N.S. Gordon

Paramedics wheel Marc Miley to an ambulance after he was beaten on the
head by N.S. Gordon on the Applewood Apts. porch. He suffered serious
head injuries, but recovered.

On November 18, 2006, Nick “N.S.” Gordon was shot and killed during an altercation with Lowndes County Sheriff’s Deputies Marc Miley and Archie Williams. Deputies Miley and Williams responded to an emergency 911 call at the address of 169 Applewood Wood Drive, Apartment 19 in Columbus, Mississippi. Deputies Miley arrived first and questioned Stephanie Thompson, resident of the apartment and the 911 caller. Stephanie stated that at 7 p.m., she and Ashley Thompson went outside the apartment. She alleged that Gordon appeared, grabbed Ashley, pushed her up against the wall, and started choking her. Deputy Miley observed red marks around Ashley’s throat. According to Deputy Miley, Stephanie stated that Gordon had a nail gun with him and that he may be on the stairs outside.

After taking statements from Stephanie and Ashley, Deputy Miley located Gordon sitting at the top of an outside staircase near Stephanie’s apartment. Deputy Miley approached the staircase and told Gordon he needed to talk to him. Gordon drew a gun-like object that Officer Miley assumed was a nail gun... About this time, Deputy Williams drove up and assessed the situation. He exited his police cruiser and noticed Gordon pointing the chrome object at Deputy Miley. Deputy Williams approached the staircase and drew his gun. Both deputies yelled for Gordon to drop the weapon. Gordon refused to drop the weapon and alternated pointing it at both deputies. Deputy Williams testified that as he approached, Deputy Miley informed him the weapon was a nail gun. Once Deputy Williams realized it was a nail gun, he decided to holster his gun and use his taser instead. Both deputies discharged their tasers numerous times on Gordon trying to get him to put down the weapon. The deputies testified that the tasers did not phase [sic] Gordon at all, and he continued to disobey their orders by refusing to drop the weapon. Deputy Williams approached Gordon to get a closer shot with his taser. Gordon swung at Williams with the weapon and hit Williams in his right shoulder. Then Gordon hit Deputy Williams squarely on the top of his head with the object. The blow knocked Williams to the ground and gashed open the back of his head.

Deputy Miley attempted to intervene and was also struck over the head and knocked to the ground. As soon as Deputy Williams gained his composure, he saw Gordon crouched over Deputy Miley continuously hitting him over the head. Both deputies had open wounds on their heads and were bleeding profusely from those wounds.

Plaintiffs and Defendants both rely on the sworn statement of Gloria Ann Brown, an eyewitness to the altercation. Brown observed the two officers standing along the staircase of theapartment talking to Gordon. She heard the officers tell him to come downstairs. According to Brown, Gordon walked up the stairs towards the balcony and away from the officers. She then heard one of the officers tell Gordon, “drop it, drop it.” Shortly thereafter, she heard the stun gun [went] off. The officers yelled for Gordon to “get down, get down.” Gordon refused and began fightingwith the officers. Although she was not sure what the object was, Brown stated that Gordon hit oneof the officers in the back of the head with something. She knew it was something besides just his fist as it made a sound when it struck the officer’s head. Brown immediately saw blood pouring all from over the officer’s head. Brown then witnessed the other officer getting hit by Gordon several times. Brown stated that this officer was also hit with something as well because he was staggering.

The officer continued to fight off Gordon. Finally, the officer pulled his gun and fired two shots at Gordon. Gordon fell to the balcony floor and swung at the officer one more time. The officer then was able to grab Gordon’s hands and handcuff them. Brown estimates the altercation lasted approximately four to five minutes before the shooting took place.

...The Court considers first Plaintiffs’ federal claims against the Defendants. In the Complaint, Plaintiffs allege a list of constitutional violations, most of which are plainly inapposite to the facts of this case. For example, Plaintiffs allege violations of the First Amendment and Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. In the Court’s view, the only federal claim which even arguably exists in this case is Plaintiffs’ Section 1983 claim based upon allegations of excessive force pursuant to the Fourth Amendment. ...Plaintiffs allege Deputies Miley and Williams violated Gordon’s Fourth Amendment right to be free from excessive force, as incorporated to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. The officers assert that they are entitled to qualified immunity, and that the Plaintiffs failed to provide proof of the necessary elements to establish an excessive force claim. Plaintiffs allege the violation occurred from the use of lethal of force. It is undisputed that Deputy Williams was the officer that shot Gordon, not Deputy Miley. The Court, therefore, only will address the excessive force claim as to Deputy Williams.

...The elements necessary to prove an excessive force claim under Section 1983 are a significant injury which resulted directly and only from the use of force that was clearly excessive to the need, and the excessiveness of which was objectively unreasonable... Further, in order to determine the objective reasonableness of the use of force in a particular situation, courts must judge from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene... Here, there is no dispute that Gordon suffered a significant injury. Thus, the question is whether the amount of force used by Officer Williams was clearly excessive and objectively unreasonable. Focusing on the “objectively unreasonable” analysis, [t]he “reasonableness” of a particular use of force must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, rather than with the 20/20 vision of hindsight . . . ...After Deputy Williams gained his composure, he witnessed Gordon on top of Deputy Miley repeatedly striking the officer over the head with the chrome object. Deputy Williams testified Miley was bleeding profusely from his head and appeared to be unconscious. Williams also was bleeding from his head injuries. At that point, Williams made the split-second decision to use deadly force. Deputy Williams drew his gun and shot Gordon multiple times. According to the officer, Gordon then was handcuffed just in case he was still a threat.

The Court finds Deputy Williams’ use of deadly force was not unreasonable because he had reason to believe that Gordon posed a threat of serious harm to himself and others... Deputy Williams’ actions were objectively reasonable; thus, the Court concludes that he did not violate Gordon’s Fourth Amendment rights. Because Deputy Williams did not violate Gordon’s constitutional right to be free from excessive force, he is entitled to qualified immunity from suit on Plaintiffs’ excessive force claim.

...Plaintiffs claim that the acts, customs, and policies of the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department amounted to deliberate indifference to Gordon’s constitutional rights and proximately caused his injuries. Specifically, Plaintiffs allege that (1) Lowndes County failed to provide adequate and reasonable procedures for hiring, training, supervision, and discipline of Deputies Miley and Williams; (2) Lowndes County had actual or constructive knowledge of both Gordon’s special needs... and the persistent, widespread practice of the use of excessive force by its officers; and (3) Lowndes County permitted and tolerated a policy and practice of excessive use of force...

For Plaintiffs to prevail, they must show that Deputies Miley and Williams were following a county policy or custom when they allegedly used excessive force against Gordon. Plaintiffs have the burden to show the existence of a Lowndes County policy or custom authorizing, instructing, or condoning the use of excessive force by its officers. Plaintiffs have failed to point to any official policy, such as a regulation or an ordinance, that authorizes its officersto use excessive force. Moreover, Plaintiffs have failed to establish the existence of a “widespread practice” or custom of the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department authorizing the use of excessive force. Plaintiff have provided no evidence of any other claims of excessive force lodged against Lowndes County officers. A single instance of excessive force is insufficient to satisfy the predicate “pattern of conduct” necessary to establish a municipal custom. ...Plaintiffs assert claims against Sheriff Butch Howard, in his official and individual capacities, for inadequate training, supervision, and hiring in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. Plaintiffs do not allege Sheriff Howard was present for or involved in the excessive force incident described above. Rather, Plaintiffs seek to hold him liable for hiring Deputies Williams and Miley and for failing to properly train and supervise.

...Plaintiffs failed to identify any evidence that the Lowndes County Sheriff Department policies on the use of force are inadequate. Moreover, Plaintiffs have failed to show any persistent widespread practice by Lowndes County of inadequate training, supervision, or hiring. Plaintiffs have offered no evidence to the Court which would create a question of fact regarding Lowndes County’s alleged deliberate indifference. Without some competent evidence demonstrating a failure by Lowndes County or Sheriff Howard to adequately train or supervise its officers, Plaintiffs’ deliberate indifference claim must fail. Due to the absence of evidence concerning deliberate indifference, Lowndes County and Sheriff Howard are entitled to summary judgment on Plaintiffs’ failure to train claim.

There is no evidence before this Court that Sheriff Howard failed to adequately train orsupervise Officers Williams and Miley. Even assuming Sheriff Howard did fail to adequately train or supervise the officers, Plaintiffs have not shown a casual connection between the alleged failure and the alleged constitutional violation, or that Sheriff Howard acted with deliberate indifference.

Accordingly, Sheriff Howard is entitled to summary judgment on Plaintiffs’ claims against him in his official and individual capacities.

...Plaintiffs do not dispute Gordon struck both officers over the head multiple times during the altercation, and Gordon was hitting Deputy Miley over the head when Deputy Williams fired his gun. Therefore, it is undisputed Gordon was engaged in criminal activity when Deputy Williams shot him. Since Gordon was engaged in criminal activity at the time the alleged battery occurred, and inasmuch as criminal activity caused Officer Williams’ alleged wrongdoing, the MTCA provides Lowndes County with immunity on Plaintiffs’ state law claims. Therefore, Lowndes County is entitled to summary judgment on Plaintiffs’ state law claims.

...Based on the foregoing analysis, the Court finds that Plaintiffs’ Section 1983 claims against Defendants under the Equal Protection Clause fail on the merits, as they presented no competent summary judgment evidence of intentional and purposeful discrimination based on race. Plaintiffs’ claims against Defendants under the First Amendment are dismissed, as the Court finds no facts to support such a claim. Plaintiffs’ Section 1983 claims against Officers Williams and Miley for violation of the Fourth Amendment are dismissed, as the officers are entitled to qualified immunity. Plaintiffs’ Section 1983 supervisory and municipal claims against Lowndes County and Sheriff Howard likewise fail. Lastly, Defendants’ are entitled to summary judgment on Plaintiffs’ state law claims...

Packet #844 - September 10, 2009

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Amazonian fish caught in Lux near Propst Park
Fish identified as pacu, a cousin of piranhas

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Tropical fish caught in Luxapalila has big bottom teeth and smaller teeth
on its upper jaw.

Ezekiel Beard of Columbus was fishing in Luxapalila Creek last Saturday when he caught what looked like a bream on steroids with a bottom row of big teeth. Beard, who is retired from American Glass, said that the fish “gave a good fight.” He added, “When I was tryin’ to get the hook out he was bitin’ those pliers.”

Beard was fishing with his nephew, Sammy Beard, who works at Columbus Brick. He said, “My nephew had one about the same size but it broke the line.”

The Beards were fishing under the Hwy 182 bridges using liver for bait. Ezekiel Beard said that when he accidentally dropped a piece of liver in the water while baiting his hook a half-dozen smaller but similar fish fought over the liver. “When it hit the water they all came at once,” he said. He said these smaller fish were about three inches long.

The fish that Beard caught had an orange/yellow belly when he caught it but by the time he found the Packet editor in, on Sunday, much of the color had gone out of the fish. He is keeping the fish in his freezer.

Packet reporter and staff ichthyologist Brian Jones (he keeps an aquarium) identified the fish as a pacu, a native of the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers of South America. He said that pacu are often kept in aquariums but that they can grow very large. He said that they are primarily herbivores but that they will really eat almost anything. He was not surprised that they went for the liver.

Jones said, “One interesting side note to all this is that piranha and pacu are both in the characin family, which means that they are directly related to tetras, which are small schooling fish that are very common in the aquarium hobby. Pacu and piranha are basically giant tetras.” [He added that aquarium enthusiasts will see humor in the last sentence. Ed.]

