Union stresses dangers
of DWI
Wilmington Police Officers Association Local 1739 offered condolences
Thursday to the families of a young man who died early Wednesday in a
sport utility vehicle rollover in the 2200 block of South Live Oak Parkway,
and the driver, who was injured in the accident.
Passenger Harper Williams, 19, died. Driver Harrison Palmer, 18, is charged
with driving while impaired.
The police union also praised the efforts of officers B.A. Gomez and Terry
Slawter for their efforts in attempting to resuscitate Mr. Williams.
Union President Curtis Stansbury said officers are willing to work with
the public to educate them on the dangers of impaired driving.
"We have members who are willing to meet with youth groups, classes
and other organizations to help reduce this type of senseless tragedy.
Working together, we can help prevent more tragedies like this,"
Officer Stansbury said.
For more information, call Officer Stansbury at 297-1172
Last updated: January 06. 2005 12:00AM
Deputy injured in crash stable but still unconscious
By Majsan Boström
Staff Writer
New Hanover County Deputy George Clemens was still unconscious Wednesday
after a drunken driver hit his vehicle New Year’s Day.
"His condition is stable, but he has massive injuries," Sheriff
Sid Causey said Wednesday afternoon. "We are all real concerned,
and it sounds like he’s going to have to go to Chapel Hill for more
treatment."
The sheriff and several of Deputy Clemens’ colleagues have frequented
New Hanover Regional Medical Center since he was transported there early
Saturday morning.
"His blood pressure and vitals are good, but he’s got a rod
in his leg from his knee to his hip," the sheriff said. "And
his left hip area is just crushed. One of his kidneys shut down or doesn’t
function properly, so it didn’t filter his medication properly,
and they think that’s why he’s not waking up."
The sheriff said it was a tragic coincidence that one of his deputies
fell victim to the first accident involving drunken driving in 2005.
"The prime thing we are working on that night (New Year’s Eve)
is preventing those things from happening," he said. "The primary
goal of all law enforcement is to keep everyone safe on the roads."
Nash Gabriel Hale, 18, who crashed into Deputy Clemens’ vehicle
after failing to yield to a flashing red light, was charged with driving
while impaired and released on bond the same morning. Police said more
charges may be filed depending on Deputy Clemens’ medical condition.
Article published Jan 8, 2005
Police station bids millions too high
Design to be modified, project rebid to stay within city's $15 million
budget
Construction bids on the new Wilmington police headquarters came in millions
of dollars over budget, meaning the building’s opening will be pushed
back at least several months, a city official said Friday.
Architects will make modifications to the building’s design and
request new bids, said city purchasing manager Steve Bridges, who is leading
the project.
Late last month, the city received three bids for the headquarters, which
is planned for Bess Street on the city’s Northside. The lowest –
from C Construction Co. of Jacksonville – came in at about $18.7
million, well above the $15 million the city hopes to spend.
“It certainly wasn’t expected,” Mr. Bridges said. “It’s
a bump in the road, that’s for sure.”
C Construction also listed a subÅ]conÅ]tractor on its bid
that didn’t have the proper license, which also contributed to the
city’s decision to re-advertise for bids, Mr. Bridges said. Had
the subcontractor been licensed, the city would have talked to that company
to try to get the price down, he said.
The other two bids came in at more than $20 million, Mr. Bridges said.
He attributed the high bids to increased costs for numerous construction
materials, including lumber, plywood, steel, drywall, masonry and concrete.
In addition, contractors and subcontractors and their workers are very
busy, driving costs up, he said.
“The market in general for construction is nuts,” Mr. Bridges
said.
The city is working on a modified design and will request new bids within
about three months, he said. Barring other setbacks, the roadblock will
push the opening of the headquarters, which was originally scheduled in
late April 2006, to August of that year. Groundbreaking is slated for
some time this year.
Police Chief Ralph Evangelous said architects are looking for ways to
cut costs on materials but that he hopes the building’s durability
won’t suffer and necessitate costly repairs down the road.
The chief said the building would not lose any of its size – 86,000
square feet.
“There are some things we can do to not lose any of the functionality
of the building, but to still save some money,” he said.
The total project cost – including construction, land acquisition,
water and sewer line relocations and other expenses – is about $22
million.
The original design included many amenities not found in the current site
on Red Cross Street, including a 2,000-square-foot fitness area, a large
meeting room, a laboratory area for fingerprinting and basic forensics,
housing for dogs and horses and a fueling station.
Ũ
Patrick Gannon: 343-2328
Patrick.gannon@starnewsonline.com
D.W.I. Victim Speaks Out
(January 7, 2004) - The images of drunk driving are usually totaled cars
and mug shots, but tonight we put a face to the tragedy. One victim speaks
out about the accident that she remembers everyday.
The day before Thanksgiving, Renee Barnes rode down Military Cutoff Road.
She was hit by a drunk driver, an accident that would change her life
forever.
Renee Barnes and Shelly Lancaster went for a late dinner that night. Then
out of nowhere, someone rear ended their S.U.V. The impact sent the car
spinning into an eighteen-wheeler. One of Renee's first thoughts was her
three dogs in the back seat.
Shelly Lancaster says, "When we started the spin I heard glass shattering,
and the metal and the glass. I heard Chance make this noise like the air
was just knocked out of him."
Chance, a border collie flew, through the window of the S.U.V. Shelly
says, "I told Renee 'The dogs are out we've got to get out of here.'"
