Warrenton'i an . Library Z
.17 S . Ma In St.
Warranton, N.C. 275,
Wqz lamtt Secorb
Volume 94 25? Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, December 20, 1989 Number 51
FIGHTING THE FLAMES?Firemen from the
Warrenton Rural Fire Department extinguish flames
at the home of Mrs. Mary Crump Hendricks, who
died in the Monday morning fire. An SBI investiga
tion into the cause of her death is being conducted,
and officials are focusing on an electrical meter box
as the cause of the fire.
(Staff Photo by Howard Jones)
SBI Called In, Autopsy Ordered
Fatal Fire Near Warrenton Said
Suspicious In Nature By Lawman
By DIANE DAVIS
Staff Writer
A fire of asuspicious nature which
claimed the life of a Warren ton woman
is under investigation by the State
Bureau of Investigation.
Mrs. Mary Crump Hendricks, of
the Baltimore Road community, was
killed early Monday morning in a fire
which was said to nave started in the
living room area of her home. The
one-story frame structure was for
merly a two-store wood home in which
Mrs. Hendricks lived with her son,
the late William Crump, but a fire
nearly four years ago destroyed the
house. The home was rebuilt later as
a one-story structure, and since then
an addition was added.
An autopsy on Mrs. Hendricks'
body was ordered, as is routine pro
cedure when a fatality occurs fol
lowing a house fire. In addition, the
SBI was called in to investigate the
incident
"We didn't like what we saw,"
said Sgt. Lawrence E. Harrison of the
Warren County Sheriff s Department
School Emptied
By Bomb Scare
Norlina Middle School students
got a 30-minute break from class on
Friday of last week when an anony
mous caller told the school's office
personnel that a bomb had been
planted inside the school.
Norlina Police Lt. James Cham
pion said the threat was made at 2:10
p.m. when an anonymous female
caller told Mrs. Ann Mulchi, secre
tary, about the bomb.
Students were immediately evacu
ated from the school building and
lined up on the football field behind
the school. At least IS emergency
workers from the Norlina Volunteer
Fire Department, the Warren County
Sheriffs Department and the Norlina
Police Department then searched all
the rooms and lockers. Nothing was
found.
Champion said the department has
no leads on the threat. He said the last
bomb threat at the school occurred
three or four years ago.
Special Session
Planned By Board
The Warren County Board of
Commissknen will hold a special
meeting to finalize construction con
tracts for the Warren Medical Facility
renovation project.
The meeting will be held Wednes
day, Dec. 20 at 6:30 pjn. in the county
courthouse.
In addition to the contracts, dis
cussion will focus on asbestos re
moval at the medical facility, a re
vision of the medical facility budget,
the hiring of construction managers
and a construction schedule.
The public is invited to attend.
noting that the home had too many pot
holes, or burned through spaces, in
the floor.
The call for the fire was received
around 5:30 a.m., and 14 men and
four trucks from the Warrenlon Rural
Fire Department responded to the
scene.
WRFD Chief Kenny Clayton said
that upon arrival, the living room of
the home was fully involved in flames,
and there was no roof left on the
house.
Firemen contained the fire to the
living room area, but the home's
bedroom, bathroom and kitchen re
ceived heavy smoke damage.
Clayton said Mrs. Hendricks' body
was found in the kitchen, and also
said there was no possible way to
rescue her from the structure, as fire
and smoke were intense inside the
home.
Officials are focusing in on a me
ter box as the cause of the fire, and are
also awaiting lab test results from the
SBI.
Firemen were on the scene until
around noon Monday.
Rape Trial Is Ordered Stopped
After Jury IVAiscue Reported
The only jury trial begun during a criminal
term of Warren County Superior Court cut short
by last Wednesday's snowfall came to an un
expected end last week.
Judge E. Lynn Johnson of Fayetteville, pre
siding over the December court term, directed
that attempts to impanel a jury in a first-degree
rape case be stopped when it was learned that
the victim's brother had served as a member of
the grand jury which had returned a true bill of
indictment against the defendant.
The defendant, Moses Eugene Jones, a
resident of Granville County with a Townsville
address, was allowed to remain free under a
$15,000 bond.
Jones had been free under bond since shortly
after he was arrested by Granville County law
men who served a Warren County warrant
charging Jones with the March 16, 1988 rape of
Jeanetta Alston, a resident of 216 E. Bute Street
in Warrenton.
Warren Clerk of Court Richard E. Hunter, Jr.
said testimony relating to the case was given to
a grand jury on February 6 of this year, and
that a true bill was found.
Hunter said the fact that the victim's brother
was a member of that grand jury was dis
covered by the district attorney's staff after
jury selection in the case had begun on Tuesday
of last week.
Hunter said the case is expected to be sent
back before another grand jury during the
regular criminal term of Superior Court sche
duled to begin here February 5.
GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL NOMINEES?These
six Warren County High School students are among
eight from here nominated to attend the 1990
Governor's School. Shown, from left, are Christy
Harmon, Maria Goode, Trina Tucker, Adrian Alston,
WINIam Edwards and Beth Pierce, all members of
the junior class. Not pictured are two other nomi
nees, Tonya Terry and Melanie Bender, both sopho
mores. The Governor's School will be held next
summer at two locations in the state.
