I had always heard the story — not so much a story as much as a line of information — that my mother’s uncle, my great uncle, died during World War II.

It’s not so dissimilar from other families. After all, more than 400,000 Americans died fighting for this country during that war.

But what is different is the story surrounding the death of Cpl. George Andrew Nemeth Jr. was not known to us — and actually not known to the world for 50 years. All my mother knew was that he was on a ship that was bombed. That was the information. With Memorial Day approaching, the time seems right to learn the story.

The Beginning

When World War II started, George Andrew Nemeth Jr. was 16 years old and in the ninth grade. According to 1940 census records, he was born in the United States to immigrants from Hungary and lived in a mostly Hungarian neighborhood on Sherwood Road in Cleveland, Ohio.

He was the youngest son of George Nemeth, a worker in a steel mill, and his wife Barbara. His older brother, Edward, my grandfather, was 30 years old, married and living in the same house. He had two young daughters, Dorothy and Mary Lou, my aunts. My mother had not yet entered the picture, coming along in October of 1943. She never had the chance to know her uncle.

At some point in 1943, George Andrew Nemeth Jr. entered the U.S. Army Air Corps. Documents show he completed a course for aircraft welders at U.S. Army Air Forces Technical School on July 6, 1943, in Illinois.

He then ended up at Fairmont Army Air Field in Nebraska, where he likely continued to train and work as an aircraft welder. After all, Fairmont Army Airfield was home to various bomber squadrons that trained for action in Europe, and he ended up with the 831st Bomb Squadron, part of the 485th Bomb Group. The squadrons, with B-24 and B-25 bombers, eventually flew missions from Venosa, Italy, attacking oil refineries and railway yards in places such as Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia — and even Hungary.

On Dec. 31, 1943, he made out and signed his will. The single corporal named his parents as beneficiaries, and upon his death, they received monthly payments of $61.80 until 1954. His will was probably a routine matter, something military personnel were required to complete before heading overseas for the war.

Still, as an aircraft welder working on long-range bombers that were normally based well behind enemy lines, one would think his occupation would have been relatively safe, if any job could be considered safe during a war. Unfortunately, that proved not to be the case.

The SS Paul Hamilton

George Nemeth, now 19 years old, boarded the SS Paul Hamilton when it left Hampton Roads, Va., on April 3, 1944.

The Hamilton, a liberty troop ship, was constructed by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company in Wilmington in 1942. It was named in honor of Paul Hamilton, who served as the secretary of the Navy from 1809 to 1812. According to the Naval Historical Center, he served during the American Revolution and was also elected to the South Carolina House and Senate before eventually becoming that state’s governor.

For more than 50 years, what exactly happened to George Nemeth and 579 others aboard the Hamilton wasn’t completely known. What was known was that the ship was attacked and sunk. But the full account of the sinking had been classified and kept hidden.

One of the more comprehensive accounts of the Hamilton was written by Jim W. Dean for Veterans Today on the 67th anniversary of the ship’s sinking in 2011. He cites the declassified documents as well as a video interview of Howard Morseburg, who witnessed the sinking from aboard another ship.

The Hamilton, on just its fifth voyage, was part of an 87-ship convoy that was headed to Tunisa and Italy. After safely crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the convoy made its way into the Mediterranean Sea. About 30 miles off the coast of Algiers at sunset on the evening of April 20, 1944, the convoy came under attack from German torpedo planes.

As a troop transport, the Hamilton had few guns to defend itself, and presumably, the German pilots would have recognized the ship for what it was, so that it was targeted would not have been a surprise.

There are many stories of World War II ships taking hit after damaging hit but continuing the fight against the enemy, testimony to the industrial might of the United States during the war. Such was not the case for the Hamilton. One torpedo struck the ship, and in an instant, it exploded with such force that night turned to day. George Nemeth, and all 579 others aboard, most likely never knew what happened to them.

Turns out, the Hamilton was not only carrying troops, but also high-explosive ammunition, something that was kept hidden in classified documents. Troop ships were not supposed to carry such cargo, and the destruction of the Hamilton and the loss of all 580 lives aboard showed why. It was one of the largest losses of life on any liberty ship during World War II, according to some websites, and the largest according to others.

That one German torpedo produced such a massive explosion that the ship ripped apart, raining debris on the rest of the convoy, and went down in about 30 seconds. Flames jumped 1,000 feet into the air.

According to Dean, just two bodies were recovered. Families of the other 578 men most likely were informed — by telegram — that their son or husband was missing in action. Then later, a second telegram would have listed their loved one as presumed dead.

On Memorial Day

It wasn’t until a trip back home to Ohio a couple of years ago that my mother obtained the documents and an old photograph of the uncle she never knew. Tied up in a blue plastic bag from the Stop-n-Shop was also a small blue box that held a Purple Heart. Inscribed on the back are the words “For Military Merit George A. Nemeth.”

As we looked through the documents and examined the photo at her dining room table last week, I asked my mother why she cared so much to learn the story of a man she never knew.

“I don’t know,” she said, looking at my father, himself a retired Marine, sitting across the table. “I think it’s important to me because of your father.”

She married that young Marine 51 years ago. They lived on this base and that one, and in the process raised four children, each making a contribution to this world in his or her own special way.

George A. Nemeth Jr. never had the opportunity to marry, and he never had any children. But, he contributed to this world in his own special way. And that is a story worth telling. 

