The man murdered Sunday morning on Mobley Street died of blunt force trauma to the upper torso.
Lieutenant Bobby Martin of the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office said Michael Wayne Davis was struck multiple times. He declined to elaborate on a motive.
The man the sheriff’s office is seeking in Davis’s murder, Richard Charles Demello, lived with Davis, 47, for more than a month and a half. They met each other when they were in prison.
Demello, 54, has ties to Harnett County, Rhode Island and Missouri. He stole the victim’s car, a blue 1998 Dodge Neon possibly with a spoiler, and could possibly be headed north, south or west.
The license plate is YWZ-2442.
Demello is short with a thin build and has tattoos.
Anyone with information on Demello’s location is encouraged to contact the Halifax County Sheriff's Office at 252-583-8201 or Halifax County Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444.
Consideration of the proposal to modify Lafayette Gatling’s payment on the Roanoke Rapids Theatre could come by next Tuesday’s city council work session.
Experts in environmental justice explained to members of the Lincoln Heights community how to organize and educate themselves on the proposed solid waste transfer station Roanoke Rapids is considering building.
“I was really impressed with tonight’s turnout and the invaluable information received concerning the negative environmental and social impact that the proposed waste transfer plant will have on both city and county residents who live within miles of the proposed facility,” said Florine Bell of the Lincoln Heights Community Development Coalition.
Gary Grant of Concerned Citizens of Tillery and the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network discussed the history of environmental racism in the state, the perceived practice of locating landfills, hog farms and transfer stations in or near minority communities. “Government and industry go to bed every night,” he said. “They work on things to improve the quality of life for somebody, just not for us.”
David Caldwell talked about his Orange County community’s fight against landfill while Steve Wing of the UNC Department of Epidemiology urged the residents to ask questions
Naeema Muhammad, an organizer for the network, said, “Economic development is one of my pet peeves. What a local government sees as economic development is not economic development to the ones who have to bear the burden.”
Roanoke Rapids Mayor Emery Doughtie told the audience there would be public hearings on the matter and that the city has looked at other areas besides the Hinson Street location where it is considering building the transfer station on public works property.
City Manager Paul Sabiston commended the panelists and the residents who asked questions. He also said there were differences between landfills and transfer stations. “We’re still in the early stages,” he said.
The latest revenue projections for the approximately $695,000 project show with a transfer station the city could see operating revenues over expenses of $282,814. Without a station that figure would be $180,742.
The projections are based on 28,000 tons per year with 7,200 coming from the city’s own solid waste and debris.
Financing options have also changed since the matter was first discussed with debt service being calculated on financing $700,000 over 20 years at an estimated percentage rate of 3.05 percent.
Financing for 20 years instead of 10 years contained in earlier documents would mean an annual debt service of $47,268.66.
The transfer station concept is to build a facility at the city’s maintenance yard where residential and commercial solid waste may be delivered and then transferred by independent haulers to a landfill.
The city’s own collection trucks and third party commercial haulers which pick up solid waste or choose to bring it from other areas will be the primary users, an earlier memo says.
Preliminary studies by the state Department of Transportation show Hinson Street, where the proposed station would be located, would not have to be improved if 100,000 tons a year were transported on it.
The city received $75,000 from Lafayette Gatling today on the lease payment for the Roanoke Rapids Theatre, Finance Director MeLinda Hite confirmed in an email.
The payment was received today at 1:30 p.m. by wire.
Consideration of the proposal to modify Lafayette Gatling’s payment on the Roanoke Rapids Theatre could come by next Tuesday’s city council work session.
City Manager Paul Sabiston said this morning negotiations with the Chicago businessman continue.
Sabiston announced following a closed session Thursday the city is discussing reducing the monthly payment from $98,000 to $75,000 from March 1 through October.
Following that period the payments would go back to the full amount in November and the difference would be caught up during that time.
Further details were not discussed following the announcement as the arrangements are still be negotiated.
The work session will be held at 5:15 p.m. in the first floor conference room of city hall.
A Weldon woman was treated for eight stab wounds following a fight Sunday night.
Lieutenant James Avens of the Weldon Police Department said the victim, Yolanda Edwards, 38, got into an argument at a house at 708 Maple Street. The person she got into the argument with, Shirley Jean Sanders, 51, allegedly grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed Edwards eight times in the chest, back and legs.
Avens said alcohol was being consumed when the argument started shortly before midnight. Sanders was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. She was jailed on $2,500 bond and has an April 14 court date.
