Police say incident is gang related; victim is returned to prison
Friday, November 3, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A man who was sliced repeatedly with a razor blade Monday in what authorities called a gang-related jail fight returned to a Salisbury prison Tuesday.
Joseph Brian Shatley, 35, of Lenoir was being held temporarily at the Burke County jail Monday while he awaited trial for breaking and entering, larceny and conspiracy charges, said Burke County Sheriff John McDevitt.
Shatley had been in the 16-man cell for only five minutes when another inmate grabbed his cigarettes, said Robert Thomas of Drexel, who was in the cell and said he witnessed the attack.
Thomas said Shatley then grabbed the inmate by the neck and tried to get the cigarettes back. Another inmate started punching Shatley in the ribs, Thomas said, while the first inmate pulled out a razor blade and began slashing Shatley's face and neck.
Guards responded while Thomas and other inmates tried to stop the bleeding, he said. "We put multiple towels on his face," he said, "and they turned instantly red."
McDevitt said that Shatley was taken to Grace Hospital in Morganton. Doctors told officers that Shatley's injuries were not life-threatening, McDevitt said.
Thomas said that at least two other men guarded the cell door or restrained Shatley during the fight. McDevitt said he was not sure whether any other inmates were involved in the altercation.
Shatley was returned to Piedmont Correctional Institution, a medium security facility in Salisbury where he is serving more than 10 years as a habitual felon, according to the N.C. Department of Correction.
McDevitt said officers believe the inmates attacked Shatley as part of a gang initiation, and they did not think that Shatley and the other inmates knew each other. The razor blade used to slice Shatley, he said, was likely smuggled into the jail.
The inmate who authorities suspect attacked Shatley is serving a 21-year-term at Polk Correctional Institution, a maximum security facility in Butner, for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, according to the Department of Correction.
He had been in the Burke County jail about a week and was facing charges of assaulting a guard in a state prison in Burke County, McDevitt said.
McDevitt said that at least 14 inmates witnessed the fight and that his office is investigating the incident. The results will be sent to the District Attorney's Office, he said.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
11/1/06
Residents can now keep closer eye on sex offenders
NEW DATABASE ALLOWS INTERNET SEARCH BY ADDRESS, CITY OR ZIP CODE
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
NEWTON -- The Catawba County Sheriff's Office on Monday launched a new database that will help residents track and monitor sex offenders living in their communities.
The program, OffenderWatch, enables residents with an Internet connection to search for sex offenders, including pedophiles, by an address, city or ZIP code, said Sheriff David Huffman.
Currently, 188 sex offenders live in Catawba County, Huffman said, and about 24 of those are pedophiles or considered sexual predators.
Mecklenburg County launched a similar program last year, Huffman said. Since then, nine N.C. sheriff's offices, including Catawba County, have created OffenderWatch databases. Similar databases are used by 300 sheriff's offices in 24 states.
Previously, parents could search the state's database for sex offenders living in their area, but Huffman said the new program gives more flexibility in the searches.
Parents, he said, can search for sex offenders living within a mile of their homes, children's schools, daycare facilities, playgrounds and swimming pools. The program then generates a map, identifying the areas where sex offenders live.
They can also sign up for e-mail alerts, which notifies parents when a sex offender moves into the neighborhood. Residents without Internet service can choose to receive alerts in the mail, Huffman said.
Officials are planning to set up a computer in the lobby of the Sheriff's Office in Newton and work with libraries in Catawba County to provide residents better access to the program.
Go Online
The Web address for OffenderWatch is www.watchsystems.com/ nc/catawba.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
NEWTON -- The Catawba County Sheriff's Office on Monday launched a new database that will help residents track and monitor sex offenders living in their communities.
The program, OffenderWatch, enables residents with an Internet connection to search for sex offenders, including pedophiles, by an address, city or ZIP code, said Sheriff David Huffman.
Currently, 188 sex offenders live in Catawba County, Huffman said, and about 24 of those are pedophiles or considered sexual predators.
Mecklenburg County launched a similar program last year, Huffman said. Since then, nine N.C. sheriff's offices, including Catawba County, have created OffenderWatch databases. Similar databases are used by 300 sheriff's offices in 24 states.