A Newport man was convicted of armed robbery this week in Carteret County Superior Court.

Gregory Duane Anderson, 47, pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery with a dangerous weapon and was sentenced to a prison term of 4 1/2 to 6 1/2 years, according to District Attorney Scott Thomas.

On Sept. 20, 2011, Anderson pushed his mother down a flight of stairs when she refused to give him her prescription medication. He took the medication and her pistol and headed for Jones County.

During a stop at Pap’s Grill in Stella, Anderson stole a 40-ounce beer and a glass tube. When the store clerk attempted to stop him, he pulled the pistol on her and fled in his car.

He crossed into Jones County and was pursued by authorities at a high rate of speed and ended up crashing his car into a sheriff’s car on Catfish Lake Road.

According to the district attorney’s office, Anderson was convicted in Jones County of felony fleeing to elude arrest and possession of a stolen firearm. He was sentenced to prison terms of 8 to 10 months and 14 to 17 months on those offenses.

After serving those sentences, he was brought to Carteret County Superior Court on the armed robbery count. His mother refused to prosecute him for the assault.

“We are glad these cases resulted in guilty pleas,” Thomas said. “My office coordinated with prosecutors in Jones County to successfully conclude these matters. Mr. Anderson will now serve a substantial prison sentence for his unlawful conduct.”

The case was investigated by Deputy W. McKinney of the Carteret County Sheriff’s Department, and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney David L. Spence. 

Herman Reaves Price, 89, of Havelock, formerly of Eden (Spray), N.C., died Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at home.

He was born in Spray, N.C. on March 19, 1924, to Allen and Pearlie Thomas Price. Mr. Price served in the United States Air Force during World War II and graduated from North Carolina State College. He was a Scottish Rite Mason. He retired from civil service as an Industrial Engineer. He loved the beach and surf fishing and possessed a zest for life.

He is survived by his loving wife, Delma P. Price; daughters, Judith Price Elkins and husband, Bobby, of Fuquay Varina, and Joyce Price Spears and husband, Dickie, of Wilmington; sister, Violet Barrow and husband, Jim, of Eden; grandchildren, Jimmy Elkins and Molly Spears; great-grandchildren Laurel Elkins and Perry Elkins; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, his grandson, Richard “Richie” Spears, preceded him in death.

A funeral service will be held Friday, May 24, at 6 p.m. at Brooks Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Michael Frese officiating. The interment will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 26, at Ridge-View Memorial Gardens, Eden, N.C. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Friday evening from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to First United Methodist Church for the Crystal Coast Hospice House Chapel, 900 Arendell Street, Morehead City, N.C. 28557.

Arrangements are by Brooks Funeral Home and Crematory Inc. of Morehead City. Access online obituary and Internet condolences through www.brooksfuneralhomeandcrematory.com.

Paid obituary

A Havelock man is wanted after felony charges were brought this week in connection with a 2012 home invasion.

Darren Rosario, 29, of Havelock, is being sought by Havelock Police on charges of robbery with a dangerous weapon, first degree burglary and second degree kidnapping.

According to a release from Havelock Police, the charges stem from a home invasion on Cedar Ridge Lane in Havelock on August 8, 2012 at approximately 3:22 a.m. Charges were brought against Rosario on Tuesday.

According to the release, Rosario is a black male with black hair and brown eyes, 5’10” tall, 150 pounds and sometimes goes by the name “Duke” and “Cop Killer.”

According to the release, the case is still under investigation. Persons having information concerning Rosario’s whereabouts are urged to call Havelock Police at 252-447-3212. Persons who wish to remain anonymous may do so by calling the Police Tip Line at 252-463-7115 or by going to the Police website Tip feature at www.havelocknc.us and selecting Police and then Tips.

According to the N.C. Department of Corrections website, Rosario has a lengthy record going back to 2001 which includes convictions for felony breaking and entering, various assaults, possession of stolen goods, driving while impaired convictions, drug convictions and other convictions. Rosario got out of jail one year ago after spending eight months behind bars on drug possession charges.

Havelock commissioners held fast to their pledge not to raise property taxes, but the result may be an increase in water and sewer rates, trash fees and a loss of employee positions.

After receiving instructions from the board last week to rework the 2013-14 budget, Finance Director Lee Tillman presented the proposal to the board during a meeting Monday at Havelock City Hall.

The proposed $15.6 million spending plan leaves the property tax rate at 46.5 cents per $100 in property value but does include a 1.7 percent Consumer Price Index increase on water and sewer rates that will mean an average increase of $1.25 per month per household. The cost of trash pickup would increase 55 cents per month from $13.95 to $14.50, less than the $16.77 originally proposed.

Commissioners agreed to cut the public information officer position from 40 hours per week to 24 hours and eliminate a senior planner position in the city’s planning department. The group considered but held back on cutting a recreation maintenance position.

The city also plans changes to collection of yard debris as well as old furniture and appliances.

Public services director Bill Ebron said time and money could be saved on the estimated 1,500 stops city trucks make at residences in a given month if residents simply made their yard waste neater along the road.

“We would require that it would be placed in an acceptable manner, all in one direction,” he said. “It’s amazing what we go get in trying to pick it up. It amounts to a lot of time trying to pull things apart. It’s like dealing with hard crabs. Everything connects up. They are pulling it all over the street. You’re adding time to the whole thing, so you get into labor impact, fuel costs for the whole time that truck is running, so it does add up.”

