BASEBALL TIP TOP Nakina, County Tip Top Florist has a new Optimist grab owner. Barkley retiring first-round wins. after 39 years. uuSEE SPORTS, 1B uuSEE 6A The News Reporter Published since 1890 every Monday and Thursday for the County of Columbus and her people. WWW.NRCOLUMBUS.COM Monday, June 27, 2016 75 CENTS RAISING MONEY FOR VETERANS PARK TREATING THE COUNTY’S MENTALLY ILL POPULATION Involunta The mentally ill: ‘they’re locked up and shouldn’t be’ Second in a series on mental health. By Nicole Cartrette [email protected] Jail and prison are home to a growing number of individuals struggling with severe mental illness. A study published by the Treatment Advocacy Center and the National Sheriffs’ Association suggested that 88 percent of the nation’s states have more people living in jails and prisons with severe mental illness than in psychiatric hospitals. In North Carolina, the problem is exacerbated. Mental health beds across the state have vanished in recent years while there has been no significant shift in resources to provide more community-based services. “There is probably no state where mental health uuSEE MENTALLY ILL 9A PRINCESS ANN ROAD One killed in Friday crash with deputy By Jefferson Weaver [email protected] A Fair Bluff man was killed Friday in a collision with a Columbus County sheriff ’s deputy. Robert Brownlee, 30, of Fair Bluff, was killed when his Staff photo by LES HIGH 1990 GMC pickup was sideswiped by a 2014 Dodge patrol car driven by Deputy Ryan Bailey Gibson, 24, according Bucket shake to the N.C. Highway Patrol. Members of the VFW 8073 and VFW Auxiliary set up shop on steamy Madison Street Saturday morning to raise money Gibson, who was just a few minutes into his shift, was for the post, which is spearheading efforts to create a veterans’ memorial park south of Whiteville. Pictured are Will traveling west on Princess Ann Road near N.C. 242 when McCulloch, Angela Norris, Paul Nichols, Tracey Robinson, Denise Sellers, Janice Mercer and Mike Creen. his vehicle crossed the centerline and struck Brownlee on the driver’s side. Brownlee tried to avoid the collision, but came to rest in a ditch. He was dead on the scene, according to the Highway Patrol. Neither driver was PAPERLESS COURT SYSTEM POSSIBLE ejected, according to the Patrol. The deputy was not in pursuit or responding to a call at the time of the crash, the Highway Patrol said. Speed and impairment were not factors in the crash, Criminal, civil cases only in computers investigators said. Gibson was transported to Columbus By Bob High uuSEE DEPUTY 6A [email protected] “I don’t foresee the lack of paperwork in criminal cases, but there are pilot pro- NARCAN APPROVED grams, in three North Carolina counties now, I believe, where electronic filing in civil cases is the norm,” Clerk of Court Jess Hill said last week. New law makes “We still have to microfilm all paperwork and send the film to Raleigh for storage. This protects the local records in case of a overdose drug major fire or flood,” Hill added. Hill’s staff of 17 deputy clerks, plus an assistant clerk overseeing the civil op- available to all By Allen Turner “There were very few pill cases [email protected] when I became a magistrate in Some local pharmacists and the daughter of a former 2004. Now, pill cases are a major governor who has made a career of helping substance part of our criminal activity.” abusers are praising as a “life-saver” the ratification of Jess Hill Senate Bill 734. The bill passed both houses of the legislature unani- Clerk of Court Jess Hill, Clerk of Court mously and was signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory on Monday, June 20. to 1968, and estate files go back to 1990. we now handle in the criminal section,” The new law allows State Health Director Dr. Randall eration, and another assistant heading the “What we don’t have here is in Raleigh. Chief Criminal Assistant Denice Edwards Williams to sign a statewide health directive allowing criminal section, are kept busy every week- Now we have microfilm of the cases we no declared. She noted there was a major pharmacies to dispense a drug that reverses potentially day by the constant flow of citizens, law- longer store here. increase from 2008 when she began seven fatal overdoses of heroin and prescription painkillers to yers, law enforcement officers, and many “Some of the felony criminal cases and years in the civil section. anyone eligible, including family members. others making payments, filing new cases files for estates, civil and special proceed- Misdemeanor and felony cases filed in Naloxone hydrochloride, perhaps better