RFP Staff

♦ On Tuesday, August 2nd, David Post gave a cheerleader presentation to the Salisbury Rotary Club luncheon, regarding the city’s failed broadband utility Fibrant. His major talking point was how the upcoming refinance of Fibrant’s certificates of participation (COPs) might enable the City to reduce the $10,000 per day losses on subsidizing the utility with a lower interest rate on the debt shares. He further highlighted other means that City Council might focus on expanding Fibrant’s customer base and recover some of Fibrant’s massive daily financial losses.

The Salisbury Rotary Club is a nonpartisan organization and made up of the town’s upper tier businessmen and bankers. Under normal circumstances it would be a safe crowd for a Salisbury City Councilperson to tout a city hall project. Post must’ve had a reasonable expectation of the gathering’s support.  Little did he realize the canary expired in its cage at the start of the mineshaft.

Unfortunately further into Mr. Post’s presentation, he gave the group an opportunity to ask questions.  And according to the Insiders present at the meeting one of the most pointed questions came from a prominent retired banker and elder-statesman in our community. The elder-statesmen’s inquiry pressed the issue of why our city council was still focusing most of its leadership efforts on salvaging its dead-in-the water broadband utility, when the citizens of Salisbury are daily faced with a lack of basic safety in their own homes and on the street. The respected elder-statesman reminded Mr. Post that potential investors for the reduced-interest COPs had viewed Fibrant as a “non-essential government service”, and all but one of them declined to place a bid on the request for proposals for refinancing.

Mr. Post became a bit defensive with the Rotarian luncheon gathering.  He respectfully stated he disagreed with the investors who declined the City’s offer—that broadband internet is an “essential government service”, putting it in the category of other essential services like electricity, phones, water/sewer and police protection. Mr. Post paraphrased a speech given at the U.S. Conference of Mayors by Candidate Hillary Clinton when he said that kids were going to school who do not have a fast connection to broadband they were being shut out of the global marketplace.  So now the City Council is following Hillary’s “Breaking Every Barrier Agenda” with its stated goal that “by 2020 every household in America will have access to affordable broadband.” That’s an agenda that Hillary and Mr. Post apparently shares with Greg Edds who led the County Commissioners to approve Fibrant extensions out to 2 business owners in the county’s Summit business park earlier this summer.

The rest of Mr. Post’s question and answer session drew more criticism of Fibrant. Prominent business people asked—even suggested—why the City didn’t abandon Fibrant due to its horrendous operational losses and start focusing on rebuilding a flat-lined municipality.  Several made observations that if a municipality were going to enter a business competing with private industry, the municipality must understand that 6 years of major losses should signal that the City needs to simply shut it down, take the known losses, and move forward with overall civic improvement.

What would be wrong with giving up the Fibrant ghost other than a loss of face? Would it not be more beneficial to the underprivileged children of Salisbury if there were greater educational, recreational, and basic security opportunities in their city?  Instead Fibrant swallows the city’s limited resources and its residents suffer until they sell their homes at a loss and move to safer and far prosperous places outside of Rowan.

And can we ask how those “poor” children fare when a struggling single parent buys into Fibrant’s onerous two year contract and can’t make the payments? Salisbury coldly cuts off their water, until the family pays the Fibrant bill. How does that help underprivileged families who are struggling to make ends meet?

Why it is that many of our regional neighboring municipalities, who don’t have a broadband utility (like Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Lexington, Burlington and even Spencer) are providing it free in most parts of their downtowns and parks, for underprivileged children to have a safe place to go to log into a broadband connection, but Salisbury has no such availability? Sadly, the answer is that providing free WIFI would be an impediment to signing up more Fibrant customers. So once Salisbury started competing with cut-throat, ‘evil’ corporations, they’ve now acquired some of those greedy corporations’ worst behaviors.  Salisbury’s city hall is demonstrating a lack of empathy for the poor while talking the opposite.

More truths will come out about Salisbury’s ineptitude between now and the August 16th hearing for Fibrant debt refinancing.

Who will lead this cause and hold our City leaders accountable? Ironically, it appears a prominent retired banker has already fired the first volley.

RFP Staff

♦ Salisbury, N.C. is awash with daily house and vehicle break-ins with a minimal police department presence due to City Hall sinking all their funding into a bottomless municipal broadband pit called Fibrant. One of the many burglaries and vehicle break-ins this week allegedly involved Sky Nicole Allison, 24, of the 200 block of Clay Street and Salisbury felon who Salisbury Police sources reported broke into a Ford Explorer SUV and a home at 521 East Fisher Street on Tuesday. Allison was alleged to damage a window screen during the break-in and steal $9 dollars worth of canned Coca-Cola. When the homeowner allegedly spotted Allison outside her kitchen window, Allison promptly fled the premises.