He also said residents would have to place all leaves, pine straw, grass and hedge clippings, and small twigs in clear plastic bags, except during loose leaf season from November to February.

“The enforcement of it would have to be tightened up considerably,” Ebron said. “Initially we are going to get some phone calls.”

Commissioners did raise concerns.

“I’m not going to ask senior citizens to bag their leaves,” Jim Stuart said. “I’m not going to ask people who may not be physically capable to pack that stuff up.”

Ebron said many other cities use the same system.

“This is not recreating the wheel. This is pretty much standard,” Ebron said.

Commissioner Karen Lewis said bagging yard waste is designed to help the city.

“We’re not saying that they are not going to get the service,” she said. “We’re just asking for them to do just a little bit to help us.”

Havelock Mayor Jimmy Sanders said for residents with a lot of trees, bagging leaves would be a huge job.

“It is no small task for a lot of people to do that,” he said.

Stuart said he would rather increase taxes by sixth-tenths of a cent than ask that residents bag their leaves.

“A 75-year-old arthritic individual is not going to want to bag that mess,” he said.

Commissioner George Liner mentioned hidden costs for residents.

“Why make them go out and buy plastic bags,” he said. “It’s costing them more to have to buy the bags.”

Currently, discarded items such as old furniture, mattresses, refrigerators and stoves are picked up once per week, but under the proposal, residents would have to call to have such items picked up.

Havelock has scheduled a public hearing on the proposed 2013-14 budget for 7 p.m. June 10 at Havelock City Hall.

“We need to hear from the public about how they feel,” Liner said. 

The Havelock Moose Family Center enrolled five new members during a special ceremony on Sunday, and they got to see first hand the good the club does in the community.

The center made a variety of donations to area groups on Sunday and welcomed James F. Henderson, supreme governor of Moose International, during Sunday’s special ceremony.

Henderson, who holds the highest elected position in the international fraternal organization, was also the beneficiary of the local group, which made a donation of nearly $400 to the Moose International endowment.

"It’s outstanding the things that you do here," he told members of the local organization. "We want this lodge to be the heart of the community, and you are."

During the event, the Moose center made donations of Tommy Moose animals to the Havelock police and fire departments, Craven County Sheriff’s Office and Township Six Volunteer Fire Department. The animals are used to help comfort children during times of crisis and trauma.

Local chapter members also made a food donation to the Havelock-Cherry Point Ministerial Association food pantry. The food was collected as part of the lodge’s weekly Wednesday night bingo games, which are open to the public.

The chapter also supported local Relay for Life efforts with a $300 donation.

On top of that, members regularly support Mooseheart, a residential childcare home for children and teens in need or who may have lost parents, as well as Moosehaven, a retirement facility for Moose members.

Havelock police detective Chris Morning thanked the members for donating a computer that the department uses as part of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

"It’s a big, big plus for Havelock PD to have this," he told members during the ceremony.

Kristin Willis, of the American Red Cross, thanked members for holding regular blood drives at the Havelock center. She said the blood drives resulted in donations of 712 units of blood in 2012 that helped 2,136 people. Since the center started blood drives in 1998, 12,549 units have been collected, helping 37,647 people.

"That is amazing," she said. "If not for the Moose lodge, we would not have been able to save those lives."

Henderson said he was impressed at the Havelock center’s continuous giving throughout the entire year.

"I hope everyone recognizes the good things that they are doing," he said. "I’m very impressed."

The Havelock Moose Family Center is located at 1007 East Main St. For more information, call 447-3920. 

They call it the North Carolina Education Lottery, and I must say, it is true to its name. I sure did get an education this weekend.

I will admit that I am not a big lottery player. As a matter of fact, I had never played the lottery in North Carolina.

However, with the Powerball jackpot growing and growing, I finally gave in and decided to purchase a lottery ticket on Saturday.

The decision was somewhat in the spur of the moment. My wife and I were deciding what we should do about dinner Saturday night. We thought of eating out. I suggested we buy a lottery ticket instead. Ain’t I the romantic?

The first thing we had to do was come up with numbers to pick. My wife and I approached this like Isaac Newton working on a gravity experiment.

We looked at birthdays and anniversary dates, but if you look only upon those, you’re leaving out every number more than 31. We even called my mother for help. After all, when you need help, who better to ask than mom?

In the end, we settled on our five numbers and our Powerball selection.

We stopped at the convenience store at Carolina Pines on our way home. We walked in, and I told the cashier I wanted to play the lottery but had never done so. She did a good job explaining the procedures, and we went about making our selections. Since there are five games on one ticket, we decided to go for broke — in a manner of speaking — and plucked down $10 to play all five games.

We randomly selected numbers for the other four games, and secure in our selections, we began thinking about the possibilities of winning.

How could we not? We’d be looking at a $590 million prize.

We talked of beach houses and travel. We talked of quitting jobs and moving to Hawaii. We talked of charitable contributions and things we’d buy.

Our daughter got home about 10:30 p.m. after a dinner with friends and we mentioned to her that we had just 30 minutes before we were millionaires.

So as the time for the 11 p.m. drawing approached, I retrieved our numbers. The announcer gave one of those sarcastic "good luck" comments, and we were off.

The first number is 22.

Bingo! We are on our way. We have a 22.

By the time the numbers of 10 and 13 followed, we knew our fortunes had taken a turn for the worst. Of the 30 numbers we played in our five games, we matched just one, the first one, 22.

Yep, that’s quite an education.

