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MAY 14, 2014 - MAY 20, 2014
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8 arrested in child sex case
JOHN JACKSON NITA JACKSON
AARON BENJAMIN
JACKSON JACKSON
ERIC JACKSON JON JACKSON
MATTHEW NATHANIEL
JACKSON JACKSON
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
S ix members of a Perquimans
County family were arrested
last week on felony charges
of having sex with their sister over
a 10-year' period while she was a
child.
The men’s parents were also ar
rested on charges of enabling the
crimes.
Sheriff Eric Tilley said the six
Jackson brothers? who range in age
from 27 to 18, are charged with ei
ther rape of child, first-degree sex
offense or statutory rape. All are
currently being held at Albemarle
District Jail.
The Jacksons’ parents, John and
Nita Jackson, are charged with
felony child abuse. Both have been
White, Spaugh, Hollowell win primary election
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Anne White will go from being a
Hertford town board member to a
Perquimans County school board
member in July after an election
win last week.
White was the leading vote getter
in a four-way race, for three seats on
the school board. She came away
with 479 votes in unofficial tallies.
Amy Spaugh, a one-term school
board member who decided not to
run two years ago, came in second
with 468 votes.
Ralph Hollowell, the lone incum
bent on Tuesday’s ballot fended off
a challenge from political newcom
er Chuck Pagels. Hollowell ended
up with 296 votes while Pagels had
244.
White will have to give up her
released on bond.
According to Tilley, the Jackson
brothers began sexually abusing
their sister when she was 4 and a
half years old. The abuse contin
ued, apparently at the Jackson fam
ily home in the 700 block of Chapa-
noke Road, until about four years
ago, Investigator Shelby White
said. The victim is now 16 and liv
ing in Colorado under the care of
child protective services.
John and Nita Jackson alleg
edly knew about their sons’ sexual
abuse of their daughter but didn’t
intervene, Tilley said.
“The parents were arrested be
cause they actually had witnessed
the assaults and did nothing to stop
them,” he said.
All eight members of the Jack-
son family turned themselves in to
HOLLOWELL PAGELS SPAUGH WHITE
post on the town board. A replace
ment will named by the remaining
members of the Hertford board.
New school board members are
sworn in on July 28.
White said the transition from
town government to school board
isn’t as radical as it might appear.
“A lot of what we do with the
town is focused on economic de
velopment andjobs,” she said.
As a school board member, she
the Perquimans County Sheriffs
Office between Monday and Tues
day after they were indicted by a
grand jury.
The suspects and their charges
include:
• Eric Jackson, 27, of Zebulon
Road in Youngsville, who is charged
with rape of a child. His secured
bond was set at $150,000.
• Jon Jackson, 25, of Zebulon
Road in Youngsville, who is charged
with one count of first-degree sex
offense. His secured bond was set
at $75,000.
• Matthew Jackson, 23, of Split
Creek Drive, Monument, Colo.,
who is charged with rape of a
child. His secured bond was set at
$150,000.
• Nathaniel Jackson, 21, of Jack
son Creek, Colo., who is charged
said she can play a role in making
sure local students graduate with
the skills and talents they need to
fill those jobs.
Both White and Spaugh cam
paigned heavily.
“I grew up in the country if you
wanted something, you’d have to
work hard for it,” said White. While
retired, she teaches a class at Eliza
beth City State University and was
principal at Perquimans County
with two counts of first-degree
sexual offense and three counts of
statutory rape. His secured bond
was set at $75,000.
• Benjamin Jackson, 19, of Cha-
panoke Road, who is charged with
there counts of statutory rape. His
secured bond was set at $150,000.
• Aaron Jackson, 18, of the 700
block of Chapanoke Road, who is
charged with three counts of statu
tory rape. His secured bond was
set at $150,000.
• John Jackson, 65, of the 700
block of Chapanoke Road, who is
charged with one count of felony
child abuse. He was released under
a $15,000 secured bond.
