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RHMH
News Record
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY SINCE 1901
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Vol. 84 No. SI PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARS? ,jr,l6fW -SDAY, August 84 25C
Probable Cause Found, Bond Denied "
Superior Court To Hear Johnson Murder Trial
By ROBERT KOENIG
Murder charges against Richard Johnson of
Hot Springs will be heard in Madison County
Superior Court, possibly during the September
session.
District Court Judge Phillip Ginn sent the
case on to Superior Court following a probable
cause hearing Friday morning. Johnson, 37, is
charged with murdering his five-year old
daughter, Joyce Johnson.
District Attorney Tom Rusher called three
witnesses to the stand during the probable
cause hearing. Some 200 county residents,
mostly from Hot Springs, crowded the cour
troom to hear testimony from Dr. Tom Howell,
emergency room physician at Memorial Mis
sion Hospital in Asheville.
Dr. Howell testified that he treated Joyce
Johnson when she was admitted on the morning
of June 17. Howell told the court that he arrived
at the hospital at 10 a.m. and began treating the
child. The doctor said that he suspected the
child was suffering from some form of poison
ing based on her symptoms.
Howell said the child was "literally
bubbling" with secretions from her nose and
mouth. "I thought I could detect an odor such as
malathion," Howell said. The doctor said the
odor of the pesticide was also present when the
child vomited during the rescue attempt.
Howell said the child was treated in the
emergency room for three hours before being
tranferred to the intensive care unit where she
died three days later. The doctor said he
detected no movement or response from the
child during treatment. "She appeared to be
totally unresponsive," Howell said.
Asked by Rusher to give his opinion as to the
cause of death, Howell said, "I believe the
cause of death of this child was organo
phosphate poisoning." Howell also said that
toxology tests revealed oragno-phosphates in
the child's system.
The doctor said that he and other physicians
- attending the child operated on the assumption
that the poison was ingested orally. Howell said
the absence of poison in the lungs indicated that
the poison was taken by mouth.
Under cross-examination by Marshall at
torney A.E. Leake, Howell said that the child
had been admitted to the hospital on several
previous occasions. Records indicated that the
child was treated in the hospital's emergency
room on June 15 for a urinary tract infection.
She was also taken to the hospital on April 21
and April 23 of this year.
The prosecution also called Johnson's 11-year
old son, Christopher Johnson, to testify. The
boy was at home with his sister and father on
June 17.
The young Johnson told the court that he saw
his father give what he thought was medicine to
his sister on June 17. The boy said the medicine
came from a white bottle and told the court he
thought it smelled like "bug poison."
The boy said his sister became ill within
minutes of taking the medicine.
Under cross-examination, the young Johnson
said that he wanted to go back and live with his
father. The courts placed the boy in a fos to
home following the June 17 incident.
Continued On Page 7)
RICHARD JOHNSON, left, is escorted from
Madison County Court House Friday following
probable cause and bond hearings in District
Court. Johnson is escorted by deputy Clate
Grindstaff.
Report To The Commissioners
Environment , Health Care Are Top Priorities For County
The environmental quality
of Madison County is a signifi
cant economic and cultural
asset. Many county residents
maintain close ties to the land
in keeping with the heritage of
the area. Growth and
economic development must
occur within the bounds of ap
propriate use of lands in the
county. The economic value of
the County's natural
resources cannot be developed
to their full potential without a
continuing emphasis on
preserving the environmental
values of these resources;
therefore, the following ac
tions are recommended.
Community understanding
of the need for environmental
protection is the critical first
step in preserving en
vironmental quality in the
county. Population growth
and development will pose
greater threats to the county's
natural resources in the
future. Citizens must
recognize the need for action
before the efforts of the public
and private sectors can be
successful. Schools, communi
ty clubs and organisations
such as the Girl Scouts and 4H
groups are an effective vehi
cle for enhancing public
awareness. Agencies such as
Quality Forward have
developed public education
materials and programs. Ef
forts should also be made to
promote greater participation
in ongoing activities such as
the annual Riverfest and
organized stream clean-up
projects.
The existence of improperly
functioning on-site
wastewater treatment
systems threatens water
quality and the health of
citizens in the county. The
County Commissioners, the
Health Department and other
appropriate agencies should
proceed with implementation
vf- ;th? ?t??irty'?- Ml
Wastewater Facilities Plan.
The plan recommends the use
of alternative on-site
wastewater treatment
systems where conventional
systems cannot function pro
perly, and the creations oa a
joint management agency to
be responsible for operation
and maintence of these
systems. In conduction with
these actions, the County
should establish a goal of
eliminating all "straight
piping" of wastewater into
streams by the year 1990.
The County Commissioners
should encourage local com
munity groups to organize
Streamwatch projects with
the objective of cleaning and
protecting streams in each
community.
County organizations should
support the State's efforts to
control erosion problems and
sedim?atatfon of streams in
the county. Citizens should be
encouraged to report possible
violations of the Sedimenta
tion Pollution Control Act to
state officials at the Asheville
office of the Department of
Natural Resources and Com
munity Development.
