Inside:
The 2007 Indian Summer
and
Hearth & Harvest
festivals guide
The
Perquimans
August 29, 2007
Vol. 75, No. 36 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
^^ "2 9 2007
35 cents
Off to school HPD seeks
M
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i «
gunmen
■«!
PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
»00LS
73
unmE.
School buses were back on the roads Monday as
Perquimans County schools opened their doors for
local students. Central School kindergarten teacher
Becky Houtz distributes coloring books as she wel
comes her students (above).
r
One little fella needed a helping hand with tying his
shoe before going into class Monday morning at
Central School as physical education teacher
Richard Thach greets the children getting off the
bus in the background (left). New Princi))al Sylvia
Johnson was also on hand to greet the children as
they made their way into the school on their first
day of class.
Superintendent Dwayne Stallings told board mem
bers Monday night that the school year got off to a
wonderful start with only a couple of glitches,
including two school bus break-downs. Enrollment
is 139 students higher than the first month of
school last year, with 1,872 students currently
enrolled.
Mosquito bite changed little girl’s life
EEE found in
Pasquotank
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Oracle Blake said her
first word a month ago.
What sounded like a
simple “hi” was muttered,
but her mutterings sent
unspeakable joy through a
family that wraps itself
around the three-year-old
like a warm blanket on a
winter's night. While
Grade usually says little
other than baby sounds,
she speaks volumes in
smiles.
Life for the Blake fami
ly changed drastically in
2004 when Oracle was bit
ten by a mosquito carry
ing the eastern equine
encephalitis (EEE) virus.
Before that normal-look
ing bite appeared on her
foot. Grade was a beauti
ful, energetic 11-month-
old girl who delighted in
her mom, July, grandpar
ents, Bill and Mary, and
older sister, Cheyanne.
“She was always a per
fect baby,” remembers
Bill. “She was too perfect.
I used to tell my wife,
something is going to hap
pen to her. I just knew
PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
July Blake bounces her 3-year-old daughter, Grade,
on her knee, causing the young girl to smile. Grade
was bitten by a mosquito when she was 11 months
old and contracted Eastern Equine Encephalitis,
causing brain damage. Gracie is now more alert and
active since her medications have been reduced,
but she equates to a 4-7 month old mentally.
it.’That something lions of people every day
turned out to be some- during the summer
thing that happens to mil- Continued on page 6
chickens
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
While Eastern Equine
Encephalitis (EEE) has
been identified in a sen
tinel chicken flock in
neighboring Pasquotank
County, no reports of
problems with a similar
flock in Perquimans
County have been noted.
There are three sen
tinel chicken flocks found
locally: one in
Perquimans, one in
Currituck, and the one
affected in Pasquotank
County. According to
county agriculture offi
cials, sentinel chicken
flocks are small flocks of
chickens raised in select
ed back yards for the pur
pose of testing for viruses.
Local and state health
officials remind residents
Continued on page 6
Pair breaks
in, shoots at
Hertford
couple in
their home
SUSAN HARRIS
Hertford Police are
seeking two men for their
alleged role in an armed
household invasion
Saturday night.
Hertford Police Chief
Dale Vanscoy said his
department obtained war
rants for Laquell Fletcher,
21, of 417 King Street, and
Devon Thatch, 20, last
known address 113 King
Street, on charages of
first degree burglary,
criminal damage and
assault with a deadly
weapon with intent to kill.
The pair was still at large
Tuesday morning.
Vanscoy said officers
responded to a shots fired
call at 312 W. Market
Street around 11 p.m.
Saturday The couple
residing at the address
reported to police that
they were watching televi
sion in their living room
when an individual wear
ing a ski mask-type hat
kicked in the front door
and began shooting. The
husband said he jumped
up and got into a fight
with the shooter, and the
two tumbled outside the
damaged door. The resi
dent was able to pull the
ski mask off and told offi
cers the man wearing the
mask was Fletcher.
A second man, identi
fied as Thatch, was wait
ing outside the house.
When the resident and
Fletcher tumbled through
the front door, the resi
dent said Thatch began
shooting at them.
Officers recovered both
22- and 40-calibur shell
casings and bullets from
both guns. Vanscoy said
the residents’ car was
struck three times during
the altercation.
Anyone with informa
tion about the where
abouts of Fletcher and
Thatch is asked to call
HPD at 426-5887.
The case came on the
heels of two incidents on
New e-mail
Susan Harris, Editor
8t Publisher
sharris@nccoxxom
Bev Alexander,
Advertising Sales
Rep.
balexander@nccox.
com
Cathy Wilson, Staff
Writer
cwilson@nccox.com
Friday.
Vanscoy said his offi
cers received a report of a
vehicle stolen from 611
Pennsylvania Ave. Friday.
HPD put out a be on the
look-out notice in a 50-
mile radius.
Elizabeth City Police
spotted the vehicle and
attempted to stop it,
Vanscoy said. A short pur
suit followed, during
which the vehicle report
ed stolen was driven into a
pole in downtown
Elizabeth City, resulting
in a loss of power to a
small area. The three indi
viduals in the car ran.
Two were apprehended,
but the driver got away.
Vanscoy said HPD
obtained a warrant for the
driver, Desmond Johnson,
19, of Southern Avenue,
Elizabeth City. He will be
charged with larceny of a
motor vehicle and posses
sion of stolen property
Vanscoy said all three
individuals will face
charges in Elizabeth City.
The investigation into
the incident is continuing,
Vanscoy said.
Just after 7 p.m. Friday,
officers were on routine
patrol on King Street near
the basketball court and
saw a vehicle driving in a
suspicious manner.
When officers attempt
ed to stop the vehicle, it
fled west on King Street,
turned south onto
Edenton Road Street,
turned east onto Jimmy
Hunter Drive, drove
through the cemetery and
turned back onto King
Street and then onto
Stokes Drive. Once on
Stokes Drive, the driver
got out of the vehicle and
ran.
Officer Jeff Thomas
pursued the driver on foot
and apprehended him as
he came from around
building on Stokes Drive
back toward King Street.
Andrew Devon White,
24, of 661 Sandy Cross
Road, Belvidere was sub
sequently arrested and
charged with driving
while license revoked,
felony flee to elude arrest
and resist arrest.
He was placed in
Albemarle District Jail
under a $4,000 bond.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 89, Low: 70
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 88, Low: 69
Scattered Tstorms
Saturday
High: 83, Low: 68
Mostly Sunny