MSU Assistant Extension Professor J. Wesley Neal viewd photos of Beard’s fish and confirmed that it is a pacu. He wrote via e-mail:

“That fish is a pacu, a close relative to the piranha. They are commonly sold as pets in the aquarium industry, and unfortunately people have a tendency to release them when they grow too large or become burdensome. This is a problem, because they can become invasive and be damaging to our natural waters when water temperatures are warm enough for their long-term survival.

“Pacu are naturally a fruit eater, but are opportunistic when they have to be. They are not likely to eat other fish. Pacu are not a threat to humans, but may have negative impacts on the natural environment if they become established.

“These fish are tropical to subtropical, and usually die when water temperatures get too cold. Their lower lethal temperature may be somewhere between 45-50 F, depending on fish size and species. For most of the U.S., this low temperature is reached every year, but for warm states like Florida, pacu and other tropical species can survive and spawn, resulting in invasion of the species. Mississippi is borderline in terms of winter temperature, so we’ll have to wait and see if this fish takes hold. Let’s hope it does not. I request that you emphasize in your story that people should never release a fish into a body of water if that fish did not come from that body of water!”

Ezekiel Beard holds the strange fish he caught fishing on the Lux by Propst
Park last Saturday. The fish has been identified as a Pacu, a cousin of the
piranha.

From the Wikipedia article about pacu:

“Pacu are commonly sold as ‘Vegetarian Piranhas' to home aquarium owners. With the proper equipment and commitment, pacu have been known to make responsive pets. One such example was Swish, a 75 cm (30-inch) pacu owned for over 20 years by a Chinese restaurant (Kau Kau) in the Chinatown district in Seattle, Washington; one aquarium technician said of Swish, ‘He'd rub his body on your arms, kind of like a dog.’

“However, there is some question of whether the fish are a good choice for the typical hobbyist. While they are not aggressive carnivores like the piranha, their crushing jaw system, used primarily for eating seeds and nuts, can be hazardous. One toddler needed surgery after a pacu (misreported as a piranha) bit her finger at Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World in Scotland. Commenting on the incident, Deep Sea World zoological manager Matthew Kane warned, "Pacus will eat anything, even children’s wiggling fingers.

“Another such incident occurred when a 60 cm (24-inch) Pacu (named Pacu) jumped out of his tank in Fort Worth, TX and bit the nose off of his owner. The nose was later reattached, sans left nostril. Additionally, profit-driven pet stores which ignore long-term fish welfare, sell pacu as small as 5-8 cm (2-3 inches) long and neglect to warn customers that fish growth is not inhibited by tank size, contrary to popular fish lore... Overwhelmed hobbyists are suspected of illegally releasing their pacu into wild waterways.

“Though they may be acting out of a sense of benevolence, home aquarists releasing their pacu are misguided: as tropical fish, pacu will die in cold weather; as newcomers to an ecosystem, pacu may out-compete native species for available food, habitat, and other resources, or displace them by introducing exotic parasites or diseases. Most wildlife resource authorities prohibit releasing exotic fish, including pacu, into the wild. Officials of one Texas lake have put a $100 bounty on the pacu caught there.”

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Wendy’s robbed again by back-door gunmen

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Investigator Terry Dentry strings crime tape at the scene.

Last November Wendy’s on Hwy 45 North was robbed by gunmen who entered and exited through the back door, and yesterday morning it happened again.

The latest robbery occurred at 7:30 a.m. when three employees were starting the day’s chores. When two employees went out the back door they were confronted by two black males wearing caps and bandannas over their faces. One had a handgun.

CPD Public Information Officer Terrie Songer said that the robbers forced the employees back into the store. One of the robbers put one of the employees on the floor and the second robber, who had the gun, ordered the other employee to open the safe. The employee complied and the robbers left the same way they had entered. They were seen walking north toward Subway.

Police arrived on the scene moments later but the suspects could not be found.

Songer said that one of the suspects had dreadlocks. The investigation is continuing but no arrests had been made as of last night.

In last year’s robbery three black males entered via the back door well after midnight as employees were counting money to put it in the safe.

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Columbus man dies in accident in Monroe Co.

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A two-vehicle accident late Tuesday afternoon in Monroe County claimed the life of a Columbus man. Albert Lee Dixon, 53, of 1421 3rd Ave. North, was pronounced dead at the scene from apparent head trauma by Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley.

Gurley said that the accident occurred a little after 5:00 p.m. on Hwy 8 about five miles west of the Aberdeen city limits.

Dixon was transporting a dialysis patient from the dialysis center in Aberdeen to Columbus. The 2001 Ford van is owned by JD & M Enterprises of Columbus. Gurley said that Dixon was thrown from the van. The van came to rest in the parking lot of the Ebenezer Church.

Gurley said that the dialysis patient was in a wheelchair in the van. She was transported to NMMC-Tupelo after the accident. Gurley said that the second vehicle was a 2006 Toyota Limited. Family members transported the driver to NMMC-Tupelo.

Although Dixon was thrown from the van, Gurley said that it appeared that both drivers were wearing seatbelts.

A Highway Patrol spokesman did not have information about the other victims and declined to comment on what caused the accident. The Packet received an unconfirmed report that the van was struck from behind.

JD & M Enterprises is owned by Joe Brooks, his wife, Mary, and their son, Darrell. Joe Brooks is a former Dist. 4 Supervisor and a former president of the board of supervisors. Joe Brooks told the Packet that Dixon had been driving for JD & M for more than six months and was “a very good driver, a nice guy, not a speeder. He was a very cautious guy.” Referring to the dialysis patient who survived the accident, he added, “He had to have her chair strapped in good.” Brooks said that he had talked to the patient’s family and that she is expected to recover.

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Packet #843 - September 3, 2009

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County man’s legs broken in front yard hit-and-run

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Dist. 3 VFD EMRs Michael Dulaney and Chase Taylor tend to Jerome Council in his yard on Wren Street early
Monday morning after Council was run down by a car in his front yard.

A 41-year-old Lowndes County man was seriously injured early Monday morning when he was run over by a car in a front yard on Wren St. Both of Jerome Council’s legs were broken in the incident, which LCSO deputies determined was a vehicular assault. The next day a 20-year-old female was charged with aggravated assault in connection with the incident.

The incident occurred at 91 Wren Street around 1:00 a.m. Deputies and Dist. 3 Volunteers found Council lying in freshly mown grass about 20 feet from the street. His face was bloody and he had an injured arm and at least one deep gash to a leg. .

Charity Harkins

Tire tracks were clearly visible across the grass, suggesting that the vehicle that struck Council had veered about five feet off the street to hit him..

Tire tracks are clearly visible in the grass where
Council was struck. It is likely that he was thrown
against the manhole structure, causing additional injuries.

Council’s cell phone was found in Wren St. about 40 yards south of the point of impact. He had apparently dropped it on the hood of the car when he was struck and the car carried it down the street before it fell off. The battery had fallen out but deputies put it back in and determined that it was Council’s phone. They took immediate interest in the photograph of a young female in the phone..

LCSO Investigator Eli Perrigin told the Packet that information received in the hours following the assault led to the identification of Charity Harkins as the likely driver of the car that hit Council. Harkins, 20, lives on Suggs Road. She learned that deputies were looking for her and turned herself in on Monday..

Perrigin said that the car involved in the hit-and-run was found in a four-trailer mobile home park not far from Wren St. He said the car, a 1991 Buick, had a broken windshield that was apparently caused when it was struck by Council’s head. Perrigin said that the car was not Harkins’s but that she had borrowed it. .

Harkins is charged with aggravated assault with a weapon or other means to produce bodily harm. .

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Motorcycle accident claims life of Caledonia man

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A Caledonia man was fatally injured in a motorcycle accident last Thursday morning on Seed Tick Road near the intersection with Border Springs Road. Roy W. Arwood was revived at the scene by BMH-GT paramedics but he never regained consciousness. Arwood, 65, who lived on Main Street in Caledonia, died the next morning at the hospital after he was removed from life-support systems.

Coroner Greg Merchant said that Arwood died “mainly of chest trauma.” He said that Arwood was thrown about 15 feet from the bike. Arwood had a history of heart problems.

Arwood was travelling away from Caledonia when the accident occurred on a curve in the road. He was riding a Suzuki Intruder.

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Mayor breaks tie to extend alcohol sales

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Mayor Robert Smith and the city council held a public hearing Monday night at City Hall on a proposal to extend the hours and days for the sale and consumption of alcholic beverages. The proposed change was to extend the on-premises hours of selling and consuming alcoholic beverages from 1:00 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday and to allow the on-premises sale and consumption of wine and liquor on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. till midnight. The greatest opposition at the public hearing was to legalizing the sale and consumption of wine and liquor on Sundays (currently beer and light wine is sold till midnight on Sunday).

At Tuesday’s council meeting Mayor Smith said, “Last night we had a public hearing on extending the hours to 1:30 a.m. and for selling alcohol to Sundays. We heard the pros and cons and now it’s up to the council to decide.”

Bill Gavin made a motion to extend the sales as proposed, saying, “We need to become a little bit more progressive.” He noted that Sunday beer sales were already allowed. “I move we extend the hours.”

Gene Taylor gave the second.

Kabir Karriem said, “We’re dealing with three different issues. He said the issues were extending the weekday hours and adding Sundays (a few minutes later attorney Jeff Turnage said that he assumed that the third issue involved closing times for clubs, not the sale hours—he said that the city can set closing times without approval by state authorities).

Smith said that the weekday and Sunday changes were lumped together during the council’s work session. He added, “But it’s up to you if you want to separate it.”

Charlie Box said that he was “trying not to approach it as a personal issue.” He noted that it had been posited as an econonimc issue and he added, “But I point to Tupelo and Tuscaloosa—neither one allows alcohol sales on Sunday, so to say that you won’t get big restaurants or hotels unless you do it is not right.”

“I strongly urge the council to separate the issues,” said Karriem. “I might be for part of the resolution but not for the other part.”

Smith noted that Gavin’s motion combined the changes.

Fred Stewart, Gene Taylor and Gavin voted aye. Joseph Mickens, Box and Karriem voted nay.

Smith said, “As mayor it’s my responsibility to vote what I think is best for the city” from an economic-development and tax standpoint. I listened to the pros and cons... and I have to support the motion.”

The resolution must now be approved by the Mississippi Tax Commission.

[It was said at Monday’s hearing that West Point is seeking resort status for its entire downtown area, not just the Ritz. Brian Jones reports in this issue that that is not true. Another reason given for extending the hours is that Starkville is extending its hours. But Kabir Karriem told me yesterday that he was informed by a Starkville official that the Tax Commission had denied Starkville’s request to extend the hours, citing DUI rates. Ed.]

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Packet #842 - August 27, 2009

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CAFB Airman killed when his motorcycle hits
gravel truck on Hwy 45 N.

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Mark Wheeler’s Honda motorcycle lies in the highway after colliding with the gravel truck
beyond it Monday morning in front of Buy the Yard. Highway Patrol investigators have marked
the motorcycle’s location on the pavement with orange paint.

An airman stationed at CAFB on his first Air Force assigment was killed instantly Monday morning when the motorcycle he was riding slammed into the rear of a gravel trailer on Hwy 45 North in front of Buy the Yard, about a mile south of the CAFB intersection.

