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The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County and its people j.
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August 2, 2001
Vol. 69, No. 31 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
KLY
01 2031
Gentile gets 38 years for sex offense
Hertford man
pleads guilty
to child rape
SUSAN R. HARRIS
A Hertford man will
spend at least the next 32
years in prison after being
convicted of two counts of
furst degree rape of a chUd.
Martin Gentile of 171
MiU Road pleaded guUty to
the offenses in Perquimans
County Superior Court on
July 17. The Hon. Clifton W.
Everett Jr. of Greenville
Hertford
Credit
union
robbed
SUSAN R. HARRIS
A lone gunman pocketed
an undisclosed amount of
cash during a robbery at
the Perquimans Credit
Union Friday morning.
Hertford Police Chief
Dale Vanscoy said credit
union employees reported
that a male entered the
credit union on Dobbs
Street around 11:45 and
demanded money from the
two employees. He alleged
ly produced a gun and
pointed it at one of the
employees. The employee
said she took money from
hef cash drawer and hand
ed it to the robber, who put
it in a bank bag.
The robber then took the
employees to the back of
the buUding where there
are two restrooms. He put
them in one of the rest
rooms and secured the
door with a chair.
Employees heard the
alarm go off at the front
door, indicating that the
robber had left the build
ing. They managed to
break out of the restroom
and call police.
Vanscoy said the suspect
was a male, probably in his
early to mid-20s, about
5’l0”-6’ tall and thin. He
was wearing something
dark over his face, a hood
ed silver or gray jacket
with the hood pulled tight
ly around his face, silver or
gray pants, work boots and
gloves.
Continued on page 9
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 84
Low: 66
Sunny
Friday
High: 85
Low: 67
Sunny
Saturday
High: 82
Low: 69
Partly Cloudy
sentenced Gentile to 38
years in prison.
Perquimans Sheriff Eric
Tilley said the conviction
stemmed from a referral to
the Department of Social
Services that there was sus
pected inappropriate
behavior taking place in
the Gentile home. Gentile
was initially arrested on
Feb. 26 and charged with
first degree statutory rape
of his minor child. He was
charged with nine counts
of first degree rape of a
child and first degree sex
offense of a child on May
31.
The investigation, TiUey
said, revealed that the
minor had been sexually
abused about once a week
for a year.
Tilley said Gentile
accepted a plea bargain,
admitting guilt on two
counts of first degree rape
of a child. Everett could
have sentenced Gentile for
up to 61 years, but gave him
the minimum sentence, 38
years. The sheriff said
Gentile must serve at least
85 percent of his sentence
before being eligible for
parole.
The Gentile case was
only one of four investigat
ed this year by the sheriff’s
office. Two other men await
trail on sexual abuse
charges, while yet another
investigation is underway.
A fifth case stemming from
December charges has also
not gone to trial.
On Feb. 5, Dennis Elwell
of 54M Holly Street,
Hertford and Virginia was
charged with statutory
rape. He was also charged
with first degree statutory
sex offense on Feb. 28.
Tilley said the Elwell
investigation began when a
mother and father brought
their minor child to his
office to register a com
plaint against Elwell.
Elwell is not a family mem
ber of the alleged victim.
Also, Paul Stokely of
1708 New Hope Road was
arrested after his own testi
mony in a March 19 child
custody hearing gave law
officers cause to charge
him with first degree statu
tory sex offense.
Tilley said Stokely was
arrested in the courtroom
“as a result of his own tes
timony.” The minor chil
dren who were the subject
of the hearing are now liv
ing with relatives, Tilley
said. The children’s mother
has moved out of the state.
Investigation in the case
led to more charges on
March 30. Stokely is
charged with two counts of
first degree rape of a child.
four counts of taking inde
cent liberties with a child,
four counts of attempted
sex offense in a parental
role, and two counts of
statutory rape/sex offense
with a child over 6 years
old.
Robin Lane, an employee
of the Clerk of Superior
Court, said neither Elwell
nor Stokely has been tried.
