A big thank you to law enforcement went out after a vehicle was stolen in Bladen County. According to Eric Davis of Bladenboro, his vehicle was stolen on Wednesday, March 29th in Bladen County.

Davis said he contacted law enforcement immediately. The vehicle was recovered without damages a hour and half later thanks to team work between law enforcement divisions.

“I want to say thank you to the Bladen County Sheriff’s Department and the Highway Patrol in Bladen and Columbus Counties for their work in recovering my vehicle,” Davis said.

Arieyana Simone Forney

UPDATE: Missing Charlotte 11-year-old found safe in Washington, DC
http://bit.ly/2otayfn?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss

A statewide Amber Alert was issued by Charlotte Police on Sunday afternoon for a missing 11-year-old girl. Arieyana Simone Forney was discovered to be missing after police were called to a home on Glenncannon Drive in Charlotte and discovered the bodies of two adults there.

Police told Time Warner Cable News of Charlotte that Forney resided in the home with the two victims. While Police are calling the incident a homicide, officials did tell Time Warner Cable News there were no signs of trauma on the bodies.

Arieyana Simone Forney is a 11-year-old Black female, approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds. She has long straight black hair, and brown eyes.

Charlotte Police are searching for a 2005  white Impala with NC license plate PAV-4294. Police say the vehicle is reported to have left the scene prior to the arrival of firefighters and police.

If you see the vehicle, you are asked to call 911 or contact Charlotte Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

Arieyana Simone Forney has been found safe in Washington, DC

An Amber Alert for a missing 11-year-old girl from Charlotte has been cancelled after she was found safe. Arieyana Simone Forney was found after the Washington, DC  Police located the car and it crashed.

According to reports, one man has been arrested in the incident. The Amber Alert was issued after Charlotte Police were called to home on Glenncannon Drive where Forney’s grandparents were found murdered. Police and firefighters were called to the residence at about 11 a.m. and found the bodies inside and learned Forney was missing.

According to reports, Police have not stated how the individuals died.

RALEIGH – As part of its overall effort to assign new missions to prison facilities across the state, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety is working to reduce the use of segregation — also known as solitary confinement or restrictive housing— and to improve mental health and reentry services for inmates.  NCDPS has accepted a report by the Vera Institute of Justice that analyzes the state’s use of segregation and provides recommendations for further reducing its use. NCDPS is incorporating the report’s findings and recommendations into its continuing re-missioning work.

“In addition to making many recommendations that will help us continue reducing segregation’s use, Vera’s year-long review also validated many of the efforts and programs that we had already implemented,” said W. David Guice, Chief Deputy Secretary of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice.  “These new recommendations will help us continue on the path toward a safer, more effective prison system that produces positive outcomes for inmates and decreases the chances of returning to prison.”

In 2015, with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, NCDPS partnered with the Vera Institute of Justice as part of Vera’s national Safe Alternatives to Segregation Initiative to reduce its reliance on segregation.  North Carolina was one of five corrections systems selected in a competitive bidding process to participate in the initiative, which will soon expand to up to five additional systems.

“Vera has been pleased to partner with North Carolina since May 2015 in their efforts to safely reduce reliance on segregated housing,” said Sara Sullivan, project manager of Vera’s Safe Alternatives to Segregation Initiative. “We have been inspired by their commitment to understanding their use of this practice and to pursuing alternatives that are safer and more effective for people who are in prison, the staff who work there, and our larger communities. The lessons learned from the work in North Carolina will be valuable to other jurisdictions who are making changes to their own practices.”

Since 2012, the number of inmates housed in segregation in North Carolina prisons has dropped from more than 5,000 to about 2,200.  That number is expected to drop even further with planned changes to the inmate disciplinary policy.

“Reducing the number of inmates in restrictive housing is the right thing to do,” said state prisons director George Solomon. “The negative effects of this type of housing have become widely known in recent years.   Having fewer inmates in segregation frees up prison space and staff resources that can be redirected to providing treatment and programming that are key parts of our re-missioning efforts.”

