May 23, 2013
Health officials in Washington County are investigating an unsettling discovery Tuesday, used syringes on the shore of the Albemarle. Residents discovered three dozen syringes and needles, floating to shore along the Albemarle Sound, off the Beach Bay neighborhood off Highway 64. Officials with the Washington County Health Department say they don't know how they got there. They also tell us the needles had been used and bent to indicate they were being disposed. One odd discovery: One of the syringes found had been used to vaccinate a dog, but officials think the other needles were used on humans. They're unsure how they all ended up together. The health department has shut down the waterfront in that area for a two-mile stretch and it will stay closed until no more debris washes up. Health officials say they also discovered a neighbor's dog with what they are calling meaty tissue in his mouth at the scene where the waste was found. The syringes and the tissue were both taken to Pitt County Memorial Hospital for testing.
