Thursday, April 22, 2010 | 50¢
PROTESTS AT THE OLD PLANT Registered
sex offender charged in flimflam scam BY JESSIE BURCHETTE jburchette@salisburypost.com
SHELLEY SMITH/SALISBURY POST
Bonnie and Doug Thomas want officials to get behind cleanup efforts at the former N.C. Finishing plant site.
Those gathered want to see cleanup begin BY SHELLEY SMITH ssmith@salisburypost.com
Protesters gathered beside the rubble of the former N.C. Finishing Plant on Wednesday afternoon, urging a cleanup of the site with signs claiming it is a “Hazardous Waste Site.” Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Rowan County Emergency Management visited the site Wednesday. The protest, led by Doug and Bonnie Thomas, was part of an effort to encourage agencies to get to work at the site. Doug Thomas, who was contracted to demolish the buildings two years ago, said he knows of barrels filled with toxic chemicals that are buried under the debris. “I saw they were burying barrels out there and reported it,” he said. “People are just tired of this, and we just want it to get cleaned up.” Frank Thomason, emergency services director for Rowan County, confirmed agents with state nat- Protesters with signs outside the former N.C. Finishing plant Wednes-
day want state and federal officials to look into hazardous waste sitSee PROTEST, 3A ting at the site right beside the Yadkin River.
A Mocksville man police say has filmflammed multiple eastern Rowan residents is now in the Rowan County Detention Center. Michael Lee Allman, 37, 152 Delanos Lane, Mocksville, a registered sex offender, was arrested Saturday on a charge of obtaining property by false pretense. Since then, the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office has added additional ALLMAN charges. And investigators believe there may be more victims of the scam. Capt. John Sifford said it appears that Allman has used several names in his attempts to get cash. His basic story was of a broken down truck and the need for money to fix it or pay the towing charge. A Stokes Ferry Road resident called Saturday to report a man identifying himself as Wayne Trexler had asked for $25 to get his truck repaired. Deputy Daniel Myers talked with the resident, who described the man as about 50 years old. He also reported the man went down the road. Myers checked the area and found a man fitting the description at 8935 Stokes Ferry Road. The homeowner said the man had asked for $40 but he didn’t give it to him. Instead,
Postcard links 3 ‘business friendly’ office seekers
One bright spot in Spencer budget: sweepstakes machines revenue BY SHELLEY SMITH ssmith@salisburypost.com
They often were the only candidates in attendance at the community events, and they soon began to talk politics. “We realized that we shared the same values and beliefs,” Barber said. “We’re passionate about jobs. We believe with our vast business and management experience, we will do everything possible to create jobs.” According to the back of the postcard,
The town of Spencer held its first fiscal year 2010-11 budget workshop Wednesday, with at least one item expected to generate additional funds — sweepstakes machines. The town will eventually receive $1,000 per machine, and Spencer currently has between 60-65 machines in town. “That’s a huge wild card in this budget,” Spencer Town Manager Larry Smith said, noting that the town would not see the money for a while. What remains a budget mystery, Smith said, is the state’s shared revenues. “All of that got affected, and all of it went down,” he said. “This will change a lot by the time we see the final document.” Another hot topic Wednesday was renovating town hall, with Smith suggesting a facility needs study. “As we look at different uses (for town hall), we look at different things,” Smith said. “Structural wise, we tried last year bringing in foundation guys, and you have several structural issues here because it was built for being a dormitory.” Smith said because walls were knocked down between rooms, the structure is not stable, and the walls are cracking.
See POSTCARD, 3A
See SPENCER, 3A
BY KARISSA MINN kminn@salisburypost.com
Thousands of voters recently opened their mailboxes to see the faces of one sitting county commissioner and two competing candidates looking back at them. Commissioner Jon Barber, along with candidates Gene Miller and Jim Greene, all appear on a postcard sent to Republican and unaffiliated voters who participated in the last three primary elections. The postcard urges voters to “Elect ALL 3 Fiscal Conservatives” to the Rowan County Commission. It also includes the slogan, “We’re open for business to create jobs.” “If one of us gets elected, I don’t know how effective we can be,” Miller said. “If at least two of us get elected — or maybe all three of us — we really have a chance to make a positive difference in Rowan County.” The three candidates knew each other long before the election season began. Greene and Miller went to Appalachian State University together decades ago. Barber and Miller both have worked in the Rowan-Salisbury School System for several years — Barber as a teacher and Miller
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he agreed to let the man use the phone to get help with his truck. Myers found the suspect on the phone. The man identified himself as Jonathan Wayne Goodman of Old Concord Road. When the officer found a debit card belonging to Michael Allman in the suspect’s pocket, the man claimed Allman was his cousin. Myers ran a check on the computer equipment in his patrol car. Allman’s picture matched the suspect and there was an outstanding warrant for failure to appear. Sifford said Allman repeatedly insisted he was Goodman, not Allman, drawing a charge of obstructing, delaying and resisting. Subsequently, Myers interviewed two others who reported a flimflam. On April 12, Allman, identifying himself as Wayne Trexler, asked for help at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, getting $20. Church officials identified Allman as the man who got the money. And in March, a Granite Quarry pawn shop operator had given $75 to someone, apparently based on a call from Wayne Goodman. The real Wayne Goodman showed up a few days later and knew noting of the call or cash. Allman is being held in the Rowan County Detention Center under $19,500 bond on the multiple counts. Anyone with any information related to similar requests for cash is asked to call the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office at 704-216-8700.
Two challengers — Gene Miller and Jim Greene — joined incumbent Commissioner Jon Barber in a mailing that went out to Republican and unaffiliated voters. as an administrator. Greene, owner of Greene Insurance, said he has known Barber for several years. It wasn’t until a few months ago, though, that the three candidates decided to form an alliance. “When I decided to run for county commissioner, I started going to a couple events,” Miller said. “It seemed like every event I went to, Jon Barber was there, and then Jim Greene started showing up.”
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