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Monday, 27 July 2009 14:50

Man arrested for stealing cash

On Sunday the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office arrested Christopher Edmonds, 22, of Roanoke Rapids for the theft of approximately $10,800 in cash from a residence off N.C. Highway 48 in Roanoke Rapids. 

Detective Rich Somogyi said Edmonds was placed in the Halifax County Jail under a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 5.

Monday, 27 July 2009 14:49

Arrest made in Edgewater home invasion

A Roanoke Rapids area man has been arrested for a July 19 home invasion in the Edgewater subdivision, according to the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office.

Detective Rich Somoygi said in a news release Terence Wyche, 18, was charged with first-degree burglary, larcency and possession of stolen property. 

He was placed in the Halifax County Jail under a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 9.

Somoygi said more arrests are pending in the case, which occurred around 11 p.m. Deputies responded to a break-in in progress at a residence located in the Edgewater Subdivision in Roanoke Rapids. 

The homeowner was awakened when the door to his residence was kicked in and several suspects entered his home and began to steal items, including a firearm. The homeowner fired several gunshots at the suspects, who fled the residence. No one was injured.

Monday, 27 July 2009 14:48

Saturation patrol nets 66 charges

The Roanoke Rapids Police Department made 66 charges during a Saturday night saturation patrol, Chief Jeff Hinton said.

Officers patrolled complaint areas across the city, the chief said.

Charges ranged from 17 loud music citations to one careless and reckless driving count. They also included two possession of marijuana counts and one concealed weapon charge.

Tuesday, 28 July 2009 14:46

Dylan Moore succumbs

Dylan Moore, the young Roanoke Valley area child with a rare genetic disorder, died Sunday. In a short journal entry on the Web site detailing the child’s struggles it is simply written: Dylan is gone.

The Web site is: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dylanmoore

The child’s health was beginning to decline in the last few days. The last journal entry on July 24 notes, “The MRI revealed no blockages today so the docs are assuming that it’s GVH.  Only way to tell for sure is to do a liver biopsy!  Docs are not in agreement that he is stable enough for that.  We’ll have to see how he progresses in the next few days and if he’s better, they may try to do it early next week.”

Moore was diagnosed with fanconi anemia, a very rare genetic disorder with a very high frequency of bone marrow failure and many other problems, in September of 2004.

Patients with FA have a 75 percent chance of developing solid tumors at unusually young ages, including head, neck, esophagus and squamous cell carcinomas, as well as liver tumors, according to the Web site.

The Web site says over the last few months, his bone marrow failure had progressed to severe, leaving him vulnerable to possible life threatening infections and internal hemorrhaging.

News of the child’s death prompted numerous signings on his guestbook, from both people locally and across the nation.

“Dylan has made me look at life in such a different perspective, he has made me realize that giving up is not an option, you have to fight, no matter how tough times get,” one entry said. “He is truly a hero to me. I will miss him dearly, and always remember what a strong, tough, kind, and loving boy he was.”

The Halifax County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate a shooting in the 1000 block of Washington Avenue in Weldon last night where a man was shot in the right thigh. Lt. Bobby Martin said in a news release Deputy Emerson Carroll responded to the location around 11:30 p.m. after receiving a call someone was shot. The victim told the deputy he was walking when he heard several shots and was struck in his right thigh. The victim, who was treated at Halifax Regional Medical Center in Roanoke Rapids, did not know where the shots came from. Deputies checked the area but were unable to locate any suspects. No one else was hurt and there are no suspect or vehicle descriptions. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Halifax County Crimestoppers at 583-4444.
Thursday, 23 July 2009 14:44

Remembering a teammate

If you don’t think Sean Taylor still isn’t in the hearts and minds of his fellow Redskins you weren’t with me today.


I never expected the reaction I got from offensive lineman Chris Samuels when I reached into my shirt pocket and asked him to sign a ticket stub from the Dec. 6, 2007, game against the Bears, three days after they buried Taylor, whose picture was on the stub.


He shook his head and called his slain teammate a warrior, which was what Taylor was, a warrior, a force, a beast.


Samuels was in the area with his girlfriend, Monique Cox, to check the progress Cyrus W. Ahyoung III of Wags and Wiggles Pet Resort off Thelma Road was making on the training of their dogs, Coach and Blue.