Previously, parents could search the state's database for sex offenders living in their area, but Huffman said the new program gives more flexibility in the searches.
Parents, he said, can search for sex offenders living within a mile of their homes, children's schools, daycare facilities, playgrounds and swimming pools. The program then generates a map, identifying the areas where sex offenders live.
They can also sign up for e-mail alerts, which notifies parents when a sex offender moves into the neighborhood. Residents without Internet service can choose to receive alerts in the mail, Huffman said.
Officials are planning to set up a computer in the lobby of the Sheriff's Office in Newton and work with libraries in Catawba County to provide residents better access to the program.
Go Online
The Web address for OffenderWatch is www.watchsystems.com/ nc/catawba.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
The needs of the Hmong
Group's survey lays out priorities for community
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
HICKORY -- The Hmong began fleeing to the United States in 1975, seeking refuge in places such as Burke and Catawba counties in the years following the Vietnam War.
In the three decades since, they have been trying to make North Carolina their home without losing their Southeast Asian identity. And now they've written a report identifying the social and cultural needs of their community.
The results, compiled by the United Hmong Association of North Carolina, are the product of two years of intensive polling and compilation by Tong Yang, the executive director of the organization, and a team of social researchers and academic and medical professionals.
"Everything in the country is about statistics and data," Yang said, "and before this, we didn't have anything specific to the Hmong population."
The association focuses on promoting education, cultural preservation, health care, economic development, self-sufficiency and social advancement in the Hmong community.
One of the biggest concerns identified in the survey was preserving the Hmong's 4,000-year-old culture, particularly the annual New Year celebration, which takes place in late November, Yang said.
"Many people think it's just a holiday, but that isn't what it is to us," Yang said. During the religious tradition, the Hmong thank their ancestors for the ending year and for blessings in the year to come.
Before the report, Yang said, community leaders had an idea of what issues ranked high among the Hmong and confirmed that health care, education, interaction with law enforcement and preserving their culture were top priorities.
"We didn't have a clear idea of what the community needed," he said, which made it difficult to communicate Hmong needs to local, state and federal agencies. "We hope this report will be a bit of a reality check."
The goal of the survey, Yang said, was to distinguish the Hmong from other Asian groups and to identify the concerns of Hmong in North Carolina, most of whom live in the Unifour region.
More than 300,000 Hmongs from Laos have sought refuge in the United States since the Vietnam War, when many of the group fought with the United States. About 15,000 Hmong have settled in North Carolina, Yang said.
During the survey, Yang realized that younger Hmong were more concerned about social issues, such as education, and the older Hmong wanted to focus on maintaining cultural traditions, including the religious New Year celebrations and marriage ceremonies.
The survey, taken by 250 Hmong adults living predominantly in Burke and Catawba counties, focused on questions about education, social and government-based services, tradition, religious beliefs, family, fair treatment by law enforcement and the courts, employment and health care.
The majority of respondents, 75 percent, were between 18 and 33, but Yang said the Hmong community is focused on family, and the younger generations are often responsible for communicating for the older members of their families who don't speak English.
Among other findings, the survey showed that while Hmong think schools and social services are doing a good job providing language accessibility, they think some groups, including law enforcement and health-care providers, need to be doing more.
One-third of respondents, for example, said they had been stopped by police without reason or knew someone who had been treated unfairly by local law enforcement, Yang said.
He also said the survey showed overall discontent with the court system in North Carolina.
Floyd Lucas, chief of the Hickory Police Department, said he has been friends with Yang and closely connected to the N.C. Hmong community for years.
Lucas said that the age of the respondents - nearly 60 percent were between 18 and 25 - may explain why so many Hmong said they were unhappy with treatment by local law enforcement.
"The younger Hmong," Lucas said, "are at a place where (they are) young and Westernized, yet have to deal with the culture their parents and grandparents have brought from Laos."
Still, he said, finding a balance between the cultures is paramount.
"We want them to maintain the traditions of their culture while, at the same time, obeying the law in their new homeland," Lucas said.
