Details out on daycare moonshine raid, arrest
By Steve Herring
Published in News on June 4, 2009 1:46 PM
A small shed located behind a daycare in the Teachey community of Duplin County appears to have served as a bar whose menu of drinks included moonshine.
The daycare has been closed and the husband-wife team of owners faces misdemeanor alcohol charges and Johnnie Wilson, 56, faces a felony weapons charge.
Wilson, of Log Cabin Road and his wife, Judy, 54, both were charged with possession of non-tax-paid alcohol (moonshine) and possession of alcohol beverages for sale without an ABC permit.
Wilson also faces a felony charge of possession of a weapon of mass destruction, a sawed-off shotgun.
Wilson was released under a $5,500 bond. Mrs. Wilson was cited to appear in court.
The couple have run Wilson Family Day Care for about four years.
Beer, wine and liquor were found inside a refrigerator in the shed, said Ted Carlton, special agent in charge with the state Alcohol Law Enforcement's (ALE) Wilmington office.
Two one-gallon plastic jugs, both nearly full of moonshine were found in the shed, Carlton said. Also found was a Mason jar of moonshine and fruit.
The fruit is added to flavor the moonshine, Carlton said.
It is unclear whether the moonshine was made on site or brought in, he said.
Moonshine is not as prevalent as it once was, but is still found from time to time, Carlton said.
A small amount of marijuana and rolling paper were found as well.
A cache of 17 firearms including shotguns, rifles and pistols were discovered. All of the weapons were locked up inside the house.
A team of ALE and Duplin County Sheriff's deputies executed a search warrant of the Wilson property at 12:10 a.m. on May 30. ALE agent Kenneth Simma is in charge of the investigation.
The Wilsons, who were home at the time, were "very cooperative," Carlton said.
Carlton said the search had been planned so late to ensure that no children were on the premises.
"We wanted to be very cautious just in case there were children," he said.
Wilson's father, whose name Carlton did not know, was at the home at that time as well.
"We called the Department of Social Services and the (daycare) license has been revoked," he said.