VOLUME 9 ISSUE 3 | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2024
DUPLINJOURNAL.COM
Duplin Journal THE DUPLIN COUNTY EDITION OF THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL
the
Former House of Raeford employee gets life in prison for killing coworker
BRIEF this week
Spring forward with daylight saving time on March 10
The 2020 premeditated murder took place at the facility’s parking lot while the victim was on break
Statewide Don’t forget to turn your clocks forward an hour on Sunday, March 10. Daylight Saving Time starts on the second Sunday of March at 2 a.m.
By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal
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medications, but Chelsea said any time the IV medications are removed, Miley’s condition plummets. “The game plan is to keep her stable here until a heart is available,” Chelsea said. There’s also the possibility of a VAD, a ventricular assist device, which helps pump blood from the heart’s lower chambers to the rest of the body, but Chelsea said a heart transplant is likely the best option. “The average wait for her age and specific needs is one to six months,” Chelsea said. Chelsea and her husband Ryan alternate days with Miley, and days at home in Beulaville with their two other children, Hudson and Emerson. “We have good days and bad days,” Chelsea admitted. “One of us is always home with them
KENANSVILLE — The Office of District Attorney Ernie Lee announced on March 4 that Antwan Terrell Wright of Goldsboro, was found guilty of murdering Darius Atkins of Rose Hill. Wright was charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole on March 1. According to the District Attorney, on Nov. 25, 2020, at 5:23 a.m. law enforcement was dispatched to the House of Raeford, located at 3333 US Highway 117, in Rose Hill, after Atkins was shot three times while he and other workers were in the parking lot of the facility during an early morning break. Wright, who also worked at the facility, but did not show up for work during the same shift, waited for Atkins to come outside. According to the District Attorney it is believed that Wright had motives to shoot and kill the victim, which came out during the trial by jury. According to the press release, Wright mistakenly believed that the victim shot up his grandmother’s house in Goldsboro, just prior to the shooting. Wright drove away in a vehicle that others recognized as a car associated with him but owned by his sister. Wright fled from the scene and was located approximately three months later with assistance of the U.S. Marshal’s cell phone records, and social media data was used to help connect Wright to the crime. The investigation conducted by the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office, led to Wright being charged. The FBI Cellular Analysis Survey Team assisted the investigation and prosecution. FBI Special Agent Harrison Putman obtained cellular phone records, which placed Wright close to the scene after
See MIRACLE, page 6
See LIFE IN PRISON, page 6
Town of Wallace to host public input forum on Clement Park project Wallace Join the Town of Wallace on March 20 at the Wallace Woman’s Club to view plans for Clement Park. The town requesting the public’s input on this project. Meeting will be from 6-8 p.m. DJS
Public assistance needed in murder case Duplin County On Feb. 24, 2023, the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office began in investigation into the murder of Michael Sheron Sloan-Hall. At this time, no arrests have been made in this investigation. The Duplin County Sheriff’s Office would like to request the publics assistance with any information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for this homicide. If you have any information concerning this case, please call the anonymous tip line at 910-372-9202 or the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office at 910296-2150. DJS
Election results Duplin County To view election results, visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections voter tool online. The Voter tool tracks municipal election contests in each county providing the most up to date results. To view the voter tool, visit https://er.ncsbe.gov/
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Free entrepreneurship workshops Faison Persons interested in starting a business can now participate in free entrepreneurship workshops that will be offered on March 14, April 11, May 2 and May 30 at University of Mount Olive. According to the announcement, the workshops will focus on rural and agricultural businesses. DJS
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHELSEA BYRD
Miley Bird, who is 19 months old, is a Beulaville toddler born with a heart defect that has led to her being on the waitlist for a heart transplant.
Local community rallies around ‘Miracle Miley’ 19-month-old Miley Byrd on heart transplant waitlist By Abby Cavenaugh Duplin Journal BEULAVILLE — While most toddlers are learning to walk and talk and just having fun exploring the world around them, 19-month-old Miley Byrd of Beulaville is hooked up to IVs and mostly confined to a bed at Duke Children’s Hospital. She’s already undergone two openheart surgeries and is currently on the waitlist for a new heart. Miley was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which means “the left side of her heart did not develop in the womb,” explains mom Chelsea Byrd, a first grade teacher at Beulaville Elementary School.
“She is a spunky, brave fighter. There are lots of little miracles we’ve seen pour out over her life.” Chelsea Byrd, mom to “Miracle Miley” The two open-heart surgeries the young girl has already experienced took their toll, as well as a couple of sicknesses she’s had this year. “All the viruses she’s had this year took a hit, and now she’s in heart failure,” Chelsea told the Duplin Journal. Miley was admitted to Duke Children’s Hospital on Feb. 13, and will remain there for the foreseeable future. The hope at first was that Miley could go home with oral
Duplin farmer named NC’s Pork Producer of the Year Beulaville’s Brian Kennedy honored by N.C. Pork Council By Abby Cavenaugh Duplin Journal BEULAVILLE — Agriculture is a way of life in Duplin County, and no one understands that better than our area’s farmers. However, there’s not often recognition of the hard work that
goes into making a farm successful. One exception to that rule is Beulaville-area farmer Brian Kennedy, who was awarded the North Carolina Pork Council’s Outstanding Pork Producer of the Year award at the council’s Annual Conference on Feb. 29. Brian Kennedy and his wife, Sherry, have run their hog farm together outside Beulaville since 2002. The family owns two finishing farms and also have a cattle farm.
Brian Kennedy Outstanding Pork Producer of the Year
“Our children started showing livestock, and that’s really how we got into it,” Sherry Kennedy said. “We started with heif-
ers, and then went to 1-year-old pigs.” Though they’ll continue their pork grower contract with Prestage Farms, Brian Kennedy said the family will also focus on expanding their cattle farm in the future. Brian said that he started with Prestage Farms in 1991 at 19 years of age, and has been with the corporation ever since. See PORK, page 6
County Commissioners adopt unified development ordinance Board approves $40.2 million contract to build new detention center By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal KENANSVILLE — After much discussion about the Duplin County Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) presented by Austin Brinkley with Insight Planning, at the Board of County Commissioners meeting on March 4, the Board voted 4 to 1 to adopt the ordinance with a change to the proposed
30-feet easement to remain at 50 feet. Brinkley presented the final draft of the UDO recommended by the planning board, which incorporates Duplin County’s seven ordinances combining subdivision zoning and regulatory language for land use into a user-friendly document to aid implementation. “Your subdivision regulations really make up a large portion of your UDO,” Brinkley said during the public hearing, adding that it sets the requirements for the subdivision of land, installation of infrastructure as
well as standards and required guarantees from beginning to end. Brinkley also addressed easements, which had definitions added to include language specifying where structures can’t be located within the boundary of a recorded easement, putting restrictions on access easements. “You do have a private easement exemption where lots can be created on a 30-foot easement, a maximum of three lots, be approved by the administrator, a service subdivision, which this is a special type of subdivision to create lots for utility
purposes, cemeteries, well sites, communication towers, things of that nature. There’d be a lot of restrictive covenants involved in those types of divisions. You have your type A expedited minor See ORDINANCE, page 12
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