Wednesday the Salisbury Police arrested Allison and charged her with breaking and entering–building (felony), breaking and entering cars other motor vehicles (felony), and larceny (misdemeanor). Under a secured $500 dollar bond she was placed in the Rowan County Detention Center where she was released on bond.

Sky Nicole Allison:

Sky Nicole Allison’s Previous Record:

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=1187112&searchLastName=allison&searchFirstName=sky&searchMiddleName=n&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

RFP Staff

♦ Catalino Benitez-Vallejo, 47, convicted Federal drug felon and deported almost 19 years ago, returned to Rowan County and was allegedly living under the alias Miseal Valencia-Macedo on Wilkie Road in Kannapolis for almost a year when he was arrested Wednesday by the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Department of Homeland Security/Immigration and Customs Enforcement as the result of an 11 months investigation.

Benitez-Vallejo was charged with aggravated re-entry (felony). He was placed in federal custody and taken to a federal holding facility.

Back on April 21st 1999 Benitez-Vallejo, an illegal immigrant living in China Grove, was arrested by the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, the SBI, and the U.S. Customs Service for delivering 5 kilos of cocaine to an undercover investigator near Long Ferry Road in Salisbury. During a search of Benitez-Vallejo home investigators uncovered assault weapons. He pleaded guilty to cocaine distribution in Federal court in the Middle District of North Carolina and was sentenced on September 28th 1999 to 10 years in federal prison.

Benitez-Vallejo was released from prison on January 4th 2008 and deported to Mexico. According to law enforcement he returned several months later allegedly using several aliases including Miseal Valencia-Macedo.

According to law enforcement sources Benitez-Vallejo attracted no attention for years save for traffic citations in Cabarrus county under his alias Miseal Valencia-Macedo. He was never arrested or fingerprinted.

After Benitez-Vallejo’s arrest Wednesday he continued to maintain his alias until he was confronted with evidence of his fingerprints obtained through a high-tech finger printing device. A search of Benitez-Vallejo’s Kannapolis home investigators allegedly turned up a 9 mm Glock pistol, ammunition, and several documents carrying his aliases.

In the future Benitez-Vallejo’s case will be turned over to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecution of aggravated re-entry charge (felony), and the 9 mm pistol and ammunition charge. It’s possible Benitez-Vallejo will also face additional state charges for identity theft and trafficking stolen identities.

Todd Paris, Staff Writer and Salisbury Attorney

♦ Our Editor frequently cautions us to stay away from conjecture unless it is in the service of humor. He runs a tight ship. Some of his staff are difficult to control. I suspect I am among those who strains mightily at the leash.

On or about July 29th Salisbury City workers were dispatched to procure a special vehicle, a high-end Grumman “Workhorse” with “Mr. Slushy” signage on it. Was this mystery monster truck set to cruise the city’s Ice Cream Deserts and hand our sugary delights to bait our children into signing on with the city’s political re-education academy so that they may become true believers in Fibrant and that other communities outside of the Country Club and the City’s Downtown are not underserved? Or will the Mr. Slushy truck be engaged in something even more ominous like playing the theme from “Jaws” as it penetrates the dark underbelly of Salisbury’s violent crime, hard drugs, and toothless granny prostitution as an “undercover” military style vehicle?

Soon after learning of the mysterious Mr. Slushy truck we learned of unconfirmed reports the vehicle may be assigned to “Parks and Recreation”. Will it be assigned sentry duty at “Movies in the Park” and armed with military grade tear gas canisters to quell children and their parents who become overly excited from viewing the Disney remake of the “The Strange Case of Dr. X”?

My initial thoughts were that the mystery vehicle was “an armored vehicle” or some sort of surveillance van paid for by drug asset forfeitures (I can’t find a line item on the new budget for it). Sources pointed your reporter to the lot behind the transit garage on Franklin Street to see the new addition. Was the mind of Rory Collins behind this expenditure during his last days as the Chief of Police?

Holy cow, there she was. I beheld a new or nearly new Grumman “Workhorse” step van that bore the language “Careful Children” on the front. Moving to the side, I recognized this vehicle for what it was: a “slushy” truck.

