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''News front Next Door"
APRIL 29 - MAY 5, 2009
Beginning Sunday, upload your prom
photos to the Perquimans community
channel on www.DailyAdvance.com.
Man pleas
to lesser
charge in
beating
Lee guilty of felony
assault; Sheetz
pleads guilty to
careless & reckless
driving
By Cathy Wilson
Stajf Writer
James Carson Lee, 24,
pleaded guilty in Perquimans
Superior Court last week to
felony assault by strangula
tion in connection with an
assault on an Elizabeth City
man who was left for dead in
a local church parking lot last
July.
As a result of a negotiated
plea bargain. Judge Jerry
R. Tillett sentenced Lee to a
minimum of six months and
no more than eight months
in jail suspended, and placed
the Snug Harbor man on su
pervised probation for six
months.
Lee, however, chose to serve
the active jail time instead. A
second charge of attempted
first degree murder was dis
missed.
According to Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Michael John
son, Lee and victim Gregory
Hayes, 43, were attending a
party at a home on Dogwood
Drive on July 22, 2008 when
the two became invqlved in a
dispute over Lee’s girlfriend.
Lee beat Hayes, Johnson
said, then carried Hayes to a
church parking lot and left.
The sheriffs ’department
received a report of a suspi
cious vehicle parked at Bethel
Baptist Church located on
Burnt Mfil Road in the Bethel
area just before 1 a.m. that
day. When a deputy arrived,
he foimd Hayes lying on the
ground, severely beaten.
At the time of the inci
dent, Sheriff Eric Tfiley said
Hayes suffered extensive in
juries including head and fa
cial wounds, an injury to the
throat, several broken ribs,
lacerations to the body, and
groin injuries.
He was first taken to Chow
an Hospital and later flown
to Pitt Memorial Hospital in
Greenville.
“The medical folks said if
he (Hayes), had stayed there
(parking lot) for another two
hoiirs, he probably would
have died,” said Tilley. “At the
time, he (Hayes) responded to
EMS and said the heating was
See GUILT on PageA2
Weekend
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Thursday
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Scattered
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Friday
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Am Clouds/
Pm Sun
Saturday
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Scattered
T-Storms
hich bus to take:
school or prison?
Students get lesson on
‘transportation’ into
their futures
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
Stay in school.
Those words are heard routinely by teenagers
from parents, teachers, and school administra
tors. '
Local eighth graders heard the same words
again last week, but this time they came from
young people Ibcked behind bars-inmates be
cause they made wrong choices.
The Choice Bus, a former school bus trans
formed into a rolling impetus for staying in
school, visited Perquimans Middle School last
week.
Around 150 students experienced the Inside-
Out program that includes watching a documen
tary showing the devastating and lasting effects
of dropping out of school, visiting the Choice
Bus which is part movie theater and part jail
ceU, and finally, signing pledge cards promising
not to quit school.
“I hope it will make a difference for them,”
said Principal Jamie Liverman. “The teachers
in the classroom have been trying to make a cor
relation between those who drop out of school
and those who end up in prison.”
The Choice Bus visit, sponsored by AT&T of
North Carolina, is the headliner in the ongoing
program offered by the Mattie C. Stewart Foun
dation of Birmingham, Ala.
Their focus on the link between dropping out
of school and spending time in prison is sup
ported by showing the students a brief movie
inside the bus in addition to requiring that they
watch the documentary the day before the bus
arrives.
The movie, “The Choice is Yours,” stars young
prison inmates who tell how their lives would
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
Students sit and listen to stories of life behind bars
from the 75 percent of America’s dropouts who are
now inmates. The students pledged to stay in school.
have been different if they stayed in school.
After watching the movie, the students were
led into the back of the bus which holds a pris
on cell complete with toilet, sink and stainless
steel prison bed topped by a thin mattress.
The ceU door clanged shut behind the stu
dents, punctuating the message completely.
“I was shocked to see how young the people in
prison were,” said 'Yaughney Waterfield, age 14.
“I think this experience will definitely inspire
me to make the right choices.”
Thirteen-year-old Curtis Hurdle agreed..
“It surprised me, too, that they were so
young,” he said. “I don’t want to be like that.”
Both said they would sign the cards pledging
to to stay in school, to study hard, to graduate,
not cut classes, not be lured away by gangs or
turn to a life of street crime.
They also promised to follow their dreams, be
all they can be, and refuse to sacrifice their lives
by going to prison.
According to the Foundation, a kid drops out
of school every 26 seconds with eight of 10 drop
outs eventually going to prison. Foundation sta
tistics also show that 75 percent of America’s
inmates are high school dropouts.
