'Ll Bl IM
deep OK>OS)||^'
482-4418
Wednesday, May 10, 201 7
WWW.CAROLINACHRYSLER.COM 1252-335-0724 11001 HALSTEAD BLVD.
ELIZABETH CITY
NC Supreme Court hears 2 cases in Edenton
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
North Carolina’s Supreme
Court heard oral arguments
in two cases in the court
room of the historic Chow
an County Courthouse on
Tuesday.
The first case the court’s
seven justices heard was
State v. Mario Andrette
McNeill. It centered a man
seeking to overturn his con
victions in the death of a 5-
year-old child. Among other
reasons, the outcome of the
case will hinge upon the
definition of attorney-client
privilege.
Wray v. the City of
Greensboro was the second
case heard by the justices.
It’s an appeal involving a
former police chief who is
seeking to recover employ
ee benefits from the city of
Greensboro.
The court session was
held in the historic court-
house on King Street in hon
or of its 250th anniversary
this year.
In the McNeil case, jus
tices listened to oral ar
guments and questioned
McNeil’s defense attorney
and prosecutors for nearly
an hour and a half inside a
packed courtroom.
In May 2013, a Cumber
land County jury convicted
McNeil of first-degree mur
der, first-degree kidnapping,
sexual offense of a child,
indecent liberties with a
child, human trafficking and
sexual servitude in connec
tion with a child’s death. He
was sentenced to death.
The body of 5-year-old
Shaniya Davis body was
found on Nov. 16, 2009, in a
kudzu patch off N.C. High
way 87 on the Lee-Harnett
county line, six days after
she was reported missing
from her Fayetteville mo
bile home.
A medical examiner’s au
topsy determined that she
had been suffocated, and
she had injuries “consis
tent with a sexual assault”
See COURT, 2A
THOMAS J. TURNEY/THE DAILY ADVANCE
Justices of the N.C. Supreme Court stand prior to the start of their rare court session
in the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse, Tuesday. The justices heard appeals in two
cases during the session.
PHOTO BY MILES LAYTON
White Oak Elementary
Librarian Beth Brabble
reads to students as
Friday’s storm batters
Chowan County.
Sheriff:
Tornado
touches
down
BY MILES LAYTON
AND REBECCA BUNCH
Chowan Herald
A tornado touched down
in the Rocky Hock area
of Chowan County early
Friday morning, damaging
buildings but causing no re
ported injuries, the Chowan
sheriff said Friday.
“There was some prop
erty damage but thankfully
no one got hurt,” Sheriff
Dwayne Goodwin told the
Chowan Herald.
Chowan Comity officials
said the National Weather
Service reported the torna
do touched down just east
of the Chowan River near
Whites Landing Road and
Gum Pond Road. The torna
do caused tree damage as it
See TORNADO, 2A
Submitted PHOTO
Adrian Wood and her husband Thomas of Edenton are the proud parents of four children. A mother and
author, Wood offers advice as to her experiences raising a family.
Mom of four offers advice, secrets
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Mother’s Day is around
the corner on Sunday, so
it is time to honor those
women who have their
hands on the cradle to
shape the lives of all those
around.
Adrian Wood and her
husband Thomas are the
proud parents of four
young children, one of
whom has very special
needs. On any given week
day, this mom can be seen
picking up her school age
kids from the bus stop in
downtown Edertton or
Honoring Mothers
Steinburg
talks tort
grocery shopping while ac
complishing more, much
more.
Among other honors,
Wood has a PhD along
with extensive experience
not only in early childhood
education, but. as a writer
whose blog “Tales of edu
cated debutante” is just a
mouse click away.
Quick reminder — shop
local for Mother’s Day. For
more about where to go,
see the For the Love of Lo
cal column on page A4.
Back to Wood. Most
often, there is a smile on
Wood’s face, so the Chow
an Herald sought to learn
more from her about the
secrets of motherhood.
Chowan Herald: What
do you find most challeng
ing about being a mother
in today’s world?
