A sheriff's deputy's actions in the June 28 shooting of a drug trafficking suspect were justified, Rockingham County District Attorney Belinda Foster says. The suspect, Lamond Duncan, died in the shooting after authorities entered his home. In a statement released Monday, Foster said the "case represents a very dangerous scenario to law enforcement officers, given the suspect's record of violence and the type of weapons he possessed." According to a State Bureau of Investigation report reviewed by Foster, those weapons included a XM-15 semiautomatic assault rifle loaded with a 30-round magazine and an additional 30-round magazine found near Duncan, as well as a loaded semiautomatic handgun. [continues 261 words]
County residents packed the Rockingham County High School auditorium Thursday night to voice their thoughts on the county's proposed 2006-07 budget. The county is looking at a possible 5-cent property tax increase for capital project funding, and various departmental cuts to balance the operational portion of the budget. Commissioner Jerry Owens was absent. Many teachers, parents and residents came to support the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office, specifically the Drug Abuse Resistance Education and Children Abuse Resistance Education programs taught in schools. The county has looked at cutting six deputy positions to balance the budget. Sheriff Sam Page had previously said if those positions were cut, it would likely be D.A.R.E. and C.A.R.E. officers who would be let go first. [continues 824 words]
Forty-eight kids from across the county gathered Wednesday at Camp Guilrock to work together to solve the murder of Felix Navidad. "You get to work as though you are a police officer," said Tommy Griffin, Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer said to the campers. "We're going to give you the other side. You get to see what police do to solve a crime." In its tenth year, D.A.R.E. Camp gives children the opportunity to work on team building activities and have a little fun along the way. Each day this week, the kids participated in different crafts and had adventures, including a trip to Celebration Station. [continues 548 words]
