Man charged in deaths of North Carolina deputy and civilians

Friday, November 12th 2004, 8:14 pm

By: News On 6

WALKERTOWN, N.C. (AP) _ A man was charged with murder Friday after allegedly killing a deputy sheriff and two other people during a shootout stemming from a long-simmering neighborhood dispute, police said.

Denny Carson Booth, 59, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, Sheriff Bill Schatzman said. The suspect had moved out of the neighborhood and to a different county, but it is unclear why he returned.

``The shooting was a result of neighborhood disagreements, or conflicts,'' Schatzman said. ``This is certainly the most horrific incident we have had in a long time.''

Reserve Deputy James Johnson Sr., 59, a married father of three children, was killed. He had been with the department since 1997 and was a reserve sergeant. A full-time deputy, Cpl. Jeremy Rowley, 33, was wounded in the shooting along with another civilian.

Killed were Reba Haynes Idol, 65, and her son-in-law Dwight Odell Allen, 41, said sheriff's Lt. Brad Stanley.

The victims were shot with a high-powered rifle, Schatzman said.