The County Commissioners
should proceed with the
development of solid waste
collection centers throughout
the county. Community
organizations could par
ticipate by assisting in
landscaping-beautification of
center locations. The County
should ensure appropriate
maintenance of these collec
tion centers.
The County Commissioners
should adopt a strict anti-litter
and dumping control or
dinance and designate an ap
propriate staff person to be
responsible for aggressive en
forcement of such an or
dinance.
The r? Council should
agressively enforce the en
vironmental protection provi
sions of existing ordinances.
An adequate staff level must
be provided for this purpose.
The County should in
vestigate the feasibility of ac
quiring scenic river designa
tion for a segment of the
French Broad River.
The County should attempt
to involve community groups
in maintaining the existing
river access parks in the coun
ty. Facility improvements
should be considered at those
sites which are most heavily
used. The Council should also
study the potential for locating
additional sites in the County
as funding for such develop
ment can be secured.
The development of new and
alternative energy sources
has significant poetential for
stimulating economic
development in Madison
County Efforts to strengthen
energy self-sufficiency
through more effective
enengy uses and the applica
tion of appropriate
technologies will create both
direct and indirect benefits to
county residents. Commerical
and industrial opportunities
exist for the production and
sale of energy-related pro
ducts and services. Small
scale applications could pro
vide power for community
facilities or a small industry.
The Planning Board and the
French Broad Electric
Membership Corporation
should continue to promote
public awareness of ap
propriate energy use and its
link to community and
economic development.
The Planning Board and the
EMC should encourage
developers and community
leaders to incorporate alter
native energy technologies in
the development of new
facilities and community pro
grams.
Madison County has made
significant progress over the
last decade in improving the
availability of health care for
its citizens. The Committee
recognizes and commends the
dedicated efforts of those in
dividuals who have helped to
make health care more ac
cessible and affordable. In
order to sustain this progress,
the Committee has developed
the following recommenda
tions.
The County Health Depart
ment, the Hot Springs Health
Program and other health
care providersshould continue
to stress to the public the im
portance of each individual's
responsibility for his-her own
wellness. Preventive health
practices should be encourag
ed on the part of both in
dividuals and health care pro
viders. Substance abuse
should t>e an integral part of
this health promotion effort.
The County Commission
should continue to pursue an
upgrading of the level of
emergency medical services
available to county residents.
Communication equipment
should be installed to enable
EMS units to communicate
with emergency room person
nel at Memorial Mission
Hospital in Asheville. Addi
tional training for EMS per
sonnel should be supported so
that the County can obtain IV
level certification.
The County Commission,
the Planning Board and ap
propriate County departments
should continue to develop
coordinated strategies for
dealing with potential
diasters, such as flooding or
toxic chemeical spills. Once
these strategies are com
pleted, the responsible agen
cies should institute a public
education program to make
citizens aware of these olans
Rev. Lynch Retires
Retirement officially befian
on July 28 for Rev. and Mr*.
William L. Lynch. After eight
years and eight months at
v. / % Antioch Baptist Church, near
Barnardsville, and a total of 80
years in the ministry, his last
Sunday morning sermon en
titled "Staying Power' illus
trates their lives in a joint
ministry and their comm
itment to God
William L. and Nona Faye
Lynch came to Antioch Baptist
Church on Nov. 1, 1975 and
their ministry there has been a
successful one. Rev. Lynch
was instrumental in having
slept and walk concreted to
the Fellowship Hall, the
church baptistry was la
stalled, the process of
Stockton Named Fire Chief
I Ebbs Chapel VFD Elects Officers
The newly-formed Ebbs
Chapel Volunteer Fire De
partment approved both a
constitution and by-laws and
articles of incorporation at a
meeting of the company's
board of directors Monday
night. The board also ap
proved a slate of officers and
fire chief
Bill Stockton was appointed
the new company's fire chief.
Stockton had earlier been
selected by a vote of the mem
bership.
Vernon Ponder was chosen
to serve as the fire company's
Bulow Carver was
vice president. Bobby
will serve as secretary
Jo English was
is the organisation
Bill Ward was
The company has also been
deeded property for a fire
house by the county comm
issioners and the Madison
County Board of Education.
Ponder said that the com
pany will soon be applying for
a Z. Smith Reynolds Foun
dation grant of $25,000
Before electing officers, the
board of directors considered
articles incorporating the fire
company and a constitution
and by-law for the organ
ization.
The Ebbs Chapel Volunteer
Fire Department will serve
Township 7, currently served
by the Mars Hill VFD. The new
cently. New companies have
also been begun in Spring
Creek and Laurel.
Members of the Ebbs Chapel
VFD board of directors are
Maynard Cody, Vernon Pon
der, Walter Honeycutt, Wayne
Riddle, Ron Martin, Freddie
WaUin, Harold Tipton. Bulow
Carver, BIO Stockton, Robert
Ramsey, Bill Want, Bobby
Willis, and Lynda Jo English.
Mars Hill
VFD
F CHAPEL VFD officers,
are Bobby Willis. BUI Ward, Bill StodHon
Jo English, Bulov. C ver and Ver ?
tor
Mar Hill and Hot ?
nv