Yang also said about 95 percent of adult Hmong are employed and 60 percent have health insurance.
Still, he said, many Hmong are unable to express their health concerns because of language and cultural barriers. The Hmong ranked heart disease, cancer and AIDS as their biggest concerns.
Barbara Pullen-Smith, director of the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities with the N.C. Department and Health and Human Services, called the report "a historic move" because it allows her department to look at the Hmong separately and not part of the larger Asian population.
"It's looking at a very specific group and is capturing their health challenges," Smith said. "All of these issues are major for them, and at the root, theirs is a challenge with language and cultural issues.
*
Key Findings
Language Accessibility
Better translation and interpretation services are needed in the judicial system and between law enforcement, city and county government and public health departments.
Education
The majority of Hmong parents help their children with homework daily and are willing to participate in after-school learning activities.
Many Hmong consider attending college a priority but are not sure how to apply for financial aid and scholarships.
Religion
Forty-four percent of Hmong are Christian and 38 percent say they practice ancestral worshipping and animism. Half still practice Shamanism, a traditional belief of spiritual healing, and the majority of Hmong believe in Shamanism.
Health
Major health concerns include heart disease, AIDS and cancer.
About 60 percent have health insurance, but for those who don't, cost is the main reason why they don't seek regular medical care.
Culture
About 65 percent said clanship, which Hmong believe assures social cohesion and identity, has changed in the past 10 years. Seventy-four percent said they wanted clans to remain intact.
More than 93 percent of Hmong said they think cultural preservation is important.
Most respondents, 79 percent, said cultural training on Hmong culture should be offered to the non-Hmong community.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
HICKORY -- The Hmong began fleeing to the United States in 1975, seeking refuge in places such as Burke and Catawba counties in the years following the Vietnam War.
In the three decades since, they have been trying to make North Carolina their home without losing their Southeast Asian identity. And now they've written a report identifying the social and cultural needs of their community.
The results, compiled by the United Hmong Association of North Carolina, are the product of two years of intensive polling and compilation by Tong Yang, the executive director of the organization, and a team of social researchers and academic and medical professionals.
"Everything in the country is about statistics and data," Yang said, "and before this, we didn't have anything specific to the Hmong population."
The association focuses on promoting education, cultural preservation, health care, economic development, self-sufficiency and social advancement in the Hmong community.
One of the biggest concerns identified in the survey was preserving the Hmong's 4,000-year-old culture, particularly the annual New Year celebration, which takes place in late November, Yang said.
"Many people think it's just a holiday, but that isn't what it is to us," Yang said. During the religious tradition, the Hmong thank their ancestors for the ending year and for blessings in the year to come.
Before the report, Yang said, community leaders had an idea of what issues ranked high among the Hmong and confirmed that health care, education, interaction with law enforcement and preserving their culture were top priorities.
"We didn't have a clear idea of what the community needed," he said, which made it difficult to communicate Hmong needs to local, state and federal agencies. "We hope this report will be a bit of a reality check."
The goal of the survey, Yang said, was to distinguish the Hmong from other Asian groups and to identify the concerns of Hmong in North Carolina, most of whom live in the Unifour region.
More than 300,000 Hmongs from Laos have sought refuge in the United States since the Vietnam War, when many of the group fought with the United States. About 15,000 Hmong have settled in North Carolina, Yang said.
During the survey, Yang realized that younger Hmong were more concerned about social issues, such as education, and the older Hmong wanted to focus on maintaining cultural traditions, including the religious New Year celebrations and marriage ceremonies.
The survey, taken by 250 Hmong adults living predominantly in Burke and Catawba counties, focused on questions about education, social and government-based services, tradition, religious beliefs, family, fair treatment by law enforcement and the courts, employment and health care.
The majority of respondents, 75 percent, were between 18 and 33, but Yang said the Hmong community is focused on family, and the younger generations are often responsible for communicating for the older members of their families who don't speak English.
Among other findings, the survey showed that while Hmong think schools and social services are doing a good job providing language accessibility, they think some groups, including law enforcement and health-care providers, need to be doing more.
