RFP Staff
♦ Rowan-Salisbury Board Of Education Meets at 4 P.M. September 14th in the Board Room at 110 S. Long Street, East Spencer, N.C.
RSSS Board of Education Agenda:
https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/Meetings/ViewMeetingOrder.aspx?S=800&MID=1971
RFP Staff
♦ Gerrell Laquan McCrea, 32, of Sumter Avenue in Kannapolis, was arrested Friday by a Rowan County Sheriff’s Office deputy for the alleged September 22nd, 2014 attempted murder and robbery of Scott Matthew Shoaf, 37, of China Grove, on the 3100 block of Weddington Avenue between Landis and Kannapolis. McCrea, a convicted felon, allegedly after attempting to sell fake drugs to the victim, fired two bullets into Shoaf when he attempted flee and robbed the wounded man of $1,200.
Shoaf, bleeding profusely from his wounds, was transported first to Novant Rowan Regional Medical Center in Salisbury then to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. for intensive treatment. Shoaf survived and was later released.
McCrae was charged Friday with robbery with a firearm or other dangerous weapons (felony), attempted murder (non-specified) (felony), sell or deliver counterfeit control substance (misdemeanor), and possession with intent to sell/deliver a counterfeit controlled substance (misdemeanor).
Under a $510,000 secured bond, McCrea is currently in the Rowan County Detention Center.
Gerrell Laquan McCrea extensive criminal record:
Gerrell Laquan McCrea (below):
Scott Matthew Shoaf:
RFP Staff
♦ When $36,000 will buy a habitable dwelling, smart money investors are swooping into Salisbury to take advantage of the “panic party deals”.
Down from 1,100 homes for sale 15 months ago to around 750 homes on the mainstream real estate market, the housing market is a slum-dog millionaire’s dream in Salisbury, N.C. With “smart money” investors maxing out a couple of credit cards to purchase rental haciendas and overnight transform themselves into “nuevo rich” who will make credit card payments until they can find banks to lower their monthly interest terms.
Salisbury’s real estate ship is in port and the party is getting started. This success can be laid at the feet of the last decade of incumbent and former city council members who sat back and watched “city planning” grow poverty, the school system accelerate into bottom rung status, and crime go out-of-control. And lets not forget the “Fibrant effect” on city services and working class flight. It’s a buyers market in the Bury where housing prices have plummeted to an all time low and shows no sign of let up.
Many folks are unloading their houses privately or on Craig’s list to beat being lost in the bloated mainstream Salisbury real estate market. Houses are selling sometimes for a much as a third to a half of their original market value from several years ago. With a couple of lucky bucks to squeeze together in this Slumdog Millionaire’s market called Salisbury, watch your wealth multiply.
The panic party is on! How many section eighters can you squeeze into an “historic home”? Live safely in Mooresville or Concord and watch your holdings grow like carpets of toadstools in a dark and dank forest.
http://www.trulia.com/for_sale/Salisbury,NC/featured;a_sort
“Make a Dollar in the Midst of Salisbury Squalor!”
RFP Staff
♦ Monica Pittman Bruns, 35, a Rockwell resident and former Red Cross disaster program specialist in Salisbury, was arrested for allegedly possessing heroin and marijuana along with 3 other persons in a Salisbury drug roundup early Sunday morning by the Salisbury Police Department.
Bruns was charged with possession of a control substance schedule I (heroin) (felony), possession with intent to manufacture/sell/deliver control substance IV (marijuana) (felony), and possession of drug paraphernalia (misdemeanor).
Under a $5,000 secured bond, Bruns was placed in the Rowan County Detention Center before making bail and being released.
All told about 26 grams of marijuana was seized from the vehicle.
Arrested along with Bruns Michael Stancil, 22, of Rockwell, Matthew Wayne Cress, 25 of China Grove, and Carissa Hiltz, 24, of Harrisburg. Each were placed under a $2,500 secured bond and were placed in the Rowan County Detention Center. Additionally Hiltz was charged with possession of a controlled substance schedule II (hydrocodone) (misdemeanor) and had an open container of alcohol in the vehicle.
Back in March of this year was Bruns was arrested by Rowan County Sheriff’s Office deputies for disorderly conduct on the 100 block of Pond View Drive and has a previous breaking and entering charge in 1998.
