By Miles Layton

More items of local note…

First, Saturday morning, we saw that the roof of New Haven Missionary Baptist Church had collapsed. 

Located deep in Perquimans County, the church is off, well, Church Lane, which intersects with Harvey Point Road — a short hop from Halsey Bay Road. 

Nicole and I were traveling through that end of the county – using Church Lane as a shortcut – when we saw the church’s roof had collapsed Friday night or Saturday morning. We stopped to take pictures — photos taken around 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

Yes, it’s sad when a house of God is abandoned and left in disrepair. Imagine all the weddings, baptisms, funeral services, Sunday worship services and prayer at that church that took place in the sanctuary — all memories now. From what I hear, the church had a cemetery — I wonder who has been tending to those graves.

And you know, this church building’s crumbling remains are going to be left to rot because repair is out of the question, no one is going to clean up the ruins. Worth noting: the county, or whoever, needs to place some gravel on Church Lane — it’s a bit bumpy.

Perquimans Sheriff’s Reports

Joseph Bunch of Cottonwood Drive, Hertford, was charged with animal cruelty. His bond was set at $10,000.  

According to PCSO, last week Bunch allegedly shot a dog – a retriever – not his dog… There are many follow-up questions, but since I’m a dog lover, I’d rather not know — at least not now, a couple of days before Christmas; follow-up later.

Sean Revels of Hogneck Road, Hertford, was charged with obtaining property under false pretenses, forgery of an instrument and uttering a forged instrument; 48-hour hold.  

Brandi Kravias of North Church Street, Hertford, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon; 48-hour hold.  

In other news, I received a text from a Raleigh media outlet seeking information about Monday’s fatal fire in Elizabeth City – yes, other media outlets reach out or cite the Albemarle Observer in their stories — from Norfolk, Va., to Charlotte, NC.    

Kudos to Soul Catching News for their report about the fire.  

Based on the text I got from a good source — here’s what I know and what has been widely reported about the fire.  

One person was found dead and three homes were damaged Monday afternoon following a three-alarm residential fire on Herrington Road, according to the Elizabeth City Fire Department. The victim’s name has not been released to the media.  

Fire crews were dispatched at approximately 2:18 p.m. to a reported structure fire near the intersection of Shepard Street and Herrington Road. While units were en route, firefighters were advised that heavy fire conditions were present and that a person might still be inside the home, the department said.

Crews arrived about four minutes later at a two-story residence located at 604 Herrington Road and encountered heavy fire conditions throughout the structure. Firefighters initially began entering the home to conduct a search but were forced to retreat when live power lines fell across active hose lines, creating a dangerous situation, according to the fire department.

Once conditions allowed, firefighters conducted a primary search of the home. During that search, one person was located inside the residence and pronounced dead at the scene, the department said. The identity of the victim has not been released, pending notification of next of kin.

As firefighters worked to contain the blaze, the fire spread from the original structure to a neighboring home at 602 Herrington Road. That residence sustained significant damage, prompting officials to call a third alarm to bring in additional resources. A third home, located at 606 Herrington Road, also sustained minor damage from the fire, the department said.

Fire crews remained on the scene for several hours battling the flames and addressing hot spots. No firefighter injuries were reported.

The Elizabeth City Fire Marshal’s Office has opened an investigation into the cause and origin of the fire. Officials said the investigation is ongoing, and no cause has been determined at this time.

Multiple agencies assisted at the scene. In addition to the Elizabeth City Fire Department, responders included the Elizabeth City Police Department, Pasquotank-Camden Emergency Medical Services, the U.S. Coast Guard Fire Department, the South Camden Fire Department, the Pasquotank Providence Fire Department and the Inter-County Fire Department.

In other news, a 16-year-old boy was killed Monday morning in Windsor — two suspects have been charged but their names have not been released. We’ll follow up on that.  

The family has identified the teenager as Daneli Hoggard, according to WITN.