Ci*fy.€?r i nTT-^r
July 9, 2008
Vol. 76, No. 28 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
**News from Next Door**
Hertford man
murdered
Fletcher shot
on King Street
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
A 21-year old Hertford
man was shot and killed
early Sunday morning
while standing at the corner
of King Street and Stokes
Drive.
According to the Hertford
Police Department, Jamar
Fletcher of 405 Dobbs Street
was shot just before police
were called around 3:40 a.m.
His body was found in the
street when police arrived
on the scene.
Police Chief Brian Rid
dick said Fletcher was shot
once in the chest area with
what was believed to be a
small caliber handgun.
As of Monday, no weapon
had been recovered. Police
are currently following up
on a person of interest in
connection with the case
which is being investigated
by the Hertford Police De
partment and the State Bu
reau of Investigation.
A search warrant was
conducted on Monday
morning, but no arrests
were made as of press time.
Riddick said several peo
ple were at the scene when
police arrived, but no one
admitted seeing the shoot
ing occur. One witness ap
parently heard a vehicle
drive down the street and a
shot was fired, he said.
Cynthia Fletcher, the
victim’s mother who lives
in Raleigh, said her son was
a people person who didn’t
smile much, but who en
joyed joking around with
his friends. He loved play
ing basketball, singing and
playing rap music, and
driving cars. He was one of
five brothers, four of whom
live in Hertford and the old
est in Colorado.
She traveled to Hertford
on Saturday to attend the
Lindsey Forehand family
reunion along with Jamar.
“We all just had fun that
day,’’ remembered Fletch
er.
When she prepared to
return to Raleigh that af
ternoon, she talked with Ja
mar, asking him to go home
with her.
“I’d always ask him to
come and stay a few days
with me,’’ she said. “But,
he said he couldn’t because
of his probation. He was
walking back to the house
to change clothes, and he
WiMIIBI
Thursday
High: 88 Low: 71
Scattered storms
Friday
High: 88 Low: 71
Isolated storms
Saturday
High: 91 Low: 73
Partly Cloudy
turned hack and looked at
me and smiled.’’
That was the last time
she saw her son alive.
She went to work at
Walmart in Raleigh that
evening and was at work
when she received a tele
phone call telling her Ja
mar had been shot. She left
work immediately and was
driving back to Hertford
when she received a second
phone call teUing her Jamar
was dead.
“I just pulled over to the
side of the road. I couldn’t
go any farther. My brother
came and picked me up,’’
she said.
Cynthia Fletcher doesn’t
know why her son was
killed.
“Everybody loved him,”
she said, keeping her com
posure in the midst of mak
ing funeral arrangements.
Her son graduated from
Perquimans High School in
2006.
Jamar kept in touch with
the school district ever
since his graduation, said
Brenda Lassiter, the school
system’s public information
officer.
As former superinten
dent Dr. Ken Wells and
now superintendent Dr.
Dwayne Stallings would
travel around the county,
Jamar would always find a
way to stop them and talk
with them, she said. Jamar
enjoyed the relationship he
cultivated with the superin
tendents while in school.
“Jamar had a contagious
laugh and bright smile that
would lift your spirits.”
added Lassiter. “Jamar
called me within the past
few weeks just to check in
and see if there was any
work available for him at
the school system. I would
stop and talk with him on a
regular basis when I’d see
him at the local gas stations
or walking along the street.
We go way back — as his
grandfather worked for my
father for several years and
we always shared stories
about that.”
In addition to his mother,
Fletcher is survived by his
father, Delma Leigh (John);
brothers Delma Fletcher,
LaQuell Fletcher, Cyron
Leigh, and Dashay Leigh;
and grandmother Iris Dean-
ie Lee, who he lived with in
Hertford.
Stallings Funeral Home
in Elizabeth City is han
dling the arrangements.
As of press time, funeral
arrangements were incom
plete.
