Public Safety

State Highway Patrol Troopers and other agencies will be aggressively enforcing school bus safety laws next week as part of Operation Stop Arm. Passing a stopped school bus is a Class 1 misdemeanor in North Carolina. If convicted, a person will receive five driving points on their driver’s license and is subject to fines up to $500.  Passing a stopped school bus is a Class I felony if...

Animal Protective Services officers are riding the range this afternoon, chasing a stray Charolais cow in the Pleasant Plains area. The cow was first reported Wednesday evening. It’s been wandering Pleasant Plains, Antioch and Singletary Road, so far eluding both traffic and would-be wranglers. The cow was seen heading toward Prison Camp Road this morning (Thursday), leading to speculation that it might be heading for the Columbus County...

A man and woman are being sought after a pre-dawn lawnmower ride south of Whiteville.  Elicia Porter Sellers, 45, of Clarendon, and Timothy Lewis, 35, of Whiteville, are sought by deputies for allegedly stealing a lawn mower Sept. 30. The couple were identified after an F.M. Cartrette Road resident called 911 just after 3 a.m. Sept. 30. The caller told officials that a woman was driving a black...