RACE CAR SOLD PRIOR TO ARREST, RECORDS SHOW

YADKINVILLE - Investigators have begun to build their case against an
assistant county fire marshal accused of bilking several people out of money
in a scam involving a bogus fund-raising drive for a drug prevention
program.

Court records now show that about a month prior to his arrest, Allie Lane
Renegar allegedly sold a race car, trailer, racing suit and helmet for a
total of $2,000.

And Renegar told at least one businessman, according to investigators, that
he needed more than $5,000 to make his fund-raising program a success.

None of that money, investigators say, went to pay for a D.A.R.E race car
that Renegar said would be used to educate kids about the dangers of
substance abuse.

The sale of the race car and paraphernalia, none of which contained D.A.R.E.
markings, was part of three search warrants executed last week against
Renegar. Law officers seized bank statements and photographs from Renegar's
home, the assistant fire marshal's truck and Renegar's office at the county
planning and permits building.

Officers with the Yadkinville Police Department and Yadkin Sheriff's Office
arrested Renegar, 32, of 420 West Hemlock St., Yadkinville, last Monday,
charging him with seven felony counts of obtaining property by false
pretense.

Investigators allege that Renegar, while he was working as assistant fire
marshal, solicited individuals and businesses for more than $1,000 to pay
for a D.A.R.E. race car he planned to race at Bowman Gray Stadium in
Winston-Salem.

D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is the in-school drug abuse
program operated by the sheriff's office. Law enforcement and school
officials say that Renegar was not affiliated with the D.A.R.E. program.

Renegar, who performed most of the county fire inspections, has been placed
on unpaid suspension, pending additional investigation, County Manager Cecil
Wood said last week.

Renegar, who was arrested after a weeklong investigation, was scheduled to
appear Wednesday in Yadkin County District Court. He was released from
custody after posting a $5,000 secured bond.

According to Lt. Patrick Long of the Yadkinville Police Department, the lead
investigator in the case, all of the checks made to Renegar had been cashed.
None of the money was donated to the D.A.R.E. program, the sheriff's office
or the school system.

None of Renegar's employers or potential beneficiaries, including Fire
Marshal Eddie Weatherman, County Manager Cecil Wood, Sheriff Mike Cain,
Schools Superintendent Barbara Todd and Boonville Police Commissioner Martha
Peeler, said that Renegar was authorized to solicit money for a D.A.R.E.
race car.

According to investigators and court documents, Michael Dale Holcomb, of the
Yadkinville Star Station, was the first person to lodge a complaint against
Renegar.

Holcomb told investigators that Renegar first asked him in May for money to
sponsor a race car he intended to show to children as part of the D.A.R.E.
program. Holcomb said he believed that Renegar, who he knew was a part-time
officer with the Boonville police department, was acting in his official
capacity when he approached him in his fire marshal's uniform and county
vehicle.

Renegar did tell Rodney Wilson Wiles, the owner of Wilkes Car Care, that the
"project was well on the way and that he had the race car but needed five
thousand dollars more."

Wiles was one of six businessmen who said they contributed money to Renegar.
According to court records, the businessmen said they felt pressured to
contribute to Renegar because they knew he was a county employee and a law
officer.

Christopher Logan Brown, of Brown Service and BY Development "hesitated
momentarily but decided that since Renegar was a police officer and
assistant fire marshal that the money would go to the right place,"
documents say.

Brown wrote Renegar a check for $250.

On one occasion, Renegar approached Michael Landon Mendenhall, the owner of
Mendenhall Automotive in Yadkinville, asking for a $250 contribution.
Renegar, court records show, said that one of his largest contributors had
reneged, convincing Mendenhall to write Renegar a check for $150.

In addition to photographs and bank statements, Long and Detective Freddy
Sloan of the sheriff's office, also seized partially completed employment
applications from Renegar's office, five rolls of undeveloped 35mm film, a
telephone bill, computer disks and one receipt from the Tropical Winds
Resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

In addition to his full-time duties as assistant fire marshal, Renegar was a
part-time officer with the Boonville police department until he resigned
about a month ago, according to interim Chief Rex Baity. Renegar also worked
for the county's emergency medical services department.