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482-4418 Wednesday, March 22, 2017 50^
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WWW.CAROLINACHRYSLER.COM 1 252-335-0724 11001 HALSTEAD BLVD.
ELIZABETH CITY
Chowan Senior Center poised for repairs
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Two of Edenton’s be
loved former school build
ings received a lot of at
tention at Monday night’s
meeting of the Chowan
County Board of Commis
sioners.
Gertha Bond-Thomas of
Edenton gave an impas
sioned speech in favor of
preserving the two-story
Walker School building on
North Oakum Street and
the commissioners heard
a report from the county
manager on plans for re
pairs to the Senior Center
in the former Swain School
building, which was dam
aged last fall by flooding
from Hurricane Matthew.
“I’m here to express
support for and appeal to
the county commission
ers for the preservation of
Edenton D.E Walker High
School,” Bond-Thomas
said during the public com
ment period at the meet
ing.
Bond-Thomas said she
attended the school for all
of her formal education
that began in first grade
and ended when she gradu
ated her senior year of high
school in 1965.
“That school was the
foundation for many stu
dents’ education in this
community,” she said.
“Because of its signifi
cance to the community,
it should be placed on the
National Register of His
toric Buildings. This build
ing may be utilized for
“Think about how important this building has
been to the success of this community and the
impact it can have in the future.”
Gertha Bond-Thomas
Edenton resident
many purposes and organi
zations in this community.
Some have been stated in
previous meetings. Think
about how important this
building has been to the
success of this community
and the impact it can have
in the future.”
For the past several
county commissioner
meetings, alumni of D.F.
Walker High School have
spoken in favor of preserv
ing the building.
The commissioners also
heard from half a dozen
members of the public at
a meeting earlier this year
in support of repairs to the
Senior Center.
The good news for resi
dents concerned about the
Senior Center is that the
county recently received
a check from its insurance
company for $402,546,
which covers damages to
the Senior Center, Health
Department and an emer
gency communications
tower antenna, said Coun
ty Manager Kevin Howard.
Howard said the Senior
Center’s portion of that
amount comes to around
$392,026 while the Health
Department’s share is
about $34,100 and the
communications tower an
tenna’s portion is $1,420.
As to the Senior Cen
ter, the commission ap
proved Howard’s request
to split the repairs needed
into two separate jobs. He
said one project would be
to provide the immediate
necessary repairs for the
building including drywall
and wiring while the other
project would be for the
property’s heating and air
conditioning system, which
services the Swain Audito
rium. The former Swain
School building houses the
auditorium, apartments for
older adults and the Senior
Center.
Howard said by splitting
the projects up, it would
be very possible to get the
building “up and running”
sooner as the HVAC repairs
are being completed.
Howard said work on
the project can begin with
in the next 60 to 90 days.
In other business, Chow
an County Schools’ Super
intendent Rob Jackson
provided the commission
with an update as to the
status of capital projects
that were approved in fis
cal year 2017-18.
During Jackson’s report,
See CENTER, 2A
A Great Day For County
STAFF PHOTO BY REGGIE PONDER
Chowan County and the Edenton Historical Commission sign an agreement authorizing the EHC to restore and
exhibit the 1825 Chowan County Jail. Pictured (l-r) are Sally Francis Kehayes and Ben Speller of the Edenton
Historical Commision, Chowan Board of Commissioners Chairman Jeff Smith, Dawson Tyler of the Edenton
Historical Commission, and Mike Ervin, executive director of the Edenton Historical Commission. Not pictured is
Bonita McCall, whose father, the late Glenn Perry, was the last jailer at the jail.
Edenton
businessman
faces sex charges
County, Historical Commission ink
restoration deal on historic jail
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
Chowan County and the Edenton
Historical Commission last week
signed their agreement authorizing
the EHC to restore the historic Chow
an County Jail and make it available
as a public exhibit.
The county retains ownership of
the property under the agreement.
At a signing ceremony Thursday af
ternoon at the county’s Historic 1825
Jail, which is located behind the 1767
Chowan County Courthouse, Chowan
Board of Commissioners Chairman
Jeff Smith and EHC President Sally
Francis Kehayes both said it was a
great day for the county.
Smith said the EHC„a private non-
profit, was better suited to manage
the historic property than the county
government was.
Also on hand for the ceremony
were Dawson Tyler and Ben Speller
of the EHC, EHC executive director
Mike Ervin, and Bonita McCall.