Within the past two years, North Carolina’s prison system eliminated the use of segregation for inmates under 18 and developed a youthful offender program for those inmates.  It has opened a Rehabilitative Diversion Unit to transition inmates out of segregation and four Therapeutic Diversion Units as alternatives to segregation for inmates with mental illness.  Staff across the prison system have received training on communication and de-escalation tools to help limit the use of segregation. Four additional therapeutic diversion units and one more rehabilitative diversion unit are scheduled to open in 2017.

This report presents the findings of Vera’s assessment in North Carolina.  Later this year, Vera will publish a summary report with findings and recommendations from all five of the jurisdictions participating in the Safe Alternatives to Segregation Initiative.

Officers Joshua Pittman and Melanie Avant of the Elizabethtown Police Department along with Bladen County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to 2808 West Broad Street on January 01, 2017 at 3:55 a.m. in reference to a shots fired call. Upon their arrival they made contact with the residents Brandon and Allison Jones.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Jones advised that they were having a New Year’s Eve party and that an argument had broken out between them and some guests. The conflict escalated and became physical, according to Lt. D. Cheshire. During the altercation a handgun was discharged several times inside and outside of the residence in an attempt to break up the fight.

The scene was processed by Elizabethtown officers and investigators. Upon searching and processing the scene officers located the firearm that was discharged along with a felony amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the residence.

Brandon Lee Jones was charged with Felony Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Discharging a firearm in the city limits.

Allison Nicole Jones was also charged with Discharging a firearm in the city limits.

This matter is still being investigated and more assault and property damage charges may be forthcoming. No one was injured as a result of the gunfire.

WhiteLake Bust2

WhiteLake bust

White Lake police have charged Shawn David Myers 33, of Tiltonsville, OH with possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.

White Lake police officers responded to a medical call at Brisson’s Cottages Tuesday, January 3, 2017 while officers were assisting EMS workers they smelled the odor of marijuana in the area, officers were not able to determine the location of the marijuana at that time.

  After receiving multiple complaints from concerned citizens over the next day about the offender approaching them asking if they wanted to smoke marijuana with him and the offender entering local business with a strong odor of marijuana emitting from his person the White Lake police with assistance of the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office went to Brission’s Cottages located at 1770 White Lake Drive on the morning of January 5, 2017. 

Officers went to the motel room the offender was staying they again smelled the odor of marijuana. Officers knocked on the door and when opened by Myers the odor became stronger. Myers was told by officers they were there because of the odor of marijuana coming from his room and ask if there was any marijuana in his room. Myers told the officers there was marijuana in his room along with marijuana paraphernalia. Myers gave consent to search his room where 18 grams of “medical grade” marijuana was found along with serval items of paraphernalia. Myers was cited and released.

“As a law enforcement officer it is a good feeling to know you work in a community where the citizens and law enforcement have a bond like they do in White Lake, our citizens are always on the lookout for suspicious activity are not going to let their quality of life be compromised.”

If you are receiving email alerts from FedEx, be aware it could contain a potential virus threat.

According to FedEx.com, there are fraudulent emails being sent to unsuspecting businesses and citizens announcing that FedEx has either attempted to deliver or has delivered a package and they need to download an attached document.  According to FedEx.com, the attachment could contain a virus and advises recipients to delete the email without opening the attachment.

FedEx also says there is another version of the email that prompts the recipient to contact their office and gives a telephone to call. Once the caller makes contact, the scam artist will attempt to defraud the caller.  Again, FedEx, urges the recipient of such an email to delete the email with calling the prompted telephone number.

Don’t become a victim of a scam. Never give out any personal information over the telephone or through email. If you think you may have received a fraudulent email regarding FEdEx, the company requests you forward any suspicious emails to abuse@fedex.com.

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Chris Coons (D-DE), both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, authored an op-ed on CNN.com about the urgent need for bipartisan criminal justice reform.

