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Rescue Squad sale nets over $8K
Pages
Youth League update
Page 6
Senior scholarships^ awards
Pages
June 7, 2006
Vol, 74, No, 23 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
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Officials seek clues in New Hope death
SUSAN HARRIS
Law enforcement offi
cials continue to seek
answers in the case of a
man who died on the lawn
of his New Hope home
early Monday morning.
Michael Archie Wilson,
50, of 2222 New Hope Road
appears to have died at the
edge of his driveway some
time around 1:30 a.m.,
according to Perquimans
County Sheriff Eric Tilley.
Tilley said his officers
received a call at 2:30 a.m.
on June 5 that there was a
possible homicide at the
New Hope Road residence.
Deputies arrived on the
scene to find Wilson lying
near a driveway toward the
left edge of the yard. The
sheriff said that emer
gency medical personnel
checked Wilson and deter
mined that he was dead.
Also at the scene was
Gloria Jean Thomas, *47, the
girlfriend of Wilson who
also resides at 2222 New
Hope Road, and several of
Wilson’s relatives, Tilley
said.
Thomas told investiga
tors with the local sheriff’s
department and the state
police that she and Wilson
had an altercation outside
the home around 1:30 a.m.
Tilley said Thomas told
officials that at some point
during the argument,
Wilson fell to the ground
face first. She tried to get
him up off the ground, but
couldn’t, Tilley said.
Because the phone in the
residence was not working,
the sheriff said Thomas
drove to the home of some
of Wilson’s family mem
bers on Muddy Creek Road
and asked them to come
back to the house with her.
He said when the family
members saw Wilson, they
called 9-1-1 on a cell phone.
Tilley said a cause of
death was not obvious.
There are wounds on the
body and evidence at the
scene that indicates there
was some type of physical
confrontation, but Tilley
said Wilson could have died
of natural causes. The
sheriff would not be specif
ic, but said Wilson did have
facial wounds of an unde
termined origin. Thomas
had a cut on her foot, Tilley
said, but did not appear to
be suffering from any seri
ous injuries.
Until a cause of death is
known, the case is being
investigated as a suspi
cious death, Tilley said.
Wilson’s body was sent
to the medical examiner’s
office in Greenville on
Monday for an autopsy,
Tilley said a cause of death
may be known sometime
Tuesday, but it will take at
least two weeks to get a pre
liminary report and up to
60 days for a full report.
Winfall raising fees, buying
new police patrol vehicle
Moving day
MARGARET FISHER
The town of Winfall is
preparing its budget, has
raised impact fees and is
purchasing a new second
police vehicle.
Mayor Fred Yates said
that sanitation fees will be
the only fee increase on the
2006-2007 fiscal year’s budg
et. The monthly trash pick
up fee is proposed to
increase from $7 to $8.
Residents can pick up a
copy of the proposed budg
et at the municipal building
prior to the public hearing
scheduled at 6:30 p.m. on
Monday, June 12.
Impact fees, one-time
utility fees charged for new
developments, were
increased on April 10 from
$500 to $2,500 for water and
from $750 to $3,000 for
sewer. The increases are in
line with similar towns and
only affect new residents,
Yates said.
“It wouldn’t be fair to
charge the citizens already
here,” he said.
While the town searches
for another police officer to
replace Angela (Castro)
Turpin, who resigned on
April 7 after about four
months, it has purchased a
new unmarked police car.
The 2006 Ford Crown
Victoria Police Interceptor
is being retrofitted with
police equipment, includ
ing a Digital Eyewitness in-
car camera system. With a
cost of more than $43,200,
the vehicle is being paid for
by a US. Department of
Agriculture Rural
Development grant and
$28,800 loan.
Police Chief David
Shaffer said that a second
police vehicle is needed
because operating one vehi
cle will wear it out quickly
He also said that two police
officers are needed in order
to have better police cover
age.
“You’ve got to have cov
erage,” Shaffer said. “I
mean, one person just can’t
do it.”
Plan now for hurricanes
MARGARET FISHER
Jarvis Winslow is the
new emergency manage
ment coordinator for
Perquimans County He
assumed the dutues upon
the retirement of Harry
Winslow.
A Perquimans County
native, Jarvis Winslow took
the position about a year
after retiring after 38 years
in civil service in Norfolk,
Va. Winslow worked in a
number of positions in the
electronics field. He has
been a volunteer fireman
with the ■ Winfall Fire
Department for more than
25 years. His emergency
and computer use experi
ence fitted him for the job,
he said.
“My basic goal is to
make Perquimans County
as safe as I possibly can,”
he said.
Winslow said that he
hopes to help the county
recover from, or even pre
vent, possible disasters.
Possible events include
fires, accidents, chemical
and hazardous materials,
pandemic flues, drownings,
floods, tornadoes and, par
ticularly from now through
November, hurricanes.
The hurricane season
started last week, but its
peak activity runs from
mid-August to late October.
From 13-16 named storms
with four-six storms possi
bly developing into
Category 3 or higher are
predicted by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
Preparation is the first
step, Winslow said.
“That’s basically what
the job is,” he said. “You
prepare for the worst and
hope for the best.”
Each individual needs to
be involved in that first
step, he said. That includes
preparing a three-day
emergency kit, listening to
weather reports and evacu
ating if told to do so.