The Air Force identified the victim yesterday as Mark M. Wheeler, a Security Forces Patrolman assigned to the 14th Security Forces Squadron at CAFB. CAFB Public Affairs Officer Sonic Johnson said the Air Force would not reveal Wheeler’s hometown, because of privacy issues. The Air Force did not release Wheeler’s age either but Merchant said he was 22.

Wheeler was northbound on Hwy 45 on a large Honda motorcycle when the accident occurred. The truck he collided with, a tractor/trailer dump truck owned by Heathco Trucking of Starkville, was also northbound but had slowed to turn right (east) into the Buy the Yard facility. The truck was delivering 20 tons of crushed limestone to Buy the Yard. The motorcycle apparently crashed into the rear of the trailer as the truck driver began to make his turn.

Buy the Yard manager Robert Tomlinson saw the accident happen. He said that the motorcycle was traveling very fast when it hit the trailer. He said the left (inside) lane appeared to be clear. The Packet received unconfirmed reports that other motorists reported seeing Wheeler swerving in and out of traffic at high speed prior to the accident.

The Highway Patrol did not provide information yesterday about the accident such as the name of the truck driver.

Merchant said that Wheeler died instantly of blunt force trauma.

Johnson said that an Air Force accident board will convene to investigate the accident. CAFB personnel, civilian and military, were on the scene within minutes of the accident working with LCSO Deputies and Highway Patrolmen.

[The Air Force has a policy of not releasing the names of fatalities until 24 hours after next-of-kin are notified. Coroner Greg Merchant and the Highway Patrol waited on the Air Force to release the name even though the accident happened on a public highway and did not involve military operations. If other people had been hurt or killed I think that the Air Force’s policy would have been brushed aside—but then I never did get the name of the truck driver from the Highway Patrol. Ed.]

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Lowndes County scores strong on MCT2
City scores fall
Dispatch downplays county schools’ achievements
by Brian Jones

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(Tables of scores are printed in Section B of this Packet. (#842))

The state Department of Education released standardized test scores last week for the 2008-2009 school year. The Lowndes County School District met or surpassed the state averages in many areas, but the scores in the Columbus Municipal School District generally lagged behind the state.

Students in grades three through eight are tested using the Mississippi Curriculum Test, Version Two, or MCT2, which tests mathematics and language arts skills, while high school students take subject area tests in Algebra I, US History, Biology I and English II.

The Lowndes County School District:
Scores in the Lowndes County School District tended to meet or exceed state averages in many areas, said Assistant Superintendent Edna McGill. (You'd never know this by reading the Dispatch. Their Sunday front page headline stated "Columbus, Lowndes schools test worse than state average." While this is certainly true of the city schools, it's a serious distortion of the county's figures. The local broadsheet further compounded their error in a chart by printing the state's scores in lieu of the county's. -Brian Jones)

As a district, the LCSD's mean MCT2 scores surpassed the state average in nine out of 12 areas. Sixth- and eighth-grade mathematics were the only areas where the district lagged behind state scores, and eighth-grade language arts the district matched the state average.

"When you look at our language arts scores, we had more students who were proficient and advanced than the state average in grades three, four, five, six and seven," McGill said. "Our eighth-grade students met the state average. Our mathematics scores in grades three, four, five and seven were all above the state average."

The number of categories in which the county schools' mean scores exceeded the state average increased this year, she said.

"Our 2009 scores exceeded the state mean in 13 of 21 categories, which comes out to 62 percent," she said. "In 2008 we only exceeded the state average in 10 of the 17 areas, or 59 percent."

On a school-by-school basis:

• Caledonia Elementary school exceeded the state mean scores in all areas.
• Caledonia Middle School exceeded the state mean scores in all areas.
• New Hope Elementary School exceeded the state mean scores in third- and fourth-grade language arts and fourth-grade mathematics.
• New Hope Middle School exceeded the state mean scores in all areas except sixth-grade mathematics.
• West Lowndes Elementary School fell behind the state mean scores in all areas.
• West Lowndes Middle School fell behind the state mean scores in all areas.

The LCSD exceeded the state average in English and US History in the subject area tests, but scored behind state averages in Algebra I and Biology I.

"All of our subject area test scores showed improvements in the number of students who scored proficient or advanced," McGill said. "We also had more students pass the subject area tests in 2009 than we did in 2008."

On a school-by-school basis:

• Caledonia High School exceeded the state mean scores in US History, Biology I and English II.
• New Hope High School exceeded the state mean scores in US History and English II.
• West Lowndes High School fell behind the state averages on all of the subject area tests.

"Across the board our scores were pretty much what we expected," McGill said. "There were no big surprises. We're seeing that our programs and our curriculum are working, and we are seeing growth. This year we're going to be working hard on increasing the number of advanced students in language and math, as well as bringing up our basic students so that they'll be proficient."

"We've got programs in place to gather data to help us, now we have to analyze that data and figure out where we need to concentrate," said Elementary Coordinator Bobbi Vaughn. "Our teachers have the ability to gather lots of data, and we can use that data to target the skills that are the most deficient."

The Columbus Municipal School District:
The Columbus Municipal School District's mean MCT2 scores fell behind the state average in all areas but one, fourth-grade mathematics. This is a decrease from last year, when the district surpassed the state average in three areas: fourth-grade language arts and third- and fourth-grade mathematics.

Scores at Hunt Intermediate and Lee Middle, which have historically been low, showed some growth in 2008; Lee actually exceeded the state in the amount of growth. Four of the district's five elementary schools exceeded the state average in math, but there was an overall decline in language arts throughout the district in third- and fourth-grade.

On a school-by-school basis:

• Cook Elementary School surpassed the state mean scores in two areas, fourth-grade language arts and fourth-grade math.
• Fairview Elementary surpassed the state mean scores in all areas.
• Franklin Academy fell behind state averages in all categories.
• Hunt Intermediate fell behind the state averages in all categories.
• Lee Middle School fell behind the state averages in all categories.
• Sale Elementary surpassed the state averages in third-grade language arts and third- and fourth-grade mathematics.
• Stokes-Beard Elementary School surpassed the state average in fourth-grade mathematics.

The district's subject area test scores fell behind the state averages in all areas. However, there was an increase in the percentage passing in Algebra I, Biology I and US History.

"After analyzing our scores, we find that we have some very positive momentum happening in our district," said CMSD Testing Coordinator Myra Gillis. "For example, students in seventh-grade language arts made a 12 percentage-point gain in the number of students scoring proficient and advanced over last year's scores. Cook's fourth-grade math increased the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced by more than 20 percent. In other areas we've experienced some declines that are causing us to revisit the curriculum and the teaching strategies in search of a more effective way to deliver instruction."

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Packet #841 - August 20, 2009

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Man charged with kidnapping teen on Phillips Hill Road

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Deputies Tony Perkins and Toby Rickert escort Chandler Strickland down
Phillips Hill Road moments after capturing him in the front yard of a
residence late Tuesday night. Strickland allegedly forced his girlfriend
into his pickup truck and then wrecked the truck and ran from the lawmen.

A 29-year-old Columbus man faces a kidnapping charge after allegedly abducting his 17-year-old girlfriend from her home on Phillips Hill Road Tuesday night. Bruce Chandler Strickland, known as Chandler, was captured about an hour after the abduction and after he had wrecked his pickup truck and fled on foot from deputies.

Strickland was found a few hundred yards west of his girlfriend’s house, which is in the 2300 block of Phillips Hill Road. A homeowner saw the deputies looking for Chandler and stayed in the shadows and then confronted Strickland when he emerged from some undergrowth when the deputies were gone. The homeowner and a friend called the deputies and Investigator Tony Perkins and Deputy Toby Rickert took him down and handcuffed him in the big front yard. The deputies expressed their appreciation for the help the neighbors provided. The neighbors told the Packet they were happy to help but didn’t want their names used.

The incident began around 10:00 p.m. when Strickland went to the house where his girlfriend stays with an aunt and uncle. Friends of the girl told deputies that Strickland forced the girlfriend into his pickup and then drove east on Phillips Hill Road. About a half-mile from her house Strickland wrecked the truck.

Deputies arraived in the area shortly after the wreck occurred. Strickland had disappeared and the girlfriend was walking back to her house. Deputies looked for Strickland for an hour, assisted for a time by a Highway Patrol officer, before the neighbors found him.

In addition to the kidnapping charge, Strickland is charged with various misdemeanors, including domestic abuse and traffic charges.

The girlfriend was not injured in the pickup accident. Strickland suffered cuts to the inside of his mouth but they did not require stitches.

Perkins said that Strickland and his girlfriend had been dating only a few weeks.

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Toddler drowns in backyard pool

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An 18-month-old child drowned last Thursday evening after falling into a neighbor’s swimming pool on Military Road. Tamiya Peoples was pronounced dead on arrival at BMH-GT.

Coroner Greg Merchant said that Tamiya lived with her parents, Tony Peoples (not the WCBI-TV cameraman of the same name) and Candace Lucas, at 1320 11th Ave. North. Lucas was in the house when Tamiya slipped away. Lucas noticed that she was gone and went looking for her and found her in the neighbor’s pool.

Merchant said that the pool has hard sides and that the water in it was about three feet deep. Tamiya apparently climbed a ladder to get into the pool. Although she was only 18 months old she had reportedly climbed into the pool before.

The backyard of the house where the pool is located adjoins the backyard of the Peoples-Lucas home.

An autopsy was conducted in Jackson last Saturday. Merchant said that the body had no signs of physical trauma.

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County School Board approves construction, deputies on campus
by Brian Jones

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At their August 14 meeting, the Lowndes County School Board approved an agreement with the sheriff's department to have a deputy stationed at each campus during school hours.

The district will pay the sheriff's department $135,000 for nine months of service.

"In a recent survey 86 percent of our students said they felt safe while they were at school," said Superintendent Mike Halford. "We want to increase that."

Not only will deputies augment the security measures already in place, they will eliminate long response times in emergency situations, Halford said.

"Our current security officers do not have a direct connection to the sheriff's department," Halford said. "These will be trained sheriff's deputies. The thing that concerns us as principals and superintendents is the response time when we have a problem. We've been very fortunate that problems have been very minimal. This allows us to have a deputy on campus at all times. The sheriff's department will provide a vehicle, as well.

"In the past, if we have an incident the response time to any of our campuses has been around 15 or 20 minutes," Halford said. "Now we'll have someone right there on campus."

The original budget amount was $150,000 for service from August through May, Halford said, but that had to be modified.

"They couldn't get the officers trained in time, so we're going to start September 1," he said. "It's going to end up being nine months of service and they backed off to $135,000. That includes salary, fringes, everything.

"I have had two people express their concerns about this," Halford continued, "and I want to say that this is not, in any way, shape or form, someone who is responsible for assuming any of the principal's duty. He is not there to arrest children for any inappropriate action. If need be, of course, he'll do that. Our main thing is to provide as much security as we can, and this is an additional tool for us. This is not a situation where we want kids arrested when they fight."

Halford said response has been mostly positive.

"I had one administrator say that he didn't see the need for it right now, but the rest have been very supportive and thought it was a good idea," he said.

The board voted 4-1 to approve the agreement with the sheriff's department, with Jacqueline Gray voting no.

The board approved a bid of $143,000 from Eagle Golf and Athletics for improvements to the baseball field at West Lowndes. Architect Joey Henderson estimated that it would take about 30 days to complete the work. The board approved the bid 4-0, with Gray abstaining.

The district also approved construction of a screening wall at West Lowndes High School.