While the interior did not appear completed, clearly machinery was propped up inside the truck for slushy making. If this is Police undercover vehicle, the bare interior walls certainly would lend themselves to bullet resistant Kevlar applications.

Sources indicate the City plans to drive this vehicle through town handing out FREE frozen flavored confections to children and citizens hunkering down in Salisbury’s growing disadvantaged communities much like former County Commissioner Jon Barber peddled healthy produce from his “Farm Fresh” truck to the city’s food deserts. (Will the Slushys be made from Kool-Aid?)

As shootings increase during this “long hot summer” perhaps undercover police officers masquerading as Slushy venders might get valuable tips from citizens often reluctant to speak to the police. Has it been so hot that folks may be willing to “snitch” for a FREE Slushy? Is this how the city fathers plan to lick crime? Should our undercover officers manning the truck be dressed as clowns to become more approachable?

Initial reports were that the final cost was projected to be 100K (the cost of four new police cruisers). Subsequent research of my own indicates that truck probably will be approximately the same cost as only two or three police cars.

Then again a true genius may be at work here. If staffed by underpaid low level city employees (like police and firemen) think of the savings that can be pumped into Fibrant.

I can’t help but wonder though whether this money could have been better used to provide seed money for a Boy’s and Girl’s Club or job training for disadvantaged city youth instead of a fast lane to childhood obesity and Type II diabetes. Only time will tell.

Heaven knows where the money came from? Perhaps from some City slushy fund?

RFP Staff

♦ Thursday Rowan County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested John Lewis Jackson, Jr. 22, of Salisbury and on the Sheriff’s office’s MOST WANTED LIST, at a house Thursday in Davie County for an alleged July 24th kidnapping and rape of a 16 year-old Salisbury girl. During his arrest Jackson attempted to flee from law enforcement, but caught quickly. 

The alleged kidnapping was reported at approximately 11 p.m. on July 24th.  Both Jackson and the teenager knew each other.

Jackson was charged yesterday with rape (second degree) (felony) and kidnapping (felony). This is how his charges are entered at the Rowan County Detention Center.  Under a secured $100,000 bond Jackson is being held in the Rowan County Detention Center.  His first hearing is on August 15th.

John Lewis Jackson, Jr.:

No record appears for Jackson under his name at the NCDOJ website, however he’s allegedly had a number of recent contacts (2015-2016) with the law in Davie County. Pending court cases there include assaults on a female (misdemeanor), possession of drug paraphernalia (misdemeanor), possession of schedule II controlled substance (felony), injury to real property (misdemeanor), assault with a deadly weapon (misdemeanor), injury to personal property (misdemeanor), possession of a controlled substance on jail premises (felony), harboring or aiding certain persons (misdemeanor).

**This article will be updated as soon as new details arrive.**

Steve Mensing, Editor

♦ Salisbury has an abundance of broadband providers. Spectrum (they bought TWC), AT&T U-verse/AT&T Gigapower, DirecTV, Dish, and Salisbury’s completely unrequired and overpriced Fibrant (Subscribers pay for it not only on through their pricey monthly subscription fee, but they get hammered for it on their water/sewer bills, taxes, and money heavily siphoned from various undernourished city services like our grossly underpaid and understaffed police, streets repair, trash pickup, our firefighters, traffic engineering, and city property upkeep. City-wide Salisbury is a dangerous place to live with break-ins, unsolved killings, street beatings, home invasions, and nothing to stop it.

Working class people of all races are leaving the city. Fibrant is attracting zero business and its the very center of Salisbury’s decimation. Fibrant will never turn the corner and break even in our lifetimes. There are simply not enough people with income enough to support this sinkhole fiber-to-the home fiasco. The other providers offer tremendous high-speed at reasonable prices. When Spectrum fully takes over TWC you will get deals that will pulverize Fibrant.

Okay, Why Wouldn’t Someone Waste Money on Any of Fibrant’s Residential Services or Even Their Business Class?

A huge reason: Salisbury’s city government “downsized” city employees or has them doing double-duty in the survival mode is due to Fibrant. The city has a grossly understaffed police department making low wages who can not effectively patrol a crime ridden and drug infested Salisbury. The City’s bond rating was downgraded by both Moody’s and Fitch who warned the city they face future junk bonding if they didn’t pay back the sewer and water fund. So far no dice.

