South Boston claimed its new boundaries effective midnight New Year's Eve.
Circuit Court Judge William Wellons approved the South Boston-Halifax County boundary adjustment Wednesday in Halifax following a meeting with town and county attorneys and town and county administrative officials.
Judge Wellons' approval with a Dec. 31 effective date signalled the transfer of authority.
The South Boston Police and Fire departments were prepared to take over coverage of approximately 4,000 additional acres with 2,509 new town residents Wednesday at midnight.
"We are prepared," said South Boston Police Chief Jim Hall following the Wednesday announcement.
Hall said he and the Halifax County Sheriff's Department would continue to work together closely during the transition and thereafter.
Town and county officials had sought a Dec. 31, 1997 effective date for tax and budget reasons but had added an amendment carrying Jan. 31 and Feb. 28, 1998 effective dates as negotiations neared the end of the year.
The approved agreement was worked out Dec. 22-23 by the Halifax County Board of Supervisors and South Boston Town Council following a breakdown of negotiations on Dec. 15 and South Boston Town Council's vote to institute annexation proceedings.
The approved agreement was submitted to circuit court following the town-county boundary adjustment agreement.
Also approved by both governing bodies in conjunction with the boundary agreement were three resolutions, one concerning consolidation of services, a water/sewer capacity agreement between the town and county and a 12-year moratorium on annexation but with provisions for residents seeking inclusion.
Noting South Boston and the Halifax County Board of Supervisors had complied with all procedural requirements, and that the joint petition filed by the parties was in proper order, Judge Wellons approved the boundary change on Dec. 31.
The new South Boston boundary includes most of the Centerville business district and some territory in Riverdale but does not include the Route 58 Industrial Park, the Sinai Industrial Park or several manufacturing plants near the town's new boundary.
Halifax County Administrator Dan Sleeper has estimated South Boston will gain $1.4 million in annual revenue with the county losing about $384,000.
Malcolm Sherwood Young ended his 31 years in a blaze of gunfire and an apartment of flames.
The former resident of apartment 4-D in the Tanglewylde Apartments is remembered as being a loner and one who could not get along with his neighbors, according to South Boston Police Lt. Rick Loftis.
His anger at being charged with carrying a concealed weapon less than an hour before the standoff illustrated his "hot-tempered" nature, according to Lt. Loftis.
"We had a dealing with him last summer, when he got into a argument with his next door neighbor," commented Lt. Loftis. "He was apparently angry at where the woman parked her car."
No charges were filed against Young at the time.
"We went in and diffused the situation without filing charges, just like we do in a lot of cases that have yet to escalate," Lt. Loftis explained. "But we came mighty close to filing charges against him because of his temper."
The woman, Tiffany Lea Pratt, scampered to safety during Monday morning's standoff, but was not injured. Her 1994 Mercury, however, was not so fortunate. Eighteen shots were fired at the vehicle by Young, according to Lt. Loftis.
After interviewing neighbors, police gathered a general feeling that Young was not well-liked at the apartment complex. He apparently moved in the complex last summer, Lt. Loftis said.
"He was a loner...one who was rarely seen with anybody else," Lt. Loftis said. "He also had an apartment full of weapons."
Young, a white male, reportedly had been employed at the Clover Power Station during its construction. During the time leading up to his suicide, he did "odd jobs, including painting, even at the apartment complex itself," Lt. Loftis said.
Despite the incident, in which three police cars were fired upon by Young, Lt. Loftis had praise for the neighborhood.
"In my entire career here, I could probably count on the fingers of one hand how many times we've been called over there," Lt. Loftis reflected. "Two those fingers, however, would be because of him."
Despite being narrowly missed by a .30-30 caliber round which penetrated their bedroom in the middle of the night, the Bruno Family of Wilborn Avenue has no intentions of moving.
Dean and Dawn Bruno and two of their children were home asleep early Monday morning when a suicidal gunmen held police at bay less than a block away.
Malcolm Sherwood Young, 31, of the Tanglewylde Apartments later killed himself after setting his apartment building on fire. It is believed that he fired 32 rounds, most of them from a high caliber rifle, during the standoff, police said.
One of the rounds was recovered by South Boston Police Officer Jeff Knight inside the couple's upstairs bedroom.
"I look at this as just a fluke," commented Dean Bruno, who has lived with his family at 1803 Wilborn Avenue since 1983. "This is a great neighborhood and we are not going to move just because of what happened."
The incident began for the Brunos when Dean Bruno was awakened at 1:10 a.m. by what he initially thought was an exploding firecracker. As the noise continued, he got out of bed to investigate.
"I went downstairs and looked out a window to see what was happening," he said. "I saw all of these police officers crouching behind their cars and I knew it wasn't firecrackers."
His wife, Dawn, remained in bed, though she was also awakened by the noise. As she lay still in the bed, suddenly a round from the high-powered rifle struck the front of their home, penetrating a shutter and the exterior wall, and passing through the bedroom.
"It went about three or four feet over my wife," Dean Bruno pointed out. "Needless to say we feel real lucky."
Their two children at the home were also unharmed, though getting back to sleep after such an occurrence was virtually impossible, Dean Bruno said.
"Neither I, nor Dawn, could get back to sleep that night," he recounted. "We were relieved, and of course, thankful."
The Brunos had never met the gunman.
"Something like this could happen in just about any neighborhood in the world," Dean Bruno reflected. "We like it here and that hasn't changed."
Phillip Craig Fallen, 18, of Scottsburg was charged Tuesday with a felony count of dog theft, according to the Halifax County Sheriff's Department.
Fallen allegedly stole a boxer bull dog from Kevin Lindsey on December 8, according to the investigation.
He was released on bond pending his preliminary hearing in the Halifax County General District Court on February 23.
Fallen was arrested by Deputy C.S. Yeatts.
In other cases:
· James Robert Davis, 21, of Alton was arrested Monday on a misdemeanor count of assault and battery of a family member, police said.
He allegedly assaulted Michelle Davis on October 31, according to the investigation. Davis was released on bond pending his trial in the Halifax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on January 13.
He was arrested by Deputy E.D. Brown.
· Kenneth Carlye Lacks, 32, of South Boston was arrested Monday on two misdemeanor counts involving firearms, police said.
Lacks was charged with reckless use of a firearm and brandishing a firearm. The alleged incident occurred on Christmas Day.
He was released on bond pending his trial in the Halifax County General District Court. Lacks was arrested by Deputy S.A. Moore.
· Tracey Doreen Heard, 36, of South Boston was charged Monday with a misdemeanor count of threatening to kill or injure Kimberlee Smith, police said.
The alleged incident occurred on December 18. She was released on bond pending her trial in the Halifax County General District Court on January 16.
Heard was arrested by Deputy S.A. Jennings.
Grayling Oral Terry of 1142 Gilliam Trail, South Boston died Monday, December 29, 1997 at Randolph Hospital in Asheboro, NC at the age of 42.
Mr. Terry was born May 13, 1955 in Halifax County the son of Thurman Hoover Terry and Delannie Lowery Terry.
Graveside services will be held today, January 2 at 2 p.m. at Black Walnut Baptist Church Cemetery with Rev. Rudolph Jacobs conducting the service.
Survivors of Mr. Terry are his father of Chase City and mother of South Boston.
The family will receive friends at the home.