Public Record
By Matt Shaw
Published in News on January 28, 2004 2:01 PM
Ice causes wrecks
Ice caused an unusual head-on collision Tuesday morning on U.S. 70, the Goldsboro Police Department reported.
Delia Epifunia Vindel, 33, of Durham Lake Road, Dudley, was driving west on the highway around 7:30 a.m. when she hit an icy spot that spun her 2001 Toyota around completely.
The Toyota was then hit head-on by a 2003 Chevrolet, driven by George Thomas Miller, 52, of Pikeville, that had been following her.
The Toyota then careened into a 1982 Ford, driven by Johnny Wayne Stevens, 35, of LaGrange.
No one was hurt, but all three vehicles had $1,500 to $2,000 in damages. The police charged Ms. Vindel with exceeding a safe speed for road conditions.
Icy roads contributed to numerous accidents this week, including the following accidents:
*Jose Ramon Naguera, 52, of Hialeah, Fla., was driving a 1997 GMC on U.S. 70 around 6:50 a.m. Monday when he tried to run the vehicle onto an exit ramp at Wayne Memorial Drive, Goldsboro police reported. The GMC slid off the road and turned over. Naguera and a passenger were uninjured. No charges were filed.
*A 2000 Mitsubishi, driven by Patrick Michael Kincaid, 26, of Serenity Drive, and a 2002 Dodge, driven by Curtis Ray Nord Jr., 42, of Country Run Drive, collided around 2:40 p.m. Monday at the intersection of State Roads 1923 and 2113, the N.C. Highway Patrol reported. Neither man was injured, but both vehicles sustained $3,000 to $4,000 in damage. Kincaid was charged with failure to yield.
*Around 10:50 p.m. Monday, Felicia Bryant, 29, of Hugh Street, lost control of her 1993 Ford as she crossed an icy patch on U.S. 70. The Ford ran off the highway and stuck a guard rail, causing $3,500 in damage. Goldsboro police did not charge Ms. Bryant, who was only driving 35 mph at the time of the accident.
*A 2000 Jeep, driven by Leslie A. Mercier, 26, of Swansboro, ran off the side of U.S. 70 at the Berkeley Boulevard bridge at 8 a.m. Tuesday, struck a guardrail, spun around, hit the rail again and caught on fire. Goldsboro police charged Ms. Mercier, who was driving around 45 mph, with exceeding a safe speed considering the road condition.
Thieves hit
accident victims
Opportunistic thieves added insult to injury for two people involved in separate accidents Monday caused by icy conditions near Mount Olive.
Around 4:30 p.m. Monday, Brenda Bass Taswell, of Dudley, lost control of her 2003 Dodge Stratus, which slid off Old Mount Olive Highway and into a ditch, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office reported. When she returned to the car Tuesday morning, she found that someone had broken out her window and rifled through her glovebox. It was unclear what was stolen. Damage was estimated at $800.
Meanwhile, Pressley Wayne Melvin of Fayetteville was involved in a wreck on N.C. 55 West around 5:30 p.m. and had to be transported to Wayne Memorial Hospital. He wasn't able to get back to his 1989 Dodge truck until 1 p.m., at which time he found someone had broken in and stolen a toolbox, tools and his CD player. The sheriff's officers estimated the loss at $340.
School vandalized
Goldsboro Middle School was hit twice in two days by vandals, the Goldsboro Police Department reported.
On Monday, a window was broken in the afternoon by someone who entered and stole candy, food and drinks from a concession stand. Two machines that sell paper and pencils were broken open, and a fire extinguisher was emptied into a hallway.
Tuesday evening, several windows were again broken at the school on North Lionel Street, but police responded and nothing was found to have been taken.
Failed robbery
A man attempted to rob the KFC restaurant on Ash Street on Tuesday evening but was unsuccessful, Goldsboro police reported.
Around 9:40 p.m., the robber approached a cashier, indicated that he had a weapon in his coat and asked for money. He then reached across and tried to open the cash drawer himself. When he couldn't get it open, he ran out.
The suspect was described as a black male in his early 20s, around 5 feet 10 inches tall and 150 pounds, wearing a blue sweater and dark blue jeans.
Investigations
Goldsboro police are investigating these crimes:
*Eva Virginia Ovellana, 45, of Seven Springs, had her purse stolen out of her cart at Wal-Mart on Tuesday. Another shopper saw four men going through a purse in the sporting goods section. The empty purse was found in that area. The stolen property included $120 in cash and credit cards.
*Someone attempted to break the front door of Goldsboro Deli, 1605 Royall Ave., around 10:15 p.m. Monday.
*A front window was broken this morning at Classic Images on North Center Street. Nearby, the front door of a radio station on Mulberry Street was broken around 6 a.m. today. Nothing was reported missing either place.
*Video games and other items worth $1,000 are missing after a break-in at the Rockefeller Court home. Shareva Renee Dixon reported the theft Monday.
*The home of Willie McDonald in the 1900 block of North William Street was broken into either Sunday night or Monday morning. Two doors were damaged by the thieves, who stole DVDs, cassette tapes and cash, with a total value of nearly $600.