County officials
consider new
housing rules
Minimum rules would mimic
Hertford, Winfall
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
Perquimans County is considering a minimum
housing ordinance to help rid the county of sub
standard properties.
A public hearing on the proposed ordinance will
be held May 4 at 6:30 p.m. in the Perquimans County
Courthouse Annex, second floor courtroom.
The coimty’s housing committee, comprised of of
ficials from the county and both towns, has worked
on developing the ordinance for the past year.
“The goal is to have every dwelling unit that’s oc
cupied up to minimum safe standards,” explained
County Manager Bobby Darden.
“ft was the intent of the committee to devise
an ordinance that would go after the worst of the
worst.”
The proposed ordinance
is patterned after Hertford’s
current ordinance. The goal
is to have a uniform ordi
nance regulating minimum
housing in the county. Both
towns already have such or
dinances in place.
The proposed ordinance
is comprehensive, covering
aU types of housing includ
ing rental, mobile homes,
rooming houses, and dwell
ings holding multiple units.
It covers minimum standards for structural con
dition, plumbing, heating, electrical, ventilation,
space, safety, cleanlin,ess, and infestations by ro
dents or insects.
The proposal puts enforcement in the building
inspector’s office, and offers an appeal process for
property owners not satisfied with findings cited by
the county
“From a practical standpoint... in a year, we know
we’re not going to solve every substandard housing
problem in the county,” said Darden.
“The process takes time. We’re dealing with peo
ple’s property. This is not a 30-day remedy.”
The good part is focusing on vacant or abandoned
decaying houses that can be improved or demol
ished.
But what about a falling-down house occupied
by an owner who can’t afl'ord to do any better, or is
comfortable living that way?
“There are pros and cons to this,” Darden not
ed. “It’s going to be widespread as to who it will
touch.”
Darden said that while the coimty won’t go out
looking for problem houses to address, the proposed
ordinance can be used as a topi by county agencies
like Department of Social Services or the Sheriffs
Department to help in investigations like abuse or
neglect cases.
“The ordinance is complaint driven,” he added.
“While the public may make complaints, county of
ficials may also issue complaints as well.”
A copy of the proposed ordinance can be found
on the county’s website: www.perquimanscoun-
tync.gov.
IF YOU GO
What: Public Hear
ing on Proposed
Ordinances
When: Monday,
May 4, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Perquimans
Co. Courthouse An
nex, 2nd floor
Perquimans Chamber celebrates owning its own building
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
Grand openings and ribbon
cuttings are usually held for
new businesses.
For the Perquimans Cham
ber of Commerce, however,
last week’s ribbon cutting
and open house were held to
finally celebrate the purchase
of the building they have oc
cupied for the last nine years.
“This didn’t come about
easily,” said Chamber Direc
tor Sid Eley
The process took about
three years, he added. He
hung his funding hopes on
the United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA) Rural
Development.
“We were hoping for a loan,
but they told us we didn’t have
any money,” Eley laughed.
“Then we started looking
for a grant, but were told we
didn’t have a chance receiv
ing one because there weren’t
any being given!”
Luckily, there was one
USDA grant awarded in
the state, and the chamber
snagged it. Thanks to Perqui
mans County commissioners.
North Carolina Northeast
Commission, and Electrici
ties, the (Chamber raised
enough funds to meet their
end of the bargain.
Once the grant was ob
tained, several items needed
to be repaired on the building,
including installing a new
roof, creating an office inside
the building, replacing the
handicap ramp and railings.
A fresh coat of paint and a
new front door completed the
building’s transformation.
Eley managed to get much
of the needed services and
supplies for the building ei
ther donated or by bartering
memberships for services
and products.
The building was purchased
from Robert and Chris Lane
at a sizable discount. The
Lanes, Eley said, allowed the
Chamber to occupy the build
ing rent-free for nine years.
Chamber membership has
increased each month during
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
Chamber President Shelley Layden cut s the ribbon celebrating the purchase of a building by the Perqui
mans County Chamber of Commerce. After occupying the building for nine years rent-free, the Chamber
obtained a matching grant through the USDA Rural Development .to buy the building. Thanks to Perqui
mans County commissioners, North Carolina Northeast Commission, and Electricities, the Chamber raised
enough funds to meet their obligation. A day-long open house was held on Wednesday.
that time. The Chamber building is rializing local baseball legend
“We are very pleased that not only used for Chamber Catfish Hunter,
the Chamber now has a per- business, but also houses the . About 30 folks attended the
manent home,” said Chris local Visitors’ Center and ribbon cutting ceremony.
Lane. now the mini-museum memo-