Tammy Holyfield
discusses how to
proceed when business
strategies fail.
^HOMASVILLE PUBLIC
Saturday, November 6,2010/ Randolph street
''^HOiviMSt^iLLE^ NC 77^P,r\
THOMASYILLE
120th Year-No. 16 50 Cents
WWW.tvilletimes.com
Suspect in BB&T bank robbery sought
BY ELIOT DUKE
Staff Writer
A bank robbery at
the BB&T on National
Highway Friday after
noon forced police to put
ThomasvUle High School
and ThomasvUle Middle
School on lockdown whUe
authorities searched for
the suspect.
According to a Thomas-
vUle Police Department
press release, a black
male between 6’0” and 6’3”
with a dark complexion,
weighing approximately
160 pounds, wearing a
purple cap, navy winter
jacket and sunglasses, en
tered the BB&T located
at 521 National Highway
around 12:45 p.m. Friday
afternoon. Video sur
veillance shows the man
handing the bank teller a
note demanding money
The suspect left with an
undisclosed amoimt of
cash and was last seen
walking south on Nation
al Highway.
“I don’t think any weap
ons were displayed,” Det.
Lt. Kim Sebastian said.
“People last saw hun
walking out the door and
heading down National
Highway. No one really
got a good look at hun
when he was leaving.
We’re hoping someone
wUl recognize hun and
be able to give us some
Information. We’ve been
out talking to people In
the area since we cleared
the scene. We’ve got plc-
times out to our officers
as to what to maybe look
for.”
Shortly before 1 p.m.,
police Informed both
THS and TMS that a man
suspected of robbing the
bank was last seen In the
area and that It was In
the best Interest of both
schools to go Into lock-
down whUe officers can
vassed the area.
“[Police] were trying
to track him down and
locked down the school
just as a precaution untU
the chief gave us the all
clear,” said THS principal
Deboy Beamon. “They
didn’t know where he was
and they wanted to make
sure he couldn’t get Into
the school If he came this
way. Everything was nor
mal and we were safe.”
Beamon said teachers
went Into a Code Red lock-
down, which caUs for aU
external and classroom
doors to be locked ■ and
window blinds closed.
See SUSPECT, Page A6
COURTESY PHOTC
Video images from BB&T bank on National Highwaj
show a man who robbed the bank Friday afternoon.
DCSO arrests
3 for sexual
assaults of
children
TIMES Staff Report
Davidson Cormty
Sheriff’s Office arrest
ed a ThomasvUle man
Wednesday for sexuaUy
assaulting
a chUd.
Accord
ing to a
DCSO
press re
lease, Jer
ry Wayne
Hickman
Jr., 29, of
801 Lot 2
Lower Lake Road, was
arrested and charged
with two counts of first
degree sex offense with
a chUd. DCSO received a
report regarding a sexual
assault on a chUd on Oct.
19 and began an investi
gation. Detectives aUege
that Hickman did sexu-
See ASSAULTS, Page A6
INDEX
Hickman
Weather
A2
Focus
A3
Business
A4
Opinion
A5
Obituaries
A6
Religion
A8
Sports
B1
TIMES PHOTO/FRANK RAUCCIO
Today's Weather
Partly cloudy, 52/27
iV40=>Ii UUZ SO
BATTLE FOB BBAGGING BIGHTS
Thomasville halfback Quin Riley escapes tackles and runs in for a touchdown during the first half of the
Bulldogs rivalry game against Lexington. The Bulldogs would avenge last years loss, winning 13-6. See game
story. Page B1.
County incumbents prevail in election
BY ERINWILTGEN
Staff Writer
Incumbents ruled the day in
Davidson County Tuesday.
Despite an antl-mcumbent
and antl-Democrat sentiment
that spread across the nation, aU
three national races that coimty
citizens voted on saw current
legislators voted back into office.
Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) tri
umphed m the Senate race. Rep.
Howard Coble (R-NC) won the
US. House District 6 race and
Mel Watt (D-NC) prevaUed m the
US. House District 12 race.
“I was pleased that all the Re
publican Incumbents did well,”
said Lance Barrett, chair of the
Davidson County Republican
Party. “It was just a tough, tough
year to run as a Democrat.”
The Senate race ran closest, as
expected. Incumbent Republican
Burr took 54.92 percent of the
votes state-wide, while Democrat
challenger Elaine Marshall won
42.94 percent. Libertarian can
didate Michael Beitler captured
2.09 percent.
“Everyone thought Bur would
win, we just weren’t sure of the
margin,” Barrett said. “I was
stiU expecting him to wm by
more than he did. I was expect
ing more of a 58 to 42 type thing,
but 12 points in a state-wide elec
tion, that’s substantial.”
In Davidson County, the race
wasn’t quite as tight. Burr col
lected 70.71 percent of the votes
to Marshall’s 26.92 percent.
But Marshall did give her Re
publican counterpart a r\m for
his money.
“If you look at the raw num
bers, Elaine Marshall did pretty
well,” Barrett said, noting that
Marshall gathered about 1.13
million ballots while Burr won
around 1.45 million.
In the U.S. House contests, rac
es didn’t come quite as close to
the wire. Republican incumbent
Howard Coble beat Democratic
challenger Sam Turner 75.31 per
cent to 24.69 percent statewide.
See ELECTION, Page A6
Plant closing
could bring
furniture jobs
to Thomasville
BY ELIOT DUKE
Staff Writer
Furniture Brands Inter
national (FBI), the parent
company of Thomasville
Furniture Industries,
announced this week
that it’s closing its plant
in Appomattox, Va., in
a move that could bring
jobs to the Chair City.
John Hastings, a FBI
spokesperson, said the
company is shutting
down its 800,000-square-
foot facOity in Appomat
tox and will be laying off
the nearly 200 employ
ees who currently work
there. While some of the
work from the facility is
expected to be sent over
seas, Hastings said TFI’s
Plant C could be receiv
ing the orders that stay
in the United States.
“It could, but we’re not
quite sure yet,” Hastings
said. “There could be
some of the production
from Appomattox come to
ThomasvlUe. We haven’t
decided' and we’re stiU
looking at those options.
Certainly that’s a pos
sibility but I can’t really
comment anymore than
that.”
FBI makes two types of
furniture at its Appomat
tox facility — ready-to-as-
semble furniture and a
lamanent-covered prod
uct used primarily by the
hospitality industry. The
ready-to-assemble furni
ture is expected to be out
sourced to either Asia or
Latin America.
“We’re not going to
make that in the U.S.
anymore,” said Hastings.
“We’re going to source
that from third-party
manufacturers. We’re
not sure yet and we want
to use more than just one
company We’ll find the
See JOBS, Page Af
Honoring Veterans
through this major
production! \C
9J
ThomasviW Medical Center Foundation presents
(An/'Emnm^ Of'Music i k
Saturday 11/13 7pm • Sunday 11/14 3pm
Rncdi Auditoriimi, 40e Unity St., Thomaan^to
Thomasville, North Carolina • Your Town. Your Times.
Call to order tickets;
476-2526or
476-2881