Onslow seizes drugs
July 11,2005
ROSELEE PAPANDREA View stories by reporter
DAILY NEWS STAFF
The Onslow County Sheriff's Department seized more than $29,000 worth
of cocaine and marijuana this weekend in two separate drug busts.
The first involved three men and was part of a two-year investigation
into alleged cocaine trafficking, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said.
The men were taken into custody Friday at a home on Haws Run Road.
Jeffrey Darnell Gustus, 25, of Hampstead, Leslie Tyrone Wilson, 31, of
Jacksonville, and Robert James London Jr., 31, of Jacksonville, are accused
of selling drugs in the Sneads Ferry area, Brown said.
"The Onslow County Sheriff's office has been plagued with information
about these three guys for two years," Brown said. "But arrests
don't happen overnight. After you accumulate information, you finally
get to the point were you can combine it all and get a search warrant."
After serving a search warrant on Haws Run Road Friday night, 343 grams
of cocaine were seized. Authorities also found plastic bags, digital scales,
baking soda, a glass cooking bowl and a ceramic bong, according to warrants.
Gustus and Wilson were charged with possession with intent to manufacture,
sell and deliver cocaine, manufacturing cocaine, conspiring to traffic
in cocaine, two counts of trafficking cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
They are in Onslow County Jail under $200,000 bond each, according to
warrants.
London was charged with two counts of trafficking cocaine, possession
with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver cocaine, manufacturing cocaine,
possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver marijuana,
maintaining a vehicle/dwelling/place for a controlled substance, possession
with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, selling cocaine, delivering cocaine,
possession of drug paraphernalia and conspiring to traffic in cocaine.
He is in jail under $355,000 bond, according to warrants.
London is accused of selling 2 grams of cocaine to an informant, according
to warrants.
Pot arrests Saturday
On Saturday, the Sheriff's Department arrested John D. Smallwood, 51,
of Smallwood Drive in Hubert, Robert Earl Robinson, 44, of Abbotts Branch
Lane in Hubert, and William Oaks, 53, of Sandridge Road in Hubert, according
to warrants.
Authorities found almost two pounds of marijuana, about 161 marijuana
plants and several other kinds of drugs, including xanax, vicotin, endocet,
oxycodone, valium, alprazolam and small amounts of cocaine, according
to warrants.
Smallwood, who was convicted in 1974 for possessing LSD, was charged with
possession of a firearm by a felon. He allegedly had a .380 Colt revolver.
He also was charged with felony possession of cocaine, possession with
intent to manufacture, sell and deliver marijuana, manufacturing marijuana,
two counts of simple possession of a schedule II controlled substance,
simple possession of a schedule III and schedule IV controlled substance,
maintaining a vehicle/dwelling/place for a controlled substance and possession
of drug paraphernalia. He is in jail under $75,000, according to warrants.
Robinson was charged with maintaining a vehicle/dwelling/place for a controlled
substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, three counts of simple possession
of a schedule IV controlled substance, possession of marijuana up to a
half an ounce, possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver
cocaine and manufacturing cocaine. He is in jail under $30,000 bond, according
to warrants.
Oaks was charged with maintaining a vehicle/dwelling/place for a controlled
substance, simple possession of a schedule III and IV controlled substance,
possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver marijuana, manufacturing
marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is in jail under $60,000
bond, according to warrants.
Contact staff writer Roselee Papandrea at rpapandrea@freedomenc.com or
at 353-1171, Ext. 238.
Attacking dog shot by police
December 01,2004
ROSELEE PAPANDREA
DAILY NEWS STAFF
A Jacksonville police officer shot and killed a pit bull Monday afternoon
after the dog attacked a woman and charged the officer.
Kasey Brinkley, 33, of North Willow Lane, was hanging Christmas decorations
with her two children Monday about 3:55 p.m. when a neighbor's pit bull
broke loose. The dog was aggressive and started to chase Brinkley, said
Paul Spring, deputy chief of the Jacksonville Police Department.
Brinkley managed to get her daughter in the house and yelled to her son
to get in the back of a pick-up truck.
"She was unable to get to safety herself, and the dog chased her
and bit her in the back of the leg," Spring said.
At that point, Brinkley jumped onto her car to get away from the dog,
Spring said.
Another neighbor, Leroy Mundy, was in his shed behind his house and heard
Brinkley screaming that the dog bit her. Mundy grabbed a shovel and tried
to scare the dog away, Spring said.
"The dog started running towards him, and (Mundy) backed into a fenced
area and called 911," Spring said.
