CRIME REPORT

RUN FOR THE BORDER

When the elected sheriff of New Hanover County decided to pull the plug on the mutual aid agreement he had with the City he did more than retaliate for a perceived slight of professional courtesy, the sheriff has perhaps placed one or more of his patrol deputies and/or his warrant squad in serious jeopardy by taking away the badge of those who may be close to them when they are in an emergency situation.

Normally who would care less about jurisdiction and poaching. Fighting crime is the name of the game and the more good guys the better. And when the City is making round trip after round trip back and forth to the jail, sooner or later someone is going to need a little assistance. As the county did over 300 times during the mutual aid agreement's history. But now when a WPD officer stops he will have no more authority than any Joe Citizen.

Sheriff Sid Causey made several remarks after his golf outing Monday that left many of us who know a thing or two shaking our heads. I believe one such remark made to WWAY-TV3 was that "we are stepping all over each other, duplicating services" ....

Ahem, you mean like the helicopter? You were offered that Sid and refused it, had to get your own little eggbeater to putt-putt across the sky in. Didn't want to play with the others now did you. It's OK to admit it Sid, you are scared of others. They are out to get you right?

People, Sheriff Causey is so concerned about the newspaper and this show that he went to the County Commissioners to complain. I don't mean in private, by phone call or email. I mean he stood up at a public meeting and for the record said we are out to get him.

Actually let me quote him:

"(Marc Benson) is out to take over the sheriff's office and I will do everything in my power to see that he doesn't"

A coup d'tat? Storm the administration offices, seize the jail, rockets red glare!

I'm telling you the man has some serious issues. And nothing confirms that better than Causey, again opening his foolish mouth on TV saying that Chief Evangelous may think he is king of this county but Causey assures us all that he is still King.

When I asked Commissioner Bill Caster why Causey did what he did Caster replied, "This has been something that has been going on with him since the Chief Cease days."

Well, not really Commissioner Caster. This has been going on since Causey withdrew from the DEA task force, since Causey went down to Tampa to steal money from a drug trafficker, this has been going on since Causey saw to it that his drug unit was isolated and locked up tighter than any black ops hit squad.

Causey has been rouge since the night he got stuck in the sands of Ft Fisher, since he took it upon himself to become a deputy rather than go to jail or fight in Vietnam.

Even those closest to him, his ex-wives and those with whom he has separated himself from have seen that there is no reason or rhyme to his madness. He is obsessed with revenge and with his anger and contempt raging as it is now, he has hurt those that have sacrificed the most, his troops, the men and women serving under him, his authority, by leaving them without effective assistance.

Earlier this year we saw him turn on Deputy Chris Long by firing him for shooting the unarmed teenager Peyton Strickland. Then we hear he has dipped into his campaign fund to help pay Deputy Long's household expenses, and work to develop, with his recently hired PR man Ilario Pantano, a golf tournament fund raiser to aid Long. Even going so far as saying that the tournament is tax deductible when it definitely is not. This is not charity, this is an insurance policy, something Causey can't afford not to have.

By drawing a heavy line on the border separating city from county the Sheriff has made a sanctuary for all criminals, particularly drug dealers. Drug dealers operating in the city will be safe out in the county. Statistics alone prove that. The sheriff's office rarely make the arrests other drug agencies make in this State. By the drug dealers keeping their stash outside city limits they almost guarantee their money, their weapons and drugs are safe.

But let us all hope that someday a deputy serving a warrant for failure to appear or a bad check doesn't stumble on a fortified drug lair and need backup in order to stay alive. Who's he going to call? Sadly it won't be the Wilmington Police Department, Causey saw to that when he said in his letter dissolving the Mutual Aid Agreement, "not even in cases of emergency. "

We all hope those words, like many others that have their way out of Causey's mouth, don't cause anyone any pain and suffering.

GUNSLINGERS WHOOP IT UP

Several officers in the 1000 block of Market Street saw a gold-colored Ford drive past them, with gunfire coming from the vehicle. The officers called for back-up and followed the car to 112 S. 15th St. Three men got out of the car and went into the residence. The officers took note of their clothing descriptions, and waited for back-up before confronting the men. Officers surrounded the house, and when two of the men came back outside, they were detained. A 9mm semi-automatic handgun was located under the driver’s seat of the Ford. Both men were arrested. Both were wearing red T-shirts bearing a photo of Phillipe McIver.

