p
The
ERQUIMANS
Weekly
See page 3 qEC 1 b 2009
"News front Next Door"
DECEMBER 16, 2009 - DECEMBER 23, 2009
1\ro charged for ‘magic’ mushroom plot
By Cathy Wilson
Staff' Writer
Two men face felony charges
after law enforcement officers
conducted an early morning raid
on a WoodviUe home, finding what
may be the largest amount of psy
chedelic or “magic” mushrooms
seized in the state.
Sherif Eric Tilley said a search
warrant was executed at 414 Body
Road Dec. 10 around 6:30 a.m.
by law enforcement officers rep
resenting four
agencies. Stacey
Colson, 37, and
Joseph Sawyer,
35, were arrested
during the raid
and charged in
connection with
the seizxire of 188
bags of Psilocybin
mushrooms and a
Colson
small amount of marijuana plants
growing inside the home. Police
believe the mushrooms were capa
ble of producing
approximately 30
grams of Sched
ule I mushrooms
valued on the
street at $25,000.
“This is an un
usual find,” said
Sheriff Tilley.
“Some of the State
Bureau of Investi
gation officials can’t recall finding
this size growth of mushrooms in
the state before. This is something
Sawyer
you don’t see every day ”
Both men face charges of manu
facturing psilocybin mushrooms,
manufacturing marijuana, posses
sion with intent to manufacture,
seU or distribute both Schedule
VI and I drugs, and maintaining a
dwelling for the storage or selling
of a controlled substance. They
were taken to Albemarle District
JaU where they were released after
posting an $8,000 secured bond.
See DRUGS on Page 8
County
approves
zoning
change
Second convenience
store set for New Hope
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
County commissioners
recently approved a zoning
change and conditionaT use
permit that would allow a sec
ond convenience store to open
in New Hope.
Katherine Bimch requested
that the .67-acre property lo
cated at 2152 New Hope Road
be. rezoned from rural agri
cultural to rural commercial
conditional use district. The
rezoning and conditional use
approval will allow the exist
ing business there to revert
back to its original use as a
convenience store without
gas pumps.
The building once housed a
woodworking shop.
Commissioners, following
the earlier recommendation
of the county’s planning
board, approved Bunch’s re
quest even though several
county residents spoke in op
position to it.
Most of the county resi
dents who spoke supported
the current store located
there. New Hope Country
Store, and voiced concerns
over the small area being fi
nancially able to support two
stores.
However, county com
missioners pointed out that
whether or not the economic
conditions of the area would
See CHANGE on Page 8
Weekend
Weather
Friday
High: 49 Low: 37
Mostly Sunny
Saturday
High: 53 Low: 35
Partly Cloudy
Sunday
High: 52 Low: 37
Sunny
Students on parade
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY PHOTOS BY CATHY WILSON
Perquimans County Central School displayed school pride for recent academic accomplishments while wishing
everyone a merry Christmas during the recent Christmas parade held in Hertford. Top: Students from the school
dressed as turtles and sat in desks on their float.
Aleah Bailey Sawyer
Sav^er baby
is fighting
brain tumor
Infant will be celebrating first
Christmas near the hospital
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
Her small purple Christmas tree was sup
posed to coordinate with her nursery colors in
her N^w Hope home where parents Faron and
Sarah Sawyer were planning to celebrate their
baby’s first Christmas.
Instead, the tiny tree now decorates a small
furnished apartment adjacent to a Raleigh
hospital where the young family is fighting a
malignant brain tumor found recently in their
nine-week-old daughter.
Little Aleah Bailey Sawyer, daughter of
Faron and Sarah Sawyer, started chemothera
py last week at Duke University Hospital after
first having an internal shunt inserted that will
drain fluid from her brain into her abdomen.
In addition, doctors also surgically implant
ed a port in the baby’s body through which the
chemotherapy will be administered.
“We don’t know how long she will have to
have the chemo,” sqid Sarah. “We have to wait
and see what it does to the tumor. It could be
anywhere from one to six months of treatment.
Hopefully, she will have the chemo for the next
couple of months, and then they can go in and
remove the tumor.”
The last four weeks have been a blur of emo
tions and activity for the young couple that is
coping with facing the wrath of cancer and
possible brain surgery rather than adjusting
See TUMOR on Page 8
Perquimans students learn DNA fingerprinting
High school gets visit
from the Destiny Bus
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
It was the case of the stolen
IPod, and members of Lynette
Baker’s biology class were hot
on the trail tracking down a
suspect.
Three suspects, actually
Two had already been ruled
out, so the Perquimans Coun
ty High School students, aka
wannabe forensic scientists,
turned to DNA fingerprinting
to find the culprit.
The crime scene scenario
was part of the hand-on learn
ing process students enjoyed
last week when the Destiny
Traveling Science Learning
Program from the UNC More-
head Planetarium and Science
Center stopped at the local
high school.
Students donned protective
eye-wear, aprons, and gloves
while Nick Hoffman, science
education specialist, showed
them how to analyze evidence
found at crime scenes to help
determine who’s guilty and
who’s innocent.
Students were given three
DNA samples to test in order
to determine “who done it”.
Student Quanta Banks liked
learning how to do DNA fin
gerprinting as well as actually
seeing the same process that
she’s seen performed on tele
vision during such shows as
CSI.
Students said they now have
a better understanding of
DNA technology after seeing
the process performed in an
actual lab setting.
“I got to do it instead of just
hearing about it in the smart
board,” added Samantha Ko-
tel.
Hoffman said the bus trav
els throughout the state to pro
vide the actual lab experience
for seventh graders to high
school seniors.
“We provide the opportunity
for students to learn about this
material,” said Hoffman. The
mobile science lab was able
to visit 85 counties in North
Carolina last scho,ol year.
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY PHOTO BY
CATHY WILSON
Quinten Felton and
Calvin Rowland examine
DNA samples during
a visit by the Des
tiny Traveling Science
Learning Program.The
bus from UNC More-
head Planetarium and
Science Center stopped
at Perquimans County •.
High School where
local biology students
learned about DNA
fingerprinting.
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