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WEDNESDAY, June 29, 2011
Serving All of Person County Since 1881
Copyright The Courier-Times inc. 2011 All Rights Reserved
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Our 129th Year — No. 52
Roxboro, North Carolina
Three Sections — 22 Pages
www.personcountylite.com
Citizen Police Academy
■ An indepth look at local law enforcement
By GREY PENTECOST
C-T Staff Writer
greypentecost@roxboro-courier.com
Its patrol cars can be seen cruising
the city roadways on a daily basis, but
how much does the average citizen
really know about the inner workings
of the agency that exists to serve and
protect Roxboro?
This spring, 10 Roxboro and Person
County residents went beyond surface-
level knowledge and pre-conceived no
tions to gain a deeper understanding of
the Roxboro Police Department (RPD),
by participating in the fifth session of
the Citizen Police Academy (CPA).
The eight-week informational course,
designed to educate Roxboro citizens
about the structure and activities of the
police department, included presenta
tions on police records and technology,
traffic enforcement, laws of search and
seizure and firearm safety.
“It’s not all going out and getting in a
car and chasing down bad guys and put
ting them in jail,” said Roxhoro Police
Lt. Mike Price, who with the assistance
of Sgt. Daniel Roberson, coordinated the
most recent CPA session.
Price noted that the job of a police
officer is “more than what you see on
TV,” as there are a lot of technical ele
ments involved, from training to detailed
procedures officers must follow. He said
he hoped the CPA would clear up mis
conceptions class members may have
had about police work, and that in turn
they would act as “a voice for the police
department” among those they come in
contact with in their daily lives.
“The sessions are also a chance for us
to show how we are increasingly using
partnerships and new technology in
resolving issues of crime and violence,”
said Police Chief Todd Boycher. “The
resolution of two recent shooting cases
is an example of our increasing desire
to work in concert with citizens to abate
criminal activity. Former members of
our academies are valuable sources of
information, as well as the dissemina
tion of information. In an increasingly
complex world, [the RPD] must have
buy-in, like that from former CPA mem
ber s, in order to function effectively and
efficiently.”
The RPD’s first CPA was held in 2005,
and prior to this year, the academy had
seen over 100 graduates. The most re
cent session marked the first time Price
and Roberson served as coordinators.
In organizing the session, which was
comprised of one three-hour class per
week, they focused on placing the topics
to he covered in a logical order, from the
structure of the police department to
courtroom proceedings.
“It’s like anything else,” said Price,
“if you don’t start with a good solid
foundation, you pretty much don’t un
derstand everything that happens after
that, so we kind of formed that schedule
with that in mind, building a foundation
for each next step so that everything had
a nice flow to it.”
The history portion, included in the
first session, was one of several new
additions to the CPA. Because the de-
See CITIZEN back page
Roxboro Police Det. Ricky Hughes delivers a presentation on gang
awareness to participants in the Citizen Police Academy.
Photo submitted
The Shytle family, from left, Chylene, Joel, Ryan and Nicole, appreciate the care Joel receives at the Shriners
Hospital for Children in Greenville, S.C. Shriners here say they believe more children in the county could
benefit but aren't aware of all that's available from Shriners International and the hospitals.
'It all comes down
to the children'
Shriners meet medical needs of youngsters
By PHYLISS BOATWRIGHT
C-T Staff Writer
pboatwright@roxboro-courier.com
For two Person County children,
there’s a lot more to Shriners than
parades, funny cars and fezzes.
Joel Shytle, like any eight-year-old
hoy, loves to play video games and watch
movies.
His favorite movie of all is Cars. When
a newspaper reporter visited him this
Photo submitted
Michelle, Mark, Tanner and Cody Martin are grateful for the prostheses
Tanner receives from the Shriners Hospital for Children.
week, Joel talked about his favorite Cars
character. Mater the tow truck, and said
he couldn’t wait to see Cars 2.
Joel is lively, funny and obviously
bright. The fact that he has Spina bifida
and epilepsy doesn’t seem to hinder him
much. Without the braces on his legs,
Joel scoots around the floor at breakneck
speed, pulling himself along with little
strong arms.
Hehas an electric wheelchair but only
uses it when absolutely necessary. His
mom, Chylene Shytle, doesn’t want her
son to depend on the wheelchair more
than he has to. But he will imitate Mater
now and then, trying to be “the world’s
best backward driver.”
Even at such a young age, Joel can
insert his catheter, so that he can go to
the bathroom alone.
This young man is pretty self-suffi
cient for one so young, and one with so
many medical problems.