Arrests:
Derald Donnell Boney, age 26 (d.o.b. 09/30/80)
Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

Edmund Jarone Roland, age 25 (d.o.b. 10/16/81)
Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
Discharge of a weapon in the city limits

These are the red shirts discribed in the report.

LITTLE KIDS LEARING A LESSON, BUT WHAT SORT OF LESSON?

Yesterday after the show I went to Princess Place to meet some of the people participating in the march to protest the shooting of Phillipe McIver. Thursday night neighborhood residents called in to complain to 911 that McIver was committing acts of indecent exposure and frightening children. Officers Howard and Whitt responded and McIver died. Later that night a few hundred people showed up in mass to toss bottles and rocks at the 50 or so police officers guarding the scene. The crowd was dispersed after someone in the crowd fired a gun several times.

A group of 100-150 showed up to march from the scene where McIver was shot to the store he had just come from, told to me by some of those who had seen him that night. Many of the young men wore bandanas to both hide their identity and perhaps signify their gang involvement. Of course no one enforced the NO MASK law. In fact I never saw a police officer after the one blocking traffic down by the fire station left. Not even in response to Pastor Cynthia Powell's call to 911. Pastor Powell was afraid that the young people would mistake the lack of enforcement of the shooting laws as something that would encourage others to pull out their weapons and shoot. She also suggested it was an advertising vehicle of the Mini Mart owner to have stepped from his business and opened fire with an AK-47 as a show of sympathy for the marchers when she thinks he was just advertising, drawing attention to his business. If law enforcement was interested in it I'm sure they could seize the security video tape belonging to the store because there are a few camera surrounding the building and would have easily captured all the shootings that took place on that property.

I met with several people, some nice, some not. Some drunk, or high, some sober church folk. One young man I met said something that made sense, when someone young dies all the future generations he/she could have issued are gone. All the scientist, doctors, ministers, police officers, gone with the dead. He also pointed out that he felt like a mistake was made in the use of force used toto subdue McIver. That seemed to be the overwhelming majority of the comments by those non-bandana wearing, God fearing members of the group said to me.

I couldn't help but notice the number of kids, I mean preteen and early teenaged kids there looking to the older young people in the crowd as examples. I honestly don't know whether it was a bad or a good thing to have them involved. I suspect they learned he wrong lesson about good and bad but a good lesson about having a community voice and speaking out against perceived injustice.

It was a welcoming sight to see several members of the clergy making their way out there. As I mentioned earlier Pastor Powell but as she pointed out her official capacity was only that of a mother who was concerned about her son's participation in the march. Other than that all those in the clergy there wished to keep their names from the public. They said that there is no definitive evidence to anything and they reserve their judgment on this situation until the video and autopsy are made available. Same sentiment was made by a member representing the NAACP.

Hopefully I will be able to follow this story with an eye on the lack of attention given by these same young African Americans to black on black crime as they have this death.

Also a couple of interesting comments I heard repeatedly by everyone I spoke with. Each of them pointed to the injustice done to Peyton Strickland as an example of what happened to Phillipe McIver. And I heard from more than a few people talk about the internet, youtube and how the video of the shooting of McIver be made available "the same way Saddam Hussein's murder" was. Interesting that everyone said "murder" not execution.

I mentioned that I never saw one single police car the entire 3 hours or so I was there. At first I thought it was a mistake but then I saw the genius of it. Going in would be dangerous. Staying on the perimeter and picking and choosing between cars exiting and coming in is a clever tactic. Intelligence forwards a message about a particular car leaving, seeing earlier them commit a crime. The arrest is made away from the crowd, away from danger and the laws are still enforced. Very clever.

I was fortunate to have met Teddie Batts, the uncle of Phillipe McIver. Fortunate because Mr. Batts was a peaceful sort of fellow seeking only answers. Frustrated, angry, hurt, but Batts seems resonable and peaceful. Willing, hopefully, to accept the truth of what took place that night and how his nephew ultimately died.

Still praying for peace and a quick release of evidence that will exonerate the two Wilmington Police Officers. Stay safe!

