news
Clyde assistant fire chief, wife, charged with embezzlement Bookstore
JustDoOils.com
AVRAM FwillRIEDMAN present his book,
The Truth About Plumbing SAT., APRIL 9 at 3PM
Book online at:
MassageWaynesville.com 828.456.3585 nclmbe 103
828/586-9499 • more@citylightsnc.com 3 EAST JACKSON STREET • SYLVA
Smoky Mountain News
April 6-12, 2022
Haywood Square | 288 N. Haywood St. | Waynesville
A rich, unique, humorous, philosophical, and educational plunge into the universe of methods modern humanity employs to satisfy its need for freshwater.
16
KYLE PERROTTI N EWS E DITOR The Clyde Fire Department’ assistant chief and his wife have been charged with embezzling money from the department. Dean Louis Castaldo, 52, and Shani Camp Castaldo, 51, were both hit with multiple felonies after a Haywood County grand jury indicted both individuals in February of this year. An order for their arrests was subsequently issued on Feb. 28. Both Castaldos were ultimately charged with two counts of embezzlement of less than $100,000 and conspiracy to embezzle. According to the indictments, the Castaldos did “embezzle and fraudulently and knowingly misapply and convert to his own use … take and make away with and secrete moneys belonging to the Clyde Volunteer Fire Department, Incorporated for the purchase and payment of personal items and debts.” Dean Castaldo’s indictment notes that at the time of offense, he was an employee of the department and that he used a “financial transaction card and used the same contrary to the trust and confidence reposed in the defendant by his employer.” The dates of offense listed range from Jan. 1, 2018, through March 3, 2019. Dean Castaldo is scheduled to appear in court on April 11 and Shani Castaldo has a court date of April 25. Both were issued a $35,000 unsecured bond, and there is no record of either being booked at the Haywood County Detention Center. Although The Smoky Mountain News was informed that a press release was forthcoming from the Clyde Fire Department, it was not available as of press time.
Work zone safety awareness
Join the March Hare and the Mad Hatter as the Cherokee Historical Association and Havoc Movement Company present “Alice in Wonderland.” See this Appalachian spin on the classic tale starting April 1, then throughout the month on select nights from 7–9 p.m. Only in Cherokee’s Mountainside Theatre. For dates and tickets: VisitCherokeeNC.com
RALEIGH – North Carolina transportation officials, highway safety experts and members of law enforcement gathered at the Northampton County Welcome Center on Interstate 95 on Tuesday, April 5, to kick off North Carolina’s Work Zone Awareness Week and unveil the National Work Zone Memorial. The traveling exhibit honors those killed in work zones, including 37 N.C. Department of Transportation workers who have died in work zones across the state since 1979. Last year, more than 6,200 crashes occurred in North Carolina work zones, resulting in 29 deaths and more than 2,500 injuries. Work zones can feature obstacles that make them tricky to navigate, and often require more driver attention than other areas. Speeding and distracted driving are contributing factors in more than half of all work zone crashes. North Carolina’s Work Zone Awareness Week takes place from April 4-8. The National Work Zone Memorial will be on display at the Northampton County Welcome Center on I-95 South from April 5-7. National Work Zone Awareness Week will take place April 11-15.
