The truth about trusts
Page 4
Hunter golf tourney set
Rage 5
PCMS band is third
Rages
P4/C3***********5_i3tgIT 27QdJ.
PERQUIMANS COUNTY
110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
June 5, 2002
Vol. 70, No. 23 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
PERQUhv
Weekl
Hertford I Fife call soarks death inquiry
man dies
atADJ
Gunshot
victim found
at fire scene
No cause yet
determined
for inmate’s
death at
district jail
SUSAN R. HARRIS
A Perquimans County
man died in custody at
Albemarle District Jail
Saturday morning. The
cause of death was still
unknown Monday morn
ing, pending an autopsy,
according to Perquimans
County Sheriff Eric
Tilley.
Phillip Neal Copeland,
37, of 905 Wynn Fork
Road, Hertford, died less
than 5 hours after being
booked at the jail.
Tilley said Copeland’s
arrest came Friday night
after his wife, Robin
Copeland, 36, also of 905
Wynn Fork Road, called
in a domestic report. A
deputy responded to the
call around 10 p.m. He
was told via radio that
there was someone at the
residence that would not
leave. Back-up was also
dispatched to the scene.
When the deputy
arrived, someone later
determined to be Phillip
Copeland jumped out of a
car at the residence and
Continued on page 2
Relay
starts
Friday
Cancer fund
raiser set in
Edenton
SUSAN R. HARRIS
When these folks walk
around in circles, they’re
very productive.
Twenty-eight teams of
walkers and fund raisers
will hit the track at John
A. Holmes High School
Athletic Complex Friday
when the annual
Chowan-Perquimans
American Cancer Society
Relay for Life gets under
way. Hundreds of miles
will be walked by hun
dreds of participants
before the 20-hour event
concludes with a closing
ceremony at 2 p.m.
Saturday.
Relay for Life is the
premiere fund raiser for
the American Cancer
Society. Across the coun
try, neighbors, friends
and families work in
teams to raise money for
cancer research and
patient support.
Continued on page 12
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Hertford firefighters got
a surprise last Thursday
night when they responded
to a house fire and found a
dead body on the steps of
the blazing home.
Hertford Police Chief
Dale Vanscoy said the body
of Alfred Abner, 24, of 320
Dobbs Street was found
slumped on the back steps
of his dwelling by firefight
ers. The Perquimans
County Rescue Squad and
Hertford Police
Department were then dis
patched to the scene, where
rescue personnel deter
mined that Abner bad no
vital signs.
The initial call went
through the
Communications
Department at 11:49 p.m.
The caller said that the
house was engulfed in
flames.
Vanscoy said the crew of
the first fire truck on the
scene immediately began
attacking the fire that was
blazing strong in tbe front
of the house. The second
crew arrived and began its
assessment of the scene. It
was members of the second
crew who found the body.
Hertford police officers
began to process the scene
immediately upon their
arrival. Abner appeared to
have been shot in the head.
The SBI was then called in
to assist with both the
death and the fire investi
gation.
While emergency and
law officials were on the
scene, Vanscoy said a call
was received from
Albemarle Hospital.
Hospital personnel said
that they were treating a
white female in her early
20s who was possibly
involved in the fire in
Hertford. The woman, Tina
Marie Carter, 22, of South
Mills, had been severely
beaten.
From information
received during the prelim
inary investigation.
Movin’ On
97 PCHS
seniors
move on
8th graders
now freshmen
BRADY S. CALHOUN
The Daily Advance
Four years of hard work
paid off for 97 Perquimans
County High School gradu
ating seniors Friday night.
Before a crowd estimated
at 1,700, the seniors accept
ed their high school diplo
mas from Principal
Dwayne Stallings on
Memorial Field.
The ceremony took place
a day after eighth graders
were promoted to take the
seniors’ places in the halls
of Perquimans High School
next year.
Noting that PCHS' Class
of 2002 had garnered
About 1700 family members and friends gathered to celebrate with the 97 mem
bers of the PCHS graduating class of 2002 Friday evening at Memorial Field.
Vanscoy said it appears
that Abner and Carter, who
was allegedly his girh
friend, exchanged words in
the street in front of the
Dobbs Street house. The
verbal fight evidently
turned physical, with
Abner slapping and punch
ing Carter, according to
witnesses. Friends and rel
atives came to Carter’s aid,
pulling Abner away from
her. They then took her to
Albemarle Hospital for
treatment.
Continued on page 2
County
puts off
zoning
decision
Board split
over okaying
ordinance
SUSAN R. HARRIS
They’ve been talking
about it for years and hold
ing workshops about it for
months, but the
Perquimans County
Commissioners were split
over approving the pro
posed zoning ordinance
Monday in regular session.
Commissioners Charles
Ward and Mack Nixon both
said they did not think
county residents were
aware that the county had
formulated a zoning ordi
nance, even though a public
hearing was advertised in
The Perquimans Weekly
and held earlier this spring.
Chairman Ben Hobbs
was fully supportive of
approving the ordinance
Monday, as were Evelyn
Stubbins and Wallace
Nelson.
Ward first made a
motion to table action,
which Nixon seconded, but
that measure was voted
down 4-2.
Nelson made the next
motion to pass the zoning
ordinance with the stipula
tion that it be effective 30
days from the date a new
planner is hired.
Continued on page 7
The eighth grade grand honor roll was composed of (left to right, front row)
Brittany McCleary, Chelsea Howard, Sara Dail, LaReina Jordan, Kelly Baker, Mariza
James, Brittany Davenport, Lakeeya Brent, Rachel Newbern, Erin Whitehurst, (back
row) Cory Wolfe, Matthew Morgan, Brandon Byers, Courtney Hunter, Ashley
Wilkins, Monata Johnson, Siera Mallory, Derrick Burke, Cody Lamb, Frank
Terranova, Emily Hoffman, Jared Harrell, Aaron Bass, Jennifer Trueblood, and
Dannie Gray. Brandon Godfrey is not pictured.
$548,000 in scholarships
and awards, Stallings
praised the seniors for
their hard work and leader
ship.
Salutatorian Weston
Eugene Curies said his sen
ior year had been 180 days
of hard work — but it was
also a time that had yielded
lasting memories.
“My parents told me that
high school would be the
best days of my life, but I
didn't believe them,”
Curies said. “Looking back
Continued on page 12
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 90
Low: 65
Scahered T'Storms 
Friday
High: 78
Low: 15
Showers
Saturday
High: 86
Low: 61
Partly Cloudy