IK
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Vol. LXXI/No. 36
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Single Copies 50tf
Roulac found not guilty in domestic violence murder
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
A jury found Leon Roulac
not guilty or murdering Leon
Pulliam in April 2003 in
Chowan County Superior
Court last week.
Roulac had been charged
with second-degree murder in
the slaying. After three days of
testimony, the jury took about
an hour to find Roulac inno
cent. Roulac shot Pulliam after
Pulliam broke into Bridgett
Roulac’s home on April 11,
2003. Bridett Roulac is Leon
Staff Photos by Earline White
Rodney Swink, Director of North Carolina Main Street addresses the large crowd about the future of downtown Edenton.
Envisioning a picture perfect Edenton
BY EARLINE WHITE
Staff Writer
It is a powerful thing to
watch hundreds of people
coming together to work for
a common goal. It is just as
exciting when the people
coming together are the
people in your community
and the objective is to make
downtown appealing for
newcomers as well as the lo
cals.
Thursday, September 9th,
Main Street held its first
ever Visioning Session. Jen
nifer Harriss, Director of
Edenton’s Main Street,
brought in Rodney Swink
and Meg Dees, Director and
Assistant Director of North
Carolina Main Street. With
the help of over one hundred
INSIDE
Business.A4
Calendar.. A2
Church.C 7
Classifieds.D1-3
Editorials.A6
Football Forecast.. D4
Learning.C3
Obituaries...C5
Society.C2
Sports.Bl-4
On Page A8 ...
A Local Tribute
to our Nation's
Heroes!
Roulac’s sister. She testified on
her brother’s behalf during
the trial.
“We were delighted with the
outcome,” Mike Sanders,
Roulac’s attorney, said Tues
day “I’m just happy for Leon.”
Sanders declined to say
whether Tyrone Brothers or
other state’s witnesses helped
his or the state’s cases.
“I’m reluctant to guess what
the jury did or didn’t believe,”
Sanders said. “The bigger pic
ture is that you had a home in
vasion. The state had a diffi
cult case to prosecute.”
inspired citizens grew a vision
of what Eden-ton might look
like in 2010.
Swink addressed the crowd
with a little history lesson of
the Main Street Project. “Main
Street started in 1980. At the
time, six states were selected
and five cities for a transfor
mation, so to speak. Now the
Main Street programs extends
to 33 states and over 1700 com
munities across the US.
Edenton is one of 53 Main
Street communities in North
Carolina since 1980.”
“.The program is in four
parts: organization, promo
tion, design, and economic re
structuring.
JThe Visioning started on a
simple level, asking what are
downtown’s assets. And to re
ally get the citizens thinking,
Commissioners look at ways to fix cell phone problem
BY EARLINE WHITE
Staff Writer
The Chowan County Board
of Commissioners met in regu
lar session Monday, September
13. Among the items on the
agenda were reviews of ordi
nance amendments and cell
phone tower coverage.
It was recommended by Pe
ter Rascoe and Elizabeth
Bryant to amend the Junk Car
Ordinance to include the defi
nition of an abandoned vehicle
as required by State Law. A ve
hicle must be designated as
abandoned before it can be
considered ‘junked’. Because
the current ordinance does not
specify the definition, it is hot
enforceable. Amendments
would be passed in order to
It was Pulliam’s behavior
toward Bridgett Roulac that
was key to his client’s defense,
Sanders said.
“The jury needed to know
about (Pulliam),” he said. “It
was very important (the jury)
knew the history (between
Bridgett Roulac and Pulliam).”
Assistant District Attorney
Michael Johnson agreed that
he and fellow prosecutor
Brinkley Faulcon had a “tough
case” to pitch to the jury. They
had to convince the jury that
Pulliam’s murder was not jus
tifiable because Leon Roulac
Main Street had the “Picture
Downtown” display on hand.
“Picture Downtown” was a
campaign, which asked locals
to take snapshots of what ar
"Picture Downtown", a display of Edenton's strengths and
weaknesses got citizens thinking about renovating downtown.
strengthen the ordinances.
Commissioner Wayne
Goodwin expressed concerns
over the statute falling into the
wrong hands. He admitted to
having what onlookers may
consider “junk” cars in his
own yard- cars that he wants
to one day ‘fix up’. Goodwin
asked for the board to make
sure the amendment is worded
more clearly for those who own
abandoned cars that are not
‘junked’. Cliff Copeland,
County Manager, clarified that
though this is a state statute;
Chowan County will not need
lessly enforce the law.
Two amendments were pro
posed in the Noxious Weeds
and Nuisance Ordinance as
well. In order to define clearly
the purview, Rascoe and
used excessive force in the kill
ing.
“The question was, based on
the evidence we had, (Leon
Roulac) just shot him more
than was necessary,” Johnson
said Tuesday.
Johnson said he respected
the jury’s verdict.
“They made their decision,”
he said. “It was a fair trial.”