I went as a fan, to take photos and post them to Facebook. When I pulled the ticket out and asked him to sign it he halted, shook his head and became visibly nostalgic. He called Sean a warrior and talked of how senseless his death that November was, done at the hands of people he was trying to help, Samuels said. A car crash would have been different, tragic but different, the murder, however, was senseless, preventable and Samuels, a 305-pound Pro Bowler became quiet when he saw the ticket stub, said Sean’s name and clearly remembered as I remembered that cold December night, the victory, the electricity that pulsed through the stadium, the fans and the players, an emotional night and Chris Samuels called Taylor a warrior.


The unfortunate thing is Samuels and his girlfriend were in Roanoke Rapids to prevent what happened to Taylor from happening to them, death at the hands of intruders.


In our celebrity-crazed world athletes and other stars become the stalked and just because you live your life unassuming and down-to-earth as Samuels appears to live his, you never know.


The dogs will not only be their friends, but be their protectors and Samuels and Cox were also going to receive some firearms training for waylaying intruders, self-defense.


This is life in the NFL, this is life everywhere.


It did my soul good to see Samuels react this way, it made me see not all athletes are pompous millionaires and he is well compensated for what he does.


When I saw that hesitation, the flashback, however, I knew there was a heart, a person, a gentle giant in a man who after meeting him I also consider a warrior, a man who stopped, reflected and truly misses another warrior. I will never forget the moment. Thank you, Mr. Samuels — LM.

Wednesday, 22 July 2009 14:43

Roanoke Rapids police report

The Roanoke Rapids Police Department reported the following:


• Counterfeit $10 bills were passed at Jackpot Bingo Saturday. It is under investigation, Chief Jeff Hinton said.


• Officer Terrence Tyler stopped Michael Fahey after an apparent traffic violation and charged the 19-year-old Roanoke Rapids man with the following: Possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, possession with intent to sell and deliver schedule II, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving with no registration, failure to stop at a stop sign, flee to elude arrest, no operators license and no insurance. He was jailed on $4,500 bond and has an Aug. 26 court date. Tyler stopped the man at 9 p.m. yesterday.

Wednesday, 22 July 2009 14:42

Home owner shot during B&E

A home owner was shot last night during a breaking and entering, according to the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office. Lt. Bobby Martin said in a news release the crime occurred around 10:52 p.m. Officers responded to a residence on Little Deep Creek Road in the Roanoke Rapids area where the victim told Deputy Corey Griffin he was shot in the leg. Deputies Joe Sealy and Travis Clark arrived on scene to assist, along with Lt. Neil Aycock. The deputies learned from the home owner he and a friend were returning from a trip they took earlier in the day. When they arrived at the victim's home, the victim noticed his lights were on and the front door was locked. This was odd, Martin said in the release, because he left no lights on and the front door was not supposed to be secure when he left. The victim told the deputies he went around to the back of the home and got near his back steps when about five males ran from the house. The victim tried to run after them but one turned and fired shots at him, striking him in his upper leg. The victim’s friend heard the shots and ran across the street to call for help. The victim said the five males ran into and along the wood line near his home and got into a vehicle, speeding off towards U.S. Highway 158. Lt. Aycock called for the bloodhounds from Tillery Correctional Center, which tracked through the woods and to the side of the road on Little Deep Creek Road. Officers believe it is there the suspects got into the car and fled the scene. The home owner was transported to Halifax Regional Medical Center by EMS where he was treated. There were no other injuries reported. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Halifax County Crimestoppers at 583-4444.
Wednesday, 22 July 2009 14:41

Man charged with stealing mom's checkbook

Halifax County Sheriff’s Deputy J. Sealey arrested a Gaston area man for larceny of his mother’s checkbook. According to a news release quoting Deputy Sealey, Bobby Dale Turner stole his mother’s checkbook and wrote several checks to three local Roanoke Rapids area businesses — Drugco, Walgreen’s and CVS/Pharmacy. Turner was charged by Deputy Sealey with 21 felonies and one misdemeanor including; seven counts of forgery of instrument, seven counts of uttering forged instrument, seven counts of obtaining property by false pretenses and one count of misdemeanor larceny. Warrants were served late Monday evening and Turner is currently under a $10,000 bond, according to Lt. P.N. Aycock.