C: I
PHOTO BY PHIL HARRIS
THE 4TH OF JULY celebration in Hertford kicked off with a non-motorized parade that featured an American Legion Post
126 color guard; Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty; lots of wagons, bikes, scooters and other "wheels" decked in the traditional
red, white and blue; and horses. At Missing Mill Park, vendors offered great food, and children could enjoy sand art, water
melon games and the park's playground equipment. County seniors entertained with patriotic music and dance. Families
and friends enjoyed a breezy afternoon on the river that was capped by fireworks at dusk after Gloria Mason sang "The
Star Spangled Banner." Activities at the park were organized by Mary White, who is serving as the town's 250th Anniversary
Celebration events coordinator, as part of the town's birthday observance. Perquimans County, the towns of Hertford and
Winfall, businesses, church and civic organizations and individuals donated to the fireworks fund so that the evening sky
could feature a light show. The park was a sea of people by fireworks time. Donations are being accepted to begin the fire
works fund for 2009. Checks may be made payable to Perquimans County Fireworks Fund, do Diane Stallings, 104 Carolina
Avenue, Hertford, NC 27944. (More photos on page 2 and at dailyadvance.com.)
Lightning leaves residents in dark
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
More than 500 Albemarle
Electric Membership Cor
poration customers lost
power early Monday morn
ing after a breaker tripped
in the Center Hill/Beech
Springs area.
Chris Powell, director of
public relations for Albe
marle Electric, said 527 cus
tomers lost power around
4:30 a.m. The breaker was
reset and power was re
stored around 9 a.m.
“We believe it was a light
ening strike that caused the
breaker to trip, but we’re not
exactly sure. We’re patrol
ling the lines this morning
to find out what happened,”
Powell said on Monday.
The weekend storms also
brought a deluge of rain to
the area.
According to the unoffi
cial weather station at the
Tommy Harrell Farm in
the Bear Swamp communi
ty of Perquimans County, a
total of three inches of rain
fell over the Fourth of July
weekend.
Sherry Harrell said .2
inches of rain fell on Satur
day followed by 2.8 inches on
Sunday, giving the county
approximately three inches
of rain so far in July.
Last month, 1.9 inches
of rain fell at the HarreU
Farm.
Gas prices don’t deter home meal deliverers
•89076"
7143
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Despite the rising cost
of gas, local volunteers are
stiU helping deliver meals
to home bound senior citi
zens.
Nationwide, various se
nior citizen organizations
have seen a drop in the
number of volunteers who
deliver home-based meals
due to the higher gas pric
es. However, in Perquimans
County, those volunteers
are still making the daily
trips Monday—Friday to
provide nutritious meals.
Audrey Holland, volun
teer administrator for the
Albemarle Commission’s
Senior Nutrition Home
Delivered Meals Program,
said, so far, higher gas
prices have not caused a
decrease in the number of
volunteers who make sure
home bound seniors over
the age of 60 have at least
one nutritious meal a day.
“We’re averaging receiv
ing one call a week from the
10-county area we serve,”
she said, referring to calls
from new volunteers in
their service area. “Our
volunteers are so commit
ted. They truly believe in
what they are doing. Some
are on limited incomes
themselves.”
Volunteers deliver
lunch five times a week to
40 home bound seniors in
Perquimans County. The
cooler summer lunches
are planned by a dietician
to include one third of the
client’s daily nutritional
needs.
“For many of the seniors,
it’s the only complete meal
they eat that day,” Holland
added.
Volunteers pick up the
meals in four locations in
the county including the Se
nior Center in Hertford, Al
bemarle Village, New Hope,
and Snug Harbor. Delivery
routes have no more than
12 homebound seniors per
route, and generally take
an hour or less to deliver.
While some volunteers
have cut back on the num
ber of times they deliver
each week, Holland says
volunteers in this area are
very conscientious, and
want to give hack to the
community.
“They truly believe in
the program and fall in love
with the people they deliver
to,” she said.
The state-regulated pro
gram is non-profit with
monies provided by federal,
state and local funds along
with donations. Volunteers
are trained by Holland, and
are honored at the end of
the year with an apprecia
tion luncheon.
Holland says they have 84
volunteers in Perquimans
County, but many serve in
pairs. New volunteers are
always recruited due to va
cancies left by vacations,
sickness, and other rea
sons.
While volunteers are still
making the rounds with
higher gas prices, some se
niors are cutting back on
trips to save gas and mon
ey.
Delphine Barr, manager
of the Perquimans County
Senior Citizens Center, said
while summer is usually a
slower time anyway, some
seniors aren’t coming out
as much as in the past.
“They pick and choose
which activities to attend
so they can do more things
in the same day,” she said.
The center is helping by
consolidating activities and
scheduling events so that
seniors can attend more
events with less driving.
See page 10 for tips on
saving gas and increasing
mileage.