"They are having problems there with blowing rain," Henderson said. "Burkes-Mordecai ended up being the low bidder there, with a bid of $9,991."

The board approved the screening wall 4-0, with Gray abstaining.

The wall will be constructed of brick, with holes in the wall to reduce stress from wind. It will run from the building face back to where the air conditioning systems are now.

Henderson also made recommendations on roofing projects.

"Early numbers when we considered re-roofing every facility whether it was new or now were around $5.5 million," Henderson said. "We are doing this in anticipation of the $3 million low-interest loan in the stimulus package. We were asked to go back and evaluate with $4 million - that's $3 million from the stimulus and $1 from the district.

"We walked every roof and evaluated them based on three categories," Henderson continued. "One was new and still under warranty, and the other extreme was they needed to be replaced. The other category was roofs that are good now but will probably be a problem in another five or six years. We are looking at doing all of the roofs that have to be replaced, and as many of the questionable ones as we can. Right now we stand at an estimate of $3.9 million.

"At West Lowndes High School, we're in good shape," he said. "At West Lowndes Middle School we're proposing to re-roof everything except the gymnasium, and the roof down towards the library is in good shape. At West Lowndes Elementary, the entire roof is in good shape. At Caledonia High School we're going to re-roof the whole high school with the exception of the vo-tech, which was just completed, and the kitchen area and tech-prep science labs will not be re-roofed. At Caledonia Elementary School, the original wing up front will be re-roofed. At Caledonia Middle School, we will re-roof everything with the exception of the recent additions. On the New Hope campus, we are proposing the high school band area, cafetorium and locker rooms. At the middle and elementary school, we would re-roof all of the old parts of the building, but the elementary is going to be listed as an alternate right now to be sure we can get it in under cost."

Henderson said he thought the district should use three or four roofers to get the job done.

"One roofer would need eight or nine months, which means we'd have to start doing school," Henderson said. "If we break it out, we'd need three or four contractors working over the summer."

The board took no action on the roofing plan.

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Packet #840 - August 13, 2009

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Child dies in mobile home fire on Sand Road

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Dist. 1 Volunteers enter a still-smoking mobile home on Sand Road to search for three-year-old Landon Lowell
Boyles-Jordan. The child’s body was found about 15 minutes later behind a sofa.

A three-year-old boy died in a mobile home fire on Sand Road Tuesday evening after he became separated from his father inside the burning structure. After the fire was extinguished and after a long search, firemen found the body of Landon Lowell Boyles-Jordan behind a sofa, clinging to a dead puppy. Coroner Greg Merchant said that the child died of smoke inhalation.

The mobile home was at 958 Sand Road, Lot B. It was owned by the child’s grandmother and he lived there with his parents, Bailey Boyles and A. J. Jordan.

A.J. Jordan was in the residence with Landon around 7:00 p.m. Tuesday evening when the child apparently started a fire in his parents’ bedroom. Merchant said that Jordan went into his mother’s room and got a pillow to use to beat down the flames. When that didn’t work he went to the kitchen to find something else to use, but the fire quickly spread.

Merchant said that Jordan thought that the child had exited the house but when he went outside he couldn’t locate him and then went back inside in an unsuccessful attempt to find him.

The mobile home was fully engulfed in flames when Dist. 1 Volunteers arrived on the scene. The Columbus Fire Dept. was dispatched to the scene to assist the Dist. 1 VFD and city police were dispatched to assist county deputies. In Merchant’s words, “it was a community effort.”

Before the fire was completely out firemen went into the residence looking for the child. The search lasted for many minutes and while it went on there was a flicker of hope that the child might have gotten out and run away from the scene, but finally the body was found.

A.J. Jordan sustained some burns to his arms and legs in the fire.

Little Landon turned three on August 4 and a birthday party was to be held this Saturday.

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Greg Andrews pays $15,000 ethics fine

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The Mississippi Ethics Commission announced yesterday that Lowndes County Tax Assessor/Collector Greg Andrews has paid a $15,000 fine for violating Mississippi ethics laws. An investigation conducted by the Ethics Commission found that Andrews employed his wife, Alicia Andrews, in the Tax Assessor/Collector’s Office and that he recommended pay raises for her in at least 11 of the last 12 years.

Andrews' wife resigned from his office as a result of the investigation. Mississippi’s Ethics in Government Laws prohibit a government official from using his or her position to benefit a relative such as a spouse.

The Ethics Commission ordered a total fine of $60,000 and suspended $45,000 “on condition Andrews commits no further ethics violation during the remainder of his current term in office.” The Ethics Commission received the $15,000 payment last Thursday and deposited it into the State General Fund.

Andrews previously paid a fine to settle another ethics case in 2006 in which he purchased land at tax sales conducted by his office.

The Ethics Commission statement said that this latest case involving Andrews was the first to be set for a hearing under the Ethics Commission’s enhanced authority. Last year the Mississippi Legislature doubled the maximum fine in ethics cases to $10,000 per offense and gave the commission the power to hold hearings and impose penalties.

A hearing was scheduled at which Andrews was to appear before a hearing officer but on July 10, a few days before the scheduled hearing date, he appeared instead before the full Ethics Commission. He appeared before the commission accompanied by his attorney, Rep. Jeff Smith, and his wife. Smith was in Jackson that day for the last day of the special legislative session.

Smith said that after he and Andrews spoke the commission met privately and then asked Andrews if he wanted to settle the charge that day. He said he did and waived his right to the hearing.

The anonymous complaint was filed in March. Andrews reportedly threatened retaliation against employees in an attempt to learn who filed it.

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Packet #839 - August 6, 2009

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Man survives axe blows to head during street fight

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Robert Mitchell lies bleeding from axe blows to the head on 4th Ave.
South early last Sunday morning as his mother holds a towel to his
head and looks toward an ambulance.

A Columbus man suffered severe head wounds when he was struck with an axe during a melee early last Sunday morning on 4th Ave. South. Robert Mitchell was rushed to BMH-GT and was then airlifted to NMMC. Several other males were also injured in the fight, which involved about 15 people.

James Earl Jones bleeds from a
head wound.

The fight that resulted in the axe wound was actually the second phase of an incident that began around 1:00 a.m. in the 1700 block of 4th Ave. South (southeast of the Juvenile Detention Center) on a report of a fight involving numerous males in the street. Most of the people involved in the fight were gone when police arrived. James Earl Jones, a Columbus native who now lives in South Carolina, was visiting family on the street and had suffered blows to the head in the fight.

Shirley Harris

Police were attempting to find the males who had attacked Jones when, about 1:45 a.m., a second and more serious disturbance erupted in the same area as before. Police hurried back to the scene and found Mitchell lying in the street with oozing from wounds to his head. Mitchell’s mother, who lives farther east on the s a m e block, was cradling her son’s head. Two other males also suffered injuries in the melee, Jeffrey Harris (he is married to James Earl Jones’s sister, Shirley) and Marlos Jones (Shirley Jones Harris’s son). Jeffrey Harris and Marlos Jones were transported to BMH-GT and were treated and released.

Police found an axe lying half under a hedge about 40 feet from the place where Mitchell had been struck down in the street. Police believe that Mitchell was struck with the square end of the axe blade, not the cutting end.

Witnesses initially identified Shirley Harris as the person who struck Mitchell with the axe and police began searching for her, but witness accounts reportedly changed. A Police Dept. spokesperson would only say yesterday that the investigation is continuing and that an arrest is expected.

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Neighbors team up to catch burglar

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Neighbors Ike Savelle and Dennis Fair catch their breath as Officer Copey
Grantham handcuffs a burglary suspect they have just captured in the back
yard at 705 6th Ave. North Tuesday afternoon.

Neighbors on 6th Ave. North teamed up to catch a burglary suspect early Tuesday afternoon. The suspect, identified as Shamor Billups, 17, was already being sought by police for stealing a man’s wallet in the same area last week.

The incident began around 1:30 p.m. when Brian Fitzgerald returned to the house at 711 6th Ave. North that he is renovating. Fitzgerald opened the front door and followed his two dogs into the residence. The dogs quickly found a stranger in the house and chased him out a west window.

Dennis Fair, who lives in an apartment building across the street, was outside hisd apartment across the street. He saw the intruder leap out of Fitzgerald’s window and run between the house and a high block wall toward the back of the house. Fair ran after the fugitive, chasing him around the north end of the high block wall and back south on the other side, in the backyard of 705 6th Ave. North.

Retired Columbus insurance agent Ike Savelle was in his backyard at 703 6th Ave. North (he also owns the property at 705). He saw Fair struggling with the youth in the back yard next door and hurried over to help.

Billups

“He looked like he was trying to get away,” Savelle told the Packet. “He was almost trying to slip out of his shirt.”

Savelle said that Fitzgerald and Fair’s nephew, Brandon Gavin, then came up and also helped control the suspect.

“We tried to get him to sit down but he wouldn’t,” said Savelle. “He wanted us to turn him loose.”

Officers Jesse Roberson and Copey Grantham escort
Billups to a patrol car on 6th Ave. North. A dozen
police officers, including detectives and supervisors,
were at the scene within minutes of the burglary report.

Fitzgerald had called 911 to report that a burglary suspect had run from house. Police were racing toward the scene and initially thought that the suspect had escaped. They were in the process of establishing a containment perimeter when they learned that the suspect had been captured in the back yard. When Officer Copy Grantham arrived he saw Fitzgerald standing on the sidewalk pointing into the back yard, where Savelle, Fair and Gavin were still holding the suspect. Grantham put handcuffs on the suspect, who protested his innocence.

Numerous patrol officers and investigators were at the scene within minutes. They praised the neighbors for the capture. It was quickly determined that Billups was wanted for allegedly stealing a wallet from F. C. Burns in the same area a week earlier. Burns had hired Billups to do some yard work. Billups later returned and snatched Burns’s wallet after asking for some change. Police are attempting to link Billups with other burglaries.

Savelle, a member of the S. D. Lee High School Class of 1948, said later, “I hope I never catch one in my house, or they’re gonna have to bring the hearse. I’m not going to take a chance fighting one at my age.”

Billups is 17 (he’ll be 18 on September 10) and lives at 1903 2nd Ave. North.

[Two years ago WW II vet Hillary Livingston drew a pistol on a thief in the same area and was then shot as he drove toward the police station to report the robbery attempt. Ed.]

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Packet #838 - July 30, 2009

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Police catch Lavento Foxx hiding in garbage can

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Officers Lovrent Gaines, Bobby Brewer and Jesse Roberson escort Lavento Foxx
down Oat Street after finding him hiding in a garbage container last Sunday
afternoon. Foxx tore his pant leg going over a chain-link fence.

Scofflaw Lavento Foxx almost eluded police again last Sunday but officers kept searching and finally found him hiding in a garbage can on Oat Street.

Foxx, whom many Packet readers will remember for a string of gun-related incidents several years ago, was being sought on at least one outstanding felony warrant.

Foxx

Last Sunday around noon Officer Lovrent Gaines spotted Foxx in an Impala on Military Road near the Hampton Inn. Foxx saw Gaines too and he drove east on Military and then south on MLK with Gaines behind him and other officers on their way. The Impala turned left on 17th Ave. North and pulled into the driveway at 2611 17th Ave. North. A passenger ran into the house and Foxx took off on foot, jumping a fence and running west past the fire station and then crossing MLK into the Columbus Housing Authority project. He entered the project just north of Oat Street. The passenger who’d run into the house did not go to the door when officers knocked.

