Dale again confronts police


The Rev. C.J. Dale and the Henderson Police Department can’t seem to stay out of each other’s way.

They had another confrontation Thursday afternoon on Harriett Street.

Dale said he stopped at a convenience store for a pack of gum on his way to a funeral when he saw what proved to be two undercover drug agents pulling up behind a white car.

Dale said a young man from the car told him there was a warrant for his arrest, but it was a mistake.

What resulted was a drug arrest by the officers, A.D. Simmons and J.S. Darnell, who are assigned to the Interagency Drug Enforcement Unit.

Dale said he questioned the officers because he didn’t understand why they conducted a search of the car instead of simply executing an arrest warrant.

“This is none of your business,” Dale said one officer told him. “Rev. Dale, you have to leave.”

Police Chief Glen Allen said the officers were responding to a call to 911 about drug dealing when they made the arrests at 201 Harriett St. at 12:47 Thursday afternoon. He said the officers seized 28.2 grams of marijuana and a fraction of a gram of crack cocaine.

Dezman Russell, 18, of 647 Arch St. and Robsyl Cheek, 20, of 258 High St. were charged with possession with intent to manufacture, sell and distribute marijuana and manufacturing marijuana. Russell also was charged with possession of crack cocaine and was charged under an order for arrest for failure to appear in court.

Russell was held in lieu of $10,800 bond. Cheek’s bond was set at $5,000.

Vance County sheriff’s deputies arrested a third person at the scene on outstanding warrants, Allen said.

“Those that were arrested offered no resistance,” the chief said.

But Dale is not satisfied. “In my opinion, it was just another front. If there was a warrant, why go through the people’s car?”

He said he’s glad the officers got some drugs off the street; he just wishes they would be as aggressive on Dabney Drive and around the country club.

“I hate drugs with a passion. I hate them. They destroy our nation,” Dale said. “Clean the drugs out, but be fair.”

The pastor of Burning Bush Christian Church has appeared multiple times before the City Council and the county Board of Commissioners in the past year to complain about what he sees as discrimination in law enforcement. He most recently addressed the City Council on Feb. 14, when he demanded some kind of action in response to his complaints, including his request for a State Bureau of Investigation inquiry.

As Mayor Clem Seifert and Allen learned later that week, the SBI notified District Attorney Sam Currin in November that it would not investigate the complaints against the Henderson Police Department. By the time of Thursday’s incident, Dale had heard about the SBI’s decision but had not seen its letter to Currin.

That lack of information added to Dale’s frustration, as did Thursday’s arrests. He has no immediate plans to address the City Council again, but he’s sure he’ll be back.

“Certain people have been able to do whatever they wanted to do here,” Dale said. “We need a change here, and we need it quick.”