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DEC 3 0 2009
"News front Next Door"
DECEMBER 30, 2009 - JANUARY 5, 2010
Woman offers reward for return of stolen life
Thieves take cash,
clothes, furniture
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
Myrtle Sparks is barely
able to talk about the break-in
without shedding a few tears.
At the age of 70, she feels as
though her life has been sto
len from her.
Her home at 319 Grubb St.
was broken into around Moth
er’s Day and thieves made off
with cash, clothes, and house
hold items too numerous to
list. Sparks estimates the
value of items stolen as well
over $100,000.
The Hertford Police Depart
ment investigated the break-
in and one man was charged
with possession of stolen
goods after a couple of items
reportedly taken from the
Sparks property were located
at a local thrift shop.
None of the items reported
stolen were marked with her
identification, and Sparks has
no pictures or other proof of
ownership of the items, police
said. At the time the break-in
was discovered, she had dif
ficulty telling police what
had been stolen. Police listed
only $13,100 in property taken
at the time, but noted Sparks
was going to provide them
with an updated list later.
She had no insurance, she
says.
Sparks is concerned that
no one is charged with steal
ing her items, but she mainly
wants her possessions back,
and will offer a reward to
hopefully speed up the pro
cess.
“I mean they took every
thing; my clothes, my dishes,
my books, my furniture, my
collections, my money,” she
said. “Everything I worked
for my entire life is gone.”
The former accountant
says she was in the process of
moving from Virginia Beach
to her Hertford property
when the break-in occurred.
In addition to her house be
ing packed full of items, sev
eral storage units located on
the property were emptied as
weU.
Sparks said they last visited
the house April 25. When they
returned May 12, everything
was gone except a few items
including leather sofas that
were placed on end as if wait
ing for help to arrive to haul
out the door. '■
“Someone had dragged my
stuff through my yard and
through a hole in the fence
in the back yard,” she exi
plained. ]
The police report notes that
several of her items were
staged at the back of her
property near the fence whild
other items were staged oii
the back porch, waiting for
the thief or thieves to return'
See LIFE on Page 8
Sworn in
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
td Lane (left) takes the oath of office from Clerk of Court Todd Tilley. Lane was one of two new Hertford Council members sworn in
recently after being elected to the office in November. Councilwoman Lillian Holman was also sworn in. See page 2.
Schools net dropout
prevention grants
Perquimans receives $175K in grant
money to help keep students in school
By Kristin Pitts
The Daily Advance
Local school districts that faU below the state’s average
graduation rate have been awarded grants that area superin
tendents hope wiU deter at-risk students from dropping out.
The Perquimans and Edenton-Chowan school districts both
received $175,000 grants from the North Carolina Committee
on Dropout Prevention.
The Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools received
$65,000.
On average. North Carolina schools graduate 71.7 percent of
their students, according tq the North Carolina Department
of Public Instruction’s Web site. Edenton-Chowan, Elizabeth
City-Pasquotank and Perquimans all feU below that rate for;
the 2008-09 academic year.
According to DPI, Edenton-Chowan’s graduation rate was
70.6 percent, Elizabeth City-Pasquotank’s was 69.3 percent
and Perquimans’ was 64,4 percent.
Although this January will mark the first year that Eliza
beth City-Pasquotank will benefit from the grant, this will be
Edenton-Chowan’s third dropout prevention grant, and Per
quimans’ second.
Perquimans Superintendent Dwayne StaUings says al
though the reasons for individual dropouts vary, keeping a
student in school can be as simple as setting up a relation
ship.
With its first grant, StaUings said the district was able to
See GRANT on Page 8
Walker keeps county home safe from intruders
By Toby Tate
The Daily Advance
Most people who see Walker, the 273-
pound English mastiff patroUing inside
the gates of Mason and Frances SpruiU’s
S and S Ranch in Perquimans County,
think twice about opening the gate with
out caUing the house first.
