COUNTY APPROVES DEPUTY HIRE

Watauga County Sheriff Mark Shook will be getting one new officer and the
funds to pay overtime and holiday pay to a number of detectives who have
been busting methamphetamine labs.

Shook appeared before the Watauga County Commissioners at their meeting
Tuesday morning and requested an additional $172,766 for the Sheriff's
budget to hire two new officers, outfit both the officers with a vehicle
and necessary equipment and pay overtime and holiday pay to five current
detectives.

The commissioners approved $27,000 to hire a new transport deputy to move
prisoners, perform patrol duties when available and transport individuals
for mental commitments. A vehicle, benefits and equipment will more than
double that amount.

The commissioners also approved a budget increase for the Sheriff of
$22,000 to pay "comp" time and "holiday" pay for five detectives who have
been working significant overtime hours for a total budget amendment for
the Sheriff's office of $72,000.

Shook said the detectives had been working both major felony cases and the
rash of "meth" labs discovered in the county recently.

The detectives have accumulated a large number of overtime hours and those
hours have been converted to compensatory (comp) time.

Shook said that the inability to pay the comp and holiday time will require
him to send the officers home (with regular pay) until the accrued time is
paid. In some cases, with hours exceeding 400, it would require Shook to
take trained drug investigation officers off of the street and place them
on an enforced vacation for several months.

The problem, Shook said, is both a carryover from prior overtime service
and the large number of recent meth lab investigations.

"As you are undoubtably aware, Watauga County has recently experienced a
wave of big-city problems. We have worked death cases, rapes, controlled
substances, breaking and entering and many other serious felony crimes,"
Shook said. "Our officers have been shot at by suspects, injured fighting
with suspects, and injured in car crashes. our officers responded to a
neighboring county in their time of need and were instrumental in capturing
an actively shooting murder suspect."

The primary problem, Shook said, is the significant increase in the
manufacture of methamphetamine and the time it takes to investigate, clear
and secure the crime scenes.

"Watauga County leads the state in the number of 'meth labs' seized," Shook
said. "Statistically, Watauga County has more than 25 percent of the
discovered meth labs in North Carolina."

It is the handling of drugs and other major felonies that have caused the
detectives to put in overtime hours and work holidays for which they must
be compensated.

The commissioners approved payments to: Detective P.T. Phillips ($5,966)
for 324 comp and holiday hours; Detective J.H. Rominger ($3,736) for 218
hours; Lt. J.O. Fletcher ($9,214) for 456 hours; Detective L.D. Tolbert
($1,686) for 99 hours and Detective B.S. Robbins ($1,200) for 70 hours.

Shook said that the additional officers he has requested will enable a
scheduling program that will avoid some of the overtime and holiday problems.

The commissioners approved only the request for the additional
transportation deputy and will discuss the hiring of an additional
detective (with equipment, benefits and a vehicle) in addition to the
creation of an overtime budget fund at a future meeting after Shook, County
Manager Rocky Nelson and County Finance Director Doris Isaacs have had the
chance to work on the figures and plans.

Nelson expressed some concern that the budget amendment to pay the accrued
overtime and holiday pay, in addition to allowing the accumulation of the
overtime and holiday pay, would set a precedent for other sheriff's
officers and county employees.

The commissioners, while unanimously congratulating Shook on his work and
the work of his deputies, also expressed some concern over the precedent.

Commissioners Jimmy Hodges and James Coffey said that it was difficult to
administer a budget under these circumstances and, while they approved the
$72,000 budget increase out of necessity, they said that Shook should have
brought the problem to them sooner.

During the budget process this summer, Shook requested funds to hire
additional officers and procure necessary equipment. The request was denied
by the commissioners.

Hodges and Coffey also agreed that the rash of crimes was not something
that could be planned or projected. Commissioners Keith Honeycutt, David
Blust and Allen Trivette all said that the county must meet the needs of
the community and must work to stop the growth of the manufacture of this
toxic and dangerous drug.

Trivette made frequent comments suggesting that the court system was, at
least in part, to blame. He mentioned the number of felony and drug
suspects released on bail who were arrested again for additional offenses
before they could go to trial on the first charge. Shook agreed that his
officers had arrested a number of suspects who fit that category.