Lifesaver

No the investigation has not been completed, and no the autopsy results haven't been released, but a community is in uproar anyway about a shooting that took place in the Creekwood neighborhood Thursday night around 11 when two Wilmington Police Officers were responding to a call regarding a man dressed only in his T-shirt acting strangely. According to an eyewitness, Ryan Lucas recalled in a Star News interview, that he saw McIver take off his shirt and kick off his shoes in front of the two officers. WPD Chief Evangelous said that McIver then attacked officer Jason Whitt, a three year veteran, taking Whitt's gun in the process. McIver then fired the gun at Whitt and rookie officer Jason Howard returned fire hitting McIver.

Phillipe E. McIver has numerous arrests and was recently released from prison last September for dealing drugs. McIver has been in prison, off and on, since 2003. His latest incarceration included 4 infractions, in May of 2005 he assaulted a person with a weapon, and has been written up for gang activity.

McIver, while out briefly from prison in 2005, victimized a woman by trespassing in order to assault the woman viciously.

Usually someone screwed up, naked or half naked in the streets is under the influence of a street drug called "Love Boat." This drug is also know as PCP or "Angel Dust."

Usually an officer can go through his entire career without firing a shot. 95% or so never do. Officer Howard was still in training when he had to use his weapon to save a life. Courage.

As Marc Benson has always pointed out on the show, when an officer is involved in a fight there is always a gun. Our hearts all broke when Boiling Springs Officer Mitch Prince's gun was taken and used against him, stealing a husband and father from a loving home. We know the danger of a man high on PCP and his strength and determination to fight as witnessed in the uncut version of the Rodney King tape. We know Officer Howard and Officer Whitt had no choice, no options, nothing else but to shoot.

The WPD is standing on alert, we ask all those out there to be safe.

Hello Copter

With nearly 2,000 miles to cover in the three county area, a helicopter sounds like a needed piece of equipment. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the benefits of such a vehicle to combat crime. It didn't take Chief Ralph Evangelous long at all to propose such a creative concept of his co-op idea that may bring Pender, Brunswick and New Hanover County a means of swift deployment and eye-in-the-sky surveillance. Imagine the possibilities of being able to provide back-up to a deputy out in the boonies of Pender County as he is in foot pursuit of a dangerous Felon. Imagine the missing that could easily be searched for, the reckless car chases that will no longer require endangering the public because of the ability to follow the vehicle from the air. Just think of the drug traffickers that have depended on our congested roads to ease their devil power into our communities. The need is great.

But is the need great enough to shell out money for such an apparent luxury, at least that is what New Hanover Sheriff County Sid Causey is calling it, a luxury. In the proposal issued by Chief Evangelous, it is clear that the cost of the Government surplus helicopter is free, a majority of the expense to cover the use of the whirlybird will be covered by the seized assets and grant money. After all this worked for Evangelous in Temple, why not here? I guess you'd have to ask the loan nay-sayer, Sheriff Causey. I'd like to ask him if he thought having a helicopter would have helped to capture UNCW student, Christen Marie Naujoks killer, John Peck, who drove around town just after killing his ex-girlfriend while he talked with a dispatcher that called his cell phone from the 911 Center, preventing his shootout with a Park Ranger in the mountains of North Carolina. Would it have helped chase after 25-year-old Tiffany Michelle Pridgen as she sped thru town endangering the life of a drug agent and ultimately crashing her car into a church. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt as the car quickly became engulfed in flames. Why not enjoy the view from the comfort of 1,000 feet rather than bump and run thru the busy streets of Wilmington at 10:30 at night?

Perhaps Causey is being prudent with his hard to come by taxpayer money that keeps leaking thru the cracks at the jail and with all the overtime, and the number of promotions given out. Perhaps his quote in the Star News when he says, "Even if we don’t get in right at the start, we most likely will, eventually. Until then, we might have to pay for it at full cost if we need it.” Paying at the backend rather than ante' up at the front? Conservative thinking or retarded? Sounds retarded to me because the ante' is minimal, his deliberate objection is yet just another in a long list of signals that he is unwilling to cooperate with the effective, proactive, tactics of crime prevention so evident in Chief Evangelous' paradigm he implemented just after taking the helm.

I would hate to see such sour grapes rob, not only Wilmington, but the surrounding Counties of a proven and effective tool to combat crime and added resource in our search for the missing.

I hope to have a copy of the Chief's proposal on our website, bluelineradio.com, very soon.