• Private providers don’t eat your city services alive. Their taxes raise the quality of life in Salsbury. They are Spectrum (formerly TWC). Other Salisbury providers are AT&T U-Verse/Gigapower, and Fibrant (which can’t match speed or price residentially with Spectrum (TWC Maxx residential services). TV providers are Spectrum (They bought TWC), Dish, DirecTV, and IPTV cord cutting approaches. Let’s not forget Fibrant’s TV and VOIP services are grossly overpriced and non-competitive. Lest we forget if you run into problems paying for Fibrant, they can cut off your water and sewer.

• The residents of Salisbury don’t own Fibrant. Most persons dwelling in Salisbury have no illusions of ownership over something most didn’t want. We have no control over its shoddy business practices other than not buying it. It is owned by the city government and run by them at enormous loss to our taxpayers and utility payers despite city hall’s former wild claims about its success in “turning the corner” and showing a profit. (They have since admitted they “fibbed” about it.) Fibrant has never remotely broken even and by any rational calculations never will while they drown in the ocean of free market competition. Besides the $7.6 million dollars owed to the water and sewer funds, Fibrant still has a heavy debt and interest to pay back until 2029. They’ll only cut some of it if they refinance the debacle. A few months back the city finally fessed up that Fibrant was losing over $3 plus million dollars a year in recent years. Look at the latest city budget (2016-2017) and see the damage Fibrant has rained on the Bury.

• While none of our residents voted to foist the Fibrant debacle on the city taxpayers-–that was left up to our self-proclaimed “visionary” city council who avoided quorum the day of the infamous vote. The mismanagement of Fibrant during the blundering rollout burned up all of the $33 million dollars of the certificates of participation (COPs) from November 2010 to June 2011. The evaporation of funds came from buying large quantities of mismatching recycled equipment, stringing fiber optic on the poles against code, amateur home installation, paying inflated prices for “signal”, and other multi-million dollar reasons that only a forensic audit could uncover. That soft rollout swamped Fibrant’s future before it got underway. Of course city hall likes to fantasize about an utter failure being a triumphant success through the use of “Magic Math”. Fibrant was covered over with puff pieces and smoke screening just like Salisbury’s soaring 27.2% poverty, horrific city public school performances (D’s and F’s on the State report card), and our scary uniform FBI crime stats. Salisbury is a corpse reanimated with ludicrous publicity and spin. There’s a stampead out of here. Wonder why? It’s called Fibrant.

• Fibrant’s TV packages are over-priced. Spectrum (Formerly TWC), U-verse, DirectTV, and Dish are cheaper and superior. Keep in mind all the great channels available on IPTV internet enabled devices like Roku 3, Amazon Fire TV, and so forth. You get at least 20 local channels for FREE with a rabbit ear antenna in brilliant full screen HD. If you want to cut the cord and yet maintain many of the cable and satellite channels you can’t beat Sony’s VUE which appears on IPTV devices like ROKU, FireFox TV, Apple TV, Play Station, and many others.

• Fibrant’s internet services, while more stable than they once were, are still plagued by some periods of instability.

• Fibrant’s TV channel packages are outclassed by Spectrum (formerly TWC), U-Verse, DirecTV, and Dish. All offer superior TV packages at cheaper prices. Everyone of the big boys offer TV aps for our PCs, Apples, IPADs, Android phones, IPHONEs, and gaming devices. Fibrant offers a form of TV everywhere difficult to operate. There is no reason for buying Fibrant TV. Not even the moonbat excuse of “supporting my city”. What drivel. I say as a consumer “I salute my wallet above all”. Our current city hall is not interested in your wellbeing–they don’t provide up to snuff city services or policing. I’m a consumer–please me. A corporation or a municipal government can be equally greedy and conniving. You the consumer gets the pick of the litter. What dimdot would sacrifice their economic betterment for a city that cares nothing about them and allows cronyism, coverups, “magic math”, and backroom deals to flourish?

• Many of the internet and TV providers will renegotiate their prices through a retention specialist. Fibrant does not renegotiate if you can no longer afford them. The private providers acknowledge that a customer retained is better than a customer lost.

• It’s a fact of life the big boys possess immense deep pockets allowing them to keep up with the latest technological innovations and buy quantities of equipment at far cheaper prices than Fibrant can even imagine. And a municipal government with parasites can ramp up your costs. The big boys do not have municipal parasites scoring on deals. Salisbury is stuck and has no real money other than the city’s reserve funds, your taxes and fees or to slash away more municipal services and more city workers with gusto. Meanwhile all of the providers have immense deep pockets for state-of-the-marketing. Wait until you see Spectrum’s marketing and advertising and it will be everywhere eating pitiful Fibrant alive.