One-third of respondents, for example, said they had been stopped by police without reason or knew someone who had been treated unfairly by local law enforcement, Yang said.
He also said the survey showed overall discontent with the court system in North Carolina.
Floyd Lucas, chief of the Hickory Police Department, said he has been friends with Yang and closely connected to the N.C. Hmong community for years.
Lucas said that the age of the respondents - nearly 60 percent were between 18 and 25 - may explain why so many Hmong said they were unhappy with treatment by local law enforcement.
"The younger Hmong," Lucas said, "are at a place where (they are) young and Westernized, yet have to deal with the culture their parents and grandparents have brought from Laos."
Still, he said, finding a balance between the cultures is paramount.
"We want them to maintain the traditions of their culture while, at the same time, obeying the law in their new homeland," Lucas said.
Yang also said about 95 percent of adult Hmong are employed and 60 percent have health insurance.
Still, he said, many Hmong are unable to express their health concerns because of language and cultural barriers. The Hmong ranked heart disease, cancer and AIDS as their biggest concerns.
Barbara Pullen-Smith, director of the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities with the N.C. Department and Health and Human Services, called the report "a historic move" because it allows her department to look at the Hmong separately and not part of the larger Asian population.
"It's looking at a very specific group and is capturing their health challenges," Smith said. "All of these issues are major for them, and at the root, theirs is a challenge with language and cultural issues.
*
Key Findings
Language Accessibility
Better translation and interpretation services are needed in the judicial system and between law enforcement, city and county government and public health departments.
Education
The majority of Hmong parents help their children with homework daily and are willing to participate in after-school learning activities.
Many Hmong consider attending college a priority but are not sure how to apply for financial aid and scholarships.
Religion
Forty-four percent of Hmong are Christian and 38 percent say they practice ancestral worshipping and animism. Half still practice Shamanism, a traditional belief of spiritual healing, and the majority of Hmong believe in Shamanism.
Health
Major health concerns include heart disease, AIDS and cancer.
About 60 percent have health insurance, but for those who don't, cost is the main reason why they don't seek regular medical care.
Culture
About 65 percent said clanship, which Hmong believe assures social cohesion and identity, has changed in the past 10 years. Seventy-four percent said they wanted clans to remain intact.
More than 93 percent of Hmong said they think cultural preservation is important.
Most respondents, 79 percent, said cultural training on Hmong culture should be offered to the non-Hmong community.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
10/31/06
Poll shows GOP candidates have an edge over challengers
Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
HICKORY A week before the Nov. 7 election, Catawba County GOP candidates are leading their Democratic challengers by substantial margins, a poll shows.
The survey was conducted by Lenoir-Rhyne College political science professor Lowell Ashman and some of his students.
The pollsters called 300 randomly sampled Catawba County residents between Oct. 10 and Oct. 23 and asked participants for information about their household income and level of education. But they did not ask respondents about party affiliation, voter registration or citizenship.
Lyndon Helton, a Democrat running for the N.C. Senate District 42 seat, said the lack of information about the respondents diminished the survey's value.
"I have a hard time putting so much stock in a poll that could have had illegal aliens on the phone or people who can't vote," he said.
The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Among the results:
Six-term Sheriff David Huffman was favored by 48 percent of the respondents in his bid for re-election. Challenger Steve Hunt, a Democrat, was favored by 34 percent. Eighteen percent were undecided.
Incumbent N.C. Sen. Austin Allran was favored by 48 percent to Helton's 34 percent. Eighteen percent were undecided.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
HICKORY A week before the Nov. 7 election, Catawba County GOP candidates are leading their Democratic challengers by substantial margins, a poll shows.
The survey was conducted by Lenoir-Rhyne College political science professor Lowell Ashman and some of his students.
The pollsters called 300 randomly sampled Catawba County residents between Oct. 10 and Oct. 23 and asked participants for information about their household income and level of education. But they did not ask respondents about party affiliation, voter registration or citizenship.
Lyndon Helton, a Democrat running for the N.C. Senate District 42 seat, said the lack of information about the respondents diminished the survey's value.
"I have a hard time putting so much stock in a poll that could have had illegal aliens on the phone or people who can't vote," he said.
