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MAV 1 8 2008
May 28, 2008
Vot. 76, No. 22 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
**News from Next Door**
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Veterans honored
CATHY WILSON
staff Writer
Approximately 150 peo
ple gathered underneath
the shade of the court
house trees Monday morn
ing and remembered those
who serve and have served
this country.
“We honor those who
served so faithfully and so
humbly,” said Shirley Wig
gins, retired captain, U.S.
Navy. “We will never for
get you.”
Wiggins was the guest
speaker during the Memo
rial Day observance that
included, for the first time,
the county’s new veterans’
memorial and the brick
walkway honoring and
memorializing county vet
erans from all branches of
service.
She gave a brief his
tory of how Memorial
Day came to be, and how it
changed in 1968 from hon
oring just those who died
in service to honoring all
veterans.
“Whenever you see a
veteran, especially one
who is hurt badly, don’t
look on them with pity,”
she said. “Look on them
with love and remember
what they went through
for this country.”
The Pledge of Alle
giance was led by 97-year-
old Jay Dillon, believed to
be the oldest living World
War 11 veteran. He served
with the Navy.
Charlie Skinner, a Ma
rine veteran, gave a brief
history of each branch of
service as members of the
Perquimans High School
band played each branch’s
special song. A veteran
of each branch of service
presented their service
flag and placed each of
the flags in the flag hold
ers which line the brick
'walkway leading up to the
memorial.
Mack Nixon and Shirley
Wiggins, both members of
the Perquimans County
Board of Commissioners,
placed a wreath at the base
of the memorial.
Perquimans Weekly photo by CATHY WILSON
MACK NIXON AND SHIRLEY Wiggins, members of the
Perquimans County Board of Commissioners, place a wreath
at the base of the veterans' memorial in honor of all veter
ans who have served and who are serving this country. Wig
gins was the guest speaker for Monday's Memorial Day cer
emony. Jay Dillon, 97, is believed to be the oldest local World
War II veteran. He led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance
during the Memorial Day ceremony.
H 4
Ken Rominger, com
mander of the Ameri
can Legion Post 126, said
500 flags were placed on
the graves of veterans
throughout the county in
observance of Memorial
Day. He also explained the
table set for one on the
Two plead guilty
to 2006 murder
courthouse green in ob
servance of the military’s
missing in action.
The flag on the court
house square flew at half
mast as the band members
concluded the ceremony
by playing “Taps” on trum
pets.
Victim’s
family upset
over plea
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Rhonda Wilson says her
husband didn’t have to die
the way he did.
Fifty year-old Michael
Wilson died in June nearly
two years ago after being
kicked and beaten in the
driveway of a New Hope
home.
The two young men
charged with murder in
connection with his death
accepted negotiated plea
agreements in court last
week. One pleaded guilty
to voluntary manslaugh
ter while the other pleaded
guilty to involuntary man
slaughter.
Clayton James of Nor
folk, Va., was sentenced to
a minimum of 48 months
and a maximum of 67
months for voluntary man
slaughter. Skylar Spence
of Perquimans County was
sentenced to a minimum
of 16 months and a maxi
mum of 20 months for in
voluntary manslaughter.
Both men received credit
for time served in jail while
waiting to stand trial, and
both were ordered to pay
Wilson’s burial expenses.
While Assistant District
Attorney Michael Johnson
says the plea agreements
were reached to avoid the
possibility of getting a not
guilty verdict during trial,
family members and law en
forcement officials alike are
upset that murder charges
were reduced.
“It’s not right. It’s not
right at all,” said Wilson’s
widow. “I’m not a preju
diced person, but if a white
man had been killed, they
(James and Spencer) would
have gotten more time.”
Perquimans County
Sheriff Eric Tilley says the
case is a prime example of
what happens when people
take the law into their own
hands. Plea agreements
may not discourage others
from doing the same thing
in the future.
Both young men are
relatives of Wilson’s then
live-in girlfriend, Gloria
“Pinky” Thomas. Police say
Michael Wilson and Thom
as argued at the house that
night, and, at some point,
Spence and James joined
in, knocked Wilson to the
ground and kicked him re
peatedly in the head.
Johnson said James took
the leadership role in the
incident, and that Spence
backed off.