Officers thought they had Foxx boxed in on the west side of MLK but they couldn’t find him. For more than half an hour they cruised the streets around the old Hughes Elementary School and walked the neighborhood. Gaines and Officers Copy Grantham and Jesse Roberson finally found themselves behind one of the housing units scratching their heads and wondering where Foxx could have gone. Looking at one of the garbage cans behind the unit Roberson wondered aloud if a man could fit in it. Roberson then lifted the lid and the officers saw Foxx crouching inside.

Gaines said later that he had already looked in a couple of other garbage cans for Foxx. One of them was half-full of garbage and had some garbage thrown on the ground nearby—which led to speculation that Foxx may have tried to clear space in that garbage can before trying the another one and finding it empty.

In addition to the felony warrant for “burglary, breaking and entering a dwelling,” Foxx now faces charges of failure to obey a police officer, no driver’s license and reckless driving. Foxx is 25 and lives at 1624 4th Ave. South. [A Police Dept. news release did not mention that Mr. Foxx also faces a charge of simple assault filed recently by Sherman Smith, one of Mayor Robert Smiths’ sons. This case is scheduled for municipal court. Ed.]

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Five international officers earn wings at CAFB
Lt. Omar Al-Nuaimi is first Iraqi officer to receive USAF wings in over 20 years

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Col. Roger Watkins congratulates Iraqi Lt. Omar AlNuaimi at
graduation exercises in CAFB’s Kaye Auditorium last Friday
morning.

Members of Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 09-12 received their Air Force wings in a ceremony in CAFB’s Kaye Auditorium last Friday morning. The class of 24 officers included five international officers, including 2nd Lt. Omar Al-Nuaimi of Baghdad, Iraq. CAFB Wing Commander Col. Roger Watkins noted in his remarks that Lt.Al-Nuaimi is the first Iraqi officer to earn his USAF wings in more than 20 years.

Retired USAF Gen. Robert “Doc” Foglesong, who earned his wings at CAFB in 1972, delivered the graduation address. He encouraged the new pilots to hone their leadership abilities and he said that the international students’ have a special responsibility to become leaders at home, not just fliers.

The other international officers who received their wings at last Friday’s ceremony are 1st Lt. Emmanuel Byaruhanga of Entebbe, Uganda, 1st Lt. Roberto C. Yanez Vargas of Manta, Ecuador, 2nd Lt. Miquel J. Gaspar of Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal and 2nd Lt. Omar Malas of Amman, Jordan. The foreign officers are enrolled in the Air Force’s Aviation Leadership Program, which includes English study and concludes with flight

training at CAFB. The only woman in the class was 1st Lt. Leah R. Sullivan of North Kingstown, R.I. The class included two officers from this region: 1st Lt. John C. Sparks of Memphis, Tenn. and 2nd Lt. Samuel E. Hummer of Dyersburg, Tenn.

Classmates 2nd Lt. Miquel J. Gaspar of Portugal, 2nd Lt.
Omar Al-Nuaimi of Iraq and 1st Lt. Emmanuel Byaruhanga of
Uganda after receiving their wings.

The international students all said that competition to be selected to come to the U.S. was intense and that the USAF training is the best in the world.

Lt. Al-Nuaimi said, “I never thought in a million years I’d be trained in the U.S. It’s great for the Iraqi Air Force to send students to America.”

Lt. Al-Nuaimi said that he and his country were shown great respect and understanding during his training. He credited the men and women in the training program with helping him mature from a young man raised to hate the Western world, and the U.S. especially, to someone who is ready to fight and die alongside Westerners. He gave special thanks to Lt. Col. Eddie Altizer, 43rd Flying Training Squadron and T-6 flight commander, whom he came to regard as a father figure.

“He is the greatest guy I have ever known,” Lt. Al-Nuaimi said. “He is like a father to me—he really represents his country in the greatest way possible.” He said that countless others, including maintenance personnel and language instructors, made his journey possible.

Lt. Al-Nuaimi will use the skills he learned here to train Iraqi pilots in Kirkuk, Iraq.

Col. Watkins arrives at the Kaye Auditorium
with Gen. Foglesong.

Col. Watkins told the class that the training they had just completed “is one of the toughest you’ll ever have to face, not just in the Air Force but in your lives.” He thanked the spouses in the audience who endured 3:00 a.m. wake-ups and all-night cram sessions. And he thanked the many parents in the audience: “Parents, on behalf of a grateful nation, thank you for providing our most precious resource, your sons and daughters. Thank you for giviing them the patriotism and values they’ve grown up with. Thank you for what you’ve given us.”

Col. Watkins said that Gen. Foglesong is perhaps “the perfect person to launch pilots on their career.” He noted that Gen. Fogleson earned his wings at CAFB and went on to log 4,400 hours in the air and to become a four-star general and a national security advisor.

Gen. Foglesong, who now lives in New Hope and directs the Appalachian Leadership Corporation, observed that the theater “is nicer than when I was here, as is the base.” He said that he wrote a dissertation for a doctorate in chemistry but probably couldn’t find it. He said he entered a lot of aircraft races “and won a few,” but didn’t know where the trophies were. He said that he won “a chestful of medals” during his Air Force career but kept them “in a shoe box somewhere.” But, he went on, he earned his USAF Silver Wings at CAFB in 1972 and always knew where they were. “They’re a measure of your personal and professional discipline, a token of the toughest program you ever went through,” Foglesong said. “Now you’re starting a new chapter in your life. You’ve now graduated into professionalism.”

Directing his comments to the international students, Fogleson went on, “What you’ve just done is form the basis for what your national leadership will want you to do. I’ve been in Uganda and I’ve landed on every airfield in Iraq. I’ve flown across the Jordanian borders... The U.S. should never do anything alone again in the world. We should always be teamed with like-minded nations. Your countries are not only looking for aviation skills but for you to assume leadership roles later in your careers, to become flight, squadron and wing commanders, to take on increased responsibilities. You have the skills to migrate to those postions—you now have the technical skills. You’ll need to expand your professional skills in aviation. For you to run something really important in your air forces you’ll need those skills. You need to continue to develop your character. It will enable you to take leadership positions. Integrity, honor, passion are all important—they compose who you are. Your organizations will have those qualities if you do.”

Fogleson continued, “Remember that it will be incredibly important to have courage. If you don’t have the courage to pull the trigger it will expose your character when you have to make tough decisions. There are two types of courage, physical and moral. Most people don’t encounter opportunities to make decisions involving physical courage, where you put yourself in physical harm. But it happens in the military and your reaction must be spontaneous. My experience is that you don’t know how you’ll react.”

Fogelsong said that he could guarantee the officers that they would face moments requiring moral courage. “You’ll have to make decisions that are not popular. We go through them routinely. You typically have time to think them through. They strip away the cover to your character. You’ll have to admit to your boss that you’re wrong, or tell him that he’s wrong—and be careful how you do it. It will define who you are, whether you’re a leader or a follower, whether you’re happy or less happy.” He said that a person who routinely makes courageous moral decisions “is far more likely to make the right decision when a really big one comes along.”

Foglesong said that hard preparation will breed self-confidence. He said that aviation “is hard work but you’ll love it. It’s wonderful stuff. But prepare yourself for the moments when you may have to make decisions involving physical courage.”

Foglesong said that when he left CAFB with his wings in 1972 he thought he was going to make his career in chemical engineering. “But I fell in love with 480 knots and the professionalism of the Air Force and I stayed another 32 years. I’ve living in Columbus because Mary Foglesong and I decided this is where we want to be. It’s good to be back.”

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Packet #837 - July 23, 2009

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Fire guts tugboat at Lowndes Co. Port

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Flames pour from the back of the Brenda Rose last Friday morning at the Lowndes County Port. Fire has already
gutted the front section of the boat. Kinder Morgan’s Rick Ellis tug is on the left. The photo was taken from
the east bank.

Fire gutted a diesel tugboat at the Lowndes County Port last Friday morning but the three-man crew got off safely. The loss is reckoned at around a half-million dollars, but the tug, the Brenda Rose, is still floating.

Columbus firemen worked at the scene for six hours and one fireman was overcome with heat exhaustion but did not require hospital treatment. It was the first such large-scale boat fire the Columbus Fire Dept. has had to deal with and plans are already being made to help deal with such fires in the future.

Firemen carry hoses down limestone riprap to the burning boat.

The boat is owned by a Paducah, Ky. firm and was under contract by Bubba Comer of Columbus to move limestone and gravel up and down the waterway. The Brenda Rose was part of Comer’s operation that involves bringing barges loaded with crushed limestone from a quarry near Paducah to Columbus, where it is stockpiled at the Lowndes County Port. Comer’s operation also involves filling barges with river gravel from old Corps of Engineers spoil areas and transporting it to Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.

Comer praised the firemen, saying they saved the boat (boats usually sink in such fires). He went on, “When I came up, one fireman was on a stretcher and one or two were sitting out. I know this was a new challenge for them, but they did a great job.” Comer predicted that a big increase in river traffic, both commercial and recreational, will undoubtedly translate into more boat fires in the future.

The fireman who was overcome was Mike Chandler. Paramedics gave him oxygen but he did not go to BMH-GT.

Capt. Henry Mashburne took this photo from the bridge of the Rick Ellis as
it approached the burning Brenda Rose from the fleeting area.

Battalion Chief Ricky Graves was in charge of the firefighting operation. Over the six hours firemen from stations throughout the city participated in the fight.

Rivermen believe that the fire started in a drive-train clutch on the Brenda Rose. The fire was discovered around 7:30 a.m. and when the crew was unable to extinguish it they evacuated the tug to a limestone-filled barge that it was tied to. A Kinder Morgan tug, the Rick Ellis, was working a mile below the port, at the new barge lagoon at the mouth of the Luxapalila when the fire was reported. Capt. Henry Mashburne (a Columbus native) of the Rick Ellis immediately steamed toward the smoke and the Brenda Rose crew jumped aboard the Rick Ellis.

Columbus fire trucks raced to the scene. Hydrants were available but the firemen had to run hoses down limestone riprap to the limestone-filled barge and then the length of the barge to the Brenda Rose. Meanwhile, the fire was working its way aft through the Brenda Rose.

The big V-12 diesel engine after the fire.

The Rick Ellis has an electric-powered pump to use in case of onboard fire and this system was used to pump water into the burning Brenda Rose while firemen brought their hoses to bear.

Mashburne said that the Brenda Rose was probably built in the 1940s. It is a single-screw tug with an EMD-567 V-12 diesel engine rated at 1,200 hp. (each cylinder has 567 cubic inches). It carried a crew of four: captain, mate, two deck hands.

Comer said that the Brenda Rose was well maintained. He said that a glut of such boats exists now and that it is likely that the Brenda Rose will be taken back to Paducah and scrapped. Boats can be rebuilt after such fires but Comer said that a boat like this can be bought for something less than $500,000 and it would probably cost $500,000-$600,000 to rebuild it.

Comer said that after the fire the Paducah owner sent another tug to replace the Brenda Rose. The Brenda Rose is tied up near the fleet lagoon.

Capt. Henry Mashburne (left) and old friend Vee
Ferguson on Ferguson’s pontoon boat last Friday
near the burned-out hulk of the Brenda Rose.
Mashburne, a Columbus native, got his start in
river work in Dean White’s program at EMCC 25
years ago and has captained boats on most of the
rivers in the Mississippi River system. Ferguson
is a lifelong “river rat” and a boat-sales repre-
sentative.