• Fibrant is priced out of range of the city’s poor (27.2% of the population), many of whom lack computers. And the fact is most people don’t care about or need terrific high-speed. But they can get it from the Spectrum and AT&T U-verse/AT&T Gigapower.

• Fibrant’s grossly over-priced VOIP phone ($45 a month) is non competitive with the outstanding MagicJackGO, Google Voice (FREE), and numerous other VOIP companies in Salisbury’s crowded field. It’s a fact that many people are moving completely away from landlines and using smartphones at home. Fibrant is nowhere in this picture.

• It was revealed in a Salisbury City Hall email exchange, uncovered through a RFP public information request, that Fibrant hacked customer emails to get information for our city council with its lacking moral compass. For that reason alone many persons especially business owners and person outspoken against City Hall would NEVER want City Hall peeping through their emails. Does city hall have an enemies list? City Hall is well known for vendettas against anyone who speaks out against them. Folks these are cybercrimes your “visionary” city council took part in. Check this out:

Is Fibrant Watching You? Fibrant Subscribers Beware

• Salisbury is flat-lined as a liveable and safe city. People here are experiencing a lack of well-paying jobs, a lack of city-wide safety where shootings, killings, robberies, beatings, arsons, vandalism, and break-ins happen with great regularity. The city schools are plagued by bad end of year test grades, gangs violence, drug abuse, and regular lockdowns. No wonder people, with enough financial wherewithal, are selling their houses or abandoning them. Young college educated people are stampeading out of here. Fibrant is not going to attract people to this non-destination. People can find high-speed internet elsewhere in truly livable, thriving, and safer communities.

Video: The Stick-Up: The City of Salisbury’s Fibrant Heist

Councilman David Post’s Attempt to Talk Up Fibrant at Tuesday’s Rotary Club Luncheon Greeted with Scorn by Salisbury Businessmen

Fibrant Woes Deepen. City Hall Directed Atlantic Engineering Group to Install Fibrant’s Cable in Violation of National Electric Safety Code

Fibrant a Necessity in Salisbury’s Already Overcrowded Broadband Field? What?

Fibrant is Outgunned by its Symetrical Fiber Competition in Salisbury, N.C.: AT&T Gigapower and TWC Dedicated Ethernet 10 Gig

Video: Todd TV–Fibrant Magic Math

The FIBRANT DEBACLE Non-Competitive with AT&T U-verse GigaPower and TWC Maxx. Game Over in Salisbury N.C.

Fibrant’s Losses Mount. Is City Hall Hearing Footsteps?

Tuesday Salisbury, N.C.’s City Council Revealed Fibrant Network Costs City $3.7 Million During First Half of the Year

Video: Salisbury, N.C. City Council Fibrant Budget Discussion on February 2nd

Salisbury, N.C.’s Latest Publicity Ruse: Becoming “America’s 10 Gig City” when Fibrant is a Minus $12.6 Million Super Fiasco

https://rowanfreepress.com/2015/11/29/how-does-fibrants-tv-everywhere-compare-with-u-verses-anywhere-twcs-everywhere-directvs-everywhere-and-dishs

RFP Staff

♦ Salisbury Police sources report a double shooting occurred Saturday night in a parking lot near the intersection of North Caldwell and West Franklin Streets.  Two yet to be identified men were reported wounded.  One person was reported shot in the leg and the other was shot multiple times with serious injuries. Both were transported to the hospital.

The area around North Caldwell and West Franklin quickly filled up with police vehicles while investigators poured over the crime scene.

At this time no arrests were made or suspects revealed.

If you have any information about this shooting please call the Salisbury Police Department at 704-638-5333 or the Salisbury-Rowan Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.

**This article will be updated as more information arrives.**

RFP Staff

♦ Board of Education Work Session at 1 p.m. on August 8th at the Wallace Educational Forum on 500 N. Main in Salisbury.  The Agenda:

https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/Meetings/ViewMeetingOrder.aspx?S=800&MID=2598

RFP Staff

♦  In a long August weekend of gunfire and beatings in Salisbury our beleaguered and badly understaffed police force, more than willing to sacrifice their lives for Fibrant and our citizens, faced a tidal wave of mayhem on Friday and more on Saturday.  Here are but a few highlights:

On Friday neighbors reported that gunshots were heard on the 100 block of Pearl Street.  According to Police sources someone fired into an occupied property at 123 Pearl Street where Jasmine Yvette Jordan, 24, lived.  The gunshots were reported at 2:06 a.m. Allegedly no one was injured. Police arrived and secured the area.

