Homeschoolers show art
F^ge 2
All-Conference picks
Page 7
Pirates^ Lady Pirates fail
page 7
PS. C2*******^CAR-RT LOP*C-9flf
PERQUiMANS COUNTY UBRARf
110^ ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD. NC 27B44-138S
The
mar 1 4 20u/
March 14,2007
Vol. 75, No. 11 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
'UIMANS
EEKLY
35 cents
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cau^t
back in
store
MARGARET FISHER
A local woman who
allegedly took a few extra
items while shopping in
downtown Hertford, also
left her name and tele
phone number with the
two merchants and a bag
containing one of the miss
ing items.
Then she returned two
days later to get her forgot
ten merchandise. That’s
when police nabbed her.
Brenda Sue Bray, 53, of
197 E. Inlet Circle, was
charged with two counts of
larceny on Feb. 5.
Bray went to Belinda’s
of Hertford on the after
noon of Feb. 3 to pick up
her watch that had been
repaired. After a con
frontation over the price of
the repair, she and the
shop’s owner, Belinda
Washlesky, came to an
agreement, Washlesky
said.
Bray left the store and
returned shortly after with
her aunt. The two browsed
through the store and Bray
bought some items.
Following the two shop
pers’ departure, Washlesky
said she noticed a display
of jewelry missing. Gone
were two bracelets, a neck
lace and a ring valued at
about $170.
Washlesky then called 9-
1-1 at about 2:30 p.m. She
also called Bray’s home
and left a message telling
her that she would not
press charges if Bray
returned the missing
items. Police also tried to
reach Bray.
Bray and her aunt
apparently left Belinda’s
and began browsing at
Hertfordshire Antiques.
Bray placed a deposit on a
steamer trunk, gave her
name and phone number
and then left the shop, said
owner Jane McMahon.
McMahon said that she
later found a small bag
with Belinda’s logo on it.
Inside were a few items
and a ring that McMahon
was selling at her shop. She
also found a price tag from
another ring on the floor
near the bag.
On Monday, Bray called
McMahon and asked her if
she had found a shopping
bag in her store. McMahon
told her she had and there
was one of her rings in it
and another ring was miss
ing. Bray denied knowing
anything about the rings,
McMahon said.
McMahon told Bray that
she wouldn’t press charges
if she returned the ring.
In the meantime,
Washlesky had informed
McMahon about what had
occurred at her shop.
Bray returned to
Hertfordshire on Monday
afternoon. Washlesky, who
was sitting in her car near
the shops, went into her
store and told her employ
ee to call the police while
she waited outside.
Continued on page 9
Woman indicted for child beating
MARGARET FISHER
An Edenton woman was indicted for seri
ously injuring a pre-schooler at a day care cen
ter in Winfall.
Bessie Gilliam, 49, of 3007 Carol Lane, faces
charges stemming from an incident that
allegedly occurred at The Learning Center of
Perquimans Coimty on Jan. 16.
Gilliam was contracted as a mentor at the
day care center, owned by Arlene Yates, wife of
WinfaU Mayor Fred Yates.
The juvenile’s parent called the Perquimans
County Sheriff’s Office the day after the
alleged incident saying that her child had been
beaten by Gilliam, said Sheriff Eric Tilley.
“Because of the injuries sustained to the
child, we looked into it,” Tilley said. “Due to
the injuries that were sustained to the child, we
carried the case to the grand jury.”
Gilliam was served with the indictment on
March 7 on a charge of child abuse inflicting
serious bodily injury. She was taken to
Albemarle District Jail on a $1,000 secured
bond.
Yates refused to make any comments regard
ing the case because, she said, Gilliam was not
an employee of the day care.
Livin’ off the iand
^ - •• /-• •'«* ’-*31
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
It's a sure sign of spring when baseball and softball get underway, daffodils bloom and tractors sprout
from fallow fields, conditioning and turning the soil for another Perquimans growing season. Earlie Byrum
is just one of a number of farmers back in the field preparing for another year.
Speeding cause of 1-car wreck
MARGARET FISHER
A 20-year-old allegedly
driving too fast on New
Hope Road wrecked and
was taken to the hospital
on March 5.
At about 2:55 p.m..
Hubert Harrell of 284 Great
Hope Church Road was
driving a 2004 Ford west
near the intersection of
Powers Road when he lost
control of the car. He went
off the road to the right,
over-corrected to the left
and collided with a ditch,
according to an N.C.
Highway Patrol report.
Durants Neck Fire
Department responded to
the scene where Harrell
was pinned inside the car.
Inter-County Fire
Department was called
there to use cutters to get
Harrell out.
• Harrell was taken to
Albemarle Hospital, and
was treated and released.
He was charged with
exceeding a safe speed.
New shop adds variety to downtown
MARGARET FISHER
With a little of this and a
little of that, Vickie and
Willie Cofield of Edenton
and Tonya Collier of
Belvidere opened Hertford
Variety.
The business opened its
doors inside the Hall of
Fame Square in January
and the owners celebrated
with a ribbon cutting by
the Chamber of Commerce
last Thursday.
Vickie Cofield and
Collier had operated busi
nesses before and had
worked together in the past
selling clothes. In addition,
both say they enjoy talking
to people.
“We just welcome every
body to come in and meet
us,” she said.
The shop carries a line
of Sunday-go-to-meeting
clothes, some of which are
fashionably embellished.
They also have casual
styles and anticipate bring
ing in more casual styles,
especially for juniors and
men.
The variety store carries
purses, hair pieces, men’s
ties and professional greet
ing cards made by both
Collier and Cofield.
Whatever the customers
would like them to carry.
Cofield said she would like
to try to accommodate.
Collier said she hopes to
expand the store in the
future.
“I have a vision of it
being more than one store,”
she said.
Hertford Variety is open
on Tuesday from noon to 5
MARGARET FISHER
After a foul incident
occurred on a sidewalk on
Grubb Street near the
downtown. Town Manager
John Christensen is asking
dog owners to carry a
scooper or plastic bag to
clean up after their pets.
“(I want to) put this out
there as a service to the
community to assist the
dog owners to abide by the
rules,” Christensen said.
The town rules state
that anyone walking a dog
on public or private prop
erty without the permis
sion of the private proper
ty owner, should carry a
bag or other closable con
tainer for removing feces
deposited by the dog. They
also must clean it up imme
diately, place it in the bag
and deposit it in a lawful
manner, such as a trash
can.
At Missing Mill Park,
dog owners can utilize the
Dogi Pot — a box contain
ing litter bags used to
scoop up the mess a pet
may leave — so that other
people can tread safely.
Trash cans are available to
toss the mess into.
There is also a leash law
in town, Christensen said.
The ordinance states
that dogs must be under
control on a leash or in a
vehicle when off of the
owner’s own property.
Dogs should not be run
ning at large.
Along with laws against
people abusing animals,
there are also laws against
animals annoying people,
such as when dogs bark
almost nonstop.
In addition, dogs need to
be vaccinated against
rabies according to law and
be licensed annually. Dog
licenses, available at the
town municipal center,
need to be worn by the dogs
on their collars at all times.
A new store in town, Hertford Variety, opened last
week in the downtown Hall of Fame Square with a
selection of clothing, purses and greeting cards.
p.m., Wednesday through
Friday from 11 a.m. to 5
p.m. and Saturday from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m.
Weather
Thursday
High: 78, Low: 61
Mostly Cloudy
Friday
High: 67, Low: 38
Showers
Saturday
High: 56, Low: 34
Mostly Sunny