The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Among the results:
Six-term Sheriff David Huffman was favored by 48 percent of the respondents in his bid for re-election. Challenger Steve Hunt, a Democrat, was favored by 34 percent. Eighteen percent were undecided.
Incumbent N.C. Sen. Austin Allran was favored by 48 percent to Helton's 34 percent. Eighteen percent were undecided.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
10/29/06
Huffman in tight fight
24-YEAR INCUMBENT CATAWBA SHERIFF FACING 30-YEAR POLICE VETERAN
Sunday, October 29, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A 24-year GOP incumbent sheriff in one of the state's sturdiest Republican strongholds is facing a formidable Democratic challenger at the polls this year.
But both candidates say this race isn't about politics.
Republican David Huffman, who has run the Catawba County Sheriff's Office since 1982, is characterizing the race as a face-off between two experienced law enforcement officers with very different resumes.
"This particular race is looking at the individuals, and what the individuals can do, rather than the issues," he said.
Steve Hunt, Huffman's challenger and a retired 30-year veteran of the Hickory Police Department, is new to politics and says Huffman has done a good job for the past six terms, but the agency needs revitalization.
"We need a new direction," he said. "We can't police the way we policed 30 years ago."
Huffman, however, said his office continually adapts to new trends in crime and that his long tenure hasn't left law enforcement stale. He touts an array of programs geared toward helping the elderly and handicapped and highlighted one that monitors sex offenders.
"We're constantly bringing new and innovative programs," he said. "As things change, you have to change with it."
While Huffman said he thinks highly of his opponent, he says that Hunt's three decades as a police officer won't necessarily translate into automatic success in the Sheriff's Office.
"I'm not sure he'd be able to hit the ground running, and that comes with the territory," he said.
First, Huffman said, there's the issue of connections in Washington. His tenure as sheriff has left him with a long list of links to the federal government that he said has helped him secure millions of dollars in grants.
Huffman is chairman of the Homeland Security Intelligence Team, which monitors information on local, state and federal terrorism activity, and said making connections is critical to the sheriff's job.
"Contacts that you make through life don't happen overnight," he said.
But Hunt isn't worried about building connections. He began representing Catawba County in Washington more than a year ago, when he was assigned to the Department of Homeland Security's intelligence subcommittee.
He has been meeting with the committee's National Council of Readiness and Preparedness, he said, to make sure that ideas conceived at the federal level will work in the county, as well.
Hunt, who teaches criminal justice at the Catawba Valley Community College, is focusing on accreditation, he said, and is encouraging deputies take regular refresher courses and pursue advanced degrees.
"I want to raise the professional bar, and I want employees of the Sheriff's Office to come with me," he said.
Officers who excel in training and show outstanding performance will be promoted, he said, which he hopes will inspire others in the department to do the same.
"Standards, standards, standards are a big deal to me," he said.
Hunt said he's heard concerns that he'll clean house, but he says he promises not to make massive cuts in staff and will see the department's veteran personnel as valuable resources.
He also said he'd like to build a multi-lingual staff, emphasize advocacy projects, including a victim's assistance program and a defensive driving course for teens, and encourage law enforcement to train residents to recognize and help decrease crime.
While Hunt has said that community watch plans can be beneficial, he worries the programs are often crisis-driven. Instead, he said, he will encourage residents to take responsibility in their communities and work with law enforcement to stop crime before it begins.
"We want to decrease the opportunity for crime," Hunt said at a Nov. 10 candidates' forum.
Although Huffman enjoys the advantage of being an incumbent, he has been weakened by a recent bitter races.
A messy, but close, 2002 battle for a seat in the 10th congressional district against Patrick McHenry left him disenchanted with politics, he said. An expensive and equally ruthless primary in May against Mike Ledford ended closely, with Huffman receiving only 140 more votes than his opponent and $359 in his campaign fund.
Now, as one of the North Carolina's longest-serving sheriffs, Huffman has vowed this race will be his last.
Looking back on his first race in 1982, Huffman recalls that then-incumbent Dale Johnson was well-liked. County residents, however, elected Huffman with nearly 51 percent of the vote, according to the Catawba County Board of Elections.
