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Published Every Two Weeks On Recycled Paper » Volume 14, Number 18 • February 5, 2000 • FREE
North Carolina men held as suspects in gay murder NCLYN founder
by Dan Van Mourik
Q-Notes Staff
MOBILE, AL—Jamie Ray Tolbert, 24, from
Lucedale, MS, was last seen alive at a New Year’s
Eve celebration at Joey’s Inc., a nightclub in
Biloxi, MS [a gay club also known as Joey’s on
the Beach], said Deputy Chad Tucker, a Mo
bile County Sheriff’s Department spokesman.
Investigators found his body in Grand Bay, AL
nearly two weeks later.
When Tolbert did not return home from
celebrating on New Year’s Eve, his mother and
stepfather came to look for him. They passed
out fliers and went door-to-door, looking for
people who knew him or may have seen him in
Biloxi that night. But when they felt the case
was not getting attention from Biloxi police,
they went back home to George County to ask
for help.
“The family’s from here and they couldn’t
get much help down there,” said George
County Sheriff George Miller. “So I took it
upon myself to send some deputies.”
Miller said the key to solving the case came
when someone started using Tolbert’s credit
cards.
Miller’s investigators, joined by deputies
from Mobile County, started a 10-day hunt in
Biloxi that led them across 18 states — from
North Carolina to Yreka, California, where two
men were arrested driving Tolbert’s truck. One
of the suspects told deputies how to find
Tolbert’s body. Police believe he was killed the
morning he disappeared.
California state troopers arrested two North
Carolina men — Jeremy Shawn Bentley, 22,
from Hickory and Brent David Kabat, 19, from
Clayton — in connection with Tolbert’s kill
ing. According to District Attorney John Tyson
Jr., the men are charged with capital murder
pending their extradition to Alabama. It is pos
sible that kidnapping will be added to the
charges.
The autopsy revealed that Tolbert died from
strangulation and multiple blunt force injuries
to the head.
Tucker said investigators believe they know
what type of weapon was used, but will not say
and they have not yet recovered it.
“We believe the motive was robbery,” said
Tucker. “At some point, Tolbert was kid
napped.”
In 1997, Kabat was convicted in North
Carolina of breaking and entering and larceny.
He was convicted of a forgery charge in 1998.
Last year, he was convicted of seven counts of
conspiracy to commit robbery with a danger
ous weapon. He was sentenced to probation
for all of the convictions. Bentley was convicted
in 1996 of assault with a deadly weapon on a
law enforcement officer in Caldwell County
near Hickory. He also was sentenced to proba
tion.
Rebecca Allen, 26, said she knew Tolbert
from Joey’s nightclub. “He was real nice and
sweet and would do just about anything for
anybody,” she said.
Allen said she had known Tolbert for about
six months. He was living with his parents while
a house he owned in George County was being
renovated. He worked offshore as a safety and
training specialist and had owned his new 2000
Nissan X-Terra truck for about four months.
Kabat subsequently tried to escape from the
Yreka, CA jail, authorities said. He attacked a
correctional officer, striking the officer with a
weapon fashioned out of game pieces wrapped
in a torn bed sheet, knocking the officer to the
floor. The officer was able to call for assistance
and Kabat was subdued in a housing unit on
special watch. T
resigns
Interstate con man preys on gay media advertisers
by David Stout
Q-Notes Staff
CHARLOTTE—What would you do if
you received a call in the middle of the night
from an acquaintance who said he was stranded
in California after having been gay-bashed and
robbed?
What if he said you were the only person he
could reach and begged you to wire him enough
money to fly home?
This dilemma faced one of Q-Notes adver
tisers recently when a inan identifying himself
as Jim Yarbrough, the publisher of this news
paper, called with that very story.
The advertiser, who asked that his name not
be used, asked the obviously upset man a few
questions (such as “Where’s [your partner]?”)
and judged the answers to be credible (“He’s
visiting his mother in another state. He didn’t
come with me.”)
The caller provided all the details for the
transaction. He suggested that a simple descrip
tion and code word be used to retrieve the
money since his identification was stolen. He
also noted that the advertiser could use an
American Express card to wire money from
home and even offered the toll free number for
doing so.
Out of concern and a sense of loyalty from
their business relationship, the advertiser agreed
to send $600 to a Western Union branch in
Hollywood, CA where “Jim” was,waiting.
After receiving the money, he called back to
thank the man for his assistance.
The next morning, when the advertiser
phoned to see if the caller had gotten home
safely, he discovered that the real Jim Yarbrough
had been in his own bed all night and the inci
dent was an elaborate swindle.
Because the advertiser had used his Ameri
can Express card, he was able to reverse the
charge and initiate an investigation by the credit
card company’s fraud department.
Unfortunately, the inquiry uncovered little
information. Additionally, the Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Police Department showed little
interest in the case because it occured outside
of their jurisdiction. Due to these circumstances
— and the fact that, in the end, the advertiser
lost no money — both he and Yarbrough put
the matter behind them and moved on.
That is, until an Internet newsletter for
GLBT press professionals reported on identi
cal scams targeting gay publications in Arizona
and California.
The newsletter. Press Pass Q, stated that in
one night several staff members and advertisers
of Phoenix-based Echo magazine were awakened
by a caller claiming to be a staffer. The caller
recounted the same scenario from the Q-Notes
scam, but all the employees saw through it. One
advertiser did not, however, and he sent $500.
Another round of calls occured the follow
ing week and an advertiser was bilked out of
$180. Following this. Echo editor Bruce Chris
tian contacted all of the magazine’s advertisers
and apprised them of the hoax.
This situation played out in San Diego, as
well, involving advertisers with the Gay and
Lesbian Times. There, however, two men were
convinced to send $400 and $1000 to Hous
ton, TX rather th'an Los Angeles.