When officer James Kirk arrived at Brinkley's house, the dog started running
at him.
"The dog charged him, and, unfortunately, the officer had to shoot
the dog," Spring said.
Kirk hit the dog with the first shot, but the pit bull kept charging.
Kirk fired a second shot. The dog fell and started yelping, Spring said.
"The dog at this point was seriously injured and the officer fired
a third round to stop the dog from suffering," Spring said.
The owner of the dog, Emily Holcomb, 22, of North Willow Lane, wasn't
home at the time. Onslow County Animal Control was called to remove the
dog. Animal Control hadn't received any complaints about the dog in the
past, Spring said.
Holcomb was not charged. Brinkley was treated at the scene and drove herself
to Onslow Memorial Hospital, Spring said.
Contact Roselee Papandrea at rpapandrea@jdnews.com or at 353-1171, Ext.
238.
Alleged
threats land man in jail
November 30,2004
JANNETTE PIPPIN
DAILY NEWS STAFF
BEAUFORT - A Carteret County man accused of burying the body of an acquaintance
in a wooded area of Beaufort is now charged with threatening potential
witnesses to the incident.
One day after his family posted bond for his release from Carteret County
Jail on involuntary manslaughter and obstructing justice charges, Albert
Rickey Hibbs of Otway was back in the jail Thanksgiving Day on an additional
charge of intimidating a witness.
Sheriff Ralph Thomas Jr. said that after Hibbs was released he called
two Otway residents on the phone and made verbal threats toward them for
allegedly providing information about the case.
"On (Thanksgiving Day) we received reports that he was intimidating
and threatening people who may be witnesses in his case," Thomas
said.
Hibbs is now in custody under a $250,000 bond and is being kept at a state
prison.
"There was the potential for him to be hard to deal with. We didn't
want him using our inmate phone system to issue threats," Thomas
said.
Hibbs was arrested Nov. 23 after the Carteret County Sheriff's Department
uncovered a body buried in a shallow grave. Deputies found the body of
20-year-old James Brandon Lewis after receiving a tip that the body could
be found behind the store at "East Carteret corner."
The cause of Lewis' death is still being investigated but authorities
say Hibbs refused to get Lewis medical attention after Lewis became unconscious.
Hibbs then allegedly tried to hide the body after he believed Lewis to
be dead.
Lewis was staying at the Hibbs residence the night of Nov. 19 and was
reportedly still sleeping on the couch when the Hibbs couple left their
residence the next morning. When they returned later that day, Lewis was
still on the couch and unresponsive.
Authorities said CPR was done to try to help Lewis, but Hibbs wouldn't
call for medical help. Instead, he drove about nine miles from his home,
and buried Lewis in the woods.
It was the second time this year that suspicious activity occurred at
the Hibbs residence at 148 Channel Rock Road in Otway.
In April, Robert Dale Irvine was found severely beaten in the front yard
of the residence and died several days later. Irvine was injured in a
fight, and no one called for help until the next morning, authorities
said at the time.
Kenneth Lawrence of Otway was charged with second-degree murder in that
death.
While Hibbs doesn't face criminal charges stemming from the April incident,
investigators said they believed Hibbs feared another incident at his
home would affect his efforts to regain custody of his children.
Contact Jannette Pippin at jpippin@jdnews.com or by calling (252) 808-2275.
State Bar sanctions Willingham
November 24,2004
ROSELEE PAPANDREA
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Jacksonville attorney and former city councilman Jerome Willingham cannot
practice law in North Carolina for five years, the N.C. State Bar ruled.
Willingham is appealing the decision and sharply criticized the Bar's
action.
The Disciplinary Hearing Commission made its decision Oct. 21, said attorney
Carolin Bakewell, who represented the State Bar.
In its order, the Disciplinary Hearing Commission focused on how Willingham
handled the funds of three different clients. The commission said Willingham
engaged in conduct involving "dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation."
Willingham must pay the costs of the disbarment, including those incurred
by the State Bar to depose witnesses. He can't seek reinstatement of his
license to practice law until November 2009. At that time, he must submit
proof that he made full restitution to two of his clients, according to
the disciplinary order.
It isn't the first time Willingham lost his license. In 1995, the commission
suspended Willingham for three years for allegedly violating State Bar
bookkeeping rules. He was given relief from two years of the suspension
as long as he followed specific guidelines provided by the commission.
Willingham, who served on Jacksonville's City Council from 1997 to 2003
until he lost a bid for mayor in November 2003, said that in one of the
cases cited by the State Bar, his client was satisfied with his services.