123 Pearl Street, Salisbury, N.C.

No motive for the shootings is known and no arrests were made.

If anyone knows about this shooting into an occupied property they are urged to call the Salisbury Police Department at 704-638-5333 or the Salisbury-Rowan Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

The Salisbury Police were summoned to the Wiley School Apartments at 211 Ridge Avenue where an assault with a dangerous weapon was reported on the street. Roland Rico Harris, 35, of the 200 block of Long Street sustained minor injuries from a blunt object attack. Not much else is known about the assault because allegedly the victim did not cooperate with officers according to police sources.

If anyone knows about this assault with a dangerous weapon they are urged to call the Salisbury Police Department at 704-638-5333 or the Salisbury-Rowan Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

On Saturday at 12:31 a.m. Salisbury Police were dispatched by a 911 call to area near Novant Rowan Regional Medical Center at 612 Mocksville Avenue for a reported assault with a gun. The victim identified as Dadrian Ty Quan Cowan sustained minor injuries from the assault with a handgun. Cowan, who lives on Ludwick Avenue in Salisbury, allegedly did not cooperate with officers when they attempted to question him.

612 Mocksville Avenue in Salisbury:

If someone knows about this assault with a gun they are urged to call the Salisbury Police Department at 704-638-5333 or the Salisbury-Rowan Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.

Woody Brown, Salisbury, N.C.

♦ I am attaching a pdf. file that explains a concern for 12 Salisbury families who live on Jacob Bost Road. We are quite concerned about this issue.

The PDF. file:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2E5Ew6OLdElZjIxel9KNm1pWE0/view?pref=2&pli=1

RFP Staff

♦ Garrett Michael Hildreth, 17, of 11051 U.S. Highway in Rockwell along with two alleged accessories William Trevor Keller, 17, of Salisbury, and Courtney Nicole Archer, 16, of Rockwell were arrested Rowan County Sheriff’s Office deputies at 11051 U.S. Highway 52 in Rockwell for allegedly attempting to shoot 5 persons Saturday. According to law enforcement sources Archer and Keller allegedly attempted to hide Hildreth’s alleged handgun knowing the handgun was employed in a felony.

11051 U.S. Hwy 52 in Rockwell, N.C.:

Hildreth was charged with assault with 5 counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill/inflict serious injury (felony), discharging a firearm into a occupied property (felony), possession with intent to manufacture a controlled substance schedule VI (felony), and possession of drug paraphernalia (misdemeanor). Under a secured $375,000 bond, he remains in the Rowan County Detention Center.

Garrett Michael Hildreth:

Archer was charged with possession of a controlled substance schedule II (felony) and 6 counts of accessory after the fact (felony). Under a secure $55,000 bond, she remains on the Rowan County Detention Center.

Cuurtney Nicole Archer:

William Keller:

Keller was charged with 6 counts of accessory after the fact (felony), one count of possessing a stolen firearm (felony), and a single count of possession of a firearm by a felon (felony). Under a secure $360,000 bond Keller remains in the Rowan County Detention Center.

Garrett Michael Hildreth’s Previous Record:

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=1499281&searchLastName=Hildreth&searchFirstName=Garrett&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

William Trevor Keller’s Previous Record:

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=1464458&searchLastName=keller&searchFirstName=william&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

**This article will be updated when more information arrives.**

Todd Paris, Staff Writer and Salisbury Attorney

♦ Commission Chair Greg Edds tells us the county commission received additional money from the state’s new service tax on auto repairs and such.  Skipping over the fact that the NC Legislature is controlled by my Republican Party said to be against more taxation, suddenly its “Christmas in Rowan” to the tune of $2 million dollars.

What would I do if I was in the Commission Chair’s Keds? Since the start of 2015 Edds had control of the commission with his two bookends Judy Klusman and Jim Green.   I’d better utilize every last penny of the taxpayer giveaway and hire one or more nationally respected industrial plant recruitment firms to land Rowan a BMW or Toyota sized industrial facility that pay living wages.  It’s that simple.  A contingent contract requiring them to produce to get paid more than the minimum fee would be mandatory. Why more than one?  Healthy competition. Make them fight for it.