Renee and Shelly found Chance, but he was barely alive. He died shortly
after.
Police charged Darryl Bonheur with his second DWI. In February of last
year, he pleaded guilty to DWI, and received 24 months of unsupervised
parole. Renee says, "If this kid had been properly punished the first
time around, who's to say. Maybe it would have made a difference and this
wouldn't have happened."
Renee suffered massive head injuries and now neurological damage. She
hopes telling her story will help someone else. Renee says, "If we
can just save one person's life, than his short time on earth will have
fulfilled a purpose."
Darryl Bonheur is due in court next week. He will face charges of DWI
and parole violation.
Last updated: January 12. 2005 11:28PM
Knocked over, damaged stones at cemetery fixed
By Majsan Boström
Staff Writer
In a quiet corner of the historical part of Oakdale Cemetery on Wednesday,
contractors armed with cement and cranes began restoring the nearly 100
headstones that were toppled and smashed one late October night.
“It’s hard to come up with a total number of what this will
cost,” said Eric Kozen, the cemetery’s superintendent. “And
some headstones were shattered beyond repair and have to be replaced.
It could cost close to $10,000 to replace just one.”
Delores White, who works with marble restoration and is one of three contractors
on the job, cleaned up a headstone that had just been put back into place
with the help of a crane.
“We just finished setting up Mr. Wright again,” she said.
William A. Wright, a descendant of the person for whom Wrightsville Beach
was named, had his headstone toppled in the worst vandalism in the cemetery’s
history.
“We had to use compound to put back Mr. Wright’s stone,”
Ms. White said. “But with others, some that are cracked, we had
to use cement.”
Ms. White said fixing the desecrated graves, spread out throughout the
cemetery, was a big project.
“I think the last count I had was 97,” Ms. White said. “We
do what we can do in a day.”
Mr. Kozen said he hoped 90 percent of the restoration work could be done
within two weeks, but some of the most-damaged stones could take up to
five months to replace. Many of the damaged headstones were made of Vermont
marble, the most expensive on the market, Ms. White said.
“We are paying for the repair and restoration of the tombstones
strictly though help from donations and contributions,” Mr. Kozen
said. “And we are very grateful that we have had so much help.”
Considered a historic landmark, the 165-acre Oakdale Cemetery is home
to about 26,000 people who were laid to rest here since 1855. Most of
the desecrated graves dated to the first 50 years of the cemetery’s
existence; therefore, it was impossible to locate many of the relatives,
Mr. Kozen said.
“From day one after this incident, my mission as well as my board
of directors’ was to get these stones restored as soon as we could,”
he said.
Mr. Kozen said he was impressed with the Wilmington Police Department.
“It’s very difficult to find individuals that do these acts,
vandalizing cemeteries,” he said. “So it’s a great triumph
for the Wilmington Police Department for the work they have done finding
some of the responsible people.”
Daniel C. Benson, 22, and Spencer F. Tolan, 16, both of Wilmington, have
been charged with numerous counts of desecrating graves. Another four
suspects, all juveniles, were charged with corresponding charges in juvenile
court, said Detective R.L. Odham, who investigated the case.
“Between the citizens, my lot owners and myself, we are very elated
that justice will possibly be served here shortly,” he said. “And,
hopefully, we’ll have the cemetery back the way it looked before,
soon.”
Ũ
Majsan Boström 343-2075
majsan.bostrom@starnewsonline.com
Parents Take Action After Daughter's Heroin Overdose
26-year-old Blair Thompson
(January 12, 2005) - A 26-year-old Wilmington woman is dead following
an eight year battle with a heroin addiction. Blair Thompson's parents
say they tried everything to keep her off drugs, but nothing worked. Now,
they're fighting a different battle, one for tougher punishments for street-level
drug dealers.
Blair was not your typical heroin addict. She graduated magna cum laude
from UNC Wilmington. She taught elementary school in Pender County, and
was pursuing her masters in education. But Blair died of an overdose,
paramedics carried her body out of a Wilmington hotel room two days before
Christmas.
Blair's parents say the same drug dealer who fed her addiction to heroin
has helped countless others self-destruct. He might be a low level street
dealer, but the Thompson's say he played a big role in their daughters
death. On the way home from Blair's memorial, they paid that drug dealer
a visit. "[I] just knocked on his door and said happy holidays to
you, and just wanted to let you know that my daughter just died two days
ago," says Rachel Thompson, Blair's mom.
The Thompson's want North Carolina to do what fourteen other states have
done already, adopt a drug dealer liability act. It makes street-level
dealers civilly liable for what they do. "A community can sue them
for making their neighborhood unsafe," Keith Thompson, Blair's father,
explained to NewsChannel 3. "It's a wonderful law, and it allows
us to finally get to the small dealer."
In the meantime, the Thompson's urge other parents to recognize how prevalent
the drug problem is even in the nicest parts of Wilmington. Keith doesn't
want other parents to say goodbye the way he did. Keith shared with us
part of his last letter to Blair, written in the days after her death.
"I would still do anything for one more day with you. Life is not
fair, Blair, you did the best you could. I will treasure every moment
I spent on earth with you. Say hello to my Father for me. I love you,
Dad."
To learn more about what you can do to fight street level drug dealers,
Dads and Mad Moms Against Drug Dealers is a national group lobbying for
stiffer drug laws in places like North Carolina.
SPEAK OUT IN THE FORUM
