Highway Patrol

Gov. Mike Easley has named Walter J. Wilson the new commander of the State Highway Patrol. Wilson will replace Colonel Fletcher Clay, who is retiring June 30. Easley has also appointed Jamie J. Hatcher as lieutenant colonel. He will replace Lt. Colonel Cecil Lockley, who retired earlier this month. Both Wilson and Hatcher, who are currently serving as majors in the patrol, will assume their new roles July 1st. Wilson, a Tarboro native, has served on the Patrol since 1980. Hatcher, a Duplin County native, joined the patrol in 1982. (WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, 6/24/08).