"People at that time saw a need for change in Catawba County," Huffman said.
Now, Hunt is hoping the same logic will work for him.
Fundraising
Since Jan. 1, David Huffman had raised $30,865.59, according to the most recent campaign finance reports, filed in July. The report shows $30,506.51 in expenditures. Steve Hunt had raised $23,708.55 since the beginning of 2006 and spent $18,527.93. The Board of Elections requires candidates file updated campaign finance reports by Oct. 31.
David Huffman
Party: Republican.
Age: 61.
Birthplace: Catawba County.
Occupation: Catawba County sheriff.
Elected offices: Catawba County sheriff, 1982-present; Catawba County commissioner, 1987-1982.
Family: Wife, Diane Huffman; daughters, Tammy West, Dawn Wagstaff, Dana Green and Tina Starnes.
Education: Associate's degree in machining and knitting-fixing, Catawba Valley Community College, 1964.
Religious/civic involvement: Deacon at Woodlawn Baptist Church; member of Catawba County Shriners and International Shriners.
Why running: To continue to serve the people of Catawba County with the best law enforcement available. To live and work in accordance with high ethical standards. To serve with integrity and respect. To treat all people fairly while safeguarding their rights. To ensure that everyone I meet receives conscientious service. To provide continuous training to our officers so they may constantly improve themselves and the Sheriff's Office.
What are the top issues facing the Catawba County Sheriff's Office?
Construction of the new detention facility and overcrowding in the jail; homeland security; local and state funding; adapting to changes that come with growth in the county, including preventing gang activity, drug problems; and diversity issues.
Steve Hunt
Party: Democrat
Age: 51
Birthplace: Catawba County.
Occupation: Criminal justice instructor at Catawba Valley Community College.
Elected offices: None.
Family: Wife, Sarah Hunt; sons Steven and William; daughter, Muriel.
Education: Associate's degree in criminal justice, Western Piedmont Community College, 1996; bachelor's degree in criminal justice, Lees-McRae College, 2001.
Religious/civic involvement: Deacon at Mt. Zion Baptist Church; past president and current member of the Sunrise Rotary Club; former cooperate board member at the YMCA; former member of the Boys and Girls Club; former board member at the Salvation Army; former board member for Corporate Christian Ministries; Local Bank board member.
Why running: It's time for a change in leadership. I can take the Catawba County Sheriff's Office to the next level, professionally. With the crimes facing law enforcement in the 21st century, the leader must be trained an well-educated in the field of criminal justice.
What are the top issues facing the Catawba County Sheriff's Office?
The main issues facing the Sheriff's Office are not unique to only that department. Law enforcement agencies across the country are facing problems with drugs, cyber crime and crimes committed by violent gangs.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer
A 24-year GOP incumbent sheriff in one of the state's sturdiest Republican strongholds is facing a formidable Democratic challenger at the polls this year.
But both candidates say this race isn't about politics.
Republican David Huffman, who has run the Catawba County Sheriff's Office since 1982, is characterizing the race as a face-off between two experienced law enforcement officers with very different resumes.
"This particular race is looking at the individuals, and what the individuals can do, rather than the issues," he said.
Steve Hunt, Huffman's challenger and a retired 30-year veteran of the Hickory Police Department, is new to politics and says Huffman has done a good job for the past six terms, but the agency needs revitalization.
"We need a new direction," he said. "We can't police the way we policed 30 years ago."
Huffman, however, said his office continually adapts to new trends in crime and that his long tenure hasn't left law enforcement stale. He touts an array of programs geared toward helping the elderly and handicapped and highlighted one that monitors sex offenders.
"We're constantly bringing new and innovative programs," he said. "As things change, you have to change with it."
While Huffman said he thinks highly of his opponent, he says that Hunt's three decades as a police officer won't necessarily translate into automatic success in the Sheriff's Office.
"I'm not sure he'd be able to hit the ground running, and that comes with the territory," he said.
First, Huffman said, there's the issue of connections in Washington. His tenure as sheriff has left him with a long list of links to the federal government that he said has helped him secure millions of dollars in grants.
