Robesonian (Newspaper) - January 10, 1998, Lumberton, North Carolina Saturday January 101998 THE ROBESONIAN Volume No 314 Pages 36 Serving Robeson County Since 1870 1998 Newspaper Holdings Inc All Rights Reserved 35 Cents Daily 75 Cents Sunday Walters mother tipped police Donnie Byers Staff writer LAKE VIEW SC The mother of a Fairmont teenager ac of shooting a Hardees em ployee to death said Friday she told police where her son could be found Lynette Walters gave a brief in from the doorsteps of her home at Lake View Mobile Home Park off Heritage Drive She said her son Travis Walters 17 carne to her home on Tuesday morning in a panic She said he told her he had shot someone and begged her not to call police But she did call police Ms Wal ters said I tried to raise him to be re sponsible she said I wanted him to own up to what he did Travis Walter was arrested Tuesday afternoon as he sat on the porch at his grandmothers house in Nichols He had a bus ticket and in his pocket He told police he was minutes away from leaving I tried to raise him to be responsible I want ed him to own up to what he did Lynette Walters for Washington DC Police say Travis Walters fatally shot Betty Jane Oxendine 18 of Route 1 Rowland at am Tuesday during a robbery at the Hardees on West Fifth Street Oxendine worked there as a su She was buried in Maxton on Friday Walters has been charged with murder armed robbery and possession of a stolen firearm Police say they found a pistol they believe was used in the shoot ing at Ms Walters home See TIPPED page Staff photo by Steve Humbert A wreath hangs on the locked doors at the Hardees restau rant on West Fifth Street Betty Jane Oxendine was fatally shot Tuesday during a robbery at the restaurant Hoke officials getting leads Dealership donates land Sheriff Wayne Byrd recommends parents keep small children un der close supervision RAEFORD AP tors said they had dozens of leads Friday on the man who kidnapped and murdered a Hoke County girl but still no detailed de scription of the suspect Until the person is captured Sheriff Wayne Bird warned parents to protect their children If I had a daughter or a small child I would keep her very close right now especially in public Byrd said That is what 1 would advise every parent to do right now Sheriffs deputies said they were getting up to 30 calls every hour Fri day about the possible location of Scott Staff writer LUMBERTON The Lum ber River Conservancy has gotten a little closer to its goal of protecting land adjacent to the Lumber River State Park This week the conser vancy was given the deed to 546 acres fronting the Lumber River Lumberton donated the land at the rear of the dealerships property A portion of Stevens Park can be seen from the riverbank We felt the land will go to a very good cause said Wright a dealer with Lumberton Ford We are for anything that will help im prove the Lumber River Wright presented the deed to a member of the conservancy on Wednesday Im hoping that one day I will be able to get into a boat and go all the way down to Fair Bluff Wright said This donation is another step toward that County deals with mercury theft What began as a breakin at an aban plant has turned into a possibility of widespread mercury contamination TEXARKANA Ark AP A couple of teenagers made the coolest of finds after breaking into an abandoned neon plant last month a shiny silver liquid that looked neat when it beaded up on their arms They just had to share it with their friends Now weeks later the county is dealing with widespread mercury contamination that has sent two people to the hospital closed a gro store and forced seven families from their homes Its very enticing It looks neat and people think its harmless and want to play with it but it can be very nasty said Donna Garland a spokeswoman for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Reg in Atlanta Since Dec 30 when one of the teenagers who took part in the breakin was treated for possible mercury poisoning at a hospital emergency officials have been try ing to trace the 2 pints of the heavy metal that were taken from the citys old neon sign plant Every few days more alarmed parents call to say they have a problem We felt the land will go to a very good cause Wright The conservancy was established in 1989 the year that 106 miles of the Lumber River was designated as a state park Since that time more than acres have been donated to the conservancy according to its chairman and president M Can Gibson The conservancy is a nonprofit corporation organized to receive de ductible donations of land adjacent to the river Gibson said the land given to the conservancy cannot be developed or used for commercial purposes It was gracious of them to do nate that land Gibson said It helps us tie in more land on the Lumber River that can be protected for future generations Wright of Lumberton Ford River Conservancy look at an cy Staff photo by Steve Humbert right and Carr Gibson president of the Lumber area along the river that the dealership donated to the Balloonists quest ends with a tear Associated Press photo Balloonist Dave Melton is loaded onto a gurney at University Hospital in Albuquerque NM Friday YESO NM AP Two bal parachuted into a cactus studded pasture Friday after a tear doomed