Comer has another tug, the Lisa Michelle, under contract from a Mobile company. The company supplies the crew and insurance and Comer lines up hauling jobs. The Lisa Michelle was in Gulfport last Friday off-loading gravel that had been loaded from a Corps spoil area near the Luxapalila Park. The tug is now returning to Columbus to pick up six more barges that have been loaded with spoil gravel. To date, he has loaded and shipped 74 barge loads of gravel south.

Three months ago Comer contracted with Titan Materials and the tug companies to start stockpiling crushed limestone at the Lowndes County Port.. He said that he plans to keep 30,000 tons of crushed limestone stockpiled and said that the only other limestone available in this area must be trucked from Vance, Ala. He said that contractors have come from as far away as Winona and Kosciusko to buy his limestone, and he added that the port and the county get a percentage of the sales.

Comer owns 19 barges and runs a fleet of 60 trucks, but said he’s not in the market for a tug. He said that “boating on this river is a big-boys’ game.” He said that almost any equipment failure, from a water pump to a clutch, will cost at least $10,000 to fix.

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Fire Chief Ken Moore said that after fighting the tugboat fire from the bank (hoses had to be run at least 200 yards down riprap and across a barge) firemen concluded that they need a portable pump that they can carry onto a boat. Such a system would pump water out of the river and onto a fire. Moore said that plans are already being made to acquire such a system. He said that more waterway fires are inevitable in the future.

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Accident claims life of young Columbus woman

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LaKesha
Armistad-Garner

A one-car accident last Friday night claimed the life of the a young Columbus woman on Lehmberg Road. LaKesha Shaquila Armistad-Garner was the driver of a northbound 1998 Ford Explorer that apparently rolled several times after leaving the road just north of The Grove. Garner was pronounced dead at the scene by Coroner Greg Merchant. Five passengers in the vehicle were injured, not seriously. All were juveniles.

Coroner Greg Merchant said that Garner died of massive head and body trauma caused by her ejection. He said it did not appear that the vehicle rolled over her.

Garner lived in the Greentree Apts., which is near the accident scene.

Police Dept. spokesman Capt. Fred Shelton said that the accident was reported at 9:04 p.m. and that Garner and two passengers were ejected from the vehicle. He said that the passengers were all transported to BMH-GT and treated and released.

The Packet received reports that the vehicle was carrying five passengers. The Packet also received reports that Garner apparently lost control of her vehicle when she tried to pass another vehicle (the Police Dept. statement says that the accident occurred when she “was trying to avoid a vehicle coming south when she lost control of her vehicle”). None of the occupants of the Explorer was wearing a seatbelt.

The accident is still under investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol.

A candlelight service was held at the accident site last Sunday evening. Funeral services are tomorrow at Joe Cook Elementary School Auditorium).

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Crawford native wounded by live-in in Jackson

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A Crawford native who moved to Jackson to work in the Nissan factory was shot multiple times last Thursday by his live-in companion at their residence in South Jackson. Albert Stallings, 44, is in stable condition at University Medical Center with seven gunshot wounds to the torso and legs.

JPD Spokesman Lt. Jeffrey Scott said that police took Catherine Ellis, 44, into custody at the house at 3932 Allen Drive. He said that when police arrived Stallings was lying in the driveway and Ellis was standing over him with the empty gun in her hand. Scott said that an argument apparently began in the couple’s bedroom and that it appears that Ellis chased Stallings out of the house while shooting at him. Neighbors called 911.

Ellis is charged with aggravated assault. She does not have a previous police record.

Scott said yesterday that police had been waiting for Stallings’s condition to improve before questioning him about the shooting. He said that Stallings condition has been uprgraded to stable.

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Accident or assault?
Woman injured Downtown

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A Downtown resident was found unconscious with head injuries at 516 College Street last Friday night shortly after 10:00 p.m. Police are still trying to determine whether the injuries were the result of an accident or an assault.

The victim is Maureen Lipscomb, an employee of the Columbus-Lowndes Development Link who lives in an apartment not far from the place where she was found lying face down with injuries to the face/head. Police say that they are still trying to question witnesses and re-interview Lipscomb to determine what happened.

The Packet learned that Lipscomb’s purse was lying beside her when she was found and that her position and the blood on the pavement were consistent with a fall. Reports circulated initially that her dog, which she walks regularly on that sidewalk, was missing, but the Packet later learned that she had left the dog at a friend’s house which she had visited before the incident.

Lipscomb was treated and released from BMH-GT but the injuries were serious and reportedly could require surgery. [I was at the fatal accident on Lehmberg Road when this incident occurred. Ed.]

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Packet #836 - July 16, 2009

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Columbus businesswoman killed in collision with log truck on Hwy 12

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Columbus restaurant owner Donna Blakney was driving the maroon Expedition. The wreckage is pictured from
the south. The Expedition is facing east in the photo but was traveling west when the accident occurred—it
apparently swung around as the tractor/trailer rig jacknifed after colliding with the tractor and was then
struck by an eastbound Honda.

Donna Blakney, the well-known and popular owner of PJ's BBQ, was killed Monday morning on Hwy 12 on her way to Columbus from Vernon, Ala. to work. The accident occurred around 7:00 a.m. during light rain. It occurred next to the Cedar Hill Animal Sanctuary, just over the crest of a hill, where Hwy 12 passes through a cut.

Blakney was eastbound on Hwy 12 when a westbound log truck driven by Amos Jones of Ethelsville, Ala. crossed into her lane. The left front of the Expedition hit the left front of the 1996 International tractor and the tractor/trailer rig then jacknifed across the highway, carrying the Expedition around with it. Blakney was flung from the Expedition and was on the pavement near the vehicles after the collision.

After this initial collision an eastbound 1993 Honda Accord driven by John Reeves of Columbus hit the rear of the Expedition.

Dist. 2 and 3 Volunteers responded to the scene. Deputies routed traffic onto rural roads around the accident site.

The accident occurred in a narrow cut near the top of a hill near the Cedar
Hill Animal Sanctuary. This view is from the west.

Blakney, 45, and Reeves, 25, were rushed to BMH-GT. Blakney was pronounced dead at the hospital and Reeves was treated and released. Jones was not injured. Coroner Greg Merchant said that Blakney died of massive trauma.

Highway Patrol spokesman Brian Mobley said yesterday that the accident was still under investigation.

Blakney was a native of Millport, Ala. She owned and operated PJ's BBQ on 18th Ave. North, near the old Barnhill's Restaurant. She was preparing to open a restaurant near K-Mart on Hwy 45 North when she was killed.

Blakney attended Millport High School, where she was active in numerous activities. She was a member of Springhill Baptist Church in Millport.

Blakney was predeceased by her parents, Cecil and Ann Blakney. and people who knew her said that her church members and employees were her family. She is survived by a brother, Ken Blakney, and a sister, Linda Ferguson, and many uncles, aunts and cousins. People who knew her said that she regarded her employees and fellow church members as part of her family.

Funeral services will be held today (July 16). Visitation will be from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Dowdle Funeral Home in Millport and the service will be at 7:00 p.m. this evening at Dowdle Funeral Home. Burial will be at Springhill Cemetery in Millport. Bro. Doug Blakney will officiate and Dowdle Funeral Home will direct.

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West Point
Selectmen eye Sara Lee waste water plant
City could buy facility for $1
by Brian Jones

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At their July 14 meeting, the West Point Board of Selectmen considered buying the old Sara Lee water treatment plant, announced a change to the city's public appearance practices and recommended that the Ritz Theater and Conference Center on Commerce Street be granted resort status.

Stanley Spradling of engineering firm Calvert-Spradling, along with plant operator Tim Estes, appeared before the board to discuss the potential purchase of Sara Lee's former water treatment plant. The plant, which is on the west side of Tibbee Road, is currently owned by Capitol Resource Group, an auction firm that purchased the old Sara Lee site. The city has an option to buy the plant from CRG for the cost of $1, but must act quickly or the company will sell it at auction.

Mayor Scott Ross explained that the plant could potentially be the solution to the city's need for a new waste water process. The city has been informed by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality that its current sand-filtration system no longer meets environmental regulations, and that a new waste water system must be in place within three years.

"CRG purchased what used to be the Sara Lee facility," Ross said. "We had a number of disagreements with them about what they could or could not remove from the plant. The city and the county wanted to make sure that they did not make the facility unusable, and also to make sure that we could secure payment of real and personal property taxes. There were a number of disagreements between the city, the county and CRG, and it resulted in a very brief federal lawsuit. That lawsuit was settled. As part of the settlement, the city received some property owned by CRG on the west side of Tibbee Road. We have received 18 acres of that so far. They also gave us the option to acquire their waste water treatment facility for $1.

"We have had many, many discussions with MDEQ and with our engineers about this," Ross said. "Our waste water lagoon and its sand filtration system will not meet the requirements of MDEQ in the future. This is one of the things we have talked about as an answer to our problem. This morning I received a certified letter from CRG announcing their intention to auction the entire property. If we intend to exercise our option, we need to go ahead and do it."

Spradling said purchasing the plant is a possible solution to the city's waste water needs, and it would be vastly cheaper than building a new facility.

"Building a brand new waste water treatment plant would cost the city about $18 million," he said. "That is a terribly expensive thing. West Point is not eligible for a lot of grant money to build a waste water plant. Stimulus money is out there, but it's not really an option for this project. The Sara Lee plant is a 3 million gallon per day plant. We need to evaluate the plant, but we have looked at the processes enough to know that this is a viable alternative for the city. Even if you have to spend $1 million to get this facility operating, it would be worth it. We need to do an evaluation and determine how the processes are operating and how it's designed. It could be real simple. We could just hook on to the pumping station and pump over into the plant and that be all. That would be great, but we don't know that. We could spend $250,000 hooking our sewer up to the plant, but that's nothing compared to $18 million for a new plant. I recommend that you move forward with this. That plant out there is probably worth $15 million. I don't see how we could lose."

Spradling said that the city had been exploring the possibility of discharging its waste water into the Tibbee Creek, but he doubted that permission would be granted.

"Does this plant have the capability of meeting the city of West Point's waste water treatment needs for the foreseeable future?" Ross asked.

"It appears that it does," Spradling said, "but we haven't done any evaluations yet. The capacity of this plant is 3 million gallons a day. The capacity looks to me like it would work. It is the same type of facility that we designed for Golden Triangle Industrial Park."

Spradling estimated that it would take about 30 days to perform the evaluation. "The risk is that if we don't exercise the option, and it comes into someone else's hands, they can shut this down," Ross said. "We think we do absolutely know with no question is that we are under orders from the MDEQ to come into compliance within three years. What we've got now will not work and cannot be retrofitted to work. We must have a mechanical plant. If we don't take advantage of this, we'll have to build a brand new mechanical plant that will cost at least $18 million. The city would have to issue bonds to finance the construction, and we would definitely have to increase sewer rates."

"So the choice is to spend $250,000 to $1 million to hook in to is versus $18 million to build a new one?" asked Ward 1 Selectman Rod Bobo.

"That's the numbers that we have at this point," Spradling said. "We'll be better able to tell you that after we perform the evaluation."

Spradling said that he feels the ideal solution would be to discharge into the Tibbee, but, since it's unlikely that the MDEQ will approve that, purchasing the Sara Lee treatment facility is the next best bet.

"You want any more moving parts that you have to have," he said. "My opinion is that we don't want to have any mechanical equipment unless we have to. It's expensive. Going through the sand filter was simple and it operated well, but we can't do that anymore. The next easiest thing would be to pump into the Tibbee, but it doesn't look like they're going to let us do that. It would have cost us $1.8 million to go to the Tibbee, and I'd rather spend that then go to this plant. But if you pass this up, you will have lost the opportunity to buy a $15 million for $1. You are more than likely going to have to operate this plant."

