P The
ERQUIMANS
"News front Next Door”
June 16, 2010 - June 22, 2010
FATHERS/SONS photo contest, 4
Hunter is named PCHS
baseball player of the year, 8
Hertford man faces murder charge
EC teenager shot,
kill on Saturday
By CATHY WILSON
AND BILL WEST
Staff Writers
A Perquimans County
man faces first-degree mur
der charges in connection
with the shooting death of
an Elizabeth City teenager
Saturday night.
Antonio Edward West,
21, was taken into custody
early Sunday morning in
his Matthews Acres home
Police stop
suspected
retaliatory
attack
Four arrests follow
EC murder case
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Hertford police arrested
four men for possession of
concealed weapons early
Sunday morning after be
ing notified of a potential
retaliatory attack follow
ing a shooting at an Eliza
beth City graduation party
that killed an Elizabeth
City man and injured three
others.
Chief Joe Amos of the
Hertford Police Depart
ment said his department
was notified early Sun
day morning that a dark
colored SUV with a Food
Lion bag covering its back
license plate was headed
to Hertford in retaliation
for an earlier shooting in
Elizabeth City that killed
Dajuan Brown around 11
p.m. Saturday night. Three
other men were injured in
the Elizabeth City shoot
ing.
Antonio Edward West,
of 111 Faith Drive in Hert
ford, is charged with first
degree murder in connec
tion with the Elizabeth
City shooting.
Chief Amos said Detec
tive Christopher Firkel
found a dark blue 2003 Ford
Explorer with a plastic
bag partially covering its
license plate traveling on
King Street between Cov
ent Garden and Church
Street around 1:20 a.m.
West, he said, was known
to hang out in the King
Street area.
Det. Firkel stopped the
vehicle and found five
males, including a 16-
year-old, and one female
See RETALIATORY, 2
Weekend
Weather
Friday
High: 90 Low: 73
Mostly Sunny
Saturday
High: 92 Low: 75
Mostly Sunny
Sunday
High: 94 Low: 74
Scattered T-Storms
by two Perquimans County
deputies without incident.
Dajuan Brown of Eliza
beth City died after suf
fering a gunshot in the
head shortly before 11 p.m.
Saturday at the intersec
tion of Newby Street and
Beechwood Avenue in the
Oak Grove neighborhood
of Elizabeth City
Sheriff Eric Tilley said
bis department was noti
fied of the arrest warrant
by Elizabeth City authori
ties, and Deputies Edward
Gilbert and David Murray
went to the West home lo
cated at
111 Faith
Drive and
arrested
West with
out inci
dent. West
is current
ly being
held in the
Albemarle
District Jail in lieu of a $2
million secured bond.
Two other men and a
teenager were also wound
ed in the incident.
Arron Lightfoot, 20, was
struck by gunfire in the ab
West
domen. A spokeswoman at
Sentara Norfolk said Mon
day that Lightfoot’s condi
tion has been upgraded
from critical to good.
Sharmon Green, 20, was
shot in the hand, and a 15-
year-old was shot in the
shoulder. Green and the 15-
year-old were treated and
released from Albemarle
Hospital.
Police Chief Charles
Crudup with the Elizabeth
City Police Department
said police believe the
shooting stemmed from an
argument that started dur
ing a high school gradu
ation party at a house on
Beechwood Avenue in
Elizabeth City. Police don’t
know what precipitated the
argument, he said.
Elizabeth City Detective
Jerry Boyce said there is
no evidence that the shoot
ing was gang related.
Boyce said more than 100
people were in attendance
at the party Brown’s girl
friend, who also attended,
graduated from high school
this year while Brown grad
uated last year, he said.
West was not an invited
guest at the party, but wit
nesses told police his atten
dance did not appear to be a
cause of conflict — ^t least
not at first.
“Then this aU broke out
at the end,” Boyce said.
Boyce said “a lot of gun
shots” were fired during
the incident but he declined
to be specific about the type
of handgun used.
Anyone with additional
information is urged to call
the Elizabeth City Police
Department at 335-4321 and
ask for Boyce at extension
237.
Finally, we made it!
STAFF PHOTO BY BREH A. CLARK
Perquimans High School senior Quinyotta Pettaway smiles to friends and family as she anticipates graduating with her classmates last Thursday.
Diplomas passed to 120 grads
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
G raduating seniors at
Perquimans County High
School were challenged
Thursday evening to live to
their fullest potential and strive
for excellence on whatever path
life takes them.
“Success in life wiU look
different for each of us,” said
Valedictorian Kendall Spaugh.
“We are aU individuals with
different God-given interests,
abilities and passions. However,
regardless of our path, I want
to encourage us aU to aim for
excellence and view each life ex
perience as part of the process
of learning.”
He quoted Colin PoweU, for
mer U.S. Secretary of State, on
formulating practices that will
lead to success in the future.
“PoweU was once quoted
as saying, ‘If you are going to
achieve exceUence in big things,
you develop the habit in little
matters. ExceUence is not an
exception, it is a prevailing
attitude.’ It is this matter of the
little things that often trips us,
up,” said Spaugh. “It is reaUy
the lesson that our families,
teachers, and coaches have been
trying to instUl in us for 17 or 18
years. We just have a hard time
listening.”
“In order to live up to our
potential, we must develop con
sistency and a work ethic in the
smaU things,” Spaugh added.
“We aU have the gifts and tal
ents to succeed in life. Today, it
is our choice. We need
See GRADUATION, 2
No tax increase in Hertford’s budget
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Hertford Town CouncU
wiU hold the line on taxes
and utUity charges in their
proposed 2010-2011 budget
set for approval next week.
The town’s ad valorem
tax rate wUl remain the
same at 35 cents per $100
valuation. Water/sewer
and electric rates wUl re
main the same for now as
weU.
The only increase in
the proposed budget for
the next fiscal year is a $2
monthly increase for gar
bage coUection.
No one spoke on the bud
get during a public hearing
Monday night. The bud
get, which includes at $1.5
mUlion general fund, is
expected to be adopted by
council June 24 and goes
into effect July 1.
“This budget is a contin
uation of the Board’s com
mitment to maintaining
the municipal core services
that the citizens and busi
nesses enjoy as well as con
tinuing the commitment to
building and maintaining
the infrastructure to al
low for long-term growth,”
said Town Manager John
Christensen. “...Hertford’s
growth rate over the last 20
years was only 6.6 percent.
In the past few years there
has been a significant in
crease in development in
terest. However, the declin
ing economy has put a halt
to most of those develop
ment plans and this envi
ronment will continue un
til the economy recovers.
When that recovery wUl
happen is hard to predict,
but it is safe to say that the
2010-2011 budget reflects
that decline throughout
the year.”
There is no pay increase
included in the proposed
budget for town employ
ees who have not enjoyed
a raise in salaries in three
years. In addition, employ
ees now pay $10 per week
towards the cost of their
heath insurance.
Three public works po
sitions are frozen, but no
layoffs are expected. Ser
vices offered by that de
partment, however, may be
slower than usual.
“...that department will
struggle to maintain its
level of service with re
duced staff,” Christensen
pointed out. “Since service
is our primary function,
the council, as weU as em
ployees, wiU have to defend
these decisions when faced
with complaints of slower
service.”
“This budget is the ciU-
mination of our efforts to
reduce the cost of govern
ment during uncertain
times,” Christensen added.
“Due to conservative fiscal
decisions for numerous
years, it appears the town
is in a position to weather
this economic crisis with
out any layoffs or tax in
creases...! believe this bud
get meets the chaUenges of
uncertain times, and plac
es the town in the best po-
See BUDGET, 2
V,