RALEIGH
Operation Stop Arm
In support of Operation Stop Arm week, the N.C. Highway Patrol will be aggressively enforcing stop arm and other traffic violations in and around school zones and school bus stops from 6 a.m. Monday through 5 p.m. Friday in conjunction with National School Bus Safety Week.
“Our continued goal is to save lives by raising awareness for school bus safety laws through educational and enforcement efforts,” said Col. Freddy Johnson Jr., commander of the Highway Patrol. “We all play an important role in ensuring our children load and unload from a school bus safely each day, whether you are a roadway user, parent, student or bus driver.”
About 14,100 school buses travel North Carolina highways daily. On average, they transport 794,950 children to and from school. Passing a stopped school bus is a Class 1 misdemeanor. If convicted, a person will receive five driving points on their driver’s license and is subject to fines up to $500. Passing a stopped school bus is a Class I felony if the driver strikes an individual and a Class H felony should the violation result in a death.
For details concerning school bus safety and illegal passing, visit the Department of Public Instruction’s school bus safety website at www.ncbussafety.org. For other details, email Christopher.Knox@ncdps.gov.
ROBBINSVILLE
Dog barking charges out
Charges were dismissed in the case of a Robbinsville man whose neighbor called the sheriff about his dog’s loud, frequent barking.
Michael Eddings was scheduled to appear for trial in Graham County District Court on Oct. 10. The District Attorney’s Office chose to dismiss the case rather than continue with the trial, citing the question of whether a dog barking was a criminal matter according to state law.
Eddings, outside the courthouse following the dismissal, said he will be able to sit on his front porch once again and looks forward to being treated the same as his other neighbors with dogs. Eddings and his wife, Katlyn, live on Atoah Street and own Leo, a 7-year-old Great Pyrenees who their neighbor, David Hall, called the sheriff about because of the dog’s barking.
Graham County deputies issued two noise violation citations to Eddings, based on a Town of Robbinsville noise ordinance – for the dog’s barking and loud music. Sheriff Jerry Crisp said his office received complaints from more than one of Eddings’ neighbors.
On May 31, Eddings appeared in court with his lawyer for trial, when Assistant District Attorney Caleb Decker offered to drop the charges if the Eddings had their dog’s vocal cords removed. The Eddings declined.
Decker resigned a short time later following controversy over the offer. The Eddings called Decker’s offer cruel and rejected it.
“If I have a colicky baby, would they ask me to do the same thing with a baby?” Mike Eddings told The Graham Star following the May 31 court appearance.
District Attorney Ashley Welch has not responded to requests for comments about the Oct. 10 dismissal. There have been no other complaints since the first citations were issued. The Eddings have been keeping their dog inside most of the time.
From staff reports.