McCall’s father, the late Glenn
See JAIL, 2A
From staff reports
An Edenton man was ar
rested last week on charges
of sexual exploitation of a
minor and solicitation of a
child by computer, accord
ing to the Chowan County
Sheriff’s Office.
John Lee Allen Gay, 55,
of Country Club Drive, was
charged in warrants ob
tained by the State Bureau
of Investigation with sec
ond-degree sexual exploita
tion of a minor, third-degree
sexual exploitation of a mi
nor, and soliciting a child by
computer.
Gay was released on
$65,000 secured bond, ac
cording to Chowan County
Sheriff Dwayne Goodwin.
The warrant signed by
Magistrate Kim M. O’Connor
indicates probable cause
that Gay received and solic
ited a visual representation
of a 15-year-old male that
included “the presentation
of the penis of the minor
child” and that he arranged
to meet for the purpose of
committing sex acts.
In an interview with the
Chowan Herald Gay ac
knowledged going on the
adult website, Grinder. He
said that because there was
a statement posted on the
site that anyone using it had
to be at least 18 years of
age he thought only those
GAY
who are le
gally adults
could be
communi
cated with
on the site.
Gay said
he is rep
resented
by attorney
Jack Warmack.
Last month Gay was
charged with cocaine pos
session and driving while
impaired.
Sortly after the February
arrest, Gay was released on
$10,000 secured bond on
the drug charge and $1,000
unsecured bond on the DWI
charge, according to the
Sheriff’s Office.
John McArthur, inves
tigator with the Chowan
County Sheriff’s Office, said
at the time of the February
arrest that investigators had
acted on information that
Gay had drugs in his pos
session. In addition, Gay
had been observed buying
narcotics during the course
of the joint investigation by
the Sheriff’s Office and the
State Bureau of Investiga
tion, McArthur said.
When he was contacted
by the Chowan Herald
shortly after the February
arrest, Gay denied having
drugs in his possession at
the time of that arrest.
Local man killed in
head-on collision
Two-county chase ends with arrests
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
A two-county chase
through Chowan and Ber
tie counties Friday after
noon ended with the arrest
of two of the vehicle’s three
occupants.
6 lli 89076 ,, 44813 l 0
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
MELTON
Eden
ton Police
Chief Jay
Forten-
beiy said
the inci
dent began
when lo
cal police
officers
ipted to stop a vehicle
Badham Road because
of the occupants is a
person of interest in an on
going investigation.
“The vehicle refused to
stop and fled from authori
ties,” the chief said. “The
chase continued down
Broad Street to Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. Avenue and
on to Highway 17 where the
suspects fled into Bertie
Comity.”
Those arrested were:
■ Ttykavis Requan
Melton, 19, of Sandy Ter
race Road, Edenton,
charged with felony speed
ing to elude arrest and
multiple traffic violations.
Melton was released under
a $5,500 bond.
■ Dremale Vanterpool,
18, of 2125 John Hill Lane,
charged with littering.
“A third party was in the
vehicle but was not charged
with any violations,” Forten-
bery said.
Fortenbery added that
the Bertie County Sheriffs
Office, the NC Highway
Patrol and the Chowan
County Sheriff’s Offfice as
sisted in the chase and sub
sequent apprehension of
the suspects.
BY REGGIE PONDER
Staff Writer
An Edenton man was
killed in a head-on collision
on Virginia Road around
5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Leon Basnight, 59, of
Edenton, was pronounced
dead at the scene, accord
ing to Trooper KR. Briggs of
the N.C. Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred on
Virginia Road (N.C. 32) just
north of Valhalla and about
six miles north of the town
limits, Briggs reported.
Daniel Hurdle Jr., 25, of
Edenton, was driving a 2011
Toyota Camry north on N.C.
32 and Basnight was driving
a 1989 Chevrolet S-10 pick-
up truck south, Briggs said.
Hurdle tried to pass an
other vehicle, and when
he realized the pickup was
headed in his direction the
Camry ran off the road to
the left, came back into
the road and then collided
head-on with the pickup,
Briggs said.
Both vehicles were de
stroyed in the crash, accord
ing to the Trooper.
Hurdle was taken to Vi
dant Chowan Hospital and
later was transferred to
Vidant Medical Center in
Greenville, Briggs said.
Charges are pending,
Briggs said.
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