Those who don’t, learn quickly to do
so.
Walker’s owner, Frances SpruiU, said
the dog is not only loyal and protective;
he’s tenacious as weU.
“He’s very protective of me and my
husband,” she said. “Even law enforce
ment do not get out of their car if they
come our way. (Mastiffs) are holding
dogs — they wUl hold you by the throat
for up to a week.”
When Walker Texas Ranger — Walk
er’s fuU name — was 8 weeks old, he
weighed 40 pounds, SpruiU said.
“That was the only time I coiUd ever
Weekend
Weather
Friday
Hiigh: 53 Low: 28
Showers
Saturday
High: 44 Low: 26
Partly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 44 Low: 31
Mostly Sunny
pick him up,” she said.
AU of the couple’s animals, she said,
including their goat, have interesting
names, mostly borrowed from famous
people.
“Our CoUie’s name is BiU O’ReiUy
SpruiU and the Jack RusseU is named
Freddy Krueger,” she said. “We also have
a goat named Christmas who thinks
she’s a dog because she sleeps with the
dogs and she’s a lap goat, too.”
Walker was recently at Pasquotank
Animal Hospital where the strff was
amazed by the animal’s sheer size.
“Dr. (L.D.) Cooper said it’s the biggest
dog he’s seen in 31 years,” said Stepha
nie Horst, a veterinarian technician who
helped treat Walker at Cooper’s office.
SpruiU said Walker was at the animal
hospital because of a seizure. Cooper ad
vised her that Walker has epUepsy.
“Walker was diagnosed with epUepsy
and has to take medicine for the rest of
his life,” SpruiU said. “We haven’t had
any health problems other than this.
They say most dogs get epilepsy, but they
don’t usuaUy have seizures.”
English mastiffs are one of the largest
dog breeds in the world, with males av
eraging 150 to 200 pounds. Only the Irish
wolfhound and Great Dane are taUer.
And since Walker is nearly four feet taU
on aU fours, that’s saying a lot.
Mastiffs are also natural guard dogs,
according to Dog Breed Info.com.
SpruiU said Walker is not an attack
dog. She said he’s weU trained and sur
prisingly gentle.
“I have a 9-month-old grandson and
2-year-old granddaughter and he’s as
gentle to them as a stuffed animal,” she
said.
SpruiU said the biggest expense for
such a large dog is food.
“ We make a run two times a month
to Sam’s Club,” she said. “He eats nine
packs of Moist and Meaty mixed with
four packs of Nutra a day Twice a
See MASTIFF on Page 8
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Walker, a 273-pound English mastiff, resides at the home of Mason
and Frances Spruill in Perquimans County.
Librarian looks back
on 15 years of growth
SUBMITTED PHOTO
4714f
Jeri Oitman, librarian at the Perquimans County Library, vyho will retire from her position
Dec. 31, receives a plaque from Dan Ellis, chairman of the Perquimans Library Board.
Jeri Qltman to retire
on New Year’s Eve
from staff reports
Perquimans County Librarian Jeri
Oitman retires Dec. 31 after more than
15 years of service.
Members of the Perquimans Board
of Commissioners honored her recent
ly with a certificate of appreciation for
her years of service to the county.
Kay Davis, director of the Pettigrew
Regional Library, said Judi Bugniazet,
of Black Mountain, wiU begin her
duties as new librarian at the Perqui
mans Library in March.
Oitman says that WhUe she may be
retiring, she is not leaving the area.
“I plan to stay here and I wiU be in
the library from time to time, espe-
ciaUy when the new county librarian
is first here,” she said. “I’m looking
forward to passing on the torch!”
Oitman says she is ready to face the
next chapter in her life now that she’s
nearly completed her bookwork at the
library.
“I’ve accomplished what I set out
to accomplish when I came here-and
more-and it is time to move on to new
chaUenges,” she said.
See GROWTH on Page 9