"Let's not forget that this plant has the capacity to handle a large meat process operation," Ross said. "In addition to meeting the needs of the city, it puts us in the position to meet the needs of future industries, too. This is almost a gift compared to where we could be."

Both Ward 4 Selectman Keith McBrayer and Ward 5 Selectman Jasper Pittman voiced concerns about the possible operating costs of the plant.

Ross said that the city would have to pay nothing until January 2010.

"Sara Lee is paying the costs of operation through the end of this year," Ross said. "Will the cost to operate this plant trickle down to the customers?" Bobo asked.

"The short answer is yes," Ross said. "We know it will cost more to operate a mechanical plant. At this point we don't have any numbers, though."

"There will be less of a rate increase with this plant there would be if we have to build one," said Chief Administrative Officer Randy Jones.

"We don't have to operate the plant if we don't need it," Ross added. "Then we will incur essentially no costs."

The board voted to authorize Ross to purchase the plant pending the completion of an engineering study. The motion was made by Ward 3 Selectman Charles Collins and seconded by McBrayer.

Next month will bring changes to the popular public appearances section of the meeting. In the past, time has been set aside at the beginning of each meeting to allow citizens of West Point the opportunity to voice concerns or ask questions of the board. At times, however, this has led to staggeringly long board meetings; on several occasions, the public appearances section of the meeting has stretched well past an hour in length.

City attorney Orlando Richmond announced that, effective next month, citizens will have to fill out a form at city hall requesting to appear on the agenda if they would like to speak at board meetings.

"Many municipalities and boards allow public appearances, but in order to be most effective typically individuals who appear must be added to the agenda," Richmond said. "A form will be available at city hall whereby citizens can come by and request to be added to the agenda. The request form will include space for the issue they would like to address. If the issue is one that cannot be resolved before the board meeting, they will be placed on the agenda to present their issue. Citizens who have issues specifically to them and that can be resolved without waiting for a board meeting will have their issue addressed more quickly. It does not appear to be effective to have them wait for the board meeting if it's something that can be resolved before then. This will also allow the board to research the issue, if necessary, before the board meeting. This will also provide for a more efficient board meeting because public appearances will not deal with things the city has no control over, for example issues that are specific to the school board or to the county. In the end, everybody will be better served by the change."

Ross requested that the city make a recommendation that the Ritz Theater and Conference Center be granted resort status. "There are three other entities in West Point that have resort status," Ross said, "the Old Waverly Golf Club, the West Point Country Club and the American Legion. This does allow for more liberal sale of alcoholic beverages. The Ritz, as a conference center, is likely to have functions that will go on longer than the regular hours for alcohol sale. Given the amount of investment that has been made in that facility, I would hope that you will consider this."

Resort status is granted by the Mississippi Tax Commission. The city can only make a recommendation to the commission. The application also requires a letter from the police chief, the sheriff and at least two civic clubs.

The application for resort status was approved unanimously on a motion from McBrayer and a second from Collins.

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Two survive fiery crash on Tabernacle Road

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Dist. 3 Volunteers try to extinguish the fire under and inside the Tahoe more than
30 minutes after the accident.

Quincy Brandon and a cousin, Dexter Morris, survived a fiery crash on Tabernacle Road last Sunday evening. Brandon was driving his 2004 Tahoe east on Tabernacle Drive when it went off the left (north) side of the road and struck a tree about 75 feet from the road. The accident happened about a half-mile from Hwy 50.

Brandon was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the vehicle. Morris, riding in the front passsenger seat, managed to unbuckle his seatbelt and escape through the shattered rear window as the vehicle began to burn. The vehicle burned for almost an hour, even as Dist. 3 Volunteers hosed it with water.

Brandon was treated in an ambulance parked on Tabernacle Road while a helicopter flew to the site. He was transferred to the helicopter and taken to Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa, Ala. He suffered fractured ribs and a dislocated right elbow in the accident. He remained in CCU until Wednesday and family members think he will be released tomorrow.

Dexter Morris explains to Dist. 3 Volunteer Steve Pyle how he
escaped the burning Tahoe after it crashed into a tree on Taber-
nacle Road last Sunday evening. The fire was still raging at
this point.

Morris suffered some cuts and bruises to the head in the accident but did not require hospitalization.

Brandon lives on Bell Circle, near the accident scene. He and Morris had gone to Dutch Village and were returning to Brandon's home when the accident occurred. Morris said that the steering wheel began to shake as they traveled east. He started to ask Brandon about the shaking just as the vehicle veered left out of control. A motorist was behind them and called 911.

Brandon's mother, Barbara Brandon, said that an examination of the wreckage showed that a steering tie rod had come loose. She said that they survived "by God's grace and mercy." She added, "It could have been so bad. She said that her son "is a stickler about seatbelts" but for some reason didn't put it on when they left the store.

Quincy Brandon is a barber and Morris is an electrician.

[I was on my bicycle five miles from my office when the wreck occurred. The fire was still raging when I arrived about 30 minutes after the accident. Ed.]

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Packet #835 - July 10, 2009

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Stacy Hester really cleans out his locker

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Fired by Supt. Mike Halford and the county school board, former NHHS baseball coach, Stacy Hester has carried away personal items from the facilities he helped develop over 18 years. The items reportedly include cabinets in the concession stand and press box, mound rakes, bats and balls, a lawn mower, a refrigerator, even a sink.

The Packet asked Hester yesterday about removing items (but not about specific items). Hester said that the items he took were things that he had bought or given to the baseball program over 18 years and belong to him.

Above: Another view of the Guerry wreck scene. The utility pole (an unusually
large one) was shattered into four pieces. Veterans at the scene said they had
never seen that happen before.

"I'm not taking anything except what's mine," Hester said. "In the Lowndes County Schools and every school you've got something the school buys, they have their own little inventory of, and you've got something employees buy. So, through 18 years, I accumulate a lot of things because I always took care of the program, so the only thing you've really got to know is that for 18 years I supplied the concession/pressbox with stuff of my own, personal property, and when they relieved me of my duties I made sure I took what was mine. So, I didn't take anything that wasn't mine. I'd buy stuff for my own landscape company and put up there, I'd buy stuff with my own personal money to put couches in offices and the press box. I took my kitchen cabinets out of my house and put in the concession stand, like cabinet tops and that kind of stuff. So yeah, I took that out, but it was mine. I never gave it to the school, it was stuff that I used for the benefit of the baseball program. The school wasn't "going to do it so I had to do it myself."

Hester went on, "For 18 years I ran that program and when I couldn't get something from the school I'd go buy it myself and when Halford fired me and said, 'He was no longer wanted,' you think I should leave my stuff up there for them?"

A member of the Diamond Club, the NHHS baseball booster club, told the Packet that the items Hester took included an expensive riding lawn mower. The club member said that the Diamond Club had been making payments on the machine. [I didn't have a chance to check this out. Ed.]

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New Hope man critically injured when SUV hits pole

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Emergency personnel treat Walton Guerry amid downed power lines at the
intersection of Yorkville Road East & Casey Lane.

A young New Hope man was critically injured the last Friday night at Yorkville Road East & Casey Lane when his 2001 Lexus SUV shattered a very large utility pole and flipped upside down in Helen Randolph's yard.

Walton Guerry, 22, of 437 Lakeover Drive West, was pinned inside the wreckage. The vehicle was draped with power lines and Dist. 3 Volunteers and BMH-GT Paramedics wanted to wait for a 4-County crew to cut the power to the site, but Paramedic Lester Bailey saw that Guerry's breathing was slowing and he decided to risk touching Guerry. Deputies Todd Mistrot and Tony Cooper and Volunteers Steve Pyle, Larry Robinson and Michael Dulaney helped wrenched the door open and extricate Guerry, who was lying across the ceiling of the SUV.

BMH-GT Paramedic Lester Bailey (right) talks to
Dist. 3 Volunteers Michael Dulaney, Steve Pyle
and Larry Robinson after Walton Guerry was rescued
last Friday night. The four, along with Deputies
Todd Mistrot and Tony Cooper, pulled Guerry from
wreckage draped with power lines.

Guerry was treated by the wreckage for some minutes and was then transferred across Casey Lane to a helicopter, which flew him to Druid City Hospital. Guerry reportedly suffered skeletal and head injuries. He was later transferred to a Birmingham hospital.

Guerry was westbound on Yorkville Road when the accident occurred at 9:44 p.m. His SUV apparently hit the east side of Casey Lane where it meets Yorkville Road and was launched into the air and struck the pole well off the ground. The pole was broken into several pieces and power was remained off at homes throughout the area for several hours following the accident.

Asked about his decision to minister to Guerry in spite of the danger of electrocution, Bailey said it was clear that Guerry would not survive without treatment. "I had to do what I had to do," he added.

Guerry was involved in an accident on Hwy 82 West on May 20, 2009. In that case, Guerry was driving a 2009 Titan and rear-ended two other vehicles where one lane of the highway was closed for resurfacing work.

Guerry remains hospitalized.

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Gerhart takes reins again in Caledonia
Lengthy meeting addresses personnel issues, pay
by Brian Jones

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After a four-year absence from office, George Gerhart helmed his first meeting as mayor in Caledonia Tuesday night. The meeting, which lasted nearly three hours, dealt with many minor issues before going behind closed doors for 70 minutes to deal with salaries and personnel issues.

Gerhart began the meeting by using his "executive power" to appoint newly elected Alderman Steve Honnoll as chaplain and Marshal Ben Kilgore as Sergeant at Arms.

The meeting then began, with the board rapidly moving through many small issues.

First up was Gerhart's request that the board authorize a "limited scope audit."

"I think we should do a limited scope audit to find out where our accounts are," Gerhart said. "I want to use Dale Pierce, who does the audits for the water department, to do an audit of the city."

The audit would not exceed $2,500 in cost, Gerhart said.

"I think it would be wise with a change in administration," said attorney Jeff Smith.

The motion was passed unanimously on a motion from Bill Darnell and a second from Quinn Parham.

Kilgore addressed the board, making several requests for equipment. He also asked that he be allowed to employ former alderman Carl Griffin as a reserve marshal.

"I'd like to buy two cell phones, one to keep with me and one to keep in the patrol car so whoever's driving that car will have a cell phone," Kilgore said. "We've been using our own cell phones, and a lot of times 911 will call us and tell us to call so-and-so. I'd just as soon that person not have my personal cell phone number. That's why I haven't had any business cards printed up, because I want to get that cell phone and then get cards made up with those numbers on them.

"The other thing is I'd like to hire four or five reserve officers," Kilgore said. "I'd like for you to hire Carl Griffin tonight. He's been through the training. He's certified, and he said he's ready to go to work. When I was here before we had reserve officers, and it gave us a lot more coverage and visibility. When we work ball games and special events it just helps us out."

"For a year after you're elected you can't get paid by the city," Alderwoman Brenda Willis pointed out.

"He can do it for free, but we can't pay him," agreed Smith.

"I would like for you to consider that tonight," Kilgore said. "I think all the cost that'll be incurred is probably a shirt and a pair of pants. He's already got a gun, and I'm going to give him his own bullet and everything."

The board unanimously voted to employ Griffin, on a motion by Mike Savage and a second by Parham.

Gerhart then announced that there would be a new method to handle grievances within the Marshal's Department.

