u
Have a safe and happy 4th of J
Baseball & Fireworks
Join the HiToms Sunday night at 7
p.m. as they take on the Forest City
Owls. Fireworks will follow the game.
Saturday, July 3,
THOMASYILLE
WWW. tvilletimes.com
119th Year-No.
50 Cents
DAY ON THE DIAMOND
Badges for Baseball
builds rapport between
at-riskyouth, officers
BY LISA WALL
Editor
T homasville Police Depart
ment has worked to build
respect and rapport with
the citizens it serves and
protects through its Com
munity Policing policy. Officers with
TPD continued those efforts Thursday
at Doak Park by kicking off its second
year participating in the Badges for
Baseball program.
Founded by the Cal Ripken Sr. Foun
dation, Badges for Baseball pairs
youths in at-risk communities with lo
cal law enforcement ofhcers as a way
to teach children lessons both on and
off the field.
TPD Lt. Raymond Widener says the
program is a good way for children
to buUd relationships with officers
as weU as learn lessons that wUl help
them in every aspect of life.
“Officers act as mentors and the kids
learn how to interact with other chil
dren, good sportsmanship, ethics and
good decision making,” Widener said.
“It also helps them learn how to deal
with conflict in a sportsmanlike man
ner.”
When fully implemented, Badges
for Baseball is a multi-faceted men
toring program that brings the tenets
of “The Ripken Way” to young people
through a variety of programs, includ
ing Healthy Choices, Healthy Children
and baseball/softball-themed activi
ties, according to the Cal Ripkin Foun
dation website. Most importantly, law
enforcement mentors work directly
with children to enhance life lessons
while providing young people with
new opportunities to learn, grow and
make positive choices for the future.
TIMES PHOTO/LISA WALL
Lt. Raymond Widener readies for to toss a pitch Thursday at Doak Park as Cpt. Loren
Wesley helps a young batter with his swing.
Last year, six TPD officers volun
teered to work on baseball skills with
25 kids from the Salvation Army Boys
& Girls Club in Thomasvfile, Officer
Jason Annas took on a leadership role
in the program, helping to raise $1,500
through officer and community do
nations. In addition, Showfety’s Uni
forms in Greensboro donated $1,500
worth of baseball equipment to get the
program running.
In recognition of Annas and his in
volvement with Badges for Baseball,
he was presented an autographed
photo of Cal Ripkin by Scott Bannis
ter, program director of the Salvation
Army Boys & Girls Club of Davidson
County Lt. Widener accepted the gift
See DIAMOND, Page A6
Thomasville
woman charged in
holiest of crimes
BY ELIOT DUKE
StaffWriter
Davidson County Sheriff’s Office has
charged a Thomasville woman with em
bezzling thousands of dollars from a lo
cal church.
According to a DCSO press release,
Kathy Koonts Sechriest, 53, of 206
Hasty School Road, was
arrested Wednesday and
charged with one felony
count of embezzlement
of greater than $100,000
after an investigation al
leged she stole money
from Zion United Church
of Christ where she
worked as a secretary. Sochrlest
Representatives from the
church declined to com
ment Friday.
Defectives received information from
Zion United Church of Christ members
about possible misappropriation of
funds in January, prompting an investi
gation. A warrant for arrest filed by de
tective Sam Rabon stated that Sechriest
“unlawfully, wiUfuUy and feloniously
did embezzle $186,000” from the church
and at the time “had been entrusted to
receive the property.”
“Folks from the church gave us a
call and we started our investigation,”
Davidson County Sheriff David Grice
said. “[Sechriest] was the church’s sec
retary and was responsible for writing
the checks and balancing the books,
and things of that nature. She obvious
ly wasn’t balancing the books.” ■
Grice said he couldn’t say exactly
how Sechriest allegedly embezzled the
money because the information is a key
piece of DCSO’s investigation.
Sechriest was Issued and posted a
$100,000 unsecured bond. Conditions of
Sechrlest’s release include that she can’t
“harass, assault or threaten” members
of the church. The investigation alleges
that Sechriest embezzled the funds over
See CRIMES, Page A6
State Highway Patrol
changes chase protocol
BY ELIOT DUKE
StaffWriter
North Carolina state troopers will have to follow
new protocol when it comes to chasing suspects
who are fleeing the scene of a crime.
Policy changes within the N.C. State Highway Pa
trol now states that troopers can’t join in on vehicle
pursuits being conducted by other law enforcement
agencies without being asked first. SHP adopted
the policy change in June that says troopers must
receive a formal request from a highway patrol
communication center through the participating
law enforcement agency before taking part in any
type of chase scenario. Troopers are not allowed
to take action by simply receiving a request from
another officer.
“The change has to do with allied agency chases,”
Sgt. B.D. Stalvey wlth.the SHP station of Davidson
See CHASE, Page A4
Chair City offers cool summer activities
BY ELIOT DUKE
StaffWriter
When it comes to sum
mer, people often think of
spending hot afternoons
at the beach or by the
lake with family, enjoying
some weU-deserved time
off. Thomasville is posi
tioned equally between
the coast and the moun
tains, offering families a
vacation choice not too
far from home.
Thomasville Parks &
Recreation, however,
uses summertime to
showcase a variety of
services right here at
home for parents who
stUl have to work during
the day while their chil
dren are out of school.
While most Chair City
residents know about the
city pool located at the
corner of Memorial Park '
Drive and Salem ■ Street,
TPR often has a lot more
going on for children who
need something to do un
til their parents get home
in the evening.
“We’ve got that going
on about every day,” Bil
ly Freeman, director of
TPR, said about the pool.
“We’U be offering swim
ming lessons starting on
July 13 for a two-week pe
riod. We try to give kids
the best experience we
can.”
See SUMMER, Page A4
TIMES PHOTO/LISA WALI
A woman plays with her young daughter recently at the
city swimming.
Community Sponsor
Thom^vill^ medical center
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