Read the full op-ed below:

CNN: America’s criminal justice system is broken

By Chris Coons and Thom Tillis

As a Democrat from Delaware and a Republican from North Carolina, we disagree on plenty of policy issues. You might think that would be especially true of an issue as historically divisive and politically challenging as crime and punishment.

That’s not the case. We share a strong belief that America’s criminal justice system is broken, focusing far too much on criminalization and incarceration and far too little on rehabilitation.

A compelling example of the urgent need for reform is how our system treats juvenile offenders. We know that young people’s relationship with the criminal justice apparatus has powerful, lasting consequences for them, their families, and their communities. It is therefore vitally important we make sure that all children who come into contact with the criminal justice system are treated fairly and appropriately, are not forgotten, and are afforded an opportunity to rehabilitate and become productive, contributing members of society.

Our agreement on this issue was on display late last year at a juvenile justice summit, where we shared the stage for a discussion on a key challenge facing our country: a criminal justice system that over-emphasizes incarceration and is woefully inadequate when it comes to rehabilitation, even for our nation’s youth.

Men and women in law enforcement work hard to protect our communities across the country. As legislators, we must be committed to developing a criminal justice system that effectively promotes public safety, fairness, and rehabilitation. We believe Congress has both a moral and a fiscal imperative to ensure that our criminal justice system appropriately calibrates sentences to offenses. That is being smart on crime, not soft on crime.

Despite political disagreements in Congress on a broader criminal justice reform package — disagreements we hope to move past next year — Democrats and Republicans surely can agree that children shouldn’t be locked in a solitary confinement cell for 23 hours a day, or housed with other prisoners twice their age and size, or unnecessarily restrained and shackled for minor infractions, or harshly punished for low-level, nonviolent offenses.

Surely we can agree that juveniles’ interactions with the judicial system shouldn’t be just about punishment, but instead must also focus on understanding the impacts of what they have done and why it was wrong. A system that focuses on rehabilitation, not punishment, doesn’t excuse bad behavior. Rather, it helps all parties heal and move forward, and it keeps all of us safer by breaking cycles of recidivism.

We both recognize that this system is in desperate need of reform. We share a frustration that some politicians in both parties have been too willing to put politics before policy. We also share a belief that our home states offer a road map forward.

In North Carolina, several reforms have been made in recent years, including allowing a juvenile’s criminal record to be expunged of non-violent offenses, limiting detention for certain offenses, and requiring a parent, guardian, or attorney to be present during police interrogations of any child under the age of 16.

In Delaware, this year alone, the state legislature passed laws to expand the use of civil citations instead of criminal charges, to end shackling of youth except where it’s necessary for safety, to provide free legal representation to all children charged with a crime, and to make it easier for juveniles to expunge their records.

We’ve seen some progress at the national level. President Barack Obama rightly acted to end solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prisons. The Supreme Court ruled that it is cruel and unusual to sentence juveniles to the death penalty or to a mandatory sentence of death in prison.

Here in Congress, the Senate Judiciary Committee, on which we both serve, passed the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act on a bipartisan 15-5 vote. Among its many provisions, the bill would limit solitary confinement for juveniles in federal custody. More broadly, it would begin to address the imbalance between incarceration and rehabilitation to reconstitute families, save taxpayer dollars, and restore fairness to our criminal justice system. It achieves this without harming the integrity of public safety as prison sentences would only be recalibrated for certain nonviolent offenders and would require careful judicial oversight.

In Leviticus 19, the Lord urges Moses, “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.” We do a great disservice to our nation’s future when we do not judge children fairly or treat them justly.

For the many Americans disillusioned by Washington, consider that support for smart and sensible reforms to our juvenile justice and criminal justice systems is slowly but surely gaining traction across party lines. In the year ahead, we will both remain committed to casting partisan politics aside in order to get these commonsense proposals passed through Congress and signed into law.

Rohon Dernard Atkins

Willie Marcus McLaurin

Marcus Jermil Blake

Sheriff James A. McVicker said today that arrests had been made on a home invasion/armed robbery that happened over the weekend.

