Newspapers / The Chowan Herald (Edenton, … / May 23, 1991, edition 1 / Page 1
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Volume IVII - No. 20 Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, May 23,1991 Single CoDies 35 Cents Kelly Trial Delayed Again By JACK GROVE For the second time this spring, the child sexual mo lestation trial of Robert F. Kelly Jr. in the Little Rascals Day Care case has been de layed. I Superior Court Judge D. - Marsh McLelland signed an order Friday allowing a con tinuance at the request of Kelly's attorneys. The case had been set to go to trial in Farmville on June 3. The attorneys asked for the delay after they filed a request with the N.C. Court of Appeals * to reverse an order by McLel land quashing subpoenas they had issued for witnesses. McLelland specified in his order that the trial would be "continued not less than 30 days following the ruling of the Court of Appeals." The trial was first delayed # from its scheduled April 8 date when attorneys for both the state and defense asked that it be continued. On June 4, the appeals court will consider the defense re quest to reverse McLelland's ruling of April 2 that quashed (overturned) subpoenas issu ed to parents of alleged child victims and health care pro fessionals involved in in terviewing the children. McLelland also sanctioned the defense attorneys for issu ing the subpoenas by requir ing them to pay the legal ex penses of those summoned who were represented in the hearing by attorneys. During the court session, Special Deputy Attorney Gen eral William P. Hart, assist ing in the prosecution, argued that the subpoenas were "over broad" and were meant to "intimidate and harass" par ents. In a document submitted by the defense to the N.C. Court of Appeals, attorneys W. Mi chael Spivey and Jeffrey L. Miller stated, "Defendant's attorneys believe that in order to properly present defen dant's defense ... it would be necessary to again issue the same subpoenas to the same persons." They also state to the higher court, "That defendant will be denied the right to confront and cross examine the wit nesses against him if he is deprived of the opportunity to compel such witnesses to pro duce documents and material relevant to the issues at trial . "We filed an objection to the defense motion (to con tinue the case) Friday," Hart said Monday. He said that the judge's order "has no effect legally" since the order was not signed in Pitt County and also was signed while the court was not in session. Hart said that the prosecu tion had hoped for a hearing on the matter this week. How ever, he said, Judge McLel land is in Colorado and is not expected back to the state be fore the end of the month. Continued On Page 6 Renovation Complete On County Courthouse By MARGUERITE MCCALL For over 200 years, Chowan residents have preserved their architecturally unique Geor gian courthouse through peri odic maintenance. Since its construction in 1767, the building has had paint applied and removed; it has been shuttered and un shuttered; it has been en larged with wings now torn down; plaques placed in its walls have been taken out; its roofing has varied from shingles to zinc to copper, and now back to shingles. Although occasionally cos metic, most often its main tenance has met construction necessities. The work completed re cently under Phase I of a re search facility study con ducted to identify the struc ture's present needs "have been strictly a stabilization project," said County Man ager Cliff Copeland. Ross Inglis, unofficial special consultant with the county, agreed. "The object," he said, "has been to make the courthouse watertight and to repair all aspects of the building that have deteriorated due to weather. This includes the roof, window sills -- and some window frames — and return ing the exterior back to its original condition. "We were very anxious to maintain the character of age; so a lot of skill and effort, successfully, went into mak ing the patch work look origi nal." Inglis also discussed the removal of two rear wings. Both were added in 1897, one behind the Clerk of Court of fice and the other behind the Register of Deeds office. A vault added to the latter a round 1920 enlarged it by 60 square feet. Copeland said the old, worn Continued On Page 6 NEW OFFICER -- Ronnie Stallings, former Chief Deputy Sheriff of Hertford County, joined the Edenton Police Depart ment this month. Stallings has 14 years of law enforcement fg experience. New Officer Welcomed A veteran law enforcement officer and former Chief Dep uty of the Hertford County Sheriffs Department is Eden ^ ton's newest police officer. Ronnie Stallings, 37, join 1 ed the department on May 2. Stallings began his police career with the Edenton de partment in 1974. He remain 4 ed a year before taking a dep uty's position in Hertford County. > During a joint interview with Stalljngs and Police Chief C.H. Williams, the chief noted that Stallings needed no training prior to assuming his current duties. He pointed to Stallings' 14 years of experience and ex tensive training during that • time. The new officer holds an advanced certification as a law enforcement officer from the state. "It's the high est certification you can get in law enforcement in North Carolina," Williams said. Stallings, a native of Bel videre, holds a two-year de 9 gree in law enforcement from Pitt Technical College. Williams said that Stall ings has had extensive inves tigative experience. Stallings said he has conducted investi gations that included murder, rape, robbery and drugs. In the double murder of two women in a store in Gates County earlier this year, the suspect, Jerry Wayne Con ners, first confessed to Stall ings. Conners, a Hertford County resident when he was