THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Monday, September 5, 1994              TAG: 9409050075
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: MAPLE                              LENGTH: Medium:   53 lines

POLICE ARREST 12 IN MAPLE AT CHECKPOINT IT WAS CURRITUCK COUNTY'S FIRST DRUG CHECKPOINT.

A dozen Outer Banks-bound motorists who felt the beach beckoning received a summons of different sorts this Labor Day weekend.

Local and state police arrested 12 people on 16 drug-related charges at the start of the holiday at Currituck County's first drug checkpoint along southbound N.C. 168 in Maple.

``We considered it very successful,'' said Currituck County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Dean Cartwright.

Cartwright helped coordinate the joint effort among the local sheriff's department, the District 1 Alcohol Law Enforcement Agency and the North Carolina Highway Patrol.

Police were posted for about six hours Friday afternoon and evening along the heavily traveled highway, pulling over cars with ``suspicious looking'' drivers or passengers, Cartwright said.

``We'd see people doing things that were unnatural,'' the chief deputy said, such as throwing beer bottles and cans out the window.

``Or there were people you could see hiding something, drivers stuffing something down below their seat or turned around putting something in the back.''

Authorities also were aided by the county drug unit's canine, a black Labrador retriever named Smokey.

Together, local police arrested 12 people on eight marijuana charges, two drug paraphernalia charges, four open container violations, one consuming while driving citation and a driving while intoxicated charge.

``Most of them were out-of-state, but there were come Currituck County residents,'' Cartwright said.

Each alleged offender was given a citation and ordered to appear in Currituck County's General District Court later this month.

Police did not plan specifically for a narcotics checkpoint at the beginning of a summer holiday weekend along one of northeastern North Carolina's busiest roads. ``It just worked out, that was when we could get everyone together,'' Cartwright said.

The sheriff's deputy said more checkpoints are planned in a continuing effort to reduce drug use in Currituck County.

``Drugs have been an increasing problem in Currituck, and this is what we thought was a different way to approach it,'' Cartwright said.

Similar state highway checkpoints have been ``going on for years,'' he added.

KEYWORDS: ILLEGAL DRUGS DRUG ARREST by CNB