Turns out, someone in Florida won the jackpot, and I’ve stopped thinking about beach houses in Hawaii, if only for a few minutes.

Still, we spent 10 bucks on the chance to win $590 million. It provided us a few minutes of fun and the chance to dream about the future. And, that’s not such a bad thing.

Ken Buday is the editor and general manager of the Havelock News. He can be reached at 444-1999 or at ken.buday@havenews.com. 

This is a continuation of my attempt to write short, "Twitter-like" columns. Tweets — those little bursts of communication offered by Twitter — are a maximum of 140 characters in length. By "Twitter-like," I mean to write columns that are 140 or fewer words.

If I were to write a true "Tweet-sized" column with a maximum of 140 characters, at an average of, let’s say five to six characters per word, my column would be fewer than 25 words. I have already admitted in a previous column that writing with any meaning — any real value — in 25 words or less is very difficult.

I may give the 25-word column — a true Tweet-sized one — a try someday. But for now, limiting myself to 140 words (vice characters) is challenging enough, hence the term "Twitter-like."

Can information or opinions of any real value be disseminated in so short a number of words, whether they’re 140 or 25? You be the judge.

Writers spend a lifetime honing their skills and attempting to get across to their readers what they intend in the fewest number of words. Many writers have spoken on the topic of efficient … and at the same time effective … writing. (Oops. Those six dots separating clauses just added six to my character count.) I aspire to achieve, one day, the goals of the below authors:

-- "I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter." — Blaise Pascal, in his Lettres provinciales.

-- "Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short." — Henry David Thoreau.

-- "If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter." — Marcus T. Cicero.

-- "I am never satisfied until I have said as much as possible in a few words, and writing briefly takes far more time than writing at length." — Karl Friedrich Gauss

-- "It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole book." — Nietzsche

-- "The more you say, the less people remember. The fewer the words, the greater the profit." — Felelon

But until I can achieve those dizzying heights of authorship and "profit" described above, and write with meaning in a Tweet-sized 25 words or less, I’ll have to settle for attempting to get a point across effectively in 140 words or less. So here goes my next attempt at a meaningful 140 words:

Stepping onto the back porch for a breath of fresh air, I looked into the late night sky. At the moment I shifted my gaze south, a bright flash of light streaked straight down and was gone.

While no star was visible through the clouds, a "shooting star" had revealed itself to me. I saw the meteor only because I was outside at that exact moment and chanced to look at that exact spot in the sky where it burned up below the clouds. Quite possibly, I was the only person in the world to witness the biggest meteor I have ever seen.

I wish I may, I wish I might. Wishing on a shooting star might not achieve anything. But seeing that meteor reinforced the truth that being in the right place at the right time sure can.

Barry Fetzer is a columnist for the Havelock News. He can be reached at fetzerab@ec.rr.com. 

Wow! Triple wow! We just got back from 79 A.D., and it didn’t seem all that far away.

We toured Pompeii, and if you’re not up on your ancient history, that city was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in August of that year. Because the ejection was ash instead of lava, Pompeii was more or less "gently" sealed as a spectacular time capsule, which they’re still opening.

We wandered the streets, past row upon row of shops. They even had their version of a mall. Go figure.

We sat awhile in the amphitheater. Trust me, although they were amazingly advanced, they didn’t know Jack — or should I say "Julius" — about comfort. The seats were stone as were their beds and pillows.

On the subject of beds, we visited the "red light" district. Yep, the "world’s oldest profession" was very much alive in Pompeii.

The funniest aspect of ancient prostitution was their advertising. The district entrance was identified by a stone carving protruding from over the door.

I won’t give you readers a detailed description of the artwork, but suffice it to say it illustrated their product without ambiguity. The menu consisted of pictures of each service offered, eliminating the need for language skills.

On a more somber tone, although nearly 2,000 years separate us from that August day, we saw up close and personal evidence of the disaster in the faces of its victims. They died of gas inhalation but were "gently" covered by ash like the city so even emotions were preserved.

Of course bodies decomposed away but molds of startling detail were left. When pumped full of liquid plaster, the ash gave up an astounding record of the tragedy.

Most of the body casts reside in museums, but on-site there was a display of victims complete with facial expression and what they were wearing at eruption. Certainly typing it seems a bit morbid but seeing the apparent normalcy of their existence against ours today is very weird and extremely enlightening. So much has changed, but even more seems to have stayed the same.

The city of Pompeii had running water. Yep, running water and a sewer system. Compare that to my close ancestors just a couple of centuries ago and we "moderns" come out severely lacking. At its peak, Rome was the center of the human universe and certainly deserved its ascendency.

We toured a spa with cold, warm and hot baths, and a sauna with an adjacent massage area. We saw evidences of their plumbing, which would put many cultures to shame today.

On the downside, they used lead piping, which contributed to a level of systemic mental problems. Fortunately, over time building deposits within those pipes semi-solved their lead-poisoning problems.

But lead remained a very big deal in the ancient world, even as moisture control lining in nicer homes. Because rulers and wealthy politicians routinely drank from lead-lined mugs, you might postulate the masses possessed superior functioning intellect.

See what I mean that not all that much has changed?

Otis Gardner’s column appears here weekly. He can be reached at ogardner@embarqmail.com. 

Personally, I’d rather pay more property tax for my home than to pay more for someone else’s garbage pickup, like I am already doing.

