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Wednesday, April ! 4, 2010
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Man finds live grenade in
storage building, 6B
COMMUNITY Charities
share Cycle NC bounty, 1B
Nurse faces possible retrial
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Prosecutors appear
ready to retry a male nurse
on charges of groping a fe
male patient while under
sedation after a jury failed
to reach a verdict.
Court records show that
new charges were filed
March 22 against Mardo
nia Sapalicio, 48, for the
STAFF PHOTOS BY BRETTA. CLARK
Glenn Anderson, Director of the Electricity Department for the town of Edenton, assess damage at the John R. Page Masonic
Lodge No. 13, Friday after early morning storms swept through the area caused^ damage to buildings around Edenton.
Winds damage downtown sites
By CATHY WILSON
The Perquimans Weekly
E DENTON — Strong winds
early Friday morning dam
aged at least two historic
buildings in downtown Edenton
and sent a group of visiting bi
cyclists literally flying around in
their tents.
The damaged structures include
the John R. Page Lodge, the oldest
African-American Masonic Lodge
in North Carolina, and the build
ing containing the offices of the
Chowan Herald newspaper.
The strong wind gusts, reported
around 4:30 a.m., also downed
several trees and blew debris into
homes and yards but resulted in no
injuries, officials said.
Among those feeling the storm’s
wrath was Julie White, of Black
Mountain, one of 1,000 bicycling
enthusiasts expected to visit Eden
ton this weekend as part of Cycle
North Carolina.
. White was camped out with other
Cycle North Carolina participants
at the Edenton waterfront when a
Storm-damaged John R. Page Masonic Lodge to be saved
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Members of the John
R. Page Masonic Lodge in
Edenton are hopeful that
the historic structure can
be saved. Several profes
sionals believe that it can.
Built about 1890, it is the
oldest African-American
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
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Sept. 28, 2007 sexual as
sault of a Chowan County
woman while she was a
patient in a mobile medi
cal unit. On Sept. 30, 2009,
Chowan County jurors
failed to reach' a unani
mous verdict, resulting in
a mistrial.
Defense attorney Mike
Sanders said the hung jury
voted 9-3 to acquit Sapali
cio. Sanders said no new
STAFF PHOTOS BY BRETT A. CLARK
A tree fell in the middle of campers at the waterfront in Edenton, Friday after early
morning storms swept through.
sudden wind gust picked up both
her and her 3-person tent and sent
them hurtling into another tent,
rolling her up in the wreckage.
“It just happened too quickly,”
Masonic Lodge still in use
in North Carolina.
The lodge sustained
heavy damage during a
storm that struck Eden
ton early Friday morning.
Straight-line winds are be
ing blamed for the appar
ent collapse of the lodge’s
foundation, which left
the building leaning dan
gerously to one side and
making safe entry into the
building impossible.
Worshipful Master John
ny Bond, spokesman for
the lodge, said he had re
ceived a letter from an en
gineer, David Fischetti of
evidence has come forth,
despite the new charges of
second degree sexual as
sault and sex offense in a
medical facility
“I can only assume
they’ll retry him on the
same evidence in an ef
fort for a different result,”
Sanders said.
Assistant District Attor
ney Linda Shields did not
immediately return a tele
DCF Engineering in Cary,
suggesting that the lodge
could be saved.
“This (saving the lodge)
phone message.
The 37-year-old victim is
the sister of sheriffs dep
uty Tim Brabble, current
Republican candidate for
sheriff, Sanders said.
Sapalicio said it’s be
cause of the victim’s law
enforcement kin that pros-.
ecutors are doggedly pur
suing his conviction. He
has since sought the inter
vention of N.C. Attorney
White said.
White said she gathered up her
gear and huddled under a nearby
See STORM, 4A
is what they’re looking at,”
Bond said.
Also of concern is the
fate of documents belong
General Roy Cooper.
Sapalicio, who has been
a RN for more than 10
years, had his nursing li
cense suspended after he
was first charged two and
half years ago. Because of
the new charges, Sapalicio
still cannot apply for rein
statement.
“He’s been without the
ability to earn a living
since he was charged,”
CAC parts
with director
Three board members resign
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
The Chowan Arts Council Board of Directors
cites financial woes for its reason not to retain
the agency’s executive director.
Three board members followed
with their resignations.
Brenda Russell, who has been
credited with reviving the CAC
over the last two years, became
a financial casualty last week
when the board announced it
would not renew her contract set
to expire April 14.
“In keeping with our mission
and taking into consideration our economic situ
ation and fiscal accountability, the Chowan Arts
Council has made a change for our future,” CAC
said in an April 6 press release.
Lyn Castellani, board president, Lin Wan
ner Hogan, treasurer, and Jennifer Harriss, all
resigned last week. Mysi Fortenbery, Russell’s
administrative assistant, also resigned. But, the
board later announced that Fortenbery would
serve as interim director for CAC.
See CAC, 4A
.'... ■ • ■
COA trustees
welcome
Deitemeyer
New president: She’s not
coming in with a plan
By KRISTIN PITTS
Staff Writer
In her first Board of Trustees meeting since
being named College of The Albemarle’s in
coming president, Kandi Deitemeyer listened
Monday to trustees’ concerns over budget con
straints and potential facility issues at the Eden
ton-Chowan campus in Edenton.
Although she doesn’t officially start until Fri
day, Deitemeyer said she was grateful for the
chance to learn a little bit more about the col
lege she’ll soon be running.
SeeC0A,2A
Russell
STAFF PHOTO BY BRETT A. CLARK
The John R. Page Masonic
Lodge No. 13 was tom from
its’foundation, Friday after
early morning storms that
swept through the area
caused damage to buildings
around Edenton.
ing to the lodge that re
main inside the building.
Fischetti, who is ex
perienced at saving his
toric structures such as
lighthouses and covered
bridges, was asked to con
sult in the effort by Reid
Thomas of North Carolina
Sanders said.
The victim alleges that
Sapalicio, A Filipino
American who resides in
Chesapeake, Va., groped
her while she was physi
cally helpless due to me
dicinal sedation, court
records, show. The inci
dent occurred in a mobile
medical unit similar to a
See RETRIAL, 4A
Archives and History’s re
gional office in Greenville.
In a letter to Bond, Thom
as wrote that he asked for
Fishetti’s input because
“he was very helpful with
Kadesh AME Zion Church
(in Edenton) and several
other damaged structures
after Hurricane Isabel.” ; _
Fischetti wrote to Bond ~ >
that he believes the build
ing can be stabilized and
ultimately saved. ,
In his letter, Fischetti
suggested a method uti
lizing transverse steel
See LODGE, 2A ~