The
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ERQUIMANS
"JVeivs front Next Door”
Lady Pirates win piayoff game, 9
Q&A with sheriff candidates, 2
OCTOBER 27, 2010 - NOVEMBER 2, 2010 qqj ^ g 201.
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Early voting in county is brisk
One-Stop attracts
900 voters so far
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
As of late Monday after
noon, nearly 900 voters had
cast their ballots in Perqui
mans Coimty during One
Stop early voting that be
gan Oct. 14.
Police seek
stabbing
suspect
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Police are looking for
Duane Michael Lyons, 24,
in connection with a stab
bing that occurred Mon
day night while two men
played a video game at a
Brace Avenue residence.
Chief Joe Amos of the
Hertford
Lyons
Weekend
Weather
Friday
High: 64 Low: 43
SUNNY
Saturday
High: 66 Low: 48
Sunny
Sunday
High: 72 Low: 54
Mostly Sunny
6 89076 4
7144
“We’ve been busy,” said
Perquimans Board of Elec
tions Director Eula Mae
Forbes earlier.
In addition, 19 new vot
ers registered during the
same-day registration/vot
ing process.
One Stop voting contin
ues until Saturday at 1 p.m.
The regular general elet-
tion will be held next Tues
day, Nov. 2, with the poUs
opening at 6:30 a.m. and
closing at 7:30 p.m.
Four candidates are
seeking three seats on the
Perquimans Board of Com
missioners. Challenger
Ed Muzzulin (D) is tak
ing on three incumbents:
Tammy Miller-White (D),
Ben Hobbs (R), and Charles
Ward(D).
For the position of sher
iff, incumbent Eric TUley
(D) faces a challenge by
newcomer Jody Cohee (R).
Superior Court Clerk
Todd TDley (D) is also seek
ing re-election. He is unop
posed. Julian Baker and
Charles H. Mathews are
seeking two positions as
Soil and Water Conserva
tion District supervisors.
Also seeking re-election
this year is District Attor
ney Frank Parrish who is
also unopposed.
On the state level, vot
ers will have the chance to
vote for District 5 House of
Representative. Incumbent
Annie Ward Mobley (D) is
being challenged by Per
quimans County resident
Matthew Peeler (R).
In the state senate race
for District 4, incumbent
Ed Jones (D) faces a chal
lenge by Rich Halbert (R).
On the national level,
incumbent House Repre
sentative G.K. Butterfield
(D) faces challenger Ashley
Woolard (R) while incum
bent Richard Burr (R) faces
a challenge from Elaine
Marshall (D) and Michael
Beitler (L) for the U.S. Sen
ate seat.
Other races include seats
for supreme court associate
justice. Court of Appeals,
two positions for superior
court judge District 1 (JC
Cole of Perquimans Coun
ty and Jerry R. Tfilett), and
district court judge.
Police De
partment
( H P D )
said a war
rant for
felony as
sault with
a deadly
weapon
inflicting
serious injiory has been
obtained for Lyons, who
resides on Edenton Road
Street in Hertford.
Law enforcement of
ficials were called to 100
Brace Ave., around 9:20
p.m. when Adam Leroy
Perry, 38, of 600 Swamp
Road in Perquimans
County, reported he had
been stabbed with a knife
one time in the leg. Amos
said the attack occurred
when Lyons became angry
because he was losing the
game.
Perry was taken to
Chowan Hospital where
he was treated for his in
jury and later released.
The suspect fled on foot
before officers arrived on
the scene.
Officers responding in
cluded Sgt. Worster, Sgt.
Swindell, and Chief Amos
with HPD along with
Deputy David Murray and
Sgt. K. Harrell of the Per
quimans County Sheriffs
Office. As of press time,
Lyons remained at large.
Anyone with informa
tion may call HPD at 426-
5587 and callers may re
main anonymous.
Trucker takes a plunge
STAFF PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
North Carolina Department of Transportation employees work to repair a 30-foot section of concrete bridge railing destroyed Saturday morning when the
driver of a truck lost control on the U.S. Highway 17 bridge and crashed through the railing into the Perquimans River.
Truck runs off high-rise bridge into river
From staff reports
■■he N.C. Highway Patrol
I charged a Norfolk, Va., man
■ with failure to maintain
lane control after the vehicle he
was driving ran off the high-
rise U.S. 17 bridge and into the
Perquimans River on Saturday
morning.
Paul Gibbard, 52, apparently
feu asleep whUe at the wheel of
a 1994 Toyota sport utUity ve
hicle, Patrol S^. T.C. White said.
Hertford Police Chief Joe
Amos said the vehicle first
struck the right side of the
southbound bridge, then over
corrected, and the vehicle hit the
left wide of the bridge sideways,
broke through two sections of
concrete bridge raftings and
tumbled over into the water
below. The vehicle landed on the
passenger side in about 1-2 feet
of water, Amos said. Gibbard
managed to free himself from
the submerged vehicle and
crawled back to the roadway
where he was waiting for law
enforcement officers when they
arrived. He was treated and later
released from a local hospital,
said Amos.
White said Gibbard main
tained he was wearing a seat
belt at the time of the accident.
Police say Gibbard was
traveling to Bertie County to
go hunting when the accident
occurred around 6:20 a.m. on the
WinfaU side of the crossing. Gib
bard also returned to the scene
to retrieve his rifle and hunting
gear, police said.
A wrecker, parked on the
bridge, lifted the vehicle out
of the water. The vehicle was a
total loss, police said.
A temporary guard rafting
was installed at the site where
the vehicle broke through the
rafting. The southbound bridge
was shut down for approxi
mately five hours with traffic
detoured along Business 17 over
the historic S-bridge.
Trooper J.F. Bray responded,
along with Hertford police, local
fire and rescue personnel, and
the N.C. Department of Trans
portation.
North Carolina Department
of Transportation employees
were busy installing a new
bridge rafting Monday morning.
Randy WUliams, with NCDOT,
said this is the first time he has
heard of a vehicle running off
the bridge in the last 28 years.
Perquimans Emergency
Management also responded to
the incident after fuel from the
truck apparently leaked into the
water. A boom was put in place
to contain the spftl.
Walkers raise awareness of S-bridge
By WILLIAM F. WEST
The Daily Advance
The Rev. Charles Stan
ley has to use a motor
ized chair to get around
because of health prob
lems, but he did not miss
the chance to join others
Saturday for a procession
calling for saving the 1929
“S” swing bridge.
“We don’t want the
state to come in with their
promises of improving
and destroy what we’ve
got here,” said Stanley,
71, who was carrying an
American flag.
The gathering started
about 2 p.m. at the Perqui
mans County Courthouse,
with citizens walking or
riding to the northern
edge of the bridge and re
turning to Hertford.
Harriette Woodard, 63,
organizer of the effort,
said she hoped to raise
awareness of the beauty
and distinctiveness of the
crossing over the Perqui
mans River and what the
community stands to lose.
“It’s part of our identi
ty,” Woodard said, noting
the bridge inspired the
song “Carolina Moon.”
“It’s part of who we are,”
Woodard said. “Nobody
STAFF PHOTO BY THOMAS J.TURNEY
See BRIDGE, 5 Martha Boarders participates in the Save the “S” Bridge Walk, Saturday.