In the other two cases, Willingham was involved in fee disputes, he said
in a written statement.
Willingham said he hasn't done anything wrong.
"I certainly take my case with the N.C. State Bar very seriously,"
he said in the statement. "But I'm guilt free. I'm not going to feel
defeated when I have been victimized."
Willingham represented Marva V. Lane in a civil dispute against St. Mark
United Holy Church. In October 2003, St. Mark's agreed to pay Lane $16,112
to settle the dispute. A $15,000 check and a $1,112 check were issued
to Lane and Willingham, according to the disciplinary order.
Lane agreed to pay Willingham $1,500 as a fee. The remaining funds belonged
to Lane. In December 2003, Willingham deposited all the money into a First
Citizens Bank trust account. At the end of December 2003, Lane was diagnosed
with terminal colon cancer and was very ill, according to the disciplinary
order.
Lane's son, Perry Webster, contacted Willingham because Lane still hadn't
received any settlement funds. On Jan. 27, Webster and Lane allegedly
received a letter from Willingham who said "come hell or high water"
he was going to pay the funds by Feb. 2, according the disciplinary order.
Webster demanded the money by Jan. 30. Lane died Jan. 30. Willingham still
hasn't paid any of the settlement to Webster or Lane's estate, according
to the disciplinary order.
Willingham represented Lawrence Marshburn and his sister, Shirley Marshburn
in March 2002 in regard to a dispute over the sale of timber on some family
land. Lawrence Marshburn agreed to pay Willingham $2,000. Between March
2002 and February 2003, Willingham received $16,901 from the timber sales
and deposited it into his Bank of America trust account, according to
the disciplinary order.
Willingham withdrew $2,000 from the account for his fee. Between April
2002 and February 2003, he disbursed $4,500 to Lawrence Marshburn, which
would have left about $10,401 in the trust account. Willingham allegedly
used a portion of the remaining funds for his personal benefit, according
to the disciplinary order.
"The cases with Mr. Marshburn and Bishop Marva Lane were simple fee
disputes," Willingham said. "In an effort to pile on and victimize
me, the (State) Bar refused to handle these cases as fee disputes. The
(State) Bar has an established procedure for fee disputes. I have participated
in the process before, and they were always decided in my favor."
Willingham said that while Lawrence Marshburn was deposed, he never testified
at Willingham's hearing and allegedly didn't know about the fee that Shirley
Marshburn was charged.
"There was absolutely no testimony that my fee was unreasonable,"
Willingham said. "People know that I have the reputation as having
the most reasonable fees in Jacksonville because I try to help people."
Willingham said his fees and information favorable to him was disregarded
by the State Bar because Willingham was going to exercise his Fifth Amendment
right to not testify.
"In this rush to steam roll over me and my rights, one crucial fact
was overlooked: I did not invoke my Fifth Amendment right not to testify
at the hearing," Willingham said. "They had no legal basis to
exclude my evidence."
In June 2003, Willingham handled a real estate closing for George Wigfall
and deposited $52,509 into his own Bank of America trust account. In July
2003, Willingham disbursed $914 to himself to cover attorney fees, title
insurance and recording fees, according to the disciplinary order.
Willingham was allegedly supposed to disburse the remaining money to American
General Financial Services. While he only paid $600 mortgage payments
to American General on behalf of Wigfall in August and September 2003,
the balance in the trust account was as low as $26,164 in September 2003,
according to the disciplinary order.
Willingham paid the $51,811 to American General on Wigfall's behalf in
December 2003. Willingham allegedly received $46,500 of that money from
his brother, according to the disciplinary order. In his written statement,
Willingham said he lost more than $2,300 on the Wigfall case.
The Disciplinary Hearing Commission said Willingham needed to be disbarred
because he had multiple violations; he offered no evidence that allegedly
addressed the problem; he was previously disciplined by the State Bar;
a less serious discipline wouldn't require that Willingham prove he was
reformed and wouldn't acknowledge the seriousness of the offenses, according
to the disciplinary order.
"I do not regret standing up for my beliefs," Willingham said.
"However, if the State Bar does not like an attorney, they will do
anything to get that attorney - including violate the state and federal
law, certainly the rules of evidence.
"Â… I have worked very hard to defend the rights of others.
I have tried to be a good steward of the judicial system. I'm not perfect.
I have made mistakes. Sometimes justice is hard to find, but I am categorically
entitled to due process, not the prejudgment and corruptness I received
from the N.C. State Bar."