their roundtheworld quest just an hour after launch The pilot less balloon laden with explosive fuel floated east for about eight hours before landing in Texas Dick Rutan and Dave Melton hoping to become the first to fly nonstop round the world in a bal loon parachuted in 45 mph winds Friday morning They landed a apart about 13 miles southeast of the town of Vaughn Rutan 59 hit cactus and suffered bloody puncture wounds all over his nose and cheeks He was still pulling cactus needles from his face hours later Melton 39 hit the only wire fence in the area and lat er was hospitalized in serious condi tion with a dislocated hip and ankle He was curled up on the ground He was in pain said Vaughn Police Chief JR Romo who saw the pair parachute He cussed us out saying it hurt The flight was going fine until all of a sudden there was this boom Rutan said at a news con ference Dave looked at me and said Were in trouble Rutan said they considered trying to land but surface winds were too strong We were airborne in something that was highly suspect heavily laden with fuel and Dave and I came to the realization we have to aban don this thing he said The Federal Aviation Adminis tration had ordered all aircraft to stay clear of the unmanned balloon which ended up draped over some trees near Gainesville about 45 miles north of Dallas Before coming to a stop the bal loon touched down and sparked a small fire which was extinguished It was unclear if the fire was caused by a propane tank Earlier Friday the North Ameri See page the brown truck spotted at the time Brittany Locklear was abducted Wednesday morning while she was waiting for a school bus The girls body was found Thurs day in a drainage ditch three miles from her home More than 500 peo ple had volunteered to help with the search Byrd could not say how the child was killed or whether she had been sexually molested We wont know anything until she has been examined by the state medical examiner he said The examination was being per formed Friday in Chapel Hill The results were not immediately avail able Byrd said FBI and State Bureau of Investigation agents and other au thorities have compiled leads based on the evidence found interviews See LEADS page Toomer cited by RALEIGH AP Algie Toomer was cited for contempt by a House committee Friday after he re fused for the second time to appear and answer questions about his settlement with the state The Hoase Select Committee on Personnel Review also cited two of of the Police Benevolent As sociation and J Michael McGuin ness attorney Because its lawyers could be called as witnesses the committee asked the state Attorney Generals Office to seek an order from a Wake County Superior Court Judge to en force the contempt citation But the Attorney Generals Of fice late Friday told the committee if would not represent it I dont know who we go to for help Rep Carolyn Russell the committee chairwoman said Fri day The Attorney Generals Of fice is charged with representing state agencies I dont know why they would not help We can go on our own but we arc a state agency and I do not know why they would not help she said McGuinness in a letter delivered to Russell late Thursday said subpoena was defective He also argued the two PBA were working under his tion so their testimony would vio late the privilege This really bothers me that you arc treated in this manner Russell told the committee It bothers me deeply personally The subpoenas arc valid said Jan the panels lawyer The technicalities mentioned in the letter in my opinion are just an attempt not to appear before the committee The committee agreed unani to seek a Superior Court judges order for a hearing before the pane at which Toomer and his representatives could argue why they refused to honor the subpoenas If the committee finds they did not have good reason for the refusal it could ask a judge to jail or fine them for contempt The PBA fully supports the de and positions advocated by Mr legal counsel Jef frey R Fluck president of the PBA said in a prepared statement The PBA welcomes a judicial examina tion of the positions of all parties INDEX Powers files for third commission term Today Sunny skies and highs in the up per 50s West wind 5 to 10 mph Tonight Clear Low in the mid 30s Sunrise tomorrow See MERCURY page Virginia Johnson Peace Quinton Va James W Hester Edward Earl Georgia Ella Locklear Laurinburg Brittany Lynn Undis Staff writer TON Commission er Gary Powers filed Friday for re election to a third term as the Dis 6 representa tive on the county Board of Com missioners Pow ers was the only person to make the trip to the POWERS Board of Klec lions on Road on Friday Powers 42 said the boards planning tor the new landfill has been the most important accom 10 which he has ed Beginning about six years ato Powers said from each household in the uas et in escrow for the purpose of for the landfill That planning ilie the headache of coming up with million in one year for the pro jeci he said I think that was good planning on countys part Powers and 1 was part of that Powers began his first fouryear term as District ft commissioner in completing his first term he had a fouryear break in service anil was reelected in 1994 he said Ise best I can do I the pCO ple The peo See page