(Community Schools Photo by Mary Hunter)
Make-Up Days For Students
Determined In Storms' Wake
By DIANE DAVIS
Staff Writer
Students who thought they had lost
a day of their Christmas vacation
because of recent snow and ice storms
were wrong. Because of another storm
which passed through the county,
school was closed at 11 a.m. Tuesday
and classes were cancelled Wednes
day.
Schools were originally set to close
after Tuesday's school hours for the
start of Christmas vacation, but a
decision to make up a lost snow day
during today's (Wednesday's) school
hours was made last week, along with
the decision to hold school on a
teacher's workday scheduled Tues
day, Jan. 16. Now school officials
will have to find make-up days for the
three other days lost to snow.
Dr. John Thompson, superinten
dent of Warren County Schools, said
the final decision on which days will
be used as make-up days is made by
himself. Dr. Ken Warlick and James
Jordan, county schools assistant su
perintendents. Their decision is based
on recommendations from site base
management teams at each of the
county's schools.
"We like e ' K" exposed
to the type of. o along
with making key da. ," said
Thompson. "We like to >utfrom
the staffand give them a,. portunily
to dialogue their opinions about what
should be done."
These leadership teams at each
school represent a percentage of that
school's staff, and they make their
recommendations based on what
personnel in their schools believe
should be done.
"This way, everyone is part of Jic
final decision," Thompson said.
Although the decision to set those
two days as make-up days was not
(Continued on page 14)
GIFT OF APPRECIATION?George E. Shearin, Sr., chairman of
the Warren County Board of Commissioners, presents Mrs. Eva M.
Clayton, past chairwoman of the board, with an engraved plaque
Monday night in recognition of the seven years Mrs. Clayton served
as head of the county board. The surprise presentation came during
an annual holiday party of county employees held at The Norlina
Landmark. Two members of the N.C. House representing Warren
County?Thomas Hardaway of Enfield and Dr. J. P. Green of Hender
son?announced that they would seek re-election next spring.
(Staff Photo by Howard Jones)
After Murder Hearing
High School Student
Is Released On Bond
A Warren County High School
student charged in the shooting death
of a man he said was beating the
youth's mother has been released on
bond, but another murder suspect re
mains in the Warren County Jail after
bail was denied.
Leon Kearney, Jr., 16, was ordered
freed last week under a $25,000 unse
cured bond signed by himself and his
mother. His release from the local jail
followed a 96-hour hearing before
Judge Larry J. Senter of Franklinton,
who was presiding over the weekly
session of Warren County District
Court.
Kearney was arrested in connec
tion with the Dcc.9 slaying of Martin
Anderson Turner, 35. Sheriffs depu
ties said Turner was struck once by a
slug from a 20-gauge shotgun alleg
edly fired by young Kearney.
Kearney, who is reported to work
as a yardman for lawn caretaker Morris
Wiggins, a neighbor, is said by
lawmen to have fatally wounded
Turner as the victim was allegedly
beating Kearney's mother when the
shooting occurred.
Turner shared a home with Kear
ney's mother, Mrs. Alfreda Kearney,
and her 11-year-old son and the de
fendant.
Officers said the death weapon, a
single-barrel gun which was recov
ered, had been loaned to Kearney by
Maurice Wiggins during the past two
hunting seasons.
No bond was allowed for Clyde
Otis Huff, 44, of Richmond, Va.,
charged in the Dec. 11 shooting death
of Aaron Gundy, 27, of Henrico.
Gundy died in Halifax Memorial Hos
pital in Roanoke Rapids after being
shot once in the left side with a 44
magnum hunting rifle.
Sgt. Lawrence Harrison of the
Warren County Sheriff's Department,
who investigated the killing, said the
victim was shot during an argument
which occurred between the two at a
home near the Northampton County
Line. The gun was recovered.
Both Kearney and Huff were
scheduled to be given hearings before
Judge H. Weldon Lloyd of Hender
son today to see if there is probable
cause to send their case to a grand
jury.
Warrenton attorney Marvin P.
Rooker has been appointed by the
court to represent both defendants.
Emergency Plans For Weather
Prepared For Warren Residents
With the winter season close at
hand and ice and snow storms on the
way, Warren County's Emergency
Management coordinator wants citi
zens to be prepared.
Gary Robenolt advises residents
to stay in their homes during winter
storms and to make sure they have a
good supply of wood or heating fuel,
have their medications refilled, have
extra food on hand and have bottled
water.
Robenolt, in efforts of preparing
for harsh winter storms, has been
organizing an emergency shelter
location for the area's citizens in case
of an extended period of electricity
loss. The N.C. National Guard Ar
mory located on Hwy. 158 east just
outside of the Warren ton town limits
has been designated at a county emer
gency shelter.
During severe ice storms where
residents lose electricity for an ex
tended period of time, the shelter will
be open to provide die basic necessi
ties: a roof over their heads, heat and
water.
Currently, the Emergency Man
agement office is seeking volunteers
with 4-wheel drive trucks to help trans
port residents from their homes to tie
shelters. Interested persons should call
the Emergency Management office at
257-2666.
When electricity is lost, residents
can find out if the shelter is open by
listening to radio or television re
ports, or by calling 237-3456 or 1
800-682-2013.
Residents who need to use the
shelter are asked to bring their own
i a .a* ??| , lir-tjr,-, at _
food, oeoaing ana meaicatiotis. no
pea are allowed inside the abettors,
from the local social
will
There ia^iace for nearly 200 per
sons in the facility, and local schools
will be used for additional