Monica Pittman Bruns previous record:
Monica Pittman Bruns:
RFP Staff
♦ Saturday at around 11:15 p.m. a running gun battle broke out on the 400 block of West Thomas Street in Salisbury at a suspected drug complex and spread to South Ellis. A number of shots were fired into the West Thomas Street complex and around the corner on South Ellis near Marsh. The two gunshot victims were later identified as Keven Patrick Roseberry, 21, and Daeshore Aceem Lyles, 21, both of Salisbury. Both men were driven by car to the Novant Rowan Regional Medical Center for emergency treatment. Both are said to be in stable condition and remain in the hospital. Investigators found shell casings nearby on South Ellis where vehicles were struck by gunfire.
At this time the Salisbury Police have not developed any suspects in the shooting.
Salisbury Police showed up after being called by a neighbor, placing his trash out at the time of the shooting. Like other neighbors on the block, he believes the shootings was drug related. Many in the area have witnessed what appears like steady drug activity in the apartment complex on the 400 block of West Thomas. Over the months, according to neighbors, Salisbury Police were repeatedly summoned to the complex. On August 13th of this year a pitch gun battle broke out at 422 West Thomas, the former home of the unsolved murder victim Miquel Angel Urrutia, 24, gunned down in his Chrysler on a lonely road back in March.
Saturday night into early Sunday morning, Police cars lined up along West Thomas as investigators went door-to-door through the neighborhood looking for information. Many of the neighbors are frustrated that the drug sales and violence have not be removed from their neighborhood.
If you have any information about this shooting, please call the Salisbury Police Department at 704-638-5333 or Salisbury-Rowan Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.
**This article will be updated as soon as more information is available.**
Daeshore Aceem Lyles (below):
Keven Patrick Roseberry (below):
CEDMagazine.Com/Andrew Winistorfer
♦ New Apple TV Features: Siri Universal Search, App Store, New Remote, and a Faster Chip!
RFP Staff
♦ On Thursday Deputies of the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office arrested Brandi Latrish Agnew, 25, and Darrius Obryan Worth, 24, of the 270 Mt. Hall Road in Cleveland for allegedly burglarizing a home on the 100 block of Mt. Hall Road and carting off a number of items to the “Quick Cash Pawn Shop” on Statesville Blvd.
Agnew and Worth were both charged with 1 count each of breaking and entering a building (felony), 1 count each of larceny (felony), and 1 count each of obtaining property by false pretenses (misdemeanor).
Both Agnew and Worth were placed under a $10,000 secured bond and are being held at the Rowan County Detention Center.
On Thursday deputies were summoned to a home on the 100 block of Mt. Hall Road when the homeowner returned home and noticed signs of forced entry and a number of items “missing”. The victim named Darrius Obryan Worth as a potential suspect. Investigators checked out “Quick Cash Pawn Shop” and discovered that Worth pawned a number of the “missing” items there on Wednesday.
Following a lead to Worth’s house on 270 Mt. Hall Road, Deputies found Agnew reluctant to allow them to enter the home and initially claimed Worth was not on the premises. The deputies entered with a warrant and found Worth hiding in the bathroom. Both Agnew and Worth surrendered at that point.
Brandi Latrish Agnew previous record:
Brandi Latrish Agnew:
Darrius Obryan Worth:
RFP Staff
♦ Video: Rowan County Commissioners Met on Monday September 14th to Consider Proposals for Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Capital Improvements:
http://rowancountync.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=551
Todd Paris, Candidate for Salisbury City Council
♦ The City of Salisbury promised to provide prompt responses to city council candidate requests for information. So far, I have submitted four requests for information and zero of them have been answered.
One of the items I requested included specific information about the Fibrant system being out of compliance with the National Electric Safety Code. This code has been adopted by law in NC and ensures the safety of linemen. So far, no one at the City has responded that this is not true.
In addition, I requested information on how much Maggie Blackwell and Karen Alexander have spent traveling on the city taxpayer’s dime. I have heard that they have taken “junkets” that have provided no real value to our community. The records will show if this is true.
At this point, I believe that the city will not provide the information I requested in a timely manner. In fact, I bet they will provide it, if at all, after the election because what I requested may be vey damaging to certain incumbents’ re-election.
