School construction moves ahead
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Group forms for 4th Fest 2007
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Ward chosen for study program
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■ August 2, 2006
Vol, 74 No. 31 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
The
Weekly
Fugitive wanted in Perquimans County
MARGARET FISHER
A man who stole a
deputy squad car and
escaped in Currituck
County is wanted in
Perquimans County for a
break-in that occurred last
Wednesday, said
Perquimans County Sheriff
Eric Tilley.
Johnnie Ray Mizelle, 33,
of Edenton, is wanted in
Chowan County for numer
ous counts of breaking and
entering.
A sheriff’s deputy in
Moyock stopped to help
Mizelle, whose 1995
Chevrolet S-10 pickup was
disabled last Thursday.
When the deputy realized
Mizelle was wanted in
Chowan, he arrested him.
While waiting in the
squad car for the deputy to
assist with the wrecker
driver, Mizelle was able to
work his handcuffs to the
front of his body and climb
HPD foot chases
result in one arrest
MARGARET FISHER
Hertford police chased
potential theft suspects in
two separate incidents and
apprehended one man.
In the first incident on
July 16, police received a
call at about 2 a.m. that a
black man dressed in black
was looking through cars
in the Woodland Circle
vicinity, said Police Chief
Dale Vanscoy. The suspect
was discovered opening a
vehicle door and attempt
ing to go through personal
belongings.
While on foot, officers
Kevin Worster and Larry
Chamblee saw the man
running through back
yards along Pennsyvania
Avenue to Dobbs Street,
where the officers lost con
tact with the man.
After searching the area,
they found the man,
Lorenzo Hurdle, 45, sitting
inside a vacant house on
West Railroad Avenue.
“He was in the process of
changing clothes out of the
clothes the complainant
had described,” Vanscoy
said.
Hurdle, who resides at
102 Wynn Fork Court, was
charged with breaking and
entering a motor vehicle.
Continued on page 8
New DSS chapter
donates to elderly
Margaret Fisher
The Department of
Social Services’ new asso
ciation chapter organized
its first event, Christmas in
July, to help needy resi
dents of local nursing
homes.
The Perquimans County
N.C. Social Services
Association’s goal is to
assist community mem
bers in areas that typically
are not addressed by the
agency’s programs and
promote a positive image of
social services.
“The goal is to promote
social services employees
and also to support the
community and their needs
other than the services we
offer here (at DSS),” said
Rebecca (Dorprew, vice
president of the associa
tion chapter and Medicaid
case worker.
Corprew and the 23
other DSS employees
donated funds to purchase
personal hygiene items, rag
dolls and games such as
crossword puzzles and
placed them in gift bags for
residents at Russell’s Rest
Home and South Haven
Manor in Woodville. The
event was held last Friday.
The event was a surprise
to Carolyn Russell, one of
the supervisors in charge
at Russell’s Rest Home. The
residents, ranging in age
from 57 to 96, can’t always
afford personal care items,
she said.
“They don’t have a
whole lot of income left
over, so this (event) is
good,” Russell said.
Marilyn Gregory estab
lished the chapter in
Continued on page 8
through the barrier cage to
the front seat of the patrol
car.
The 2007 Ford Crown
Victoria patrol car was pur
sued by law enforcement
after being spotted on U.S.
Highway 168.
That same day, Mizelle
entered a residence where
he was discovered by the
resident. The Lou Sawyer
Road resident came home
and found Mizelle eating
pizza in her kitchen and
drilling off one of the
bracelets of the handcuffs.
Mizelle left the home with
out incident.
Also on Thursday, the
squad car was found sub
merged at the Poyners
Road boat ramp where
Mizelle was spotted by a
news crew and disap
peared. Mizelle had appar
ently gained access to the
trunk and removed a shot
gun.
Mizelle has remained a
fugitive since then as law
enforcement and canines
searched wooded areas of
Currtituck County on foot
and by air. Extreme heat
hindered the search.
On Monday, officials
reported that Mizelle is no
longer in the Currituck
County area. The search
continues, although not
concentrated in that area,
states a report issued by
the Currituck County
Sheriff’s Office.
Playing with "The Tin Whistle
MARGARET FISHER
At least 150 people came
to hear the Elizabeth City
State University Albemarle
Strings play at the Summer
Breeze concert at
Perquimans County High
School on Sunday
The highlight of the
evening was Nita
Coleman’s premier per
formance playing a tin
whistle accompanied by 12
string musicians.