Contact Roselee Papandrea at rpapandrea@jdnews.com or at 353-1171, Ext.
238.
Attorney,
former councilman faces state Bar
March 18,2004
ROSELEE PAPANDREA
DAILY NEWS STAFF
A Wake County Superior Court judge has issued an order forbidding Jacksonville
attorney Jerome Willingham from handling client funds until further order
of the court.
The N.C. State Bar filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against
Willingham because he allegedly waited five months before paying off a
client's real estate loan and deed of trust.
Willingham also allegedly withheld money from a client after her case
was settled in December 2003, according to the preliminary injunction.
Superior Court Judge W. Donald Stephens issued the preliminary injunction
March 11, after a March 8 hearing. Attorney CarolinBakewell represented
the State Bar.
Willingham, who received his North Carolina law license in 1990, served
three terms on the Jacksonville City Council. He ran for a mayor in November
but lost in a four-way race. In 2002 he ran unsuccessfully for the North
Carolina House of Representatives.
Willingham had until this past Monday to deliver all financial records
relating to client funds to the Office of Counsel of the State Bar, according
to the terms of the injunction.
Willingham's case will go before the State Bar's Grievance Committee,
which next meets April 22, Bakewell said.
A case will go to the Grievance Committee after the State Bar receives
a complaint or information that an attorney might have violated rules
of proper conduct. The attorney is given a chance to respond to the complaints,
and all written information is presented to the committee, Bakewell said.
The committee determines whether the complaint should be dismissed or
if there is enough probable cause to discipline the attorney. If an attorney
wants to contest the Grievance Committee's decision, it then goes to the
State Bar's Disciplinary Hearing Commission, Bakewell said.
Last July, Willingham allegedly received a $50,000 wire transfer on behalf
of a client. Willingham was directed to use the money to pay off a prior
note and deed of trust held by American General Financial, according to
the injunction.
Instead of paying off the note, Willingham made monthly payments on the
loan. However, the balance in the attorney trust account, which Willingham
used to hold money that belonged to his clients, declined from $50,000
to $29,000 at the end of July and to $12,410 in November, according to
the injunction.
In December, Willingham paid the note and deed of trust on his client's
behalf.
On Jan. 30, the State Bar sent Willingham notice that a grievance was
filed against him regarding the way he handled the client's loan, according
to the injunction.
In response to the State Bar's motion for a preliminary injunction, Willingham
said that his client, who he knew from church, didn't have enough money
to pay his closing costs on the day of his closing because American General
Financial was charging a prepayment fee. Willingham said he made monthly
payments to keep the loan current until he cleared up the problem with
the fee and that money was moved into another attorney trust account.
"I paid all late fees," Willingham said in his response. "I
paid each of (the client's) children for their troubles. (The client)
asked me to take back a check I had written to one of his sons and to
give him the cash. I did this not knowing that the Bar or anyone else
was investigating because I care for (the client) and his family and I
care what they think of me."
In October, Willingham represented Marva Lane in a civil case filed in
Guilford County Superior Court. Following a settlement, Lane received
a $15,000 check and a $1,112 check. Lane endorsed both checks, which were
made out jointly to her and Willingham. Willingham was to put the money
in his trust account, deduct a $1,500 fee and then give her the balance,
according to the injunction.
Lane was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer in November. In January,
Perry Webster, the chief of police in Madison and Lane's son, contacted
Willingham because his mother never received the settlement money. Lane
died on Jan. 30 without a will, according to the injunction.
As of March 8, Willingham hadn't remitted any portion of the settlement
funds to Lane or her family. Webster filed a complaint with the State
Bar, according to the injunction.
In his response, Willingham said that Lane was sued in her official capacity
as bishop of Willie B. Harbor's Memorial Independent Holiness Church.
He said that once Lane died, only an official representative from the
church could conduct business with him.
"I always intended to make the check out to the church," Willingham
said in his response. "The funds belong to the church. And I am positive
that the Bar would have pursued me if the church complained that I wrote
a check out personally to Marva Lane and gave it to her son. And I am
sure that I would have been severely disciplined if I did this after I
knew she was dead."
Willingham said that in the past 15 years, the State Bar has no knowledge
of his clients losing money in his trust account.
Contact Roselee Papandrea at rpapandrea@jdnews.com or at 353-1171, Ext.
238.
Former Jacksonville doctor charged with rape
August 06,2004
ROSELEE PAPANDREA
DAILY NEWS STAFF
A former Jacksonville gynecologist and community leader was arrested this
week for allegedly raping a patient at his Columbus, Ga., office.
