The State Port Pilot Blog

Raymond Gregory Walker, who usually goes by Greg, has been missing since Nov. 15, and the Oak Island Police Department is looking for help locating him.

Walker is 57, and he is a white male approximately 5’8” tall, weighing 150 pounds. He is balding, with gray hair and a bushy gray beard and mustache.

Anyone with any information about Walker is asked to call detective Kristy Cox or Sgt. Tony Burke at the Oak Island Police Department, (910) 278-5595.

There’s a glint of hope for Bald Head Island’s deer cull plan, at least for this year.

Village manager Calvin Peck in an email on Tuesday told the mayor and council members he had just spoken with Gordon Myers, executive director of the Wildlife Resources Commission, who according to Peck said Bald Head Island’s “special situation” could warrant approval of a permit to conduct a deer cull as planned.

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A new lawsuit claims a sheriff’s deputy is responsible for a man’s truck being totaled three years ago. Plaintiff James Erich Howard filed the suit Dec. 19 against deputy Johnny Bolduc, seeking more than $10,000 in damages.

According to the court document, Howard took out a warrant against Robbie Bridgers for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle on Dec 19, 2005. Bolduc stopped the 2003 Dodge truck and arrested Bridgers the next day, but allegedly let an “unknown passenger” take the truck.

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Making good on a threat issued in August, the Southeast Brunswick Sanitary District sued the City of Southport last Tuesday for $2.5 million, claiming it had spent that sum preparing for a joint sewer expansion project that Southport abandoned.
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The Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) has denied Bald Head Island the permit needed for its large cull of deer.
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Yes, homeowner insurance rates will change statewide—particularly as increases along the coast—but not to the extent feared. Some areas of the state will actually see drops in rates.

State insurance commissioner Jim Long on Thursday approved rate increases that include a 29.8-percent jump for Brunswick County’s mainland and 17.5 percent for the barrier islands.

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With help from local police departments and probation officers, the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Department organized a roundup of 81 suspected drug offenders in the county.

After a briefing at 5 a.m., officers started serving warrants and arresting suspects; by 9:30 a.m. there were 32 in custody.

Read tomorrow’s issue of The State Port Pilot for the complete story.

Construction on Long Beach Road could mean heavy traffic congestion now through the holidays.

Work began Monday to adjoin Airport and Long Beach roads in preparation for a stoplight at the new intersection.

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Monday afternoon, South Brunswick defensive standout A.J. Ferguson committed to North Carolina State University to play football next season. Ferguson just completed a senior season in which he had 10 sacks, two interceptions, two defensive returns for touchdowns and also caught seven passes and one touchdown as a tight end on the offensive side. More to follow…

A former employee with the Brunswick County Department of Social Services was arrested Tuesday and charged with obtaining property by false pretenses. April Shawnette Stuckes, 33, of Wilmington, is accused of defrauding more than $135,000 in benefits from the agency over three years. Stuckes was fired in April of this year. A joint investigation by the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Department and the State Bureau of Investigation led to charges against Stuckes, and against six others who illegally received benefits.

Sheriff’s detective Vince Saponaro said Stuckes set up fake files for receiving Work First benefits and used the agency’s P.O. Box to receive the checks. She then allegedly cashed the checks at a store in Wilmington and kept the money. Stuckes previously worked in the Richmond, Va., area, and she allegedly took a list of clients with her when she left; she used real names and information from the list to create fake files in Brunswick County. Stuckes is also accused of setting up files for her boyfriend and other friends, allowing them to receive benefits while demanding half the money in return as a kickback.

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