So far, this campaign has left me with the impression that Karen Alexander and Maggie Blackwell will only tell the public what they want you to hear, and show the public only what they want you to see. Everything else stays hidden.
I challenge Maggie and Karen to be transparent and release their travel records and also confirm or deny that portions of the Fibrant System is out of compliance with the National Electric Safety Code by Wednesday, September 16, 2015 at 5 pm. The public deserves to know.
Facebook friends: Do you think Maggie and Karen will be transparent or keep hiding this information?
Kenneth Lydell Muhammad El, Salisbury, N.C.
♦ QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES OF CITY COUNCIL
1. If elected, what resolutions and actions would you propose to ensure that members of the minority community, especially those in the highest concentration of the demographics, would receive access to increased minority contracting and small business development opportunities from the City’s administration?
2. If elected, how would you ensure that members of the minority community, especially, Blacks, would benefit from the 700-800 vacant houses in the City’s inventory? Would you be willing to push a resolution, allowing minorities to purchase or obtain housing from this inventory, at nominal or low-costs, increasing homeownership opportunities within the minority communities?
3. The 2014 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Report demonstrates numerous glaring practices of discrimination, redlining, gentrification, unfair banking practices, and other admissions of unfair practices by the City and its affiliates. What resolutions, and actions would you propose that would ensure the minority community that the City is ready to engage members of the minority communities in a fair and equitable, distribution of resources?
RFP Staff
♦ Roger Earl Williams, Jr., 32, of Richfield, N.C. was found semi-conscious with a stab wound to his chest at the intersection of Basinger Road and River Road in Rowan County sometime around midnight Saturday. Rowan County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a passerby’s call and shortly thereafter found Tiffany Frieman Sattersfield, 31, of Rowan County beaten unconscious and left in a wooded area off Basinger Road. Both are reported in stable condition.
The stabbing and beating remains under investigation. No charges are yet filed. It is alleged the violence may have come during a heightened domestic dispute.
Tiffany Frieman Sattersfield:
Roger Earl Williams, Jr.:
Roger Earl Williams, Jr.’s record:
Tiffany Frieman Satterfield’s record:
RFP Staff
♦ Drawing for the Rowan Chamber of Commerce City Council Candidate Forum on October 15, 2015 at Hedrick Little Theater at Catawba College. Two separate groups of eight where chosen in the drawing.
The Candidates for City Council Scheduled Appearance :
6:00 PM: Tamara Sheffield, Kenny Hardin, Todd Paris, Troy Russell, Maggie Blackwell, Rip Kersey, Mark Lewis, and Stephen Arthur.
7:30 PM: Karen Alexander, William Peoples, Constance Johnson, Scott Maddox, Brian Miller, Roy Bentley, David Post, and Jeff Watkins.
RFP Staff
♦ On Tuesday, during Salisbury City Council’s public commentary period, three Salisbury residents Nan Lund, Whitney Peckman, and Kenneth Lydell Muhammad El spoke out against Salisbury’s unfair housing practices.
Nan Lund, a Salisbury activist, described the state of home loan practices, drawing on data derived from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The data demonstrated that loan applications were being shot down at varying rates depending on gender, race, and ethnicity. Race, according to Lund, was significant in whether a loan was approved. Issued home loans in the area often demonstrated a higher than usual interest rate.
Lund described small business loans, saying, “Loans were intended to target low to moderate income communities as measured by median family income to the area. A substantial portion of these loans went to tracts in which the median family income was over 120% of the median family income in the county.”
Next up was Whitney Peckman who zeroed in on Salisbury’s home ownership rates among communities where minorities and the poor lived. Peckman believed increasing home ownership would boost Salisbury’s tax base. Peckman also noted that frequently poorer Salisbury residents did not understand their “fair housing” rights. She put forward the idea of a panel who would travel to Salisbury’s poor areas and set up credit counseling services that might boost home ownership.
Salisbury community advocate Kenneth Lydell Muhammad El was the last to speak and urged City Council to take seriously Tuesday’s report and take immediate corrective action. He noted that the some of the report’s items and statistics were symbolic of institutional racism.