The home of Randolph Smith, age 57 and Morris Rico Smith, 41, nephew of Randolph Smith, was the scene of a home invasion and robbery Friday night (January 6^th). The Smiths live at 303 Sandpit Road Elizabethtown.

According to the victim statements, two men confronted Morris Smith outside the residence and forced him inside at gunpoint where they stole $60.00 in cash and a small amount of marijuana from him. Smith was struck several times in the head with a handgun during the robbery.

The Smiths called 911 and were able to give a description of the robbery suspects and their vehicle. Deputies located the vehicle near Tar Heel and made a felony stop. A K-9 officer was requested and the dog alerted on the car. A subsequent search of the vehicle located a small amount of marijuana, 15.1 grams of crack cocaine as well as a firearm.

“Our investigation continued throughout the weekend and yesterday,” said McVicker. “We made two arrests over the weekend and have  added additional charges to the two original men arrested and now have arrested a third suspect who helped plan the robbery.”

Arrested and charged are Rohon Dernard Atkins, 27 or 275 Sandpit Road, Elizabethtown, and Willie Marcus McLaurin, 22, of 901 Doll Street, Fayetteville.

Both men are charged with Possession of a Firearm By a Felon, Simple Possession of Marijuana, and Felony Possession of Crack Cocaine. These charges were a direct result of the traffic stop. They were also charged with First Degree Burglary, First and Second Degree Kidnaping, Robbery With a Dangerous Weapon, and Assault With A Deadly Weapon Inflicting Serious Injury. Both men are in Bladen County Jail under a $150,000.00 secured bond

Arrested Monday was Marcus Jermil Blake, 34 of 111Ranch Circle, Kelly, NC. Blake was charged with Second Degree Kidnapping, First Degree Burglary, and Assault With A Deadly Weapon Inflicting Serious Injury. Bond was set for Blake at $750,000.00 secured.

“Deputies worked hard throughout the weekend to identify these individuals and get them arrested and off the street,” said McVicker. “I am proud of the work they did and their dedication to the citizens of this county to keep them safe.

All three suspects will have first appearance hearing in District Court in Elizabethtown Tuesday morning.

Training 3

Training 2

Training 1

The Bladen County Sheriff’s Office hosted a vendor demonstration Tuesday, January 10, to educate County administrators and the school superintendent’s office about the possibility of enhancing county and school building security by making the windows and doors of our buildings less permeable to intrusion.

“Sheriff Jim McVicker and his staff are always trying to find more affordable means to provide enhanced security and infrastructure improvements. Something as simple as a polymer window coating can significantly deter and resist intrusion to better protect our school children and our county/town employees in our county,” said Sgt. Gary Turlington.

The demonstration consisted of a classroom presentation and a practical demonstration on an actual door like the ones in our schools, businesses, and county/town offices, according to Turlington.

“Actually seeing this type of technology first hand far exceeds the impression and experience gained by simply watching a video,” said Turlington.  After multiple swings with a baseball bat into the door, no one was able to kick the window in or gain entry.

“As an educator for first responders in Bladen County and abroad, I can say that the proof is in these photos. It works as designed,” said Turlington.

By: Deirdre M. Daly
U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut

The President has designated January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut continues to prioritize human trafficking offenses, which are among the most heinous crimes the Office prosecutes. Federal prosecutors focus their resources on prosecuting the sex trafficking of minors, but also investigates cases involving the sex trafficking of particularly vulnerable adults and labor trafficking.

In November 2015, we announced the formation of the Connecticut Human Trafficking Task Force. The Task Force is composed of special agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Department of Labor; investigators from the Connecticut State Police; officers from 16 police departments throughout the state; and representatives from State’s Attorneys’ Offices, and is led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarala V. Nagala, Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes and National Security Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Novick, Chief of the Financial Fraud and Public Corruption Unit.

