Sturdivant claims unfair treatment
8y SAMANTHA McKENZIE
Chronicle Staff Writer
employee who was fired from the
Police Department in October for
releasing $5,000 to a woman who
identified herself as Beth Tilley,
said she's been treated unfairly by
the department and the media.
Sturdivant, former property
specialist, said the police^ depart
ment wrongfully accused her of
taking the money only after the
woman who had found the
money, Jacqueline Gray, filed a
lawsuit.
"I have worked for the depart
ment in the property room for 15
years. I have a clean record. This
has damaged my character. I would
not have taken that money to begin
with," she said.
Following her dismissal, Stur
divant said she contacted both
Alderman Vivian Burke and the
local NAACP to find out what
could be done, but was unsuccess
ful in finding help.
"While I was being questioned
the investigators told me, 'Well
JoAnn, you might as well tell us the
truth. You might as well confess,' "
she said.
"I didn't take the money, but it
seemed like they had already made
up their minds that I did," she said.
Sturdivant said she thinks her
termination was just a way for the
department to '*put the blame" on
someone.
Sturdivant, who is still unem
ployed, said some of the reports on
the events leading up to April 27
have been incorrect and has left the
public thinking that she is guilty.
' "There was no policy that said
we couldn't release property on the
weekends. If there is, they must
have changed that after I left It has
always been policy that we release
on weekends if tbp person is from
out of town. As far as I was con
cerned the woman was from out of
town, she was from Raleigh," she
said, v
"I remember Saturdays when
(the department) called me in just to
release property to someone who
was from out of town," she said.
Sturdivant admits her one mis
take was releasing the money with
out having a supervisor present
Sturdivant said she told Inter
nal Affairs investigators that on Sat
urday, April 27, while on her way to
the second floor balhioom, she
observed two officers standing in
the hallway and said "hello" to
them, but the report states that the
officers said they do not recall see
ing hex at thai point.
"Why would I say I saw them
if I didn't know for sure that I did?
If I was trying to cover up some
thing I wouldn't have had to men
tion them at all, " she said.
She said the report states that
while counting the $5,000 she
observed a uniformed officer turn
ing the comer but only got a glance
at the back of his head. The report
also states that Sturdivant was not
able to recognize the officer or pick
him out from the Police Department
Annual.
But Sturdivant said if she
reported seeing the back of some
one's head, it would also be impos
sible for her to figure out who the
officer was from a photograph. "If I
had seen the officer's face, of course
I would be able to identify him. I've
been working there for 15 years. 1
practically know who everyone is,"
she said.
Sturdivant also said the reason
she did not transfer the driver's
license number to the correct copy
after she had made the mistake of
putting it on the wrong copy was
because it was accidentally filed
away.
"When I realized I made the
mistake I put the copies on my
desk and planned to get back to it
later. Somehow, I guess, it was
filed away by^accident. It was
never entered into the computers,
riothing was done to it. I told my
supervisor that I couldn't find the
copies that I had left on my desk.
She was the one who suggested
that 1 look in the files and sure
enough when I looked it was
there," she said.
Sturdivant said the papers
were probably sitting on her desk
for less than two weeks when it
was misfiled.
Home Builders' Triad Home and
Garden show starts this weekend
Triad residents will have the
opportunity to compare the latest
products and services of 160 home
and garden exhibitors, while also
contributing to the efforts of Habi
tat for Humanity and the Winston
Salem/Forsyth County Garden
Council this weekend.
Four years ago, the Home
Builders Association of Winston
Salem, Inc., hosted its first Home
Show. Since that time, the show
has grown into the Triad Home &
Garden Show, a group of over 150
exhibitors with gsrdeningrtoB&~
improvement, housing products,
and building and remodeling exper
tise.
As the show continues to grow,
so does the Home Builders Associa
tion's commitment to the Triad
community. For the fourth year, the
Forsyth County Habitat for Human
ity will receive a percentage of the
proceeds from the show, to help
make home ownership a reality to
those to whom it would only be a
dream. In addition, a portion of the
proceeds tyill go to the Garden
Council to help fund its community
beautification efforts.