Huffman is chairman of the Homeland Security Intelligence Team, which monitors information on local, state and federal terrorism activity, and said making connections is critical to the sheriff's job.
"Contacts that you make through life don't happen overnight," he said.
But Hunt isn't worried about building connections. He began representing Catawba County in Washington more than a year ago, when he was assigned to the Department of Homeland Security's intelligence subcommittee.
He has been meeting with the committee's National Council of Readiness and Preparedness, he said, to make sure that ideas conceived at the federal level will work in the county, as well.
Hunt, who teaches criminal justice at the Catawba Valley Community College, is focusing on accreditation, he said, and is encouraging deputies take regular refresher courses and pursue advanced degrees.
"I want to raise the professional bar, and I want employees of the Sheriff's Office to come with me," he said.
Officers who excel in training and show outstanding performance will be promoted, he said, which he hopes will inspire others in the department to do the same.
"Standards, standards, standards are a big deal to me," he said.
Hunt said he's heard concerns that he'll clean house, but he says he promises not to make massive cuts in staff and will see the department's veteran personnel as valuable resources.
He also said he'd like to build a multi-lingual staff, emphasize advocacy projects, including a victim's assistance program and a defensive driving course for teens, and encourage law enforcement to train residents to recognize and help decrease crime.
While Hunt has said that community watch plans can be beneficial, he worries the programs are often crisis-driven. Instead, he said, he will encourage residents to take responsibility in their communities and work with law enforcement to stop crime before it begins.
"We want to decrease the opportunity for crime," Hunt said at a Nov. 10 candidates' forum.
Although Huffman enjoys the advantage of being an incumbent, he has been weakened by a recent bitter races.
A messy, but close, 2002 battle for a seat in the 10th congressional district against Patrick McHenry left him disenchanted with politics, he said. An expensive and equally ruthless primary in May against Mike Ledford ended closely, with Huffman receiving only 140 more votes than his opponent and $359 in his campaign fund.
Now, as one of the North Carolina's longest-serving sheriffs, Huffman has vowed this race will be his last.
Looking back on his first race in 1982, Huffman recalls that then-incumbent Dale Johnson was well-liked. County residents, however, elected Huffman with nearly 51 percent of the vote, according to the Catawba County Board of Elections.
"People at that time saw a need for change in Catawba County," Huffman said.
Now, Hunt is hoping the same logic will work for him.
Fundraising
Since Jan. 1, David Huffman had raised $30,865.59, according to the most recent campaign finance reports, filed in July. The report shows $30,506.51 in expenditures. Steve Hunt had raised $23,708.55 since the beginning of 2006 and spent $18,527.93. The Board of Elections requires candidates file updated campaign finance reports by Oct. 31.
David Huffman
Party: Republican.
Age: 61.
Birthplace: Catawba County.
Occupation: Catawba County sheriff.
Elected offices: Catawba County sheriff, 1982-present; Catawba County commissioner, 1987-1982.
Family: Wife, Diane Huffman; daughters, Tammy West, Dawn Wagstaff, Dana Green and Tina Starnes.
Education: Associate's degree in machining and knitting-fixing, Catawba Valley Community College, 1964.
Religious/civic involvement: Deacon at Woodlawn Baptist Church; member of Catawba County Shriners and International Shriners.
Why running: To continue to serve the people of Catawba County with the best law enforcement available. To live and work in accordance with high ethical standards. To serve with integrity and respect. To treat all people fairly while safeguarding their rights. To ensure that everyone I meet receives conscientious service. To provide continuous training to our officers so they may constantly improve themselves and the Sheriff's Office.
What are the top issues facing the Catawba County Sheriff's Office?
Construction of the new detention facility and overcrowding in the jail; homeland security; local and state funding; adapting to changes that come with growth in the county, including preventing gang activity, drug problems; and diversity issues.
Steve Hunt
Party: Democrat
Age: 51
Birthplace: Catawba County.
Occupation: Criminal justice instructor at Catawba Valley Community College.
Elected offices: None.
Family: Wife, Sarah Hunt; sons Steven and William; daughter, Muriel.
