Vol. LXXI, No. 42
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Single Copies 50tf
Whitehurst Chowan County Law Officer of the Year
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
Jim Coman relaxed his
tough exterior as he spoke of
those who have fallen while
serving their community and
country.
Coman, a senior deputy
with the state Attorney
General’s Office and former
state prosecutor, praised law
enforcement and court offi
cials during his address at
the annual Chowan County
Law Enforcement Apprecia
tion Banquet last week.
“They dedicate their lives
to the highest of principles,”
Coman said.
But public perception of
badge-wearing officers of the
law has waned in recent
years, he said. Mostly, Coman
said, that is the result of a
few unscrupulous cops
bringing down the valor of
the majority.
Good officers reach out to
the community they serve,
he said.
“I’m preaching to the choir
when I say that,” Coman told
the representatives from the
28 law enforcement and judi
Murder suspects from Edenton charged
BY JAMES-CLIFTON SPIRES
Cox NC Publications
Three Edenton residents
are in custody facing first-de
gree murder charges in con
nection with the July shoot
ing death of Elizabeth City
teen-ager Leugene Gerard
Blount
Elizabeth City Police Capt.
Frank Koch said the suspects
include:
• Marcus Paul Turner, 22, of
Apartment 80, Chowan Court;
• Dekendrick Danell
Brown, 24, of 122 Cox Avenue;
and
• Regina Renee Bond, 22, of
114 Reginald & Mary Avenue.
Turner was served with an
arrest warrant at Chowan
County Detention Center
where he was being held on
an unrelated charge, Koch
said. Both Brown and Bond
were arrested at 302 E. Colo
nial Ave., Elizabeth City, early
Friday morning, and are cur
rently being held without
bond at Albemarle District
INSIDE
Calendar..A2
Church...C5
Classifieds.D1-6
Editorials...AtO
Football Forecast.. B6
Learning.C3
Obituaries.C7
Spciety. C2
Sports.B1-6
Fall Back!
Daylight Saving Time
Ends Sunday, October 31.
Don’t forget to move the
clocks back one hour
Staff photo by Sean Jackson
.Clerk of Court Mike McArthur, right, congratulates Deputy Sheriff and School Resource Officer
Greg Whitehurst, who was nam§d Chowan County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.
cial agencies on hand for the
banquet.
He said good officers know
how to uphold the laws they
are pqid and sworn to up
hold.
“Duty is acting for the
highest respect of the law,”
Turner
Jail. All three are due for first
appearance hearings in
Pasquotank County District
Court on Monday.
Koch declined to say what
information led police to make
the arrests, and would not say
which of the three suspects is
suspected of firing the gun
which killed the 19-year-old
Blount at his mother’s mobile
home on Liberator Street July
24.
The police captain also de
clined to give a motive for the
shooting.
“They’re acquainted with
Parton may bring live music show to region
BY EARUNE WHITE
Staff Writer
If country music fans had
their way, there would be a live
music show every night. Such
a destination may be a possi
bility in the near future if
plans work out for one country
singer. Randy Parton, a versa
tile musician and brother to
country megastar, Dolly Par
ton, will be in northeastern
North Carplina later this week
to lend his friendship and ex
pertise in evaluating whether
the northeast region of North
Carolina is capable of support
ing a theater district.
Parton, who currently per
forms at Dollywood, a theme
park in Tennessee, was con
tacted by President/C.E.0
Coman said during his 24
minute keynote speech.
It’s also a very dangerous
occupation, he added.
“A law enforcement officer
surely knows there are bad
people in this world,” he said.
They “never know what des
Broswn
I g
Bond
each other,” Koch said. “Every
body knows everybody. But
they’re not known associates
of each other.”
Koch did say the police in
vestigation is continuing and
that other arrests are possible.
The Edenton Police Depart
ment confirmed Friday after
noon that Turner was being
held in the Chowan County
Detention Center on charges
of felonious breaking and en
tering, larceny after a break
ing-and-entering and posses
sion of stolen goods for an Oct.
20 break-in in Edenton.
Randy and Dolly Parton
Rick Watson of the North
Carolina’s Northeast Partner
ship, Inc. two years ago. “We
recruited Randy because of
perate or frenzied criminal
they may be facing” on a
given day.
Two such officers were
honored during the banquet.
State Highway Patrol
Trooper Kevin Briggs was
named officer of the year by
According to the Pasquo
tank County Clerk of Court’s
office, all three of the sus
pects have criminal records.
Turner was convicted in Feb
ruary 2002 for simple assault
nnd carrying a concealed
' weapon. Brown has pending
charges of felony possession
of cocaine and carrying a
concealed weapon, both in
connection with an Aug. 1 in
cident, and is scheduled for
court appearances on those
charges on Dec. 2 and Nov. 4,
respectively.