Why is it that the conscientious people of Havelock have to pay more because of those that aren’t conscientious? Just wondering.

Lauri Ford, Havelock 

A Havelock public services worker returned to work Wednesday after being slightly injured Monday when a city grass mower caught fire.

Shawn Gaskill, 32, suffered minor burns on his arm when the mower caught fire at 1:45 p.m. Monday in a grassy area between U.S. 70 and the service road near Lighthouse Assembly of God Church.

"Thankfully he is back to work today," Melinda Davis, who works in the public services department, said Wednesday.

Havelock Fire and Rescue Department Chief Rick Zaccardelli said the fire started when Gaskill was stopped to gas up his mower.

"They were filling it up with gas and I imagine it was the vapors from the gas can that started the fire," Zaccardelli said.

Diane Miller, Havelock spokeswoman, said Gaskill sustained slight burns.

"The hair on his arms got singed," she said.

A Township Six volunteer firefighter happened to see the fire start and called it in from the nearby Havelock station, and Township Six firefighters put out the blaze.

Gaskill refused transport to the hospital but was later checked out by a doctor.

The mower is a Bobcat commercial grade, zero turn, industrial-use riding mower that was valued at $9,300, Miller said.

"It’s completely insured. We’ve already filed the claim and already ordered its replacement," Miller said.

Kenny Muse is the head of the safety committee and will do a safety assessment for the city, Miller said.

Gaskill has worked for the city since 2008. 

Three ceremonies are scheudled in honor of Memorial Day this weekend.

The Havelock Memorial Day service is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday at the Memorial Monument in front of the Havelock Tourist and Event Center.

The ceremony, put on by the Knights of Columbus, includes a guest speaker, wreath presentation and ceremony to recognize prisoners of war and those missing in action.

The Craven County Veteran’s Council has scheduled its annual Memorial Day program for 11 a.m. Monday at the National Cemetery in New Bern.

Sgt. Maj. Holly C. Prafke, who serves in the Marine Corps, is the scheduled speaker.

The ceremony is scheduled to include a color guard, rifle team and bugler from Cherry Point. The Havelock Community Band is scheduled to provide music.

Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

For more information on the ceremony, call Warren Murphy at 229-1998 or Andrea Becton at 342-7720.

The Carteret County Veterans Services Office has scheduled its annual Memorial Day Service for Saturday at the Carteret County Veterans Memorial at Courthouse Square in Beaufort.

The Havelock Community Band is scheduled to provide a musical prelude beginning at 9:30 a.m. with the service scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones, R-N.C., 3rd Dist., is the scheduled guest speaker for the ceremony.

For more information on the Carteret County Memorial Day ceremony, call the Carteret County Veterans Services office at 728-8440. 

Incidents

Havelock Police Department reports of recent incidents include:

May 13

Driving while impaired; reckless driving, wanton disregard reported on Lee Drive

Larceny - felony reported on Brown Boulevard

Injury to personal property (willful and wanton) reported on Brown Boulevard

Trespass, second degree reported on Lewis Court

May 14

Breaking and entering (misdemeanor) reported on Leslie Lane

Larceny - misdemeanor reported on Forest Hill Drive

Injury to personal property (willful and wanton) reported on Sermons Boulevard

Communicating threats reported on Sweetbriar Lane

Burglary reported on Kim Avenue

May 15

Breaking and entering (misdemeanor); larceny after breaking and entering reported on Keith Drive

Larceny - misdemeanor reported on U.S. 70

May 16

Communicating threats reported on Methodist Drive

Breaking and entering (felony); injury to real property; larceny after breaking and entering reported on Shipman Road

Larceny by employee reported on South Jackson Drive

Communicating threats reported on Short Street

May 17

Larceny - misdemeanor reported on Main Street

Larceny - misdemeanor; simple assault reported on Methodist Drive

Assault on a female; simple assault reported on Kim Avenue

Obtaining property by false pretenses reported on Governmental Avenue

May 18

Larceny - misdemeanor reported on U.S. 70

Fraud - credit card/ATM reported on Three Sisters Place

Larceny - shoplifting reported on Main Street

Prostitution reported on Oakwood Drive

Breaking and entering (misdemeanor); injury to real property reported on Shipman Road

Injury to personal property (willful and wanton); larceny - felony reported on Main Street

May 19

Simple assault reported on McCotter Boulevard

Consume alcohol beverage by person under 21 reported on Townhouse Drive

Arrests and citations

Arrests and charges do not reflect guilt or innocence, which is determined through subsequent judicial proceedings. Havelock Police Department reports of recent arrests include:

May 13

Shaun Heath, 29, Havelock, charged with driving while impaired; reckless driving, wanton disregard

May 14

Jennifer Frazier, 25, Havelock, charged with reckless driving, wanton disregard

Robert Fennimore, 59, Havelock, order for arrest - failure to appear

May 15

Kevin Arje, 33, Havelock, charged iwth communicating threats

May 16

Jerome Butler, 46, Morehead City, order for arrest - arrested, released and failure to appear

May 18

Caroline Lilley, 25, Chocowinity, charged with larceny - shoplifting

Justin Broadfoot, 23, Newport, charged with driving while license revoked

May 19

Bryan Chavez, 19, New River, charged with consume alcohol beverage by person under 21

Brenda Cortez, 19, Havelock, charged with consume alcohol beverage by person under 21

Andrea Rodriguse, 20, Havelock, charged with consume alcohol beverage by person under 21

Note

The Havelock News does not report arrests for worthless checks.