I would also make sure a contract provision existed to prevent the use of private site selectors if those interested companies wanted incentives. If a business wished to spread around money to certain locals to do the work that motivated government employees could and should do– it’s “on them.” I would not give them taxpayer money either directly or indirectly. No one wants Rowan to look like a “closed shop”. Right?

Instead, Edds wants to pump an additional $100,000.00 into “Rowanworks/EDC” a private non-profit which has zero accountability to the public to hire Director Robert Van Geons an assistant to be a Director of Business Development.  He is supposed to “generate leads” for new businesses who may want to come to Rowan. All this time I thought that was Van Geon’s job. So the guy we hired to bring high quality jobs to Rowan, hasn’t, so we hire him a $100K per year an assistant? Oh yeah, we throw an additional $200,000.00 at Rowanworks because we are getting outspent by other counties on their EDC? How long do we go on rewarding folks for failure? I would be much happier spending the money with all new leadership.

A Parody of RVG:

I know I am starting to sound like Jim Sides, but constantly competing with other counties in this state on EDC spending, teacher supplements and tax incentives just pits all the state’s subdivisions (counties and cities) against each other in a never ending battle for jobs and good teachers.

Now, the “sign wars” have begun. Information is that Kannapolis is considering building some city limits “tower of power” along I-85 to attract development and tourism along the interstate. Not to be outdone, Edds proposes two 300K plus twin-tower monstrosity signs for Rowan that look like a “South of the Border, SC” rest area.

Rowan needs far better.

RFP Staff

♦ Videos: Four Citizens Speak Out During Public Commentary at Salisbury’s City Council Meeting on August 2nd 2016:

Cynthia Moore Stanfield on City’s Lack of Code Enforcement:

Caroline Logan Lack of Police in West End:

Decarlo Dulin on Lack of Police Presence in the West End:

Dee Dee Wright on Knox Principal Financial Supplements:

RFP Staff

♦ Where did Chairman Greg Edds, insurance pro and Bob Jones University’s most famous graduate, get the inspiration for his monumental $650,000 Rowan County Gateway signs to be constructed at the North and South I-85 entrances of Rowan County?  If you guessed Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s Heritage U.S.A. you guessed wrongo!  Insider State Farm agents and Edds’s pals on Salisbury’s City Council (they trust him) let the chihuahua out of the bag on Monday.  The inspiration for Edd’s fabulous gateway signs was none other than Salisbury’s elite summer playground: “South of the Border”, South Carolina.

Let’s take a photographic tour of the fireworks capital of the South, a town promoting the worst ethnic stereotypes imaginable and defying any sense of political correctness: SOUTH OF THE BORDER, S.C.:

Hola Americanos!

Pedro Survey’s His Domain:

South of the Border in Neon:

South of the Border’s Gorilla:

Fort Pedro’s Rocket and Fireworks:

South of the Border Motel:

South of the Border’s Honey Moon Suite:

Pedro’s Diner:

South of the Border’s Fireworks:

South of the Border’s Foot Long Hotdogs:

Pedro Watches the Road:

South of the Border from the Air:

Gateway to Salisbury:

RFP Staff

♦ The Salisbury Police are currently hunting for a Black man who held up the CVS Pharmacy at 1702 East Innes in Salisbury near closing time at 8:45 p.m., when customers had cleared out. The robber did it with a note threatening to shoot people in CVS if he didn’t get oxycodone (a powerful pain killing synthetic opioid).  The pharmacist obliged, handing the robber an undisclosed amount of pills eventhough no gun was ever displayed.

The robber’s description: a Black man about 6 feet tall with short dreads who was wearing gold rimmed sun glasses, a peach colored shirt, and khaki trousers.

If you can identify the man in the security cam photos below or have any knowledge of this robbery please call the Salisbury Police at 704-638-5333 or Salisbury-Rowan Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.

Security Cam Photos:

RFP Staff

♦ Justin Lynn Laturno, 23, from China Grove and on the Sheriff’s Office Most Wanted List, was arrested Tuesday afternoon.

Justin Lynn Laturno:

Laturno was charged with identity theft (felony), probation violation (misdemeanor), impersonation law-enforcement officer (misdemeanor), and violation domestic violence 50B order (misdemeanor). Under a secured $50,000 bond, he is being held in the Rowan County Detention Center. His next court date is August 11th.

