By Connie Leinbach
A July 15 report by Greenville television station WNCT that falsely stated that Ocracoke’s Lifeguard Beach has the highest theft rate in the nation had the potential to severely damage the island’s economy at the height of its peak season.
Backlash over the report erupted widely and wildly across social media. Local officials have refuted the baseless claims and sought correction and retraction from WNCT.
WNCT yesterday updated the prior story with comments from the Cape Hatteras National Seashore superintendent disputing this report, which also ranked “Currituck” and Carova beaches as seventh highest in theft.
Sam Walker of SamWalkerOBXnews.com said there is no such thing as Currituck Beach, which is just the name of the lighthouse.
A search on the website from which this information originated, crimegrade.org, does not give any information on where these statistics were collected. A Google search shows that the site is owned by LexisNexis Risk Solutions. An Observer inquiry to the WNCT staff about this report has not yet been answered.
Dave Hallac, Cape Hatteras National Seashore Superintendent, told WNCT that Ocracoke’s beaches are part of the Seashore.
“The statistics are not accurate,” Hallac told WNCT and the Observer. “A search of our law enforcement statistics for ‘thefts,’ ‘burglary,’ ‘robbery’ or ‘breaking-and-entering indicates that there has not been a single incident of theft at the lifeguarded beach on Ocracoke Island over the last 10 years.
“While it’s possible that a theft may have occurred but was not reported, these data demonstrate that theft is extremely rare at the Seashore on Ocracoke Island and that our visitors can enjoy visits without significant concerns about theft, burglaries, or robberies.
“In any public location, it is always prudent to attend to your property, take valuables with you, and lock vehicles.”
Hallac said that neither those who prepared the news report in the WNCT story, nor those who wrote the WNCT article contacted the Seashore to fact-check the allegations.
Randal Mathews, Ocracoke’s county commissioner and board of commissioners chair, also wrote to the station and said there’s no data to support these allegations.
“I have contacted the Park Superintendent to inquire and neither of us have ever heard of a theft problem at the lifeguard beach,” he said. “It’s questionable why your station would report something like this and say it came from another network.
“I have lived here 42 years and never heard of a theft problem here or in the National Park. Many of my constituents are very angry about this and why you would report something like this in peak season. This could impact revenue in the second poorest county in North Carolina.”
Grayson Kirk, manager of the Pony Island Inn and who is chair of the Ocracoke Tourism Development Authority, said, “I can’t believe that a MAJOR news outlet like WNCT would have this story with absolutely no follow through or contacting Cape Hatteras National Seashore and see if the information is correct.”
The website also alleges Ocracoke to be a hotbed of crime, which is incorrect.
In the last six months, Joe Smith, captain of the Hyde County Sheriff deputies on Ocracoke, reported to the Observer that since February, the island has been quiet, with no calls to any businesses or to any domestic disturbances.
Mostly, deputies have had a number of traffic stops.
This latest report was prior to the start of the high tourist season.