The departing general of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing at Cherry Point said he would be taking the experiences with him to his next assignment at Headquarters Marine Corps in Quantico, Va.

Maj. Gen. Glenn M. Walters has been nominated to the rank of lieutenant general and for assignment as deputy commandant for programs and resources.

"I’m not confirmed as deputy commandant yet, but my heart will always be at Cherry Point and Havelock and I’m an ally," Walters said following a change of command ceremony at the air station Wednesday.

Asked if he thought a possible Base Realignment and Closure Commission for the coming years would affect the air station, Walters said "I think Cherry Point is here to stay."

Walters was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the Marine Corps on May 12, 1979. He also led the 2nd MAW (Forward) in Afghanistan.

"We have Marines forward in Afghanistan right now," he said. "While we’re back here changing command, they’re over there taking it to the enemy and doing our country’s business and doing it very well in Afghanistan in Helmand Province right now. These Marines serve this country above and beyond what most of these citizens realize."

In a written statement read to the hundreds in attendance, Gen. James F. Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps, called the rotor wing test pilot by his call sign.

"Pluto, bravo to you on a job well done," he wrote. "The 2nd MAW’s accomplishments under your command have added to the annals of Marine Corps history and are a direct reflection of your superb leadership."

Walters said the departure from Cherry Point was bittersweet for him and his wife Gail.

"We’re going with no regrets, just fond memories," he said.

Maj. Gen. Raymond C. Fox, commanding general of the II Marine Expeditionary Force, said that Walters had earned the respect of Marines in leadership positions all over the world.

"From grunt colonels, I get ‘This guy’s got it. This guy supported us. He did what we needed to do over there,’" Fox said of Walters. "That’s a lot of street cred to me, when the grunts come to you unsolicited about a wing commander."

Fox turned his focus to Maj. Gen. (select) Robert F. Hedelund, who took the 2nd MAW colors from Walters on Wednesday.

"You came from a tough job. You’ve got another," Fox said.

Hedelund was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the Marine Corps in April 1983. He is a CH-53E pilot who had previously been in command assignments at New River. His last assignment was as director of the Marine and Family Programs Division at Headquarters Marine Corps.

"We’re really coming home here," Hedelund said. "Eastern North Carolina really is my home. We feel like we’re part of the team and certainly part of the family already."

Hedelund promised to do his utmost to make sure that the 15,000 members of the 2nd MAW would be ready for any mission, of which Walters had no doubt.

"They’re in excellent hands now," he said of Hedelund. "I’ve known Gen. Hedelund for a long time and he’s going to be an excellent commander." 

A Slocum Gate “flyover” at the Cherry Point to move U.S. 70 East traffic onto or by the base “is a fact,” said N.C. Secretary of Transportation Tony Tata on Tuesday in New Bern.

DOT has appeared to be looking favorably on that overpass project in Havelock and on beginning work on the long-awaited four-lane U.S. 17 bypass in Jones County from Pollocksville to Jacksonville.

But many questioned whether the two projects would survive the “Strategic Mobility Formula” for allocating highway money that’s been proposed by Gov. Pat McCrory in Raleigh.

Tata made the flyover’s prospects clear after his fact-gathering trip Tuesday. Tata, a retired Army brigadier general, toured Cherry Point with N.C. Board of Transportation Hugh Overholt of New Bern, Malcolm Fearing of Manteo, Ferrell Blount of Bethel and John Lennon of Wilmington.

After a luncheon meeting with regional leaders hosted by the Highway 17 Association, Tata spoke at New Bern Riverfront Convention Center, outlining the funding formula that has passed the N.C. House of Representatives and, with some changes, awaits a final N.C. Senate vote.

He said there would be an estimated $6.4 billion for state highways in the next 10 years, $1.2 billion less than the last decade. The plan would divide it with 40 percent for statewide projects and 30 percent each for regional and division projects.

But Tata said both the U.S. 70 and U.S. 17 projects could be funded from state or regional project money because they figure into “the governor’s number one goal to leverage infrastructure to catalyze the economy.”

He took public questions, including one from John L. Simmons of Pollocksville, who said he’s been hearing for 32 years that U.S. 17 would be four lanes from Maine to Florida and wants to know “when are you going to start in Jones County.”

Simmons said those people in the proposed path of the road want to know when to find a new place to live.

Tom Thompson of NC 20 said, “The Highway 17 Association started in 1977. We’ve waited a long time and are not there yet.”

Tata said, “I understand your frustration,” and tapped Division 2 Engineer Neil Lassiter for details.

Lassiter said, “design changes initiated by public input” at a Pollocksville hearing last year caused a slight delay. But the project is funded, right-of-way acquisition begins next month and construction is scheduled to begin in 2015.

Tata said completing the other sections of U.S. 17 in North Carolina, including one from Vanceboro to New Bern, is consistent with the current state leadership’s position that “this section of North Carolina has been underserved and holds the key to growing the economic potential of the whole state.”

He assured former transportation board member Bob Mattocks that the new formula would not further delay U.S. 17 projects and assured Rob Will of Eastern Carolina RPO that ports funding would be protected by their density of defense-oriented projects.

Facilitating the people and freight connected to Eastern North Carolina’s large military presence makes it score even higher under the new mobility formula, he said.