Those attending the show will
be able to take part in demon stra
-^ftori classes, seminars, view the
Standard Flower Show of Horticul
ture and Design, win valuable door
prizes, and of course, get exciting
ideas to make the home of their
dreams a reality.
The flower show entitled,
"Winter Blooms," will be open to
amateurs and held on Friday, Feb.
It will be hosted by The
ston-Salem/Forsyth County Garden
Council. Viewing of the entries
will continue through Sunday,
March 1 during the show's hours.
The Triad Home & Garden
Show will be held Feb. 28-March 1.
Tickets are only $3 in advance and
$4 at the door. For ticket informa
tion, call the Home Builders Asso
ciation. of Winston-Salem, Inc. at
768-5942 or the Winston-Salem/
Forsyth County Garden Council at
722-5640.
28.
Suicide? ;
Continued from page A1
v mother call Linda Hopson, the
assistant principal at Paisleyr-to
clear up the misunderstanding.
Hopson talked with both James and
Gregory over the phone.
However, while Gregory
spoke to Hopson on the phone, the
conversation turned from the alco
hol to possession of a knife at
school, according to James.
Although Gregory did not explain
the situation about the knife to his
grandmother, she stated that what
ever was said between Hopson and
Gregory is what sent him over the
edge. School officials refuse to
comment on the incident at the
school, citing that it is a confiden
tial school matter.
"When he quit talking to her,
he said,Tm in more trouble than I
thought I was,'" recalled James, 79.
"He said, 'Oh, Grandmama, I'm get
ting cold. So he put his coat on and
he came back in the room where I
was and kissed me on the jaw. He
said, 'Grandmama let me go 'round
the house and look at your back
yard. I haven't seen around there in
a long time.'"
A few minutes later, James
heard the shot that fatally wounded
Gregory. He died at North Carolina
Baptist Hospital a day later.
The gun that killed Gregory
belonged to Mrs. James, who kept it
hidden in a back room. She said if
she had known he had it she would
have immediately taken it away
from him. She had no idea what he
was going outside to do, but some
how she understands why her
grandson felt there was no alterna
tive.
"He never had any trouble in
school at all. This was his first
offense at school, and I sayxit^as
just too much for him to take," she
said. "And he told me he didn't
want to face his foster father, being
suspended out of school."
Gregory had been in foster
care for the past three years. His
foster parents were Ruby and Abron
Griffin of PfafTtown. It was Grego
ry's foster mother who had brought
him to James' home on Wednesday
to stay until she got off of work
later that evening.
Before being placed in foster
care, Gregory had lived with his
grandmother on North Cherry
Street for 12 years, after his mother,
Sylvia Gregory, left him there to
stay. James said she and Gregory
got along great. He was never any
trouble to her. "He was so good.
He never sassied me," she said.
"He'd say 'Grandmama, I love you
so dearly.'"
James added that somehow
Hopson is responsible for Alex'
death.
"I called Miss Hopson (Fri
day). I told her I hold her responsi
ble for Alex's death. She said she
was so sorry. She didn't think she
said anything to him that would
have caused him to do that. I told
her I had to get that off my chest,
because I'm a person who don't
carry things against nobody. I felt
better after I told her that," said
James. "But before she told him
she was going to expel him from
school, I feel like she should have
talked to his parents first, not told
him."
Thursday, the day after Gre
gory's suicide, a Crisis Intervention
Team was sent to Paisley to coun
sel the students and teachers.
According to Kay Dignan, one of
the seven school psychologists sent
to Paisley, Gregory's death was a
heavy blow.
"When we got out to the
school on Thursday morning, there
were a number of students who
were visibly upset, mostly the
eighth graders who knew him," said
Dignan. She also stated that several
students who knew Gregory even
questioned whether his death was
indeed a suicide, an issue which
came about when radio station
WSJS reported that Gregory had
been involved in drugs.
James emphatically denies
any involvement Qregory may have
had with drugs. ^
"No, not at all," she stated.
"That old mess wasjonjhe air.
WSJS said it got that from the pub
lic. They never interviewed me."