The piece “The Tin
Whistle,” was composed by
Hertford resident Charles
Jones for Coleman to per
form.
Coleman, a pediatrician
from Coastal Pediatrics in
Elizabeth City, played a
flute about 30 years ago,
she said. But she had for
gotten how to read music
when she approached
Jones to take recorder les
sons.
Coleman, who has been
practicing medicine for 26
years, developed an inter
est in Irish music when she
took a trip with friends to
Ireland in 2004.
“I really loved Irish
music and loved the sound
of the tin whistle,” she
said.
The Pasquotank County
resident bought the simple
6-hole instrument, teaching
books and compact disks.
Then she proceeded to
teach herself how to play
“It’s not that difficult to
learn,” she said. “I’m just
drawn to it, and it has such
a happy sound.”
Coleman reminisced
about a man she saw play
ing a tin whistle in an Irish
pub as his young daughter
danced. “It was such a
sweet sight,” she said.
About four months ago,
Coleman met Jones and his
wife Nancy, concert master
and violin player. When she
went to Jones for recorder
Continued on page 8
County prepares for emergencies
PHOTO BY MARGARET FISHER
Zebria Booker gives a resident at Russell's Rest Home
a gift bag of personal care items. Booker and 23 other
employees of the N.C. Department of Social Services
have formed a new association chapter in the county
to meet some of the local needs not met by DSS.
SUSAN HARRIS
Perquimans County is in
the process of. identifying
persons with special med
ical needs so that they can
be served in the event of a
hurricane strike or other
disaster.
County Emergency
Management Coordinator
Jarvis Winslow said this
week that a roundtable
composed of the local
health department, social
services, senior center,
Albemarle Commission
and Albemarle Regional
Health Services represen
tatives have met to deter
mine how best to identify
and serve special needs res
idents in the event of a dis
aster. The group is present
ly concentrating on identi
fying those persons.
Registration forms are
available at doctor’s offices,
local businesses, the health
department, social services
and emergency manage
ment. The registration
forms will be reviewed and
validated for need by a
committee of health care
representatives, Winslow
said.
Composing a plan for
Evidence found in his
1995 Chevrolet S-10 pickup
included firearms stolen
from 613 Four Mile Desert
Road, TiUey said. Cocaine
and other stolen property
were also seized. Mizelle
has warrants issued for
felony larceny of a motor
vehicle, felony possession
of a firearm by a convicted
felon and felony possession
of cocaine.
Continued on page 8
Wake man
linked to
thefts
MARGARET FISHER
The sheriff’s office has
announced that a man
arrested in Raleigh is
linked to break-ins and
thefts occurring in
Perquimans, Pasquotank
and Camden counties since
June 1.
Maurice Bright had
moved from Elizabeth City
to Raleigh when he was
apprehended by Raleigh
police around July 17.
Continued on page 8
Teany
onPCHS
PHOTO BY MARGARET FISHER
Nita Coleman gives a premiere performance of Hertford resident and composer
Charles Jones "The Tin Whistle." Coleman was introduced to the wind instrument
while visiting Ireland and was inspired to teach herself how to play it.
Concert gets standing ovation
staff
SUSAN HARRIS
There’s a new team in
town, and the three-some is
putting plans in place for a
successful year at
Perquimans High School.
James Bunch took the
helm as the school’s princi
pal in July, filling the posi
tion left by the departure of
Melvin Hawkins, who
accepted an administrative
post in Camden.
Now, Larry Tearry has
joined Bunch and assistant
principal Randy Martin to
complete the high school’s
administrative team. He
will also serve as athletic
director.
Tearry comes to
Perquimans from
Continued on page 8
persons with special med
ical needs is a new emer
gency response require
ment. In addition to having
an overall plan for evacua
tion and public shelter, the
new requirements specifi
cally address persons with
special medical needs.
Winslow said he has
already made contact with
residential facilities hous
ing those with special med
ical needs and learned
their plans for emergen
cies. Now, he is trying to
identify individuals and
Continued on page 8
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 98, Low: 80
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 94, Low: 77
Scattered T'storms
Saturday
High: 87, Low: 73
Scattered T'storms