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CRANFORD TO FILE FOR HALIFAX SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE SEAT

HALIFAX - Resident Halifax Superior Court Judge Dwight L.  Cranford Monday will file in Raleigh to seek election this November.

Cranford has served as a Halifax County Superior judge since he was appointed by Gov.  Jim Hunt in October 2000 to fill the seat left vacant by the retiring Hon.  Richard Allsbrook.

Cranford said his eight years of experience as a Halifax County District Court Judge in both civil and criminal matters will serve him well.  He strongly supports local law enforcement, and believes in strong punishment for those who sell drugs as well as programs of rehabilitation for drug abusers.  He believes justice should be tempered with mercy, though he will not tolerate arrogance, discourtesy or partiality in his courtroom.

Drug sales and abuse are the biggest criminal justice issues facing Halifax County today, Cranford said.  "Upon arrest and conviction ( of a drug abuser or salesman ) you must maintain services and monitor them.  We especially need follow-up of mental health, psychological and abuse treatment and monitoring of the offender's progress.

"I will endeavor to see that this county, my district, develops and maintains programs to attempt to deal with these offenders.  Some need to be in jail, but others need help."

Cranford is a graduate of the National Judicial College in Reno, Nev., and earned his judicial doctorate from the UNC School of Law.  He practiced law in Roanoke Rapids, where he resides, from 1960 to 1992.  He served as a District Court Judge ( District 6A ) from 1992 until October of 2000, when he was appointed to Allsbrook's seat.

In addition, Cranford was a N.C.  State Bar councilor from 1988 to 1992; a member of the Judicial Committee for Superior Court Judges in 1982 and chairman of the Halifax County Democratic Party in 1984.

In his community of Roanoke Rapids, he served as a past president of the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Roanoke Rapids Kiwanis Club and the North Carolina Symphony Society.  He is a member of the Roanoke Rapids Planning Board and serves as an elder at First Presbyterian Church, where he has been a member for 30 years.

He and his wife, Lee, reside in Roanoke Rapids, and have two children, Collins C.  Roux and Scott M.  Cranford.