For added understanding of the issues brought up by Lund, Peckman, and Muhammad El, read this report:
RFP Staff
♦ Brandon Scott Goins, 25, of Shuping Mill Road in Rockwell, was arrested Monday after 2 a.m. during a traffic checkpoint stop on the 1600 block of Peeler Road just outside of Salisbury.
A Rowan Sheriff’s deputy smelled the odor of marijuana coming from Goins’ car. When the deputy questioned Goins about the marijuana odor, Goins denied smoking it. Unconvincing. The deputies ordered Goins and the passenger out of the car and began a search which netted an alleged white powdery substance in two spoons (Explained away as a noodle flavoring packet). Next came a capped syringe (Goins passed it off as a diabetic syringe belonging to grandma) and then an alleged marijuana joint. Then came a bottle filled with 10.4 grams of the potent painkiller percocet. Goins, never at a loss for explanations, offered that percocet must’ve been left in the car by “someone else”.
Finally the deputies searched Goins and found more spoons and a straw covered with a white powdery substance. Oh that noodle flavoring. Finally wilting under the weight of insurmountable evidence and the loss of “noodle flavoring power” Goins allegedly admitted the straw was employed to snort a percocet pill.
Goins was charged with 2 counts of trafficking heroin or opium (felony), possession with intent to manufacture/sell/distribute a controlled substance schedule II (misdemeanor), possession of control substance schedule VI (misdemeanor), possession of drug paraphernalia (misdemeanor), and driving while license revoked (misdeamenor).
Under a $50,000 secured bond, Goins is being held at the Rowan County Detention Center.
Brandon Scott Goins Previous Record:
RFP Staff
♦ Floyd Andre “SEXX in the CITY” Blakeney, 52, of North Long Street in Salisbury was arrested early Tuesday morning in Downtown Salisbury, N.C. and charged with littering. According to Rowan County Detention Center inmate records Blakeney was sentenced for littering (misdemeanor) and his estimated release date is on October 5th. Blakeney’s last arrest was for indecent exposure by the Wells Fargo Mural on Thursday September 10th.
Some RFP readers question if Mr. Blakeney is being singled out especially in Salisbury’s Downtown noted for litter, blight, graffiti vandalism, and panhandlers.
Blakeney’s last arrest was for allegedly exposing himself by the Wells Fargo lot mural in Downtown Salisbury:
CEDMagazine.com/Ben Munson
Windstream Opens Up 100 Mbps Broadband in 250 New Markets. Rowan County, N.C. will have Yet Another High-Speed Internet Provider:
http://www.cedmagazine.com/news/2015/09/windstream-opens-100-mbps-broadband-250-new-markets
RFP Staff
♦ As the violence continues to amp up in Salisbury, a city of 11 unsolved murders, a police officer witnessed an attempted murder at MLK, Jr. and East Liberty Streets around 6 p.m. Wednesday and gave chase to the shooter identified as Demetrious Tyrone “Bestman” Lane, 25, of Old Concord Road.
Salisbury Police officer M.L. Dishman fortunately drove up on the alleged attempted murder-in-progress where he witnessed Lane calling out: “Was’ up now!” to a male and female couple on the sidewalk near MLK, Jr. and East Liberty streets. Instants later Lane fired a shot at the couple who sprinted off.
Lane, driving black Nissan Altima, noted a police car presence nearby and attempted to flee the scene with officer Dishman pursuing him at breakneck-speeds through the streets of Salisbury. Lane, in an attempt to elude Dishman, ran a stop sign at Bringle Ferry Road and passed another car at high-speeds on the double yellow line road.
As Lane’s Nissan roared past the 1600 block of Bringle Ferry Road, Lane allegedly flipped his pistol out of the window. Moments later he lost control of his vehicle and piled into front yard of a home on 1655 Bringle Ferry Road.
Several Salisbury officers joined Dishman with drawn handguns in surrounding Lane’s car. Lane was taken into custody without further incident.
Lane was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury (felony), weapon-illegal discharge (within the city limits) (misdemeanor), and flee to elude (felony).
Under a $100,000 secured bond, Lane is in the Rowan County Detention Center:
Demetrious Tyrone Lane’s Previous Record:
RFP Staff
♦ A man identified as Rashad Omar “Shaudie” Vinson, 21, of 107 Wilson Road, was shot near his apartment complex around 8:30 p.m. Thursday. Vinson was found lying near the intersection of Wilson and Lincolnton Roads. Bleeding profusely from a wound to his lower abdomen, Vinson was initially rushed to Novant Rowan Regional Medical Center then later transported by helicopter to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem for surgery. His wound is said to be serious, yet non-life-threatening. The bullet passed through Vinson’s body.