Bond was charged with at
tempted robbery in connec
tion with a Dec. 2, 2002 inci
dent and pleaded guilty to a
reduced charge of common
law robbery on June 10,2003,
receiving 36 months proba
tion. On Jan. 14 of this year,
she was found guilty of vio
lating her probation, which
was continued.
The night he was shot to
death, Blount - who had just
See CHARGED Page 3-A
his incredible versatility and
knowledge inside of the mu
sic industry. Randy’s career
includes traveling on the road
the Chowan-Edenton Opti
mist Club, which awards of
ficers for their work with
youths.
Briggs used an analogy
based on his father’s occupa
tion, boat-building. Briggs
likened the support other
courts and judicial give to his
profession. He said cops are
the wood, and the courts are
the glue that makes the judi
cial boat float.
“Now matter how pretty a
boat is,” Briggs added, “the
strongest part is the glue. ...
Without that backing, we’re
nothing.”
Briggs, who was tapped for
a similar honor last year, was
humbled by the award.
“It’s certainly a pleasant
surpise ,” said Briggs, who
was named Chowan County
Officer of the Year in 2003.
That award went to Cho
wan County Sheriff’s Office
Deputy Greg Whitehurst this
year. Whitehurst is the
school resource officer at
John A. Holmes High School,
a job he’s held for seven
years.
“That’s something I really
enjoy doing,” said White
Commissioners meet
in restored courthouse
BY EARLINE WHITE
Staff Writer
As a part of the historic
reopening of the 1767
Chowan County Court
house, the Chowan County
Board of Commissioners
will once again take resi
dence in the grand struc
ture.
According to the procla
mation signed and adopted
on October 4, 2004 at the last
County Commissioner’s
meeting, the 1767 Court
house has historically
served as the center of
government in Chowan
County. The Board of
Commissioners met in the
Panel Room of the court
house until September 1977.
Now that the courthouse
is fully accessible to all
citizens of Chowan County
and possesses a greater
seating capacity than the
present location in the
newer courthouse, the
for 15 years and 5 years at the
current venue in Pigeon Forge,
and has made numerous con
tacts that could encourage
those artists to come to the
area,” Watson said.
“We are now looking at the
entire region including the
area on 1-95, Martin County,
Dare County, Southeast Vir
ginia and Currituck County in
which to place such an enter
tainment district. I believe that
Currituck County would be
the premiere sight, but we are
considering lots of other areas
as well.”
“This is a project Rick and I
started discussing years ago,”
said Wayne Leary, Economic
Developer for Currituck Coun
See PARTON On Page 3-A
hurst, who was joined by his
family near the podium.
But it hasn’t always been a
9-to-5 shift for him.
“I’ve been through a lot,”
the 21-year law enforcement
veteran said.
A former winner of the top
cop award praised White
hurst’s ability to connect
with the high school students
he serves.
“He can identify with the
school kids real well,” said
Chowan County Clerk of Su
perior Court Mike McArthur,
who presented the award to
Whitehurst.
McArthur, who took home
the award in 1978 while with
the state Highway Patrol, re
called his days working with
Whitehurst, who began his
career with the Edenton Po
lice Department in 1983.
“He and I went through
some really tough things to
gether,” McArthur said. “I
admire him a lot. Everybody
likes Greg Whitehurst.”
About 250 people turned
out for the Oct. 21 banquet at
the Edward G. Bond Post 40
of the American Legion
building in Edenton.
Chowan County Board of
Commissioners established
the 1767 Courthouse Panel
Room as their official
meeting location.
“I think that the 1767
courthouse symbolizes
Chowan County throughout
the state,” said Cliff
Copeland, County Manager.
. “The courthouse is basi
cally a symbol of the top
elected officials and I
believe that the Commis
sioners should meet there.
It will serve as a better
meeting place with a larger
capacity for the public.
Plus, with the courthouse
being so close to all the
staff it will facilitate
effectively in the running
of meetings,” Copeland
added.
This relocation of the
County Commissioners will
be effective for the Novem
ber 1, 2004 meeting which
starts at 9 a.m.
; , - . ....
Trick or
Treat
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Downtown
BY EARIINE WHITE
StqffWriter
Trick or Treat Downtown
will take place Saturday, Oc«
tober 80 from 4 p.m. until 6
p.m. The event is sponsored
by Market Place Guild and
the Edenton Main Street
Program. * s
“We picked Saturday for
two reasons,” said Ashley
Misseri, President of the:
Market Place Guild. “For:
one, we wanted to promote
businesses downtown and
: See TRICK On Page
■■'.Siasl ' aMif
North Carolina’s Northeast Partnership, Inc.
WELCOMES KANDY PABTON
details on page 2A
j ,