known under or adding paperwork to existing cases. ings were sent to Raleigh before we moved 2015 were 11,400, plus an additional 9,200 its brand name of Narcan, has been available for use by Staggering number from the old courthouse. We just ran out of infraction – driving charges. EMS first responders and, in some communities, law The number of criminal and civil files storage space,” Hill pointed out. During the first five and a half months enforcement personnel. stored in the clerk’s spacious offices in the The number of criminal files continues of this year there have been 5,994 misde- “I think this bill is going to save literally thousands of new courthouse is staggering. There are to grow each year. meanor and felony charges filed, plus 4,276 lives. It’s going to allow not just deputies or emergency re- multi-thousand felony criminal case files Criminal numbers infractions. dating back to 1993. The civil files are back “I’m amazed at the number of files uuSEE CLERK 9A uuSEE NARCAN 6A Volume 126, Number 104 Some people reporting six inches of rain after Saturday’s torrential downpours? ... Reporter Clara Cartrette Whiteville, North Carolina DIDYOB back in the area and at a rehab center in Loris, S.C., after breaking her hip in Lynchburg, Va., last week while DID YOU OBSERVE? watching her grandson try out for the Liberty University football team? ... A good crowd at last week’s meet- ing of the Whiteville Rotary Club as it presented donations to more than a dozen local good works projects? ... 2A • The News Reporter • Monday, June 27, 2016 EAST COLUMBUS HIGH SCHOOL Photo by AMANDA COFFMAN East Columbus High School Principal Dr. Bryan Abernethy gives it his all during the school’s recent talent show. School’s principal beats a different drum By Amanda Coffman his drum skills to help the and promote not just school tually be called Quest Acad- Special to The News Reporter school’s band, but he also has pride, but pride in their grade emy,” said Abernethy. “Each bigger dreams than that. level. The most important student that comes in here Tucked away in the corner “By far the thing that we change though, is something would have a list of three of his office is a full drum need to improve here more that he has to wait on. different quests they can set, and East Columbus High than anything else is pa- “We’ve been working on choose.” School principal Dr. Bryan rental involvement,” said this since January or Febru- The quests divide up into Abernethy has played drums Abernethy. “I need to be able ary. It’s called the XQ: Super categories of arts, sciences, every day for years. It’s some- to communicate better with School Grant. It’s through and health, as well as an extra thing that actually helps them. I want to make sure Steve Jobs’ widow and Apple fourth option for students make his job a little easier. I have an email address for and it’s $10 million to five who aren’t quite sure which “Believe it or not, there every single parent so that I schools. We’ve collaborat- quest they want to follow have been some times when can send out my weekly mes- ed with UNCW, the Watson right away. It’s designed to people come in angry, stu- sage on email.” School of Education, and help students narrow what dents or parents or whatnot,” He’s also bringing back the they’ve been outstanding,” they may like to study when said Abernethy, “and we school’s Freshmen Academy said Abernethy. “We made it they get to college. Each ended up talking about the to help the freshmen adjust to through the first two rounds. student would receive a Mac- drums and music and every- their high school experience. We’re five of 300. There’s go- Book as well. thing and it sort of became a Along with that, he plans to ing to be actually two more With all he’s got planned, more positive conversation begin competitions between rounds and in July we’ll it’s easy to forget that this is as a result.” the grade levels with their know if we made it to the only Abernethy’s first year As the school year comes grades to get them excited final round of 50, and in the Dr. Bryan Abernethy at ECHS. While it may not to a close, he wants to use always be an easy task, he beginning of August they’re first year we’re going to con- isn’t slowing down. going to name the winner. So tinue as we are now but we’re “It’s been a challenge,” we have high hopes.” going to sort of do everything he admits, “but it’s been ex- Farmers meeting June 29 He already knows how to the building that needs to tremely rewarding.” the school will use the grant be done, and then by year two And if things get to be too A Cape Fear Regional N.C.