The article reported that local police were
investigating in Phoenix and Houston, but not
San Diego.
In the following issue of Press Pass Q, read
ers responded with additional reports. The edi
tor of The Leather Journal acknowledged that
he had lost $500 (and other leather commu
nity leaders had been targeted, as well) and the
editor of the Wisconsin Light said that well-
known AIDS activists had been the focus of
this scam in his area.
Since there have been no arrests for these
crimes, advertisers and readers should be wary
of any suspicious calls that involve the exchange
of money. If you have information on these
crimes or have been similarly victimized or tar
geted, contact Q-A^of«publisher Jim Yarbrough
at (704) 531-9988. T
Great Britain lifts its ban on gays in the militaiy
LONDON, ENGLAND—On January 12,
Britain officially lifted its ban on gays in the
military. The change had long been rumored
since the country was being forced to act by a
European court ruling. In its place, the mili
tary introduced a code of conduct for sexual
behavior regardless of sexual orientation.
“There is no longer a reason to deny homo
sexuals the opportunity of a career in the armed
forces,” Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon, Labour
Party, told parliament. “Accordingly, we have
decided that it is right that the existing ban
should be lifted.”
“As no primary or secondary legislation is
required, with effect from today, homosexual
ity will no longer be a bar to service in Britain’s
armed forces,” Hoon said.
“This appalling decision will be greeted with
dismay among ordinary soldiers in the armed
forces, many of whom joined the services pre
cisely because they wished to turn their back
on some of the values of modern society,” said
Conservative Party lawmaker Gerald Howarth.
Under the new code of conduct, inappro
priate sexual behavior between personnel on
duty — and not a person’s sexual orientation
— would be a punishable offense.
The key test will be whether an individual’s
behavior undermines the “efficiency or opera
tional effectiveness” of the military, Hoon said.
The European Court of Human Rights
ruled last September that four gay enlistees were
wrongly dismissed from the military after they
admitted their sexual orientation to investiga
tors. The judges called the ban a grave interfer
ence in private lives.
Personnel dismissed for being gay can apply
to rejoin the services and actions against cur
rent military personnel will be halted.
In the future, the sexual orientation of sol
diers, sailors and air force personnel will be “es
sentially a private matter for the individual,”
Hoon said.
Unlike the US military’s “Don’t Ask; Don’t
Tell,” Britain had an outright ban on gays.
Britain is now in line with other European
countries that allow gays to serve in the mili
tary. Most NATO nations either have strict poli
cies against discrimination or consider it a non
issue and have no policies at all.
Defence Secretary William Cohen defended
the US military’s policy despite Britain’s move.
Cohen said, “We believe that the approach we
have taken is balanced and appropriate. We
believe that this policy has worked and will
continue to work. We need to improve upon it
as far as the harassment aspect.” T
DURHAM, NC—
Activist Hez Norton,
founder and executive
director of North Caro
lina Lambda Youth Net
work (NCLYN), has re
signed her position effec
tive this May.
Hez Norton NCLYN, the first
statewide leadership de
velopment network led by lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and allied (LGBTA) youth, has
been training and empowering North Carolina
youth ages 13 to 24 since 1996. During the
past three years, over 400 young people have
been involved with NCLYN programs. Many
of these young people have created their own
venues for activism to make their surrounding
communities safer for all youth.
Norton, who founded NCLYN at age 23
with a grant from Southern Community Part
ners (a project of the Lyndhurst Foundation),
stated,”In the spring of 1996,1 had a vision of
a statewide leadership network led by LGBTA
young people; a safe place for them to go, be
affirmed in their identities, develop skills to
improve their communities, and work for so
cial justice. I was not alone with this vision and
I have had the opportunity to work with so
many amazing people, youth and adults, who
transformed this vision into a reality called
North Carolina Lambda Youth Network.”
In announcing her departure, Norton said,
“I leave NCLYN with full confidence that the
organization is strong and ready to take on new
challenges. We have a talented staff, a dedicated
board of directors, strong programs, and suc
cessful funding. With NCLYN’s vision and
commitment to LGBTA youth and social jus
tice, I am sure the organization will grow and
succeed with the next executive director.”
“Hez’s collective work as a resource for
LGBTA youth, a nonprofit leader, and a cata
lyst for change speak loudly of the immeasur
able energy she has given North Carolina. She
will be tremendously missed by the entire board,
staff, youth leaders and all the people across the
state she has motivated,” said Cal Allen, a mem
ber of the board of directors.
During Norton’s tenure as the first execu
tive director, the organization saw extraordinary
growth and development of its programs. Some
of the most outstanding achievements include:
becoming an independent, non-profit organi
zation; promoting youth leadership and youth
involvement through NCLYN’s board of direc
tors, conferences and initiatives; expanding the
budget from $25,000 to $150,000; participat
ing in Equality Begins at Home, a national week
of actions designed to promote GLBT issues at
the local and state level; increasing the staff to
four full-time positions; increasing the visibil
ity and awareness of LGBTA youth issues in
the mainstream media and education system;
receiving the National Youth Advocacy Coali
tion Award in 1998 for exemplary creativity,
passion and vision in the development of a state
wide leadership network; organizing two con
ferences; becoming the first organization of its
kind in the country, and serving as a model for
youth empowerment and social change.
The board of directors has begun an imme
diate search for a new executive director. Can
didates interested in applying for the position
should send a cover letter, their resumd, a one-
page statement on-LCBTA youth and leader
ship, and three references no later than March
1 to NCLYN ED Search Team, 115 Market
Street, Durham, NC 27701. For more infor
mation, call (919) 683-3037 or email
nclambda@aol.com. ▼