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October 26, 2010
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Former Davidson EMS director faces charges BY DARRICK IGNASIAK ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
FILE | HPE
Doug Lowe is accused by the State Bureau of Investigation of embezzlement.
DAVIDSON COUNTY – A Davidson County grand jury has indicted the former director of Davidson County Emergency Services on 57 offenses relating to alleged embezzlement from the Thomasville Rescue Squad. Davidson County Assistant Dis-
trict Attorney Greg Brown said the grand jury on Monday indicted Doug Lowe, 49, of Bay Tree Lane, Thomasville, on 21 felony counts of embezzlement by a public officer/ trustee, 18 felony counts of forgery endorsement and 18 felony counts of uttering forged endorsement. He was arrested and released Oct. 8 after posting a $20,000 secured bond. Lowe is accused by the State Bu-
reau of Investigation of embezzling more than $15,000 from the Thomasville Rescue Squad during the past five years. He served as the rescue squad’s treasurer. The SBI investigation was initiated at the request of the Davidson County district attorney in July 2010. According to a search warrant
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A FOOT BEHIND
High Point University has named Dr. Eric J. Hegedus as the director of the proposed Physical Therapy program in the new School of Health Sciences, set to open in the fall of 2013. Hegedus, who assumes his new role on Jan. 1, 2011, comes to HPU with a 20-year career as a leader and innovator in physical therapist education, research and clinical practice. He previously served as an associate professor and immediate past vice-chief in Duke’s Doctor of Physical Therapy Division.
INSIDE
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TAKING OFF: GTCC leader calls for aviation school. 1B OBITUARIES
DON DAVIS JR. | HPE
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Riding in the trunk of this car in Randleman may be an odd thing to do for a dummy, but not when Halloween is just around the corner.
Jobs program for felons makes inroads BY PAT KIMBROUGH ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – For Jackie Iverson, finding work for violent felons isn’t as difficult as one might imagine. Jobs in construction, sales, retail and restaurants are out there, she said. Making sure the person who is placed in the jobs sticks with it is the hard part. Iverson oversees a new phase of High Point’s violent crime reduction strategy, which began in March. She is the High Point representative for America Works, a New York-based company that works to help violent offenders find and keep jobs. The city signed a one-year contract with the company in the hopes of strengthening an approach used by police and the High Point Community Against Violence in targeting chronic offend-
ers who drive the majority of violence and other crime locally. “A lot of them have limited work experience,” Iverson said. “I’d say
The city allocated $45,000 to bring America Works here. the biggest challenge is knowing how to not just go to work, but knowing what their employer expects.” The clients are identified through the police department’s Violent Crimes Task Force. Some are recently released from prison and others have been caught up in police drug, gang or juvenile interventions. All of them are violent offenders. Iverson said the average age is 25 to 30 and
robbery is the most common offense on their criminal records. The average prison stint of clients who have served time is seven years. “What we really want is for them to succeed,” said HPCAV Executive Director Jim Summey. “We know they have a lot to overcome, but if they disengage and they return to a life of crime and violence, we are not going to tolerate it. A lot of their troubles stem from their environments and the way they were raised. At the same time, they know what they’re doing is wrong.” Success in the program has been mixed so far. Since Iverson started work in June, America Works has secured about 54 jobs for clients, with about a 60 percent retention rate. She helps prepare them for the work force, helps them with clothing and transportation and leads the screen-
ing process to make sure clients are matched with the right employer. One of America Works’ calling cards is the intensive retention effort it undertakes once a job is filled. That’s what local officials hope will translate into more success for High Point’s anti-violence efforts. Nationwide, around 65 percent of criminals reoffend upon their release from prison, while High Point’s recidivism rate is in the 20s, Summey said. The city allocated $45,000 to bring America Works to High Point. The rest of the $100,000 contract was raised by various business leaders in the community. It’s unlikely the city will continue the funding after the contract expires next year, so its long-term future is uncertain. pkimbrough@hpe.com | 888-3531
Davidson mulls hangar lease for med copter BY DARRICK IGNASIAK ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
DAVIDSON COUNTY – The Davidson County Airport soon may have a medical helicopter stationed at one of its hangars. The Davidson County Board of Commissioners tonight will consider an agreement with Colorado-based Air Methods Corp. to lease a hangar that the county purchased last month for $160,000 from SSG, a marketing company co-owned by semi-retired NASCAR
driver Terry Labonte. The hangar would house a Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center air care helicopter. “We bought it thinking we pretty much had a tenant in this group here,” Davidson County Assistant Manager Zeb Hanner Jr. said. “That’s kind of why we bought it. We thought it would benefit the county and provide some return on our investment.” The hangar, built in 2005, is about 10,000 square feet, with a 1,700-square-foot office attached, Hanner said.
The tax value of the hangar is listed at $425,000. Hanner said Air Methods contracts with most hospitals throughout North Carolina for air care. The helicopter at the Davidson County Airport would serve Davidson, Rowan and Randolph counties, Hanner said. Under the agreement, Air Methods Corp. would lease the hangar for $2,175 per month. The agreement would be in effect from Nov. 1, 2010, until Oct. 31, 2015. If commissioners approve the agreement with
the company, Air Methods Corp. would have employees working around the clock, with 12-hour shifts, said board Chairman Max Walser. “It will be around-theclock care,” he said. “That’s very important for Davidson County.” According to Walser, the tax value on the helicopter is going to be millions of dollars. “I had a meeting with the president of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center,” Walser said. “He said, ‘How does it feel to have the taxes
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on this expensive helicopter?’ That says it all ... We are going to end up paying for that hangar, which we paid about $160,000 for, with the taxes we get out of the helicopter.” “The second piece is meeting the medical needs of people in our county and surrounding counties when they need urgent care to be airlifted wherever,” Walser added. “I think that’s really a very important thing for Davidson County to have.” dignasiak@hpe.com | 888-3657
Efrim Grand, 43 Ruben Little, 81 Betty Murphy, 82 Jackie Roberts, 73 Marion Robertson, 83 Obituaries, 2B
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