Throughout the trial, Sand
ers pushed Pr^lliam’s violent
nature while prosecutors as
serted that Leon Roulac shot
Pulliam twice — including a
fatal shot to the chest — after
eas they liked within the
downtown district, such as
flowers, storefronts, and
See SESSION On Page 3-A
Bryant suggested the title be
“Public Nuisance Ordinance”.
With this revision, the aban
doned vehicles can be declared
a public nuisance or safety
hazard, especially if the cars
are unlocked for vagrants or
children. If deemed a hazard,
the County has the authority
to remove the vehicle. Bryant
quoted approximately 10 par
ticular instances in localized
areas that could be considered
hazards by this ordinance re
vision.
The lack of cell phone cov
erage in the northern part of
the county is a growing con
cern. During Hurricane Isabel,
the best hope for communica
tion was cell phone use. How
ever, the apparent lack of cov
erage area could be a public
he reportedly went down. Leon
Roulac has not denied shooting
Pulliam. Sanders said his cli
ent shot Pulliam in defense of
himself, his sister, and his
niece, who was 5 years old at
the time, at the home of
Reginald & Mary home of
Bridgett Roulac.
Brothers testified that Leon
Roulac stood at “close range,
on top of” Pulliam and shot
him “execution style.” No
other witnesses claimed to
have seen exactly where
Roulac and Pulliam were dur
ing the shooting. Bridgett
Broadnax is named
Chowan County's
Teacher of the Year
A panel of local dignitaries
Thursday named John A.
Holmes High School teacher
Sherlton Broadnax the Cho
wan County Teacher of the
Year.
Chowan Board of Commis
sioners chairman Louis Bel
field, Chamber of Commerce
executive director 'Richard
Bunch, arid school board chair
man Gene Jordan interviewed
and reviewed the written ap
plications of Teachers of the
Year from each of the county
schools before naming Broad
nax as the county’s represen
tative. Mary Helen Gaddy from
Chowan Middle School,
Connie Ashley from White
Oak School, and Robert
Copeland from D. F. Walker
School also were named Teach
'Bricks' project to fund
Barker House elevation
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
Raising a 222-year-old house
isn’t just a challenge, it’s a
costly endeavor.
Chris Bean, a district court
judge and member of the
Edenton Historical Commis
sion, says money is needed to
raise the famed Barker House.
The home, located at the end of
South Broad Street on the wa
terfront, is at the 10-foot-above
safety issue. County staff has
pursued the construction of a
new tower in Chowan County.
Officials met with US Cellular
in Greenville and confirmed
their hopes to build a tower in
the county in 2006 or 2007. Al
ternatives to accelerate this
schedule were discussed. If the
911 Communications, Sheriff’s
Department, EMS and others
'Walk America'needs teams
The Chowan/Perquimans
WalkAmerica 2004 will Kick
off with a special breakfast
on Thursday, September 16
from 8 a.m. until 9 a.m. at
Golden Corral. Please contact
Mary Ellen Miles at 1-800-732
Roulac has said she has no
memory of the incident after
her brother fired the first shot.
She was reportedly hysterical
when police and EMS workers,
arrived after she placed a 911
call.
“I tried to console her,” at the
scene, Edenton Police Chief
Greg Bonner testified Sept. 8.
Bridgett Roulac initially told
Bonner, the lead investigator
in the case, that she shot
Pulliam. Bonner testified that
she could not tell him just how
See MURDER On Page 3-A
ers of the Year for their
schools.
Broadnax, a science teacher
known for making each of her
students one of “her babies,”
has been teaching with
Edenton
Chowan
Schools for
28-years.
“Mrs.
Broadnax
is a jewel,”
said Eden
ton-Chowan
Schools su
perinten
dent Allan Smith. “Every stu
dent that passes through her
biology classroom leaves with
a gift beyond measure.”
See TEACHER On Page 3-A
sea-level it’s required to be to
avoid potential storm flooding.
The home was one of many
battered by surging floodwa
ters from Hurricane Isabel last
September. The cost to finish
work on the home, a tourist
desination on the Historic
Edenton Walking Tour, is
$30,000.
“But we do not have suffi
cient funds,” Bean said last
See PROJECT On Page 3-A
declare the current situation a
public safety issue then forcing
construction may be possible.
Alltel was also contacted to
make a plea for the construc
tion of a new tower.
In order to cover the whole
county, new towers will have to
be located in Tyner as well as
Colerain in neighboring Bertie
County
7097 or Buddy Sawyer 338
5953 as soon as possible if
you are interested in forming
a team. ■ _ ' i.
The Walk will take place
Saturday, October 30 at the
Edenton Waterfront Park,
dl
DON'T MISS IT!
Saturday, Sept. 18,2004
cams BILL CROSS BOBOS FIRS DEPARTMENT
ANNIVERSARY SUPPER
From 4 pm - 7 pm
$8,00 per plats