The same day WSJS aired
the story, James called the station
management and threatened to
sue the station over the false
report. She said that station offi
cials claimed that the information
from another suicide involving
another African-American youth
allegedly involved in drugs had
somehow been mistakened with
Gregory's suicide by the station
news reporter. That was despite
the fact that the Winston-Salem
Police Department's report found
no indication of drug use or
involvement.
And Captain L. G. Petree of
the Police Department told the
Chronicle that "we had nothing to
indicate that." WSJS corrected their
mistake on the air.
But even though Gregory was
buried last Monday, Feb. 17, the
senselessness of his death still ;
lingers on with those who knew
him, and even those who didn't
Capt. Petree stated, "I felt
really badly about this. It was a real
tragedy because I felt like he was a
really nice boy."
James said that in a way Gre
gory is still with her. "Since he did
n't live with me I don't feel like he's
dead. I just feel like he's out at
Pfafftown, and I always say any
thing God do, I'm pleased with it,
because he don't do no wrong," she
said.
"I've been taught all my life
that Jesus comes along sometimes
when a family's all split up or
messed up, and He takes the best
one in the family to bring the others
together. And I believe in that"
postnm r
WINSTON-SALEM!
Good News About Winston-Salem
and Forsyth County ? Where We
Live , Work and Play!
WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ? Wake
Forest recently dedicated its new $7.3 million
library wing to Edwin G. Wilson, an English
professor and vice president at the university.
The four-level, addition to WFUVZ. Smith _ -
Reynolds Library features a Computerized card
catalog for the library's 1.1 million volumes and
persona! computers with word-processing
software.
Your
Government
at Work
INTEGON PARKING DECK AND OFFICE EXPANSION ?
Working with Integon Life Insurance Company, the city
helped structure a $6.8 mi)lion package to finan
building a parking deck and office building in downtown
Winston-Salem. Integon is guaranteeing the debt and
will operate the facility. The Greater Winston-Salem
Chamber of Commerce and Winston-Salem Business are
merging and will occupy space in the offiec building.
In Our Own Back Yard
QUALITY OIL ? The nation's largest jobber for Shell
Oil is based in Winston-Salem. Founded in 1929,
Quality Oil distributes gasoline to more than 100
service stations and convenience stores and sells home
heating oil locally and through two remote terminals.
The company, whieh also operates Reliable Tank Lines
and several motels and shopping centers, has about
120 local employees.
Our Best Kept Secrets
THERMCRAFT, INC. ? Founded in Winston-Salem 21 years
ago, Thermcraft designs and manufactures high-temperature
heaters, furnaces, ovens and related systems. The company's
industrial, laboratory and government customers use
Thermcraft products for research and development and for
manufacturing such products as semi-conductors, electronic
components, petroleum products and nuclear energy. The
company recently acquired two manufacturers of related
products and merged them into
\\ local operations.
Unsung Heroes
FORSYTH COUNTY EMERGENCY MEDICAL
SERVICES ? Working closely with volunteers from
22 local rescue squads, EMS's 63 certified emergency
medical technicians and paramedics answer more
than 24,000 calls each year ? usually within six
minutes, providing' skilled emergency care and fast,
safe transportation to area hospitals. Many dedicated
EMS employees do double-duty as rescue squad
volunteers on their days off.
As the World Sees Us
R.J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO INTERNATIONAL, INC. ?
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco International recently
announced plans to build a $33 million cigarettc
plant in Poland. International tobacco sales
accounted for $2.68 billion or 17.9 perccnt of RJR
Nabiseo's $14.99 billion in 1991 sales and 31.4
perccnt of total tobacco sales.
International tobacco profits accounted for $531.5
million of the company's $2.73 billion in 1991
tobacco profits.
This meaaafte is a collaborative effort of The Greater
Wlnaton-Salem Chamber of Commerce and The
Wlnaton-Salem Retail Merchant* A**ociation.
ERNIE SHORE FIELD ? Work is underway to
renovate Ernie Shore Field, home of the
Winston-Salem Spirits, our own Class A pro
baseball team. The $1 million renovation will
provide a new locker room, expanded
restroom and concession facilities, new
offices, improved lighting and approximately
3,000 more seats for the 36-year-old facility.
The project is expected to be finished in
1993.
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