Sources allege that a car drove up to the front of Vinson’s apartment complex and several males got out. One of the males began firing at Vinson who toppled to the ground. As quickly as they arrived, the assailants returned to the car and sped off.
No description of the vehicle is yet available.
It is believed Vinson knew the shooter.
Students at nearby Salisbury High School reported hearing multiple gunshots, possibly 5 to 7, coming from the vicinity of Wilson Road which sits between Old Plank and Lincolnton Roads.
A Salisbury High jayvee football game, taking place at the nearby athletic field, was called off as a precautionary measure.
Livingstone College, off of Wilson Road, was placed on a 20 minute lockdown, but the lockdown is over.
Police investigators remained on the scene as evidence is being gathered. No motive for the shooting is yet known. So far no arrests have been made.
Persons with information about the shooting are requested to call the Salisbury Police at 704-638-5333 or Rowan-Salisbury Crime Stoppers 1-866-639-5245.
**The article will be updated as more information is available.**
RFP Staff
♦ Gov. Pat McCrony and Cultural Secretary Susan Kluttz took 73 junkets to 52 towns on the taxpayer dime and only got an embarrassing $8 million dollar Historic Tax Credit plan to cover the entire state in the new state budget. Thank you N.C. Senate for holding the line and providing the historic preservationists with “chump change”. The greatly reduced Historic Tax Credit won’t amount to much and will no doubt dissuade many from embarking on historic renovation projects.
Many taxpayers and business owners throughout North Carolina don’t like the idea they’d have to fork money over to line historic renovators pockets or spend money on someone else’s house or building. Taxpayers and business owners would much rather spend money on their own desires and businesses.
In a state where really major issues exist, why was Gov. McCrony investing so much time in pitching such a low priority?
http://rowanfreepress.com/fighting-historic-preservation-and-gentrification/
Todd Paris, Attorney and Candidate for Salisbury City Council
♦ Today I received confirmation that a dispute related to the construction of the Fibrant network and attorneys are involved. The city will provide limited and redacted records given that this appears to be an ongoing legal dispute.
This is confirmation that portions of the network were constructed out of compliance with the National Electric Safety Code. This is dangerous and will be costly to fix.
The city is refusing to answer simple questions I have related to this, under the excuse that they just don’t have to under state law. That’s not transparent and that’s bad government.
I challenge Maggie Blackwell and Karen Alexander to be open and honest about this major issue instead of keeping it covered up.
Salisbury residents do you feel the city should be transparent about the construction liability on the poles and what it will cost on your money to fix it?
City Hall’s response to my public information requests:
Myra Heard
To
‘Douglas Paris’
Today at 2:15 PM
Mr. Paris,
In regard to your various public records requests, we are compiling responsive documents for your inspection. Because some of the documents you requested are subject to the attorney-client privilege related to an ongoing dispute, narrative information will be redacted from attorney invoices, and correspondence to or from counsel for the City of Salisbury will not be produced. I am sure you understand the need to preserve this privilege as it relates to communications with the City’s attorneys.
Also, as to your request dated September 12, 2015, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 132-6 requires a public body to allow the inspection of public records. That statute does not require a public body to answer questions or create documents that do not otherwise exist. As such, the City will treat your questions as a request for documents, and will provide any responsive, non-privileged documents within its custody or control, but will not create a narrative response or other document that does not already exist.
As to the time of production, the City has pulled all responsive documents, and those documents are now being reviewed by counsel for the City. I am told we should be able to produce those documents by week ending September 25 . Please let me know in what format you would like those documents.
Thank you,
Myra Heard
To Myra Heard, “One additional thing. I understand the state law related to public records and that you don’t have to “create a record.”
However, at the candidate Q and A forum it was stated candidates could ask additional questions after the event. The previous questions that I sent to you unrelated to public records was and are a result of the city stating we could ask additional questions. In your previous email are you stating that the City is refusing to answer my additional questions? If so, who specifically made the decision that the city would ignore the questions of a council candidate?”