“I just hired New Bern native Rudy Lupton, a retired Navy captain, as director of logistics for the GTP and two ports,” Tata said, emphasizing his concentration on roads to access employment, tourism venues, medical facilities and higher education facilities.  

As the sun peeked from behind the clouds, the Havelock Rams were already drenched in their own sweat.

The Rams have been participating in a before-school conditioning program that the team has dubbed "Black Reign," which has started at 6 a.m. each morning.

The program consists of one lap around the track and stretches to warm up. Then the players split into four equal groups to go through the drills.

Assistant coaches Mitch Williams and Bob Sabdo run medicine ball drills, Shane Williams and Kenny Frazier run ground drills, Defensive Coordinator Caleb King runs cone drills, and Pat Whitford and Nick McIntosh do bag drills.

About 60 players have shown up each day for the program.

"It’s been great to see these kids’ commitment to this conditioning program," Havelock coach Jim Bob Bryant said. "We have had one varsity kid and one JV kid miss one day apiece and that is it.

"We got the idea from North Carolina at a clinic, because they do something similar and call it "Blue Dawn," so we decided to see if the kids were up for it and called it "Black Reign.’"

Bryant said the players were energized, alert and very vocal going through the drills. Junior Anthony Fisher and senior Taylor Woods were among the loudest.

"This means a lot to me, being my senior year and seeing how bad the guys want to be better and go after the third straight state championship," Woods said. "We want to be in better shape than anyone we play, and with me playing on both sides of the ball this year, it will be a huge benefit for me."

The Rams treat the pre-classroom workout like they would any practice or game day. After the drills, they gather with Bryant at mid-field for prayer and football lessons.

Bryant said that building more camaraderie for a two-time, reigning and defending state championship team is the biggest benefit of the program.

"You know we have every varsity starter here every day and both of the kickers asked me if they could be a part of it as well," Bryant said. "A team can never be too together, and these kids are willing to do things like this that set them apart from other teams that don’t."

Bryant also likes that programs such as this allow coaches to see who their leaders are and prepare them for adversity during the season.

"Every team faces some sort of adversity at some point in the season and we are no different," Bryant said. "Things like Black Reign though, help prepare us better to face it and shows us who are going to be the guys to take control and lead this team." 

A driver being pursued by Havelock police lost control and crashed into the Mr. Carpet building Wednesday morning in Havelock.

The driver, Sarah Nicole Kronenberg, 29, of Havelock, was transported to CarolinaEast Medical Center in New Bern, where she was treated and released, according to a hospital spokeswoman. As of early Wednesday afternoon, Kronenberg was in the custody of Havelock police, facing multiple charges.

No one was inside Mr. Carpet when the Toyota Highlander crashed through the side of the building that faces Dogwood Street shortly before 10 a.m.

Johnathon Gurney was outside the nearby Highway 55 restaurant and saw police trying to catch up with the vehicle. Kronenberg was heading east on East Main Street, hit the raised median, crossed the two westbound lanes and slammed into the side of the building.

“She was weaving in and out of traffic,” Gurney said. “She was doing a good amount of speed. She hit that curb and popped into the air. She couldn’t gain control. There were four squad cars behind her.”

Tim Hardin, who runs Mr. Carpet, was outside and saw the crash happen.

“We were out front and I thought for sure that car was coming right at us,” he said. “Normally, we would be loading up on that side of the building, but for some reason, we were loading out front today. Thank God. That would have been a mess.”

Havelock Police Capt. David Bratton said police first noticed the vehicle when it made a wide turn on Belltown Road into oncoming traffic, crossing the double lines, in front of a police officer Gaylan Finney. Kronenberg was on a cell phone at the time, according to a release from the department.

Finney turned around, put on his blue lights and siren, and tried to catch up to the vehicle, which Bratton said was estimated to be going 45 to 50 mph and running through stop signs in the Woodhaven neighborhood.

Bratton said Finney lost track of the vehicle but then saw Kronenberg leave the neighborhood and head east on East Main Street. Bratton said Kronenberg hit speeds estimated at 65 to 70 mph as other officers tried to catch up. They were about 150 to 200 yards behind her vehicle when it left the road and hit the building, according to the release.

“She tried to make a left turn, hit the median and crashed into the building,” Bratton said.

Kronenberg faces multiple charges, including driving while impaired, failure to stop for blue light and siren, damage to property, and resist, obstruct and delay of a law enforcement officer.

Damage to the building was significant, with the car hitting the side of the building and then breaking through a side garage door. Pieces of the car and building were scattered about the area where various carpet is stored.

The Highlander had significant front-end damage, and one of the tires was flat. The airbag did deploy. As police searched the vehicle, they pulled two child car seats out, but the driver was the lone person in the car at the time of the crash. 

Proposed new toll and toll increases on coastal ferry routes are unlikely to be implemented July 1 as originally planned, officials said Tuesday.

But that delay may be only temporary.

Local ferry workers on the Minnesott Beach-Cherry Branch route informed riders Tuesday morning that the plan for tolls was off for now.

"That’s good news," said Troy Lamson, a ferry rider from Havelock. "I just bought a house two years ago because of the ferry. I work at PCS (Phosphate in Aurora). I take it to work every day."

The legislative Rules Review Commission, which approved the ferry tolls, received more than 10 letters protesting the fees, and under state law, must delay action for legislative review, according to Steve Abbott, spokesman for the N.C. Department of Transportation that operates the ferry system.

"We are now in a holding pattern to wait for the General Assembly to determine what is going on," Abbott said.