Superior Court is sched
uled for Sept. 10, but Lane
said the district attorney’s
office schedules trial dates
and the clerk’s office has
not yet received the docket
for tile September court.
Another sexual abuse
case is under investigation.
All smoke, no fire
% -il
Hertford firefighters responded to reports of the smell of smoke in the Hall
of Fame Square Monday morning. Building co-owner Lynn Lassiter said that
an empty pot left on a hot burner for several hours caused the problem. There
were no damages to the building, she said.
Plant vandals cause
huge sewage spill
54,000 gallons
of solid waste
poured out
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Vandals were responsi
ble for about 54,000 gallons
of solid waste flowing into
a canal that leads to the
Perquimans River last
week.
Town Manager John
Christensen said equip
ment readings at the
sewage treatment plant on
Meads Circle showed that
tampering with sewer
valves in the plant began
around 11 p.m. on July 22.
Based on meter readings at
the plant, officials believe
about 54,000 gallons of
solid waste was spilled.
Maintenance employees
found the problem when
Mold growth tackled
at Central School
MARIEL BETANCOURT
The Daily Advance
Although the exact
cause of the mold found at
Perquimans Central
School is not yet known,
school officials said they
have learned how to pre
vent its growth.
On Tuesday,
Perquimans County
Schools Superintendent
Kenneth Wells met with
representatives from three
companies that built the
school two years ago —
M.B. Kahn Construction,
Cheatham and Associates
and Boney Architects — to
examine the fungus prob
lem. The group agreed on
at least three key solutions,
mainly focusing on better
use of the school's HVAC
system, according to Wells.
“Each of the (represen
tatives) went around the
school, making their own
inspection,” Wells said.
“Then they got together
and collectively walked
around and looked at what
they found. ... They asked,
'What can we do with the
HVAC system that's in
Continued on page 9
Mike Spong, the manager of ServiceMaster of the
Albemarle, sets out fans to dry the carpet in a
Perquimans Central School classroom last Thursday
afternoon. The carpets and classrooms were cleaned
because of a possible occurrence of 'Summer Mold
Syndrome' at the school.
Into the Storm
The Marching Pirates gave
the traditional show pre
view Saturday to end band
camp. The show, titled
"Into the Storm," features
"Summertime," "Into the
Storm Ballad: The Eye" and
"Touch the Sun." This
year's band is composed of
62 musicians and a 10-
member color guard corps.
Drum majors are Felicia
Vaughn and Fallon
Winslow. Chris Whitehurst
is the director.
they reported to he plant at
8 a.m. on July 23, a Monday
The plant gates were
locked when employees
arrived.
Waste comes into the
plant and goes through a
series of chambers, sepa
rating the solids from the
liquid, Christensen said.
The treated, disinfected liq
uid flows through a canal
and into the river. The
solids are dried and hauled
to the landffll.
Last weekend, valves
were opened and closed,
resulting in liquid waste
flowing into the solids
chamber. Because solid
waste is not supposed to
flow out of the treatment
plant, there is no outlet
from the digester, the
30,000-gallon in-ground
concrete tank that holds
solid waste. Therefore, the
tank overflowed.
Continued on page 9
School
starts next
Thursday
SUSAN R. HARRIS
The days of sleeping late
and summer jobs will end
soon, as the 2001-2002
school year gets underway
in Perquimans County
Monday is the first
required
day for 10-
month
employ
ees. They
will gath
er at the
high
school to
meet Superintendent
Kenneth W. Wells, who
took over the reigns at the
school system on July 1,
before attending the annu
al Opening Day
Convocation. Wells will
serve as speaker for the
morning.
Students report back on
Thursday, Aug. 9. Starting
and dismissal times at
each school are: Central,
8:05—2:50; Hertford
Grammar, 7:50—2:55 (walk
ers/private vehicles) or
3:00 (bus transportation);
Perquimans Middle,
7:50—2:50; and Perquimans
High, 8:00—2:55.
Continued on page 9
Weils