Dr. Eric A. Buffong, 53, was arrested Tuesday at Columbus Obstetric/Gynecology
and Infertility and charged with one count of rape, said Lt. Steve Cox
of the Columbus Police Department.
Buffong operated Onslow Women's Health Center in Jacksonville from 1984
until he left in 1999 and moved to Columbus, Ga. At the time, Buffong
said in a Daily News report that he was leaving the area because most
insurance companies didn't make it "economically viable" for
him to continue to practice in Jacksonville.
Buffong had a first appearance Wednesday in Columbus Recorder's Court,
and he pleaded not guilty. He was placed in Muscogee County Jail without
bond. On Wednesday afternoon, Buffong's attorney, Melvin Cooper of Columbus,
Ga., asked a superior court judge to give Buffong $10,000 bond, which
he made and was released, Cox said.
The alleged rape occurred June 19. At the time, the victim attempted to
report the event to the Columbus Police Department, Cox said.
"She was waiting in our lobby and felt embarrassed and left,"
Cox said. "A lot of victims of assault are embarrassed."
The victim then filed a complaint with the Georgia Medical Board. It then
reported it to the Columbus Police Department, Cox said.
Since Buffong's arrest, the Columbus Police Department has received information
that there might be other complaints from different women, Cox said.
"The Columbus Police Department is exploring the possibility of other
victims in Columbus and Jacksonville," he said.
The Jacksonville Police Department hasn't received any complaints against
Buffong, but authorities urge anyone with information to contact them.
"They need to report it to us. If it's an incident that occurred
in Jacksonville, we need to investigate it," said Paul Spring, deputy
chief of the Jacksonville Police Department.
There have been several civil lawsuits filed in Onslow County Superior
Court against Buffong. The majority of them are malpractice cases that
were voluntarily dismissed. None alleged sexual misconduct.
During Columbus Recorder's Court, the accuser testified that she was a
patient of Buffong's for about two years, and he told her that if she
didn't have sex with him, she would need to find another doctor, according
to The Associated Press.
The woman continued to use Buffong as her gynecologist and invited him
to speak to her church group. She said that on June 19, she went to his
clinic to pick up a disk he planned to use in his presentation to the
church, according to AP.
Buffong allegedly took the woman to his office. She said he told her,
"I want you to be naked and draped on this table ready to have sex,"
according to AP.
She said she couldn't leave the room because the door was locked. She
started to cry. When Buffong returned, he was angry that she was still
dressed. He allegedly pulled up her blouse and began kissing and fondling
her, ignoring pleas to stop, according to AP.
Buffong allegedly raped the victim, allowed her to get dressed and unlocked
the door, according to AP.
Buffong graduated from Howard University in 1977 and is a 1984 graduate
of Albert Einstein School of Medicine in Bronx, N.Y. He was the first
black physician to join Onslow Memorial Hospital's medical staff in 1984.
During his time in Jacksonville, he worked with the Onslow County Kuumba
Festival and established a mentoring group for young black males.
He founded the John Littman Medical Society, the first black medical organization
in Jacksonville. The group was created after Buffong spoke out because
the Onslow County Medical Society held its meetings at the Jacksonville
Country Club in the 1980s. At the time, the country club prohibited black
members. That's no longer the case.
Jacksonville attorney Jerome Willingham remembers Buffong as a man who
took his civic obligations seriously.
"Although doctors are known to be very busy, he always found the
time to provide community service," Willingham said.
He was surprised by the rape allegations.
"He certainly has the benefit of the legal presumption of innocence
in my mind," Willingham said. "It certainly would be out of
character for the person I knew."
Dr. Leon Davis, the chairman of the obstetric/gynecology committee in
Onslow Memorial Hospital, said he knew Buffong when he practiced in Jacksonville.
"He was always professional and a very competent physician,"
Davis said. "I never had any negative experience."
Davis said he never heard anyone complain about Buffong. But any time
a patient alleges wrongdoing, it doesn't help the medical community, Davis
said.
"Anything that harms the patient trust and faith in the system is
obviously bothersome to me," Davis said. "Allegations are not
good and certainly if it's true, it needs to be dealt with."
Anyone with information can contact the Jacksonville Police Department
at 455-1472 or Lt. Steve Cox of the Columbus Police Department in Georgia
at (706) 225-4268.
Contact Roselee Papandrea at rpapandrea@jdnews.com or at 353-1171, Ext.
238.
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