arrested, asked to speak to Stallings privately after the chief deputy asked for his shotgun. He then confessed to the shotgun murders, Stall ings said. Included in specialized training the new officer has received, was completion of a ten-day course at Sirchie Labora3tries in Raleigh. Stallings explained that Sirchie is a major manufac turer of fingerprint materi als. The course included fin gerprint science and bodily fluid analysis. When asked why he left his chief deputy position, Stall ings replied, "I wanted to be back home." It was like a homecoming to the Edenton Police Department as well. He said, "It's a fine depart ment and I've known many of the officers for years." Williams commented, "I think the Town of Edenton is real fortunate to get an officer of his caliber." Stallings and his wife Sheila have two daughters and a son and plan to live on County Line Road. FREE LUNCH -- Chowan County Commissioners were treated to a luncheon by the county ex tension homemakers clubs last week. This is an annual event for the board members. Shown here (1. to r.) are County Manager Cliff Copeland, Commission Board Chairman James C. "Pete" Dail and Nancy Morgan, Copeland's executive secretary. Board Hears Paving Plan County commissioners had a full day of work last week when they followed their regu lar meeting with a special meeting with Department of Transportation (DOT) repre sentatives and then sat as the county's Board of Equaliza tion and Review. Phillip Godwin of GateS ville, area representative on the DOT board told commis sioners, "The news that we're hearing out of the legislature is not what we want to be hearing . . messing with the (highway) trust fund." He said that dipping into the trust fund to help alleviate the state budget shortfall would set the highway building program back. Godwin did say, however, that four-laning of U.S. 17 between Hertford and Eden ton was still on its scheduled track. Earl Moore, district engi neer discussed last year's program for paving county secondary roads. He said that Lester Lane, that had been the top priority for paving, was not done due to the inability to acquire the right of way. This left open the possibility of paving roads further down on the priority list. Division engineer C.O. White told the board that the list of priorities of roads in the county for paving hasn't changed in two years and "probably won't be revised for another two years." The top five in priority will be Meadow Road, Morris Lane, New Road, Forehand Road, and Skinner Road. White noted that the DOT is bound by state statute to pro ceed strictly according to the established priority list. "The allocations we’re working with this year (for county projects) is $186,000," White said. Concerning the Continued On Page 6 Store Is Victimized Forehand Tire Service in Northside Shopping Center was the scene of a break-in on May 9 in which an assortment of heavy items were stolen. Police Chief C.H. Willi ams said this week that ten tires, four wheel rims and an assortment of tools, including jackstands, were taken. He placed the total value of the items at approximately $4,500. The theft was reported at 8:05 a.m. by owner Tommy Forehand. Reading frotn a police re port, Chief Williams indi cated that the store had been checked at 3 a.m. by Of .er Tom Palmer who found a padlock had been broken off a hasp on a back door. The door was locked however, by the door handle lock. Palmer checked around the building and found no doors unlocked and no windows broken. Williams said an investi gation was being conducted by Officer Wayne Forehand. Basnight Named To Natl Panel Sen. Marc Basnight of Manteo has been named as a member of the Fiscal Affairs and Oversight Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures. According to information received from the senator’s office, the committee is one of ten standing committees and four task forces of NCSL's Assembly on the Legislature, which serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas and in formation among state legis latures. The AOL meets three times a year, twice in state capitals and once in conjunction with the NCSL's annual meeting. Issues reportedly high on the committee's agenda this year include revenue short falls in the states; pensions issues; and insurance indus try problems and their impact on the states. Basnight, who represents the state's first district, is chairman of the powerful Sen ate Appropriations Committee in the N.C. General Assem bly. "As a member of the Fiscal Affairs and Oversight Com mittee, I will be able to share information and exchange ideas on the wide variety of issues confronting states to day,” Basnight said. "I look forward to working on these critical issues with my col leagues from throughout the country." j;;_ ';;;;;;[ «"■■'■«rr MILES OF SEWER PIPE - Associate Superintendent of Schools James Kinion (right) and Norman Range, construction superintendent, discuss the many construction projects underway for the schools. They are shown with sewer pipe stacked at Chowan Middle School earlier this month. The pipeline project, started in late April, will connect Chowan and White Oak Schools to the Edenton sewer system. Chowan will be connected by about 12 miles of 6 inch pipe while a 4 inch line will join with it from White Oak. The line installation is rapidly progressing down N.C. 32 North in the $583,000 project MAY 30th-11:30 A.M. at Future Memorial Site New Courthouse Green CHOWAN COUNTY VETERANS MEMORIAL PROGRAM WITH VETERANS MEMORIAL RAFFLE DRAWING Contributions Still Needed Send To P.O. Box 872 Edenton, N.C. or call George Stokes at 482-8572
The Chowan Herald (Edenton, N.C.)
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May 23, 1991, edition 1
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