaster's shift since he was promoted to assistant chief.
Drug raid
PRINCETON -- An undercover drug investigation has led to the arrest of a Princeton woman and the seizure of marijuana and cash, Princeton Police Eddie Lewis said Tuesday.
Mary Jane Lynch, 58, was arrested last week and charged with three felony counts of possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana and two felony counts each of sale and delivery of marijuana and maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of using and selling marijuana. Ms. Lynch was placed in the Johnston County Jail in lieu of a $160,000 secured bond.
Lewis said undercover officers had made two buys at Ms. Lynch's home in the 300 block of West Second Street in the last few weeks.
Armed with a search warrant, Johnston County sheriff's deputies entered the house, found 18 grams of marijuana and $342. Lewis said he witnessed the search and the arrest.
Ms. Lynch's arrest "made some people mad," Lewis said. "Some people came through town and said we shouldn't have messed with that old lady."
Charges against other people are pending, the chief said.
Theft at dealership
Thieves stole $6,075 worth of property and five checks totaling $87,709.39 after inflicting about $3,230 worth of damages at Goldsboro Honda at 1309 W. Grantham St., Goldsboro police reported.
The break-in and theft occurred between 9:30 p.m. Monday and 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, police said.
The thieves had damaged door handles to enter the building and then ransacked offices and the parts department while looking for items of value, the report said. A security cabinet, a file cabinet, a locker and a computer monitor also were damaged.
Among the property stolen were an automotive code scanning computer, 50 inspection stickers, 12 dealer plates, eight tires, floor mats, key chains and a notary public stamp.
An employee, Alfred Walter Piver of Goldsboro, reported the theft of a cell phone and seven watches from his car. The stolen property was valued at $600.
Thefts
Wayne County law-enforcement officers are investigating these reports:
*A stereo was stolen between Monday and Tuesday after a car window was smashed in the Quality Inn parking lot at 708 Corporate Drive, Goldsboro police said. The owner, Hattie Lynette Darden of Goldsboro, put a $350 value on the stereo. Damage was set at $100.
*About $1,300 was stolen Tuesday from a box in a bedroom in a home in the 100 block of Pacific Drive near Dudley, sheriff's deputies said. The resident, Matilda Sutton, said the theft had occurred between midnight and 6:55 a.m.
*A laptop computer and a DVD player were stolen Tuesday from a home in the 100 block of Ruby Road, deputies said. The stolen property was valued at $1,545. No sign of forced entry was reported.
*An estimated $1,480 worth of tools was stolen between Jan. 24 and Tuesday from Case Farms at 330 Pecan Road, deputies said. An employee, John Donald Reed, reported the theft of three meters and other tools.
4 hurt in wrecks
Four people were injured and damages were estimated at $24,500 in four recent traffic accidents in Wayne County, the Highway Patrol reported.
*A Goldsboro driver was injured and the car that she was driving was destroyed in a wreck at 10:25 a.m. Tuesday on Durham Lake Road near Hack Drive, the Highway Patrol said. Linda Ann Jones, 45, of West Oak Street was treated and released from Wayne Memorial Hospital, a spokeswoman said. The report said the car had run off the right side, struck a ditch and overturned. Ms. Jones told troopers that the steering wheel locked as she entered a left turn. No charges were filed. The car was valued at $3,000.
*Three passengers were injured in a one-car crash at 1:19 a.m. Monday on Wayne Memorial Drive near Stoney Creek Church Road, the Highway Patrol said. Marcus McLean, 20, of Crawford Street, Reginald Fields, 20, of Lincoln Drive and Quinton Atkinson, 19, of Madison Avenue were released after emergency-room treatment. The report said the northbound auto had crossed the center line out of control, then run off the right side, struck a ditch and overturned. The driver fled. The car, valued at $10,000, was registered to Melanie Christine Stewart of B.J. Drive.
*Damage was estimated at $5,500 in a two-vehicle collision at 7:48 p.m. Jan. 19 at N.C. 111 and Stoney Creek Church Road, the Highway Patrol said. An eastbound driver, Alyssa Gail Nicolas, 19, of Stoney Hill Road, was charged with a safe-movement violation. The report said the car that she was driving had collided with a northbound sport utility vehicle. The other driver fled, but the SUV was registered to Alicia Guadalupe Zapata of Deer Meadow Drive, the report said.
*A southbound car was demolished in a wreck at 11:45 a.m. Jan. 17 on True Vine Road near U.S. 13, the Highway Patrol said. The driver, Thomas Channing Griffin, 26, of West Hooks River Road, was charged with a lane-control violation. The report said the car had run off the right side, struck a driveway culvert and a post and stopped in a ditch. The car was valued at $6,000.
Three charges
A 19-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday by Goldsboro police and charged with three felony offenses in connection with a theft.
Ronita Elis Howard of Bolling Drive was charged with breaking and entering, larceny and obtaining property by false pretense. She was accused of stealing a ring from a Goldsboro hotel and then pawning it at a local shop, Investigator Dwayne Bevell said. Ms. Howard was placed in the Wayne County Jail in lieu of a $4,999 secured bond.
Delinquency
charge
A 20-year-old man from Greenville was arrested Tuesday by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Stephen Andrew Barnes was accused of helping a 16-year-old girl run away from her home in Wayne County, Detective Sgt. Tammy Odom said. The girl was returned to her home. Barnes was placed in the Wayne County Jail on the misdemeanor charge in lieu of a $3,000 secured bond.
Clarification
A 1994 Toyota Tercel that Victor Humphrey of Pikeville had reported as stolen has been recovered and returned to him, Goldsboro police said today. The car had been identified incorrectly in Tuesday's News-Argus as a Ford Taurus.