Volunteer firefighters suspended after DUIs
LUMBERTON — Two volunteer firefighters have been suspended from local fire departments after DWI charges, according to Robeson County Attorney Rob Davis.
Robeson County sent out a message this week to Orrum Township Volunteer and Fairmont Rural fire departments that indicated the county would take action and pull funding and pension benefits from the departments if departments did not take action in suspending Melquan Williams and Kenneth Caulder Jr., who both face DWI and arson charges, Davis said. The men also have a 30-day drivers license revocation.
Both men had been suspended Tuesday afternoon, he said.
Williams served as deputy fire chief and was to become fire chief of the department in January. Caulder served as assistant fire chief.
The men will be suspended until charges have been resolved or following a six-month suspension, according to Fairmont Rural Chief Rod Heasley.
Caulder was suspended as of Dec. 4, according to Steve Britt, chief of Orrum Township Volunteer Fire Department.
Caulder and Williams were charged with DWI and had their license revoked following a crash enroute to a fire Nov. 27. Caulder wrecked his Jeep, and Williams was following him when the crash occurred. Both men were driving personal vehicles, according to the State Highway Patrol.
Arson charges are pending from a case in 2018 in which the men were among 10 firefighters with Fairmont Rural and Orrum Township Volunteer fire departments charged with setting fires.
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NCSHP identifies person killed in fiery crash
LUMBERTON — One person who died in a fiery single-vehicle crash near Rowland has been identified, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
Trooper C.L. Oxendine responded about 3:39 a.m. Sunday to a single-vehicle collision on N.C. 130 West near Rowland, according to 1st Sgt. S.B. Lewis, of the State Highway Patrol. The vehicle, thought to be a Nissan Altima passenger car, was traveling east on N.C. 130 when the vehicle ran off the road to the left, struck a tree and caught fire.
Results from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the vehicle was driven by 46-year-old Maxton resident Christopher McManus, Lewis told The Robesonian on Tuesday.
The vehicle burned completely, Lewis said.
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Student searched after threat, gun photo surface
ROCKINGHAM — Law enforcement searched a Rockingham Middle School student on the school’s campus Tuesday morning after they were made aware of a threatening photo of a child holding a gun circulating on social media.
The photo, which was apparently taken via Snapchat, was captioned “Don’t come to school tomorrow,” Detective Clint Neeley with the Rockingham Police Department confirmed. No gun was found during the search of the student on school premises, and the school was not placed on lockdown at any point, according to Neeley.
Neeley said there was not an active threat posed to anyone at the school. This incident is under investigation. No charges have been filed at this time.
“The photo is believed to have been taken at the student’s home,” Neeley said in an email. “The child took a selfie and sent it to another student after school hours.”
From Champion Media reports