Roanoke Rapids police seized pot plants and marijuana from Jefferson and Madison streets this morning.
A pot plant was found in plain view in a garden at a residence at 84 Jefferson St. A subsequent search of that residence revealed several bags of marijuana hidden in different rooms of the house. An investigation on drug complaints at 36 Madison St. revealed a large quantity of marijuana. Additional details to follow.
The Halifax County Sheriff’s Office reported the following over the weekend:
• Deputy G.H. Teal arrested a Northampton County man for drug related charges and outstanding warrants. Teal stopped a vehicle traveling on MLK Avenue in Enfield for a seat belt violation, Detective Jonathan Merritt said in a press release.
Teal asked the passenger to provide identification but he could not, giving a name the officer felt was false.
After asking the passenger to exit the vehicle, the passenger produced ID, identifying him as Devon Michael Everette, 18, of Seaboard.
Everette was taken into custody for giving a false name. During a subsequent search, three small bags of marijuana were located as well as two blunt cigars. After transporting Everette to the sheriff’s office, Teal found out Everette was listed as a wanted person by Probation and Parole in Northampton County.
Everette was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, resist, delay and obstruct an officer and the probation violation from Northampton. He was held in the Halifax County Jail under no bond due to the probation violation and has a Sept. 2 court date.
• On Saturday Detective Doug Pilgreen said deputies arrested 52-year-old Bradley Walker Wilson from Monroe for misuse of a 911 system. Wilson made several non-emergency calls to Halifax County 911. During the investigation it was discovered Wilson had an outstanding order for arrest from Mecklenburg County for failure to appear on charges of misuse of 911 systems.
Wilson was placed under a $1,750 bond and has a court date in Halifax County on Aug. 26 and a court date in Mecklenburg County on Sept. 2.
The city will lose two-thirds of its beer and wine revenues after the state approved its budget last week, Roanoke Rapids Finance Director MeLinda Hite said today.
That equals $44,646.
“The municipal share, distributed in May 2010, will be reduced by two-thirds, and cities and towns should reduce their expected beer and wine tax revenues by two–thirds for 2009-2010 to reflect this reduction,” she wrote in a memo for department heads. “The distribution formula for beer and wine tax revenue distribution will be adjusted for 2010-2011, and the funding level will be restored for the May 2011 distribution.”
The state took away those funds to help combat its own budget deficit.
“That hurts,” Hite told The Spin. That was money already budgeted that must now be pulled from the city’s budget.
The city must also try to make up that money, Hite said. She said the city will wait for new City Manager Paul Sabiston to come onboard before investigating how to make up that money.
The city has made significant strides in improving its fund balance since the end of last fiscal year.
Measures taken by council when the city learned in February it faced a $664,000 shortfall mean when it closed the books at the end of June, its fund balance increased 8.9 percent for a total of 17.2 percent. That represents a $1.9 million unreserved fund balance. Fund revenues for the year are expected to increase by more than $900,000.
The money is revenues which come from the sale of beer and wine in the city.
An arrest warrant has been issued in a home invasion that occurred Thursday on Collins Avenue in Meadowbrook Trailer Park, Roanoke Rapids Police Chief Jeff Hinton said.
Salil Naimo, 20, of Weldon, is wanted for damage to property and felonious breaking and entering after he allegedly kicked a door in at 160 Collins Ave around 2 p.m.
The house was occupied. Once he saw people were inside he fled, Hinton said.
The Roanoke Rapids Police Department reported the following:
• On Aug. 5, officers stopped Quinton Lee, 21, a passenger in a car which was stopped for a traffic violation at 4th Street and Starke Avenue.
Lee, of Pleasant Hill, would not answer questions and when he opened his mouth officers discovered he had two small bags of cocaine under tongue, Chief Jeff Hinton said.
Lee was arrested for possession of cocaine and jailed on $7,500 bond.
• On Friday, Capt. Andy Jackson and Detective Jeff Baggett charged Daryl Johnson of 318 Madison St. with possession of drug paraphernalia after receiving complaints of drug activity in that neighborhood
