W‘' 4-V-f
Lassiters earns state honor
Rage 2
Use flu etiquette
Rage 3
It doesn't have to be over
Rage 4
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P11/C6
PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY ^
110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306 C ^
December 29, 2004
Vol. 72, No. 52 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Weekly
Mantle of white
PHOTO BY SAM WOLFE, THE DAILY ADVANCE
An overturned Ford Explorer lays in a ditch along U.S. Hwy. 17 South in Perquimans County Monday morning.
The accident occured when the driver hit a patch of ice on the highway and lost control of the vehicle. Local
law enforcement officials were kept busy with calls Sunday, Monday and even into Tuesday, according to
Hertford Police Chief Dale Vanscoy. Vanscoy said officers had responded to over 20 accidents with calls con
tinuing to come in. Most parts of the county got 4 or more inches of snow, which was accompanied by ice,
making driving conditions hazardous. Temperatures that dipped into the teens kept the storm's precipitation
lingering.
Grant money fimds emergency services ATV
ERIN RICKERT
The county recently pur
chased an all terrain vehi
cle, fully equipped with a
stretcher and supply boxes
for medical equipment, to
assist with emergency
efforts on rough country
side.
The nearly $11,000 ATV,
currently housed in the
Hertford Fire Department,
was purchased with a por-
This ATV purchased with Homeland Security grant
funds will help emergency responders answer calls in
areas they cannot reach by vehicle.
tion of the close to $33,000
Homeland Security grant
received this year.
The ATV, just one of sev
eral emergency supplies
paid for with the grant, will
allow emergency services
to provide better response
to those injured in fields
and wooded areas.
“I would say that the
ATV is one of the best
around,” said Harry
Continued on page 6
Ricks juggles multiple activities, earns Eagle Scout
ERIN RICKERT
At a time when many
teenagers are tying up
their parents’ phones talk
ing to friends or perusing
the mall for the latest
trends, Nathan Ricks is
accomplishing things
many adults have not even
checked off their to do lists.
Since the age of five the
now 13 year-old has been
building a resume of
achievements that have
taken him to cities as close
as Elizabeth City and as far
away as Rocky Mount.
And while many view
his list of extracurriculars
as much more than a full
plate, Nathan’s need for a
challenge always finds him
eager to add just one more.
For Nathan, this eager
ness started at the young
age of five when he took up
one of his first activities,
Tae Kwon Do.
Since then he has prac
ticed on and off, but said he
recently took the art back
and has attended sessions
regularly for the last six
years.
During Nathan’s time
with Tae Kwon Do he has
only been in three competi
tions, but has won several
trophies including first
place.
'“We have had all our
kids in Tae Kwon Do, but
Nathan is the only one that
gets into it spiritually,” said
Nathan’s mother, Carnell
Ricks.
This August, Nathan’s
hard work with the art paid
off when he was awarded a
first-degree black belt.
“It’s not unusual to have
the belt, but it’s very rare,”
Nathan said. “No one
around here has made it
this young.”
Now, Nathan is an assis
tant instructor at River
City Marshall Arts in
Elizabeth City where he
teaches beginning classes.
Continued on page 6
PHOTO BY ERIN RICKERT
Nathan Ricks practices Tae Kwon Do, a martial art in
which he has earned a black belt. The teen is involved
in a variety of activities.
Drug bust
nets cocaine
ERIN RICKERT
Officers from the
Perquimans County
Sheriff’s office recently
busted Hertford resident
Cleophus Dante Jennings
for selling powdered
cocaine during a staged
drug buy last week.
Jennings, 20, of 1711
Harvey Point Road, was
taken into custody after
attempting to sell 70 grams
of cocaine with a value of
nearly $3,600.
The bust, which took
place Dec. 20, was planned
the week after the Sheriff’s
office was tipped off by law
enforcement from another
county.
“We had information
from Wayne County Drug
Task Force that we could
set up a buy with a person
in the area,” said
Perquimans County Sheriff
Eric Tilley.
TUley said Hertford offi
cers met with officers from
both Wayne County and the
State Bureau of
Investigations to set up the
buy that took place at
approximately 5:30 that
evening.
“Basically it was a
buy—bust,” Tilley said.
“Wayne County had offi
cers they were able to send
over here to help with the
bust.”
Mallory cleared of
robbery; eatery
employees arrested
CHRIS WHIPPLE
The Daily Advance
Two of three employees
arrested for conspiracy to
rob the McDonald's restau
rant in Hertford were in
court last Wednesday, along
with the customer they ini
tially framed for the crime.
A warrant for a fourth,
unnamed Tyrrell County
suspect in the Dec. 5 rob
bery has also been issued.
Arrested for the robbery
last week were Bobby Klos
of 116 E. Broad St.,
Elizabeth City, Kenneth
Michael Ward of 1903
Johnson Road, Elizabeth
City, and Kenneth Ray
Eisenhower III of 107
Joshua Circle, Hertford.
All charges against
Trelton Mallory, the cus
tomer arrested for armed
robbery, were dismissed,
Vanscoy said. Mallory was
released from jail Dec. 18
after two of the alleged co
conspirators admitted they
concocted the crime and
blamed Mallory.
Vanscoy said Mallory
was a victim of circum
stance. Mallory's wife,
Naomi, had argued with
the cashier when given a
handful of nickels as
change. Two of the alleged
co-conspirators told
Vanscoy it was that inci
dent that made them
remember Mallory when it
came time to frame a ran
dom customer for the
crime.
“(Mallory) and his fami
ly just went to buy his
daughter some food,”
Vanscoy said.
MaUory and his wife had
ordered earlier at Popeye's
chicken. But Mallory's
daughter, waiting at home,
wanted a Big Mac meal. So
the Mallory's drove to
McDonald's.
Mallory, who was sleep
ing when police knocked
on his door, spent six days
in jail under a $50,000
secured bond. Police had
tracked him down by the
employees' description of
his car. When police
brought Mallory back to
the restaurant, the
McDonald's employees
identified him as the armed
robber.
In court Wednesday,
Ward, who is out on $15,000
bail, requested a court
appointed attorney and
Eisenhower, who was with
his attorney, requested a
bond reduction. Judge
Christopher Bean reduced
Eisenhower's bond from
$15,000 secured to $3,000
secured and the rest xmse-
cured.
Ward, charged with rob
bery and conspiracy, was
working the night of the
alleged robbery, Vanscoy
said. Eisenhower, charged
with felony conspiracy to
commit robbery, was not.
Klos, the manager of the
restaurant, did not have an
appearance. Klos remained
at Albemarle District Jail
Wednesday night under a
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 62
Low: 41
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 68
Low: 49
Mostly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 70
Low: 41
Few Showers