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Guest Columnist Bill Hill explains why some of us are lucky to be alive. THOMASVILLE Saturday, August 14,2010 Winners of Fairgrove Family Resource ^ Center's 'Fore the , Families' Golf Tourney‘d* announced. r V, 119th Year - No. 124 50^P Internet a gateway for predators BY ELIOT DUKE Staff Writer ' M eet Chase Rhodes, a ThomasvUle teen ager who, on the surface, looks like a normal kid with his whole life in front of him. In the summer of 2009, however, two separate incidents Involving Rhodes and the Inter net cast a dark shadow over social networking sites and just who is behind the person on Facebook or MySpace. Davidson County Sheriff’s Office twice arrested Rhodes between July 20 and Aug. 11, 2009, for sexu ally assaulting women he met on the social network ing site MySpace, According to warrants and DCSO press releases, Rhodes befriended women on the site, communicated with them via t®£t messages for a few weeks before eventually meeting them in person. In one case, Rhodes met a 23-year-old woman in a parking lot on N.C. Highway 109, forced her into his ve hicle and assaulted her with imwanted sexual ad vances. “They’re predators and they prey on the naivety of the victims,” Sheriff David Grice said. On June 9, Rhodes was convicted on three counts of sexual battery, Including an assault from 2002, arid received 60 months probation. Cases like this are prime examples of how social networking sites can be used for aU the wrong reasons. Whiie the problem may be relatively new, as social network ing sites continue, to grow in popularity woridwide, law enforcement agencies are taking steps to ensure sexual.predators don’t have free run of the Internet. “It’s very difficult to prevent,” said Det. Lt. Kim berly Sebastian with ThomasviUe Police Depart ment. “The best thing we can do is educate parents and educate the kids themselves to try and recogni2e the signs. You think you’re talking to a 13-year-old boy when you’re really talking to a 50-year-old man. You can’t always trust that people are who they say they are.” See INTERNET, Page A3 TCS orientation has lesson for parents BY ELIOT DUKE Staff Writer After months of planning and training, Thomas- vUle High School is ready to go with its new one- to-one laptop initiative that will put a computer di rectly into the hands of every student. Now it’s the parents turn. Starting Monday, THS will begin holding parent orientation sessions for each grade level and atten dance is mandatory before a laptop can be Issued to a student. Parents wiU be provided with the neces sary and required information regarding the care of use of laptops, the insurance information, online safety practices and an explanation of the laptop agreement contract. Teachers at THS have spent the summer learn ing how to incorporate laptops into daily education with representatives from MocksviUe, who began a similar initiative three years ago. “We’re excited about it,” THS Principal Deboy Beamon said. “Our teachers are very prepared. For insurance purposes, we have to ensure parents have been properly trained on what’s acceptable use for See LESSON, Page A6 ‘Taste of the Town’ returns with largest lineup to date BY ERINWILTGEN Staff Writer Sampler platters can’t even compare. With 63 local restau rants, caterers, bakeries and beverage vendors prepared to market small portions of their wares. Hospice of the Pied mont’s 22nd annual Taste of the Town promises to bring its A-game. The .event — planned for Tuesday, Aug. 17, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Show- place in downtown High Point — allows guests to sample small servings of food from a variety of vendors, including Thom- asviUe-based Misty’s Cakes and Bakery With a record-number of food vendors signed up and ticket sales already re markably high, Kimberly Hines, Hospice’s market ing associate, expects a turnout as good as or bet ter than last year’s 5,000. “We’re excited that we haye the most restau rants that we've ever had this year,” Hines said. “We want to make sure that everybody out there knows that we’re here and that we really care and. we provide for peo ple.” Besides food. Taste of the Town also boasts local street 27360 IMPORTANT INFORMATION • To report a case of sexual abuse or assault, contact ThomasviUe Po lice at 475-7755 or Davidson County Sheriffs Office at 474-2645, • Search the North Carolina Depart ment of Justice Sex Offender Registry at http://sexoffender.ncdoj.gov/search.aspx • If you suspect sexual abuse of a child, contact Davidson County Depart- ' ment of Social Services at 474-2760. Emotional trauma lingers for victim BY ERINWILTGEN Staff Writer Editor’s Note: The names have been changed in the following story to protect the victims and their families. S arah’s monster didn’t come in the dark of night, prowling from the unknown depths under her bed or oozing from the black abyss of her closet. Instead, her monster stalked with a disarming smile and in broad daylight, whispering inno cently into her ear. It was summer 2009. Ten-year-old Sarah had spent the night with her best friend, Lindsey, a frequent occurrence for the two playmates, who had known each other for years. After breakfast, the girls ran outside for a game of hide-and- seek. Though Lindsey’s father wasn’t home, a friend of his stopped by and jumped into the girls’ game. “One, two,...!” Lindsey yelled, turning and cov ering her eyes. Sarah dashed off to find a hiding place. The man came up to her and quietly told her he had a better hiding place in mind. The two crept off to an alley between two buildings. And Sarah’s nightmare began. See TRAUMA, Page A3 COURTESY PHOTC Attendees at last year's 'Taste of the Town' sample food; from participating vendors. band Timeless and music from DJ Vance Harris of Karaoke Sensations. • “They’re great,” Hines said. “They get every body dancing and on their feet.” A kids zone will give chUdren the opportu nity to run around, cre ate cards for Hospice patients, color and get a temporary tattoo. A silent auction with more than 200 items and services donated from See LINEUP, PageAI Community Sponsor Thoma^vTll^ medical center Rrynjirkahlc Today's Weather Isolated T-storms 83/73 II Forecast Page 2 Weather Focus What's Opinion Inside Obituaries Religion Sports Classifieds A2 A4 A5 A6 A8 B1 B6 D 3 ThomasviUe, North Carolina • Your Town. Your Times. St I ;
The Thomasville Times (Thomasville, N.C.)
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Aug. 14, 2010, edition 1
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