Family members told
presiding Judge W. RusseU
Duke Jr. that Wilson suf
fered residual effects from
a stroke several years ago
that left one side immobile.
He dragged one leg and had
little use of the arm pn that
same side, adding that Wil
son could not have fought
back. Wilson had also suf
fered a heart attack in years
past.
Court papers filed by
Spence’s attorney, however,
alleged that Wilson initiat
ed the attack by confronting
Thomas with a knife prior
to a verbal confrontation.
According to police re
ports, Wilson apparently
died around 1:30 a.m. but
the. sheriffs department
and emergency services
weren’t called until an hour
later. Thomas reportedly
told law enforcement of
ficials she and Wilson had
an altercation and at some
point, he fell to the ground
face first. She tried to get
him up off the ground, but
couldn’t. Because the phone
in the house was not work
ing, she drove to the home
of some of Wilson’s family
members who lived nearby
and asked them to return to
the house with her. When
family members saw Wil
son, they called 9-1-1 on a
ceil phone.
Police also said Thomas
initially told investigators
that only she, her teenaged
grandson and Wilson were
at the residence at the time
of the incident. However,
Thomas eventually admit
ted that five people were
actually there at the time
of Wilson’s death including
James and Spence.
In past news accounts of
the incident, there was no
mention of a knife being
found at the scene.
According to court pa
pers filed by the attorney
for James, an autopsy was
performed on Wilson by the
state’s medical examiner on
June 6 stating that Wilson
died from blunt force injury
to the head. Court papers
also show that the autopsy
report determined Wilson’s
heart disease, caused by
hardening of the arteries,
was a significant factor
contributing to his death,
but that if he “had not sus
tained the significant head
injuries, he would not have
died of his heart disease at
the time that he did die.”
CONTINUED on page 14
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Law officers concerned over pleas, reductions
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CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
During last week’s three-day su
perior court session in Perquimans
County, at least 45 felony charges
were either dismissed or reduced
to misdemeanors as the result of
negotiated plea agreements.
Law enforcement officials here
are concerned about the message it
sends to criminals. The prosecutor
says it’s a routine process due to
limited court time.
For Perquimans Sheriff Eric
Tfiley and his department, see
ing felony charges reduced or dis
missed after months of hard work
on their end is frustrating. They
also have to explain to the crime
victims or to their family members
why those arrested for the crime
got off lightly.
But, they are even more con
cerned about the fact that lack of
felony convictions allows criminals
to purchase hand guns that might
lead to more violent crime.
“For the last four years, it’s got
ten progressively worse,” said Til
ley of the number of plea agree
ments reached in superior court.
“We don’t get notified of the plea
agreements. My office is open to
the public. When the crime victim
wants to know why things hap
pen in court that I have no control
over, they don’t go to the district
attorney’s office. They come to my
office. I am fed up with answering
for them (district attorney’s office).
Something’s got to give.”
Assistant District Attorney
Michael Johnson says neptiated
plea agreements are routine and
are done on a case by case basis.
Limited court time in the county
also impacts arranging plea agree
ments, he said.
For example, last week William
Elliott, originally charged with five
counts of indecent liberties with
a chUd, pleaded guilty to misde
meanor assault on a female instead
as the result of a negotiated plea
agreement. The victim in the case,
however, refused to testify. Elliott
received 60 days in jail and a fine.
“It’s (plea agreement) a com
promise...taking something rather
than it be an acquittal,” Johnson
said.
Tilley, however, has confidence
in area law enforcement officials
and points out that by the time a
case reaches superior court, their
work has already passed three
tests: 1) when a warrant is obtained
from a magistrate to arrest; 2) dur
ing a probable cause hearing in
district court; and 3) when enough
evidence is presented to a grand
jury which determines whether or
not the accused stands trial in su
perior court.
“If the evidence passes those
tests, there’s enough evidence there
to convict,” he said.
In North Carolina, a not guilty
plea requires a jury trial, a process
that requires bringing several po
tential jurors to court which takes
additional time.
Last week’s superior court ses
sion was originally scheduled to
be held aU week, but the session
was completed on Wednesday. On
a court calendar that originally
contained 119 charges, 45 felonies
were dismissed or reduced, and 64
counts were continued until anoth
er court date.