On Tuesday, the House Transportation Committee again put off debating a bill that seeks alternatives to increasing ferry tolls and instead would allow for revenue-generating activities such as advertising on ferries.

N.C. Sen. Norman Sanderson, R-Pamlico, said he did not think legislative action would take place to prompt the implementation of tolls on July 1. He was pleased with the delay.

"Tolls are going to have a very negative economic impact on our area, so if we can use that vehicle to get to where we need to go, then I’m all for it," he said.

Abbott also did not think legislators could get together on a plan by July 1, whether through various bills introduced in the House and Senate or the state budget process.

"None of that is clear to us at this point," he said. "We’re not going to go out there and make a decision until we know exactly what the General Assembly requires of us. We are in a waiting pattern right now."

But in the Senate, a budget proposal released this week calls for tolling on all ferries by Nov. 1, Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, said during a budget hearing Tuesday morning.

The budget proposal would adopt DOT’s rate hikes as well as add tolls to two routes that are currently without fares, including the ferry running between Hatteras and Ocracoke.

Many Ferry riders have been worried for the last two years that tolls would be added or increased on coastal ferry routes, thanks to a 2011 mandate by the General Assembly that the ferry division raise $5 million in additional revenue.

"I don’t think they should be charging anybody for tolls," said Doug Sinclair, of Alliance, who rides the Minnesott-Cherry Branch ferry to get to his job as a teacher at Carteret Community College in Morehead City. "It’s basically an extension of Highway 306. I need it to go to work."

The Minnesott-Cherry Branch route is currently free, but the proposed tolls call for a $4 charge for the typical passenger vehicle and a $1 fee per vehicle passenger. A commuter pass would be available for $150 per year.

Fares for most cars on the Southport-Fort Fisher route are set to double, from $5 to $10. There also will be a new per-passenger charge of $2.

Molly Parker of the Wilmington Star News contributed to this story. 

The board of CarolinaEast Medical Center in New Bern has provided Havelock with 10 more automatic external defibrillators.

Diane Miller, Havelock grants manager and spokeswoman, said the devices would be placed in police cruisers and city buildings.

"Our application was rejected by the foundation because we were not a 501(c)3 (nonprofit) but the board of the CarolinaEast Foundation, the hospital itself, chose to write a check to cover the cost of those defibrillators," Miller said.

A defibrillator was used to help save a man earlier this year at the Havelock Senior Center, and Havelock police officers have been trained on use of the devices. Still, the city did not have enough money to purchase more of the devices, Miller said. Each device costs about $1,500.

The defibrillators will be added to the eight already in city police cruisers. Money from the state 911 fund paid for those devices.

Three others are located at the Havelock Tourist and Event Center, the Havelock Recreation Center and the senior center. Havelock will now have one device in the city hall building, three at the recreation center, one at the senior center, one at the public works department, and 16 in city police cars.

Havelock Mayor Jimmy Sanders recalled an incident earlier this year when one of the devices revived a Carteret County commissioner who was having a heart attack at the New Bern Convention Center.

"These are amazing devices and we certainly thank the folks that take the time to learn the training, and we also thank the hospital board for caring enough to purchase these when there were few other opportunities for funding," he said.

The defibrillators are designed to help restart a person’s heart after a cardiac arrest.

"We have a saying in the EMS business that time is tissue," said Scott Dorsett, a firefighter/paramedic with the Havelock Fire and Rescue Department, who helps manage and perform checks on the devices. "The longer that you go without oxygenation to the heart and the brain, it decreases that person’s survivability chances."

Dorsett said the devices help get blood flowing to vital organs quickly.

"When someone’s heart stops, the blood is not pumping through the body, and oxygen is not being transported to the tissues," he said, adding that the devices increase the survivability from a heart attack.

While police have been trained on the devices, residents can go through a two-hour class to become certified on the defibrillators.

"What it does is it allows people in the community to be involved with EMS, so coaches and teachers are increasingly becoming AED certified," Dorsett said. "What we’re trying to do is get the community involved in the AED aspect."

"So what an AED does is it allows people in the community to be proactive and take charge of their own health care and save lives. What we want to do here in Havelock is increase the number of AEDs, increase the number of people that are certified, so that if an emergency happens, we’re prepared and we can increase the survivability of every patient that we touch in Havelock."

Classes on the defibrillators occur on a rotating basis. Call the Havelock Fire Department at 444-3753 for more details. 

Two Tucker Creek Middle School students are in trouble with the law after police say they faked an attempted abduction Monday to cover up a plan to skip school.

The two students, both girls ages 13 and 14, told police that they were approached by a male subject while waiting for the school bus at 6:45 a.m. at the corner of Lee Drive and Coyote Trail, according to a release from the Havelock Police Department.

Havelock Police Chief G. Wayne Cyrus said that six officers and investigators responded and began an investigation. He said the case also involved a brief search of a wooded area nearby.

According to the release, investigators discovered inconsistencies in the accounts of the alleged abduction by the two girls, and through later interviews with friends of the alleged victim and an adult witness, determined that the story wasn’t true.

Cyrus said that a group of teens had made plans to skip school, but when one member decided to back out, the two girls hatched the fake abduction scheme.

Juvenile petitions for filing a false police report will be filed against the two girls and police are working with Juvenile Services on the incident, according to the release. The names of the two girls were not released because of their ages.

Cyrus said police wrapped up the investigation in less than 3 1/2 hours.