Education: Associate's degree in criminal justice, Western Piedmont Community College, 1996; bachelor's degree in criminal justice, Lees-McRae College, 2001.
Religious/civic involvement: Deacon at Mt. Zion Baptist Church; past president and current member of the Sunrise Rotary Club; former cooperate board member at the YMCA; former member of the Boys and Girls Club; former board member at the Salvation Army; former board member for Corporate Christian Ministries; Local Bank board member.
Why running: It's time for a change in leadership. I can take the Catawba County Sheriff's Office to the next level, professionally. With the crimes facing law enforcement in the 21st century, the leader must be trained an well-educated in the field of criminal justice.
What are the top issues facing the Catawba County Sheriff's Office?
The main issues facing the Sheriff's Office are not unique to only that department. Law enforcement agencies across the country are facing problems with drugs, cyber crime and crimes committed by violent gangs.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.
10/28/06
School bus driver charged after 3-vehicle wreck on N.C. 127
Saturday, Oct. 28, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
A school bus driver was cited Friday after his bus, carrying three children, was involved in a three-vehicle wreck near Hickory, according to the N.C. Highway Patrol.
A student who had been on the bus was treated for minor injuries. The driver of a car involved in the wreck was hospitalized; her injuries were not life-threatening, Trooper J. Swagger said.
Swagger said the bus was headed north on N.C. 127 when a truck ahead of it slowed to make a turn. The bus slid when the driver attempted to slow and hit a car in front of it, which then hit a truck, Swagger said.
The bus driver, 53-year-old Kenneth Atkinson of Hickory, was charged with failing to reduce speed to avoid a collision.
The bus was carrying students from Catawba Valley High School.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
A school bus driver was cited Friday after his bus, carrying three children, was involved in a three-vehicle wreck near Hickory, according to the N.C. Highway Patrol.
A student who had been on the bus was treated for minor injuries. The driver of a car involved in the wreck was hospitalized; her injuries were not life-threatening, Trooper J. Swagger said.
Swagger said the bus was headed north on N.C. 127 when a truck ahead of it slowed to make a turn. The bus slid when the driver attempted to slow and hit a car in front of it, which then hit a truck, Swagger said.
The bus driver, 53-year-old Kenneth Atkinson of Hickory, was charged with failing to reduce speed to avoid a collision.
The bus was carrying students from Catawba Valley High School.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
Employees stop working in dispute at Case Farms plant
Saturday, Oct. 28, 2006
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
More than 125 workers at a Morganton poultry plant abandoned their jobs Friday morning but refused to leave the factory in a dispute over a new policy and working conditions.
Employees at Case Farms, a chicken processing plant, refused to continue working after being told about a new policy that would charge workers a fee for using more than three pairs of rubber gloves on each shift, said Francisco Risso, director of the Western North Carolina Workers Center in Morganton.
The center helps low-income workers, mainly immigrants.
Workers said they were told they would be required to pay 75 cents for each set of gloves over the three-pair limit, Risso said.
"That was sort of the straw that broke the camel's back," he said.
Risso said workers have expressed long-standing concerns with wages, health conditions and safety at the factory.
Case Farms representatives did not return several calls.
The strike affected only one department at Case Farms, which employs more than 500 workers in Morganton.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer
Staff Writer
More than 125 workers at a Morganton poultry plant abandoned their jobs Friday morning but refused to leave the factory in a dispute over a new policy and working conditions.
Employees at Case Farms, a chicken processing plant, refused to continue working after being told about a new policy that would charge workers a fee for using more than three pairs of rubber gloves on each shift, said Francisco Risso, director of the Western North Carolina Workers Center in Morganton.
The center helps low-income workers, mainly immigrants.
Workers said they were told they would be required to pay 75 cents for each set of gloves over the three-pair limit, Risso said.
"That was sort of the straw that broke the camel's back," he said.
Risso said workers have expressed long-standing concerns with wages, health conditions and safety at the factory.
Case Farms representatives did not return several calls.
The strike affected only one department at Case Farms, which employs more than 500 workers in Morganton.
All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and may not be republished without permission.
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