Justin Lynn Laturno’s Previous Record:

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=1343186&searchLastName=laturno&searchFirstName=justin&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

RFP Staff

♦ Video: Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education Work Session on Monday August 8th:

RFP Staff

♦ It was another week of taking a triage approach to Salisbury’s cornucopia of violent and property crime we’ve had to make some tough choices in what we report.  We were ever so tempted to report the dozen or so car break-ins near the VA Hospital and the continued “looting” of houses along the Old Plank Road and throughout Fulton Heights, but these crimes were subltly eclipsed by the ones we chose.  If your neighborhood feels left out of our reports we apologize.  Salisbury is simply overrun with crime anymore.

On Tuesday the Salisbury Police arrested David Jumar White, 33, of 504 East Cemetery Street, for allegedly breaking an arm of Kapetra Monique “KP” Lyerly, 34, of the 700 block of Park Avenue and a relative of White’s. Lyerly’s arm was said to be broken between her wrist and elbow.  The alleged assault took place in White’s home on East Cemetery Street during an altercation between relatives said to be drinking. White told officers he shoved Lyerly off the porch in an attempt to break up the dispute.

Lyerly reportedly called 911 and told the dispatcher there was going to be a shooting in the area. The Salisbury Police arrived a short time later and Lyerly told them she was the caller and showed them her broken arm.

504 East Cemetery Street in Salisbury:

David Jumar White:

White was charged with assault inflicting serious injury (misdemeanor). Under a secured $10,000 bond, White was locked up in the Rowan County Detention Center and later released on bond.

David Jumar White’s Previous Record:

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=0679529&searchLastName=white&searchFirstName=David&searchMiddleName=j&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Jeremy Warren Price, 18, of 1620 Bringle Ferry Road in Salisbury, was arrested by the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office on Friday August 5th and charged with 8 counts of probation violation (felony), 2 counts of breaking and entering-building (felony), breaking and entering a vehicle–rr cars and other motor vehicles (felony), larceny (felony), larceny (misdemeanor), and obtaining property under false pretenses (felony).

Jeremy Warren Price:

Under a secured $130,000 bond, Price was placed in the Rowan County Detention Center.

Price’s alleged accomplice Holly Geanean Stirewalt, 19, of Bringle Ferry Road in the county was also arrested and charged with obtaining property under false pretenses (felony). Under a secured $500 dollar bond, Stirewalt was placed in the Rowan County Detention Center before her release on bond.

Holly Genean Stirewalt:

Price’s arrest was a complex affair involving Rowan County Sheriff’s Office investigators following up leads involving Facebook yard sales, visits to the homes of purchasers of stolen equipment and tools, calling on Charley’s Mart on Faith Road, and visits to Frank’s Pawn Shop on North Main Street. Mr. Wayne File, a victim of the break-ins, living on Beagle Club Road, was a outstanding asset. File on August the 3rd discovered his unlocked garage door got opened and someone got to a collection of expensive tools. File’s son located many of the stolen items being sold in a Facebook “yard sale”. Price was soon indicated in the crimes as was his accomplice Stirewalt who later allegedly admitted pawning items for Mr. Price. Well over $10,000 dollars in equipment and tools were stolen. Jig saws, chainsaws, battery chargers, drills, a Yamaha 4-wheeler, grinders–an endless list.

David Warren Price Previous Record (Does not include more recent alleged crimes):

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=1460357&searchLastName=price&searchFirstName=Jeremy&searchMiddleName=w&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

RFP Staff

♦ The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office seeks assistance in identifying a smash n’ grab break-in suspect who stole merchandise from Mikey’s One Stop convenience store at 5810 S. Main in Salisbury on Friday July 8th. The suspect hurled a cement block through the front glass door and then entered the store. We’ve obtained a new set of security cam stills which may help in identifying the suspect.

Security cam stills from Mikey’s One-Stop:

The New:

The Older:

The suspect is described as a white male, average build, and in his 20’s. He was attired in a dark t-shirt, shorts, a visor hat, and wore flip-flops.

If you recognize the suspect or know anything about this break-in please contact Lt. Chad Moose (704) 216-8687 or Detective Travis Allen (704) 216-8715. You may also call Salisbury-Rowan Crime stoppers at 1-(866)-639-5245.

Mikey’s One-Stop Convenience Store on 5810 South Main in Salisbury:

ProtectingTaxpayers.Org

♦ The Dirty Dozen Report: 12 of the Worst Municipal Broadband Fiascos Ever! The Fibrant Debacle Follows the Same Model of Taxpayer Abuses:

http://protectingtaxpayers.org/assets/files/TPA-Dirty-Dozen-Report-July2016.pdf