Wood: Juggling life is
what I find most challeng
ing. Being a wife, mother
to four, a fledgling writer,
all our wonderful roles,
but I seem to drop the ball
more than I like.
CH: Does your being the
parent of an autistic child
make it harder some days?
Wood: Ummm, that
would be a yes. Yes. Yes.
Yes. Our days are harder
and look vastly different
than the ones before we
were gifted our Amos. The
real question is: Does hav
ing Amos make your days
more joyful? And again,
that would be a yes. It’s
quite possible to have both
all wrapped up together
which has been such a gift
of enlightenment .
CH: After a long day
of, well, being a parent —
which means picking up
clothes, food, travel, etc.
— where do you find the
strength to go on? Really,
where do moms find that
hidden reserve of strength
See MOM, 5A
reform
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
State House Representa
tive Bob Steinburg, R-Chow-
an, said he is cautiously op
timistic that,
there are
enough
votes to
override
Gov. Roy
Cooper’s
veto of an
important
agriculture
bill that
STEINBURG
protects farms hog farms
from frivolous lawsuits.
Last month, legislators
passed House Bill 467 be
cause more than two dozen
lawsuits are pending fed
eral court against the state’s
largest hog producer, Mur
phy-Brown, a subsidiary
of Smithfield Foods. More
than 500 people living near
the hog farms have com
plained about the stench,
insects, rats and water
See STEINBURG, 2A
COA
seeking
ag program
BY NICOLE
BOWMAN-LAYTON
For the Chowan Herald
Chowan County Com
missioner John Mitchener
said he has high hopes
that College of Albemar
le’s new president, Rob
ert Wynegar, can help the
See COA, 6A
Community remembers fallen prison guard
6
Like us on Facebook at
/EDENTON-CHOWANHERALD
'89076 44813
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
0
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Hundreds of people, in
cluding Gov. Roy Cooper,
attended a funeral service
in Edenton recently for
a prison guard who was
killed in the line of duty, a
local woman described by
many as kind and loving.
Traffic was blocked on
Virginia Road on May 4 as
a horse-drawn caisson with
Sgt. Meggan Callahan’s
flag-covered casket was
led by state troopers to
Edenton United Methodist
Church. Two long rows of
law enforcement officers
raised their hands in salute
as Callahan’s casket was
taken inside the church.
Polk County Correction
al Facility Administrator
John Hamlin was among
the many law enforcement
officials from various agen
cies across the state who
attended the service that
was closed to the media.
“It’s very moving, astrong
sign of solidarity and very
refreshing,” Hamlin said.
“This is one of our own.
We don’t have to work at
the Bertie Correctional In
stitution for us to feel this
and to mourn her loss. This
could have been anyone at
any one of our facilities.”
Callahan, 29, died April
26 from injuries she suf
fered during an attack by
an inmate at Bertie Correc
tional Institution in Wind
sor.
Chowan Sheriffs Deputy
Heather Matthews led the
funeral procession from
Callahan’s residence in
Edenton to the church.
“She was a good woman,
neighbor and friend,” Mat
thews said. “I was very hon
ored that the family asked
me to lead the procession.
They said she would’ve
wanted me to do this for
her, so I graciously accept
ed. It is still kind shocking.
She was so young. She will
be missed.”
Many of Callahan’s
friends and neighbors
spoke movingly about her
following the service.
Kim Hickman and her
daughter Leah said they
miss Callahan.
“She always had a smile
that lit up the room,” Kim
Hickman said. “Her per
sonality was just awesome.
This is a big loss for the
community because it has
touched so many people.”
Leah Hickman and Calla
han attended John A. Hol
mes High School together.
“You couldn’t know any
one better. She was always
happy,” Leah Hickman
See FUNERAL, 6A
LocakFresftOrqanic-:
Chowan County Strawberries, Organic 730 N Granville St
Veggies, Local Meats, Local Seafood, Open each Saturday
Artisan Grafts, Baked Goods, Plants, Sam-neon
^^n^ilii^B2wl£MSSR^^^
Proud Gold Level Sponsor
TIRE& SERVICE