In recent history, the Office has prosecuted 28 defendants for violations of the human trafficking laws, and in 2016, indicted or obtained guilty pleas from five defendants for sex trafficking. In 2016, in separate cases, Jordan Anate and Romane St. Christopher McKenzie were each sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for engaging in the sex trafficking of minors. In another case, Ramon Gomez pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor in a case where the 17-year-old minor died from an overdose of heroin that was supplied by Gomez.

Members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office routinely participate in trainings for law enforcement officers, hospital workers, school groups and community organizations regarding human trafficking. In January 2017 alone, prosecutors will take part in hotel worker training sponsored by the Connecticut Lodging Association, law enforcement training at the Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Academy, and hospital worker training at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford.

Today, as part of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, I and other members of my Office wore blue in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign, to stand in solidarity with victims of human trafficking worldwide. The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanks our governmental and non-governmental victim services providers, including the Department of Children and Families and the International Institute of Connecticut, for the critical work they do to help individuals transition from victims to survivors.

Human traffickers, particularly those who prey on children, exploit the most vulnerable segments of our society. We will continue to devote significant federal resources to investigate and prosecute those who profit from the abuse and exploitation of our children.

One person has been arrested in connection to the weekend break-ins that occurred at the Bladenboro Car Wash and the laundry mat. Bladenboro Police Chief Chris Hunt said the investigation into what occurred is still ongoing.

Madison Cheshire, 20,  has been charged with injury to personal property, failure to appear on a misdemeanor and breaking into a coin/currency machine.

At about midnight on Saturday night, a vehicle occupied by a male and a female drove into the car wash in Bladenboro and the male used a sledgehammer to break open a coin box there.

The vehicle then traveled to the laundry mat where the pair damaged coin boxes there as well.

The Bladenboro Police Department is still searching for the male suspect. If you have any information regarding his identity or whereabouts, you are asked to call the Bladenboro Police Department at 910-863-3333.

Sheriff James A. McVicker today announced the arrest Thursday of Christopher Blake Carroll, 25, of 1350 Suggs Taylor Road, Elizabethtown for the December 28 th breaking and entering of a residence in the 7000 block of Burney Road, White Oak.

Carroll stole several weapons from this residence and investigators have been able to recover one of those weapons and have leads on the location of the others. Carroll was charged with Felony Probation Violation, Obtaining Property By False Pretense, Felonious Breaking and Entering, Felonious Larceny After Breaking and Entering, Felonious Possession of Stolen Goods, 3 counts of Felonious Larceny of a Firearm and 3 counts of Felonious Possession of a Stolen Firearm. He was additionally charged with Possession of a Firearm By a Convicted Felon. Carroll had a first appearance in District Court in Elizabethtown on Friday and his bond was set at $90,000.00 secured.

“I am glad we were able to make an arrest in this case,” said McVicker. “Property crimes are a high priority for my investigators. We know that this type crime might not be glamorous to work but we know the impact it has on the victims. My investigators get a lot of satisfaction from solving a case like this and recovering property. To come home after working all day and finding your home entered and your property stolen is devastating. It is a very personal violation. My investigators will continue to work to prevent and solve these crimes.”

By Erin Smith

A second arrest has been in the investigation into the break-in that occurred shortly after midnight Saturday. Brandon Jackson, 23, of Robeson County was arrested on Friday morning, according to Bladenboro Police Chief Chris Hunt.

Jackson is facing charges of breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, possession of burglary tools, damage to property, and damage to a coin/currency machine.  Chief Hunt said that Jackson was also on probation during the commission of this burglary.

Arrested earlier in the week was Madison Cheshire, 20. She is facing charges of breaking and entering a coin/currency machine and two counts of injury to personal property.

At around midnight on Saturday, Jackson and Cheshire damaged and broke into the coin machines at the Wash and Dryve car wash in Bladenboro and the Bladenboro Laundry Mat. Chief Hunt said on Friday that the duo is accused of breaking into and/or damaging a total of seven coin/currency machines.

“We would to thank the Robeson County Probation and Parole and the Lumberton Police Department for their assistance,” said Chief Hunt.

