THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 28, 1994 TAG: 9407280524
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NAGS HEAD LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
Police Chief Lonnie B. Dickens III has resigned, ending a career with the town's force that spanned almost two decades.
Dickens submitted his resignation to Town Manager J. Webb Fuller late Tuesday, and officers in the department were informed in a memorandum Wednesday. The resignation officially takes effect Sunday, but Dickens has already taken leave.
According to the memo, Capt. Wayne Byrum will take over as interim chief until a permanent successor is named.
``Yesterday I had a cordial conversation with the town manager and submitted my resignation,'' Dickens, 44, said Wednesday. ``I've been with the department a long time, and I'm ready for a change. I'm leaving the department in good shape. That's my statement.''
Town Manager J. Webb Fuller, reached at the Coastal Resources Conference in New Bern, said that Dickens submitted a verbal resignation and that a written resignation was forthcoming.
Nags Head Mayor Renee Cahoon was out of town and could not be reached. And Town Commissioner Wayne Gray said he could shed no light on the issue.
``It's my understanding he has resigned,'' Gray said. ``As far as the reason, I really don't know what to say. It's a personnel matter and he submitted his resignation to Mr. Fuller.''
Fuller said that the town will begin advertising the vacancy immediately, but no timetable has been set for a replacement.
Dickens, a 22-year law enforcement veteran, joined the Nags Head force in 1975. He was named acting chief in April 1984 after the dismissal of former chief Charles Dail. He was named to the top job later in the year.
A Charlottesville, Va., native, Dickens graduated from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va.
Lt. Cliff Midgett expressed surprise at the decision.
``He's a good fellow. He surely will be missed,'' Midgett said. ``It was a real shock to all of us. It was totally unexpected. It was a surprise to everybody.''
Midgett praised Dickens as a ``strong advocate'' for the officers under his command.
``There's a lot of politics involved in the chief's job, and he took care of all that. He tried to shield the guys below him from all that stuff so they could just concentrate on doing their jobs.''
There are 17 full-time officers, including four detectives, in the department.
``When he came to Nags Head, there were only uniformed officers, no plainclothes detectives,'' Midgett said. ``Lonnie initiated the plainclothes detectives unit. He has been active with the Outer Banks community watch program. And last summer, he participated in the Governor's Highway Safety program targeting drunk drivers.''
Midgett said officers are uncertain about the future.
``None of us know what's going to happen,'' he said. ``Capt. Byrum is the next officer in line under the chief, so his appointment is logical.''
Dicken's resignation came just days after another Nags Head official, deputy fire chief Lowell Spivey, stepped down.
Spivey, contacted Wednesday night, declined comment on why he resigned. MEMO: Staff writers Lane DeGregory and Margaret Talev contributed to this
story. by CNB