But he does have to accept help with
braces and pads for his legs, catheters,
and suppositories to help him def
ecate.
That help comes from the Shriners
Hospitalfor Children in Greenville, S.C.
and from a couple of Person County
Shrine members.
Ernie Wood said last week that he
knew of five children, including Joel
and 13-year-old Tanner Martin, that
See IT back page
^Scattered' rain brings
little relief for farmers
By PHYLISS BOATWRIGHT
C-T Staff Writer
pboatwright@roxboro-courier.com
Despite spotty showers and thunder
storms Monday night, and a forecast
for possibly more rain Tuesday and
Wednesday, the word for Person County
farmers is “dry”
That was the one remark used by
county Extension Service Director
Derek Day Monday when asked about
the state of fields here.
Day did offer a positive note about the
dry weather that has plagued the county
for the past few weeks.
“The dry spell was good enough that
[farmers] finished cutting the wheat and
getting the hay up,” Day said Monday
afternoon.
The corn crops need rain within the
next five to 10 days, however. Day said,
or they will be behind schedule.
He said growers here had planted
about half of their expected soybean
crops and that those early beans that
were planted in May “need rain.”
Many farmers plan to plant a “double
crop” of soybeans in fields from which
they just harvested wheat. Day said.
He said some early tobacco crops
were “coming in,” and a few growers
had begun irrigating their leaf fields.
“If there is no rain this week,” Day
said on Monday, “then they [growers]
will be irrigating in earnest by Wednes
day or Thursday.”
He said tobacco “likes it dry early
on” in the growing season, but that
most crops in Person County were
now at a stage where they needed some
rainfall.
On Tuesday, following Monday
night’s thunderstorms. Day said the
amount of rainfall averaged “from
nothing to a half inch” over most of
the county
Some “pockets on the south end”
of the county reported from one and
one-half inches to two inches of rain
Monday, Day said. He added that the
storms were “very scattered,” however,
thus affording no real relief for farm
ers here.
Commissioners make
appointments to boards
By TIM CHANDLER
Courier-Times Editor
tchandler@roxboro-courier.com
The Person Board of County Commis
sioners made appointments to various
volunteer boards last week following
a closed session to conduct interviews
for the posts.
Larry H. Bowes, a former commis
sioner, was reappointed to a three-year
term on the ABC Board and Dr. An
derson White was reappointed to one
three-year post available on the Airport
Commission.
Two positions were available on the
Board of Adjustment and commission
ers reappointed Ronald Perkins and Lois
Mclver Winstead to fill those three-year
terms.
Three persons were reappointed to
fill three-year terms on the county’s
Board of Health. They included Allison
Porterfield (pharmacist), Steven Bailey
(engineer) and Leon Martin (general
public).
Gordon Phillip Allen Jr. was reap
pointed to a three-year term on the
Economic Development Commission
and Randy King was appointed to the
other three-year position available on
the commission.
LeighAnn Creson was reappointed to
a three-year term on the Home Health
and Hospice Advisory Committee, while
Robert H. Allen was tabbed for a six-year
term on the Industrial Facilities and Pol
lution Control Financing Authority.
A two-year position was available
on the Jury Commission and commis
sioners reappointed Tammy O’Briant
to that post.
Several appointments were made on
the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council
to represent various areas, including
Kristy Melvin (Roxboro Police Depart
ment), Alisa Mitchell Black (district
attorney’s office), Melanie Puryear
(Department of Social Services), Jayne
Bremer (United Way) and Allison D.
Daye (person under the age of 21).
A pair of two-year terms were
initially available on the Mayo Lake
Advisory Committee; however, com
missioners voted unanimously to ex
pand the committee to five members.
Commissioners reappointed Grant
M. Christy to a two-year term and ap
pointed Alan D. Jones, Gerry O’Neil,
Larry Yarborough, a former county
commissioner, and Jay Poindexter to
two-year terms as well.
William Bullock was reappointed to
a three-year term on the Person-Caswell
Lake Authority and Cleve Wagstaff was
reappointed to a four-year term on the
Piedmont Community College Board
of Trustees.
Kenneth Malcolm Montgomery
was reappointed to the one three-year
term available on the Planning Board
and Froncello Bumpass and Johnny
Myrl Lunsford, the former chair of the
county commissioners, were named
to three-year terms on the Recreation
Advisory Board. Lois Mclver Winstead
was named to a three-year term on the
Region K Aging Advisory and Tonya
Ragans Wilson was reappointed to the
Workforce Development Board.
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