He added the Bladenboro Police Department appreciate all of the tips that were received on Facebook. Chief Hunt said the citizen’s tips helped to quickly resolve this case and bring these individuals to justice.

“As long as the citizens of Bladen County cooperate with us, hopefully, we will be able to keep criminals deterred,” said Chief Hunt.

Sheriff James A. McVicker announced today his office had investigated two separate incidents of threats made against schools in Bladen County, one through Social Media accounts and one word of mouth.

“Last Wednesday night, January 18^th, we received information that several students from West Bladen High School had received Instagram messages to stay away from school because of an act of violence that would be committed the next morning,” said McVicker. “Once we received this information we worked with Dr. Robert Taylor and the faculty at West Bladen to insure the absolute safety off all students and staff. We had several officers at the school before it opened and we put every student through a metal detector.”

McVicker said investigators worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to track down the Instagram account and IP address it came from. All students who received the message were questioned and this investigation lead to the arrest of a juvenile on Friday, January 20^th.

The 15 year-old was charged through a juvenile petition with Making a False Report Concerning Mass Violence on Educational Properties, a Class H Felony punishable by 10 years in prison if an adult.

Juvenile officers served the juvenile and placed him under electronic house arrest pending a hearing.

On Friday night, January 27^th, the Sheriff’s Office once again received a report of a second threat against a school, this time Bladenboro Middle School. These threats were also threatening violence at a school. Investigators worked through the weekend and again uncovered the person responsible for the threat, another 15 year old juvenile. This second juvenile was charged with the same charges as the first juvenile and is also under electronic house arrest pending a court hearing.

“We had additional officers at the school Monday morning as a precaution but had no further trouble and again no students or faculty were ever in danger. “These kids need to understand that technology is such we can find where a social media message came from,” said McVicker. “I am also proud of the students who overheard or were told by the suspect that he intended to commit harm at school. By reporting this, we were able to get on it immediately and stop any potential threat. I encourage all students to tell an adult when they hear another child threatening violence at a school. We, as well as school officials take this type of action very seriously. We will not tolerate this type behavior.”

Sheriff James A. McVicker announced today his office had investigated three separate incidents of threats made against schools in Bladen County, two through Social Media accounts and one word of mouth.

“Last Wednesday night, January 18^th, we received information that several students from West Bladen High School had received Instagram messages to stay away from school because of an act of violence that would be committed the next morning,” said McVicker. “Once we received this information we worked with Dr. Robert Taylor and the faculty at West Bladen to insure the absolute safety off all students and staff. We had several officers at the school before it opened and we put every student through a metal detector.”

McVicker said investigators worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to track down the Instagram account and IP address it came from. All students who received the message were questioned and this investigation lead to the arrest of a juvenile on Friday, January 20^th.

The 15 year-old was charged through a juvenile petition with Making a False Report Concerning Mass Violence on Educational Properties, a Class H Felony punishable by 10 years in prison if an adult.

Juvenile officers served the juvenile and placed him under electronic house arrest pending a hearing.

On Friday night, January 27^th, the Sheriff’s Office once again received a report of a second threat against a school, this time Bladenboro Middle School. These threats were also threatening violence at a school. Investigators worked through the weekend and again uncovered the person responsible for the threat, another 15 year old juvenile. This second juvenile was charged with the same charges as the first juvenile and is also under electronic house arrest pending a court hearing.

Then on Tuesday, January 24^th students at West Bladen showed a teacher a Snap Chat message that had gone out to other students threatening violence at the school. Investigators were again called and with the aid of the Federal Bureau of Investigation they were able to isolate the IP address for the original message and identify the user.

During the course of this investigation it was learned that three individuals were involved, one a 14 year-old juvenile and a 16 and 17 year old.

Deputies arrested Andrew Blake Hester, 17 of 317 LB Lennon Road Bladenboro, Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning they arrested Alexander Alamin Pone of 503 Old Hickory Lane, Elizabethtown. The third suspect, a 14 year old juvenile will be served with a Juvenile Petition later today.