Shelters within the
county approved by the
American Red Cross are .
limited. The primary shel
ter is the middle school in
Winfall which holds about
225 people. A secondary
shelter is the Albemarle
Commission Building on
Church Street, which will
hold up to 25 people. Pets
are not allowed.
“I strongly urge people
to head west to 1-95 and
evacuate early,” Winslow
said.
An emergency opera
tions center will be set up
at 104 Dobbs Street before,
during and after a hurri
cane. The emergency phone
number will be made avail
able to the public if sa
storm approaches.
The county has pur
chased and contracted for
generators to run the water
system. Generators are also
ready to back up fire
departments, shelters, cen
tral communications and
other vital facilities,
Winslow said.
Officials are looking for
a permanent debris site
where yard debris can be
taken after a storm. A tem
porary location this year
may be the Brinn Farm on
Grubb Street, he said.
Winslow recommends
that residents seek assis
tance from the county first
after a disaster, then the
state and federal contacts,
such as FEMA.
The N.C. Department of
PHOTO BY MARGARET FISHER
Insurance advises home-
owners to find out what
their policies cover and do
not cover, including wind
and flood damage, detached
buildings, items such as
jewelry, furs and art collec
tions, living expenses when
your house is not fit to live
in and tree removal.
NCDOI recommends pur
chasing a policy that covers
at least 80 percent of the
full replacement costs of
the dwelling. Renters
should consider insuring
their personal belongings.
Other reminders include
to gather important papers
in a waterproof container,
keep an inventory list of
belongings and take pic
tures of them, put away or
tie down items that could
become projectiles, cover
windows with plywood and
create a communication
and evacuation plan for
your family.
Emergency Supply Kit
The American Red Cross
recommends putting
together a three-day supply
kit for your family before a
hurricane strikes.
First aid kit and medica
tions.
Canned food and non
electric can opener.
At least three gallons of
water per person.
Protective clothing, rain
wear and bedding.
Battery-powered radio,
flashlight and extra batter
ies.
Special items for infants,
elderly or disabled family
members.
Written instructions on
how to turn off utilities, if
advised to do so. (A profes
sional will need to turn
them back on.)
Workers are building a trailer under the Brinn House, owned by Dennis Williams of
Virginia Beach, Va., so it can be moved from the town's spray field about one and
a half miles away. Worth H. Hare & Son of Edenton will moving the 2,600 square-
foot home to 243 Riverwood Dr. after power, cable and phone lines are temporar
ily moved. Worth Hare Jr. said the trip will take at least four hours. Williams plans
to upgrade the home before selling it.
Search dog killed in line of duty
MARGARET FISHER
A young pup born in the
New Hope area was rescued
and trained in search and
recovery work. On May 8,
K9 Jacob Ray was killed
while on duty in Greenville
at his second search assign
ment. Last Friday, Hertford
Town Mayor Fred Eley pro
claimed June 2 as K9 Jacob
Day
While on the scent of a
missing person at a car
show at the Pitt County
Fairgrounds, Jacob was hit
by a passing box truck.
“He died in my arms on
the way to the vet,” said
Steve Canady, who handled
and owned the dog, along
with his fiancee Ginny
White, both of Edenton.
Canady’s first encounter
with the puppy was
through the Tri-County
Animal Shelter, where
White is employed as an
animal control officer,
when the pup was about
three months old.
“He clung to me and I
ended up keeping him,”
Canady said. A month later
in April 2005, Canady, who
owns Dreamcatchers in
Hertford, began taking
Jacob through obedience
training. In January, the
dog and handler joined the
yK9 Specific Scent Search
and Recovery team in
Portsmouth, Va.
Jacob, a mixed breed,
was hot on the trail where
it was confirmed that
K9 Jacob Ray, born in
Perquimans County, was
killed while searching for
a missing person in
Greenville. In memory of
his good work, June 2
was proclaimed K9 Jacob
Day.
Kristie Hahns, 22, had last
driven out of the fair
grounds. Jacob was certi
fied as a scent specific
mantrailer and was also
cross-trained to detect the
scent of human remains.
“Jacob’s scenting ability
impressed me the first time
I met him at obedience
class and further sessions
revealed that Jacob had an
uncanny desire to work,”
wrote Margie Spensor, offi
cer in charge at
VK9SSSAR.
Jacob was given person
al articles belonging to
Hahns and taken to the
fairgrounds where she was
last spotted. Even though
she was driving in a car,
her car was vented so her
scent left a trail, Canady
said.
“Our dogs can pick
somebody out of a crowd if
they know what they are
looking for,” he said.
Three hours after Jacob
died, Hahns, who had a his
tory of disappearing, was
found to be checked in at a
Jacksonville hospital,
Canady said. Ten days later
she was killed in an auto
mobile accident, he added.
But Jacob had done his
job well. Before her death,
Hahns had confirmed that
she had been on the trail
Jacob was following,
Canady said.
“It’s been terrible to lose
him and all the training
he’s been through,” he said.
'EEKEND
Weather
Thursday
High: 82, Low: 65
Scattered Tstorms
Friday
.High: 81, Low: 65
Scahered T'storms
Saturday
High: 86, Low: 63
Mostly Sunny