• Nita Jackson, 54, who is
charged with one count of child
See ARRESTED, 2
Middle School.
Spaugh said she campaigned a
lot to make sure people came to
the polls. Only about 15 percent of
voters took part in the election last
week.
“A lot of people might like you,
but you’ve got to get them to come
out to vote,” Spaugh said.
Getting out the vote was a prob
lem.
Hollowell said he wishes the
turnout were better, but admits he
didn’t campaign hard.
“I know it was not a major elec
tion, so turnout would be minimal,
but still a good turn out,” Hollowell
said. “I do appreciate everyone’s
vote and voters coming out re
gardless of how they voted. I also
wish I had really gotten out and
See PRIMARY, 2
FEMA
rejects
disaster
status
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
A top FEMA official
says Perquimans County
residents, utilities and lo
cal governments will not be
eligible for a federal disaster
declaration as a result of the
tornados of April 25.
“Based on our review of
all the information available,
it has been determined that
the damage from this event
was not of such severity and
magnitude as to be beyond
the capabilities of the state,
affected local governments
and voluntary agencies,”
FEMA Administrator Craig
Fugate told Gov. Pat Mc
Crory in a letter shared with
The Daily Advance late last
week.
McCrory could appeal the
decision, but decided not to
because it would delay state
efforts to offer help.
Preliminary reports are
eight Perquimans homes
were destroyed, 11 received
major damage, 23 had
minor damage and six were
impacted but are still habit
able.
Across its service area,
Albemarle Electric Mem
bership Corp, estimates
it spent about $250,000 in
See REJECTS, 4
Five
injured
in wreck
From staff reports
Speed was a factor as five
people were hurt, three seri
ously, in a head-on car crash
Friday night on Harvey
Point Road, the N.C. High
way Patrol said.
The accident happened
at 8:18 p.m. a tenth of a mile
east of Skinner Road, said
Trooper T.F. Langley.
A 2007 white-colored
Honda operated by Timothy
Ken Spence Jr., 19, of Hoh-
day Island Road, Hertford,
was rounding a curve at a
high rate of speed, crossed
the center of the road, and
collided head-on with a
2010 Nissan Cube operated
by Patricia Ann Signor, 64,
of Dobbs Street, Hertford,
according to the trooper.
Both cars were totaled,
Langley said. Signor two
passepgers in Spence’s
car, Bam Holley, 18, of Ra
leigh, and Fred Wills, 17, of
Hertford, were airlifted to
See WRECK, 2
Rust in water an issue for some
BY PeYeR WILLIAMS
News Editor
Hertford residents who notice
a problem with rust in their water
that can’t be corrected within a few
hours should contact the town to
report it.
One Grubb Street resident did
call the Perquimans Weekly last
week to report the issue and some
in western areas of town also have
reported it.
New crop makes splash in county
The water is safe to drink, but
appears cloudy, according to Town
Manager Brandon Shoaf.
“We do see rust issues from time
to time and are working on ways
to remedy the problem altogether,”
he said. “The water is safe. We’ve
tested it and found nothing danger
ous, just discoloration.”
Residents can call the town’s dis
patch line at 426-5751 if the discol
oration is still there after running
the tap for a while.
The town was doing some flush
ing of the system last week.
“Sometimes when we flush it
does stir up the system for a few
See WATER, 2
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
For a visitor passing
through Hertford along
Edenton Road Street, it was
a sight that typically you see
in picture postcards—acres
and acres of brilliant yellow
flowers.
For long-time residents,
it was something of an odd-
itiy? What are they? Butter
cups?
For farmer Carey Parrish
who planted the seeds, it’s
See NEW CROP, 4
STAFF PHOTO
BY PETER WILLIAMS
Motorists driving
down Edenton
Road Street
in Hertford in
recent days
could see acres
of yellow flowers
from rapeseed,
a crop that may
be seen a lot
more in North
Carolina.