Hester and Pone were charged as adults because of their age. Both were released to the custody of their parents pending a first appearance hearing in District Court in Elizabethtown. All three were charged with Making a False Report Concerning Mass Violence on Educational Properties, a Class H Felony punishable by 10 years in prison.

“We had additional officers at the school Monday morning as a precaution but had no further trouble and again no students or faculty were ever in danger” said McVicker. “These kids need to understand that technology is such we can find where a social media message came from,” he added. “I am also proud of the students who overheard or were told by the suspect that he intended to commit harm at school. By reporting this, we were able to get on it immediately and stop any potential threat. I encourage all students to tell an adult when they hear another child threatening violence at a school. We, as well as school officials take this type of action very seriously. We will not tolerate this type behavior.”

By: Valerie Newton

On Tuesday, January 24 West Bladen High School was notified of comments made against the school on social media that could potentially be perceived as threatening or dangerous. School administration immediately reported the comments made against the school to the Sheriff’s office, which is investigating. Communicating threats by any means to any person or group of persons, designed to cause harm to another person or persons, is a Bladen County Schools Code of Conduct Level IV violation according to North Carolina General Statute 115C-391 resulting in Long Term Suspension or Expulsion and is considered a Felony punishable by law according to North Carolina General Statute 14-277.5.

As a precautionary measure, school administration and staff limited student campus activity and unnecessary room-to-room transit for the day on Tuesday. Additional school resource officers and Sheriff’s deputies were on campus for the day on Tuesday to assist with monitoring activity. At no time were students or staff in any eminent danger. All school operations returned to normal as of Wednesday, January 25.

Sheriff James A. McVicker today announced the arrest yesterday of Akeem Juwan Westmoreland, 32 and Briana Amira Parker, 17 of 303 Pecan Street, Apt.9E, Bladenboro for Felony Possession of Cocaine and Simple Possession of Marijuana.

The arrests were the result of a search warrant executed in conjunction with North Carolina Probation and Parole officers.

In addition to the Cocaine and Marijuana charges, Westmoreland had an outstanding Assault With a Deadly Weapon warrant served. He is currently in Bladen County Jail under a $30,000.00 secured bond.

Parker was also charged with a Felony Probation Violation and is under a $35,000.00 secured bond.

“It is good to be able to work jointly with state law enforcement on cases such as this,” said McVicker. “The assistance of Probation and Parole is always outstanding. I am very glad we have such a good working relationship. It helps both agencies meet their goals of keeping the county safe.”

Donald Melvin addressed the Bladen County Board of Commissioners on Monday night regarding two different incidents during which he was incarcerated. These incidents ocurred in 2008 and 2014. He shared some documents with the Commissioners outlining the two incidents, but he did not specify what redress he was seeking from the board.

Melvin offered the board some background on himself. He has owned Tar Heel Outdoors since 1978 and at one time had a weekly feature that appeared in the Fayetteville Observer titled, “Tar Heel Outdoors with Don Melvin.” He has served as Vice-President of an eastern outdoors landscape firm, held a  job as a long distance truck driver, and has been active in his community and church.

“I’m here to address two different things,” said Melvin.

He told the board about two different arrests that ocurred in 2008 and 2014. Melvin claimed to the board that he was mistreated by both Bladen County Sheriff’s Deputies and state officials. He also alleged that there was no evidence that warranted either arrest.

Melvin also alleges that he was mistreated while he was being held for observation at Dorthea Dix Hospital.

He presented the Commissioners with an Associated Press article written in 2011 that outlined abuses and mistreatment of prisoners at Central Prison in Raleigh, one of the locations Melvin claimed to have spent time during his arrests for “safe keeping.”

According to reports, Melvin has threatened to file a civil lawsuit against the county, the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office and the state regarding his treatment.

One Bladen County resident was arrested and is facing charges of drug trafficking.

Tanisha Simpkins, 35, was arrested on Saturday and charged with trafficking in opium or heroin, possession with intent to manufacture, sell deliver schedule II controlled substance, and conspiring to sell/deliver heroin.