"The marshals and I had a chat yesterday," Gerhart said. "We talked about the chain of command. If there were ever a grievance between the marshals and the deputy marshals, if they can't handle it they can come to me and I'll settle it. If I can't settle it, it'll come to the board. I want to make sure all this stuff in the marshal's department gets handled out of the public view."

Gerhart then asked that a vice mayor be appointed.

"I'd like to recommend that you nominate Quinn Parham as vice mayor," Gerhart said. "It would be a great convenience to have someone up here who can sign checks."

"(Darnell) has been vice mayor before," Willis said. "Other than having him here to sign checks, what would the convenience be?"

"He'd be right here if I'm gone somewhere," Gerhart said.

"I don't have a problem with it, I just think that out of respect for Bill he should remain vice mayor," Willis said.

"Well, whatever the board decides," Gerhart said.

"I'm going to nominate Bill," Willis said.

"I don't have a problem with Quinn being vice mayor for the convenience of it, but I think we should have respect for Bill's seniority," Savage said.

There were no other nominations, so Darnell was appointed vice mayor 4-0; Darnell abstained from voting.

However, after some discussion, the board agreed that Parham would be added to the list of people who can sign town checks. Gerhart, Parham and Town Clerk Judy Whitcomb now have signatory authority.

Gerhart then asked for department heads to be appointed, but met swift resistance from the aldermen.

"I want to be over the water department and the marshal's department," Gerhart said. "If you (board members) want to volunteer to take parks or building and grounds..."

"I don't see a need for us to do that," Willis said. "We did away with that, and everybody takes part."

"Well, we used to do that," Gerhart said.

"I don't see a need," Willis said. "Everybody should take part in everything."

"I agree that everybody needs to be involved in everything," Savage said.

Gerhart dropped the matter and no action was taken.

Gerhart asked the board to appoint him, along with Parham, to a committee to relocate and add streetlights in Caledonia.

"I would appreciate it if you would appoint Quinn and myself to a committee to remove, add or relocate street lights in the town of Caledonia," Gerhart said. "Hopefully we can change out some of the lights on Main Street. Quinn's looking into putting up bigger lights, depending on the money we've got."

"They're going to be expensive, and they're going to be expensive to operate, too," Parham said.

"We're just going to get prices now," Gerhart responded. "But what I'd like ya'll to do is appoint myself and Quinn to add, take down or relocate street lights."

"Do we need to take any down?" Willis asked. "I'd like to see us add more."

"Are you going to get quotes or put them in?" Darnell asked.

"I think what George is talking about on Main Street is putting in some bigger lights so you'll get more illumination," Parham said. "The problem right now is that the road's so wide that you don't get light out in the middle of the road."

"We're just going to get prices," Gerhart said.

The motion, which was made by Savage and seconded by Darnell, passed unanimously.

Gerhart and Parham also were charged to get the blinking light at the intersection of Wolfe Road and Darnell Drive working. The old blinking light that used to hang at the intersection of Wolfe and Main Street was moved to its current location after former Mayor Bill Lawrence had a traffic light installed. While the blinking light has been hung, it is currently not operating.

"I don't know what went on before or who was going to make arrangements to get it working, but if we want to get it operating by school we ain't got but about a month," Gerhart said.

"We can probably see if (Mississippi Department of Transportation) can wire it back up for us," Parham said.

"Quinn and myself, we'll take care of it," Gerhart said.

Parham and Gerhart were authorized to work towards getting the light working again, but with a price limit of $300.

Willis then asked that the town pay to have new playground equipment installed at Ola J. Pickett Park. The town bought the new equipment during Lawrence's administration, but it has been sitting in storage at the water department ever since. Willis said that the vendor would perform the installation for $4,950.

"We still have $962 in the general fund that was earmarked for installing playground equipment, so we would actually only have to come up with $3,000," she said.

"What's so complicated about installing it?" Honnoll asked.

"It needs to be installed correctly, and this company will do it for us the way it needs to be done," Willis said.

The expenditure was approved 4-0 on a motion by Willis and a second by Darnell. Honnoll abstained.

While the park was the topic of conversation, Gerhart asked the aldermen who they wanted to appoint to the "park commission" to replace Savage, who was elected to the board in June.

"We don't have a park commission any more, it's now an advisory board," Savage said.

Smith then explained that, under state law, a "park commission" is a five to seven member board that is appointed by the city, and that its membership is limited to "citizens", meaning that all appointees must live within the city limits. As several people on the board live outside the city limits, and many of the most active people at the park are not town residents, the park commission was changed to an advisory board with no official powers or duties.

"There are a lot of people outside the city who are very interested in the park," Savage stated. "If you're going to limit the advisory board to just people who live in Caledonia, you might as well close the park."

A decision on Savage's replacement was deferred until the board's next meeting.

The board then went into a 70-minute executive session to discuss personnel issues. When the board emerged from behind closed doors, they voted to:

• Rehire Smith as attorney and Peggy Phillips as judge.
• Rehire Judy Whitcomb as town clerk.
• Rehire water department employees.
• Rehire Terry Farrish to cut grass at the park.

Farrish, Whitcomb, the marshals and the water department employees are all subject to a 90-day probation period.

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Packet #834 - July 2, 2009

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Feds drop charges against Nate Smith in Crimestoppers case

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Former Columbus Police Officer Nate will not go on trial in federal court in Aberdeen Monday in the Crimestoppers embezzlement case that also involves former West Point Police Officer Boone Lairy. Yesterday the U.S. Attorney's Office in Oxford dismissed the embezzlement charge against Smith. The charge was dropped after Smith took a polygraph test in Oxford on Monday, but his attorney, Carrie Jourdan, said that the polygraph test was just the last step in a long process to convince federal officials that Smith had no involvement in the case.

Smith, 42, said yesterday that he is relieved that the charges have been dropped but said he now wants to find out why he was ever charged at all. He said that he had served in Iraq and on the police force and was indicted on "the word of a crack-head"—a reference to police Ramona Brooks, an unindicted co-conspirator (this is not the daughter of Dist. 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks, also named Ramona).

Jourdan said that she is pleased that the charge was dropped and credited Asst. U.S. Attorney Robert Mims with "doing the right thing." She said that as bad as it was for Smith, it could have been worse: she said that federal authorities at first did not want to grant him bond, because of allegations that he had threatened a witness.

Lairy's trial will proceed as scheduled on Monday. A third defendant, Shawnda Holliday of Aberdeen, pled guilty in February to one count of conspiracy in connection with the case. She was sentenced to three years' probation last month. Involved in the alleged conspiracy but not indicted was Ramona Brooks of Columbus (not Supervisor Leroy Brooks's daughter, who is also named Ramona). It appears that Brooks and Holliday will both testify in Lairy's trial next week. Lairy is accused of using his position as Crimestoppers administrator to pay Holliday and Brooks for bogus tips and then split the money with them.

Smith, Holliday and Lairy were charged in October 2008. Smith with conspiracy to embezzle government funds after he was named by Brooks, along with Lairy, as an accomplice in the scheme. Holliday never accused Smith of involvement and in fact reportedly told authorities that she didn't know him.

Smith said yesterday that the alleged embezzlements ran from 2003 to 2008. He noted that he was serving in Iraq for a year during 2003 and 2004 and that he returned to the police force in 2004 but left in 2006 for medical reasons.

Smith said that he was arrested at his home by federal marshals in October 2008. "I'm in bed asleep and the feds knock on my door with the SWAT team around my house. They've got M-4s and M-16s and I have no idea why they're there. They came at me hard."

Smith said that he was taken to Aberdeen and placed in a federal holding cell, where he was given a copy of his indictment. He said he read that he and Boone Lairy conspired to steal Crimestoppers funds. He said he had never heard of Lairy before and asked aloud, "Who is Boone Lairy?" and a stranger in the cell responded, "It's me."

Smith said that Lairy told federal agents from the beginning that he and Smith did not know each other. "They thought we were lying," Smith said, referring to the federal officials.

Smith said that he was indicted because of Brooks's allegations. He asked, "How did Nathan Smith come up in a federal case? He's got nothing to do with nothing but her [Brooks's] word."

Smith said that he hired Jourdan to represent him on the day that he was arrested and that both of them had been asking for a polygraph test from the beginning. He said that a test was finally scheduled for Monday. "I guess they finally started listening to me," he added. He he drove himself to Oxford and answered all the questions put to him and passed them all.

Smith said that Brooks told the federal investigators that she scammed the money from Crimestoppers on false tips and then split it with him and Lairy. "She said we were good buddies."

The alleged Crimestoppers embezzlements were discovered when Lt. Jeff Guyton took over as head of the CPD's Criminal Investigation Division in 2008. Guyton and Smith had served in Iraq together in the National Guard. Smith said of Guyton, "He's been going around telling everybody I did it." He added, "It's my turn now. I'm going to find out why my name came up in the first place."

Jourdan, who won national recognition for gaining Kennedy Brewer's acquittal through DNA testing, said that there "was not one shred of evidence linking Nate Smith to the crime or to Boone Lairy. We produced a lot of documentation to show there's no way he [Smith] could have gotten the Crimestopper codes [necessary to authorize payments] and we produced two years' of cell phone records. If there was any wrongdoing Nate was in no way responsible. We were getting ready for trial and once the U.S. Attorney [Mims] took a close look at the evidence they did the right thing and dismissed the case."

Jourdan described Brooks as a "very unreliable" witness and said that there was nothing to support her allegations. She added that Smith was "basically retired part of the time this was allegedly going on." She said that even when Smith was on the police force he had nothing to do with Crimestoppers. "It just didn't make sense," she said.

Jourdan said that she tried unsuccessfully to sever Smith's trial from Lairy's. She said with the trial looming "they ultimately took a close look at the case and dismissed the charge." She said that Mims "ultimately agreed with me and ran it by his boss. I think that the clincher was the polygraph. We're so thrilled that the govenment did the right thing."

"I'm excited," Jourdan went on. I want to give Robert Mims credit. The snitch [Brooks] named Nate, and the other stuff she said proved to be true, but when he [Mims] reviewed the facts he did the right thing."

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Teen robbed at gunpoint Downtown at noon

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Officer Bobby Webber searches Willie Edward Wallace after Wallace
was found hiding in a stand of cane near the Old Marble Works last
Friday afternoon.

A 19-year-old Columbus male was robbed at gunpoint by three males during the lunch hour last Friday near the CableOne office on College St. The robbers ran south on foot and the victim called 911.

Police rushed into the area and minutes later got a break when a motorist reported seeing a male throw a gun into a bush at the corner of 7th Ave. South & 4th St. Police were able to watch the streets on all four sides of the block and knew that at least one of the suspects was still in the block. Police walked the interior of the block and finally spotted a male hiding in a stand of heavy cane between Betty Land's house and Joe and Carol Boggess's house (Whitehall).

Officer James Grant reaches into the bushes
for the pistol.

The suspect initially identified himself as Cortez Carr but officers finally determined that he is Willie Edward Wallace, 20, of 815 13th St. North, Apt. E-2. He denied throwing the gun into the bushes but officers concluded that they had a good circumstantial case against him because he was hiding 40 yards from the bushes. Wallace is charged with armed robbery. Police are still seeking the other two robbers.

The victim reportedly knew the robbers, but perhaps not by name. There are indications that the robbery involved an attempted drug deal. Police have not identified the victim but the Packet has been reliably informed that he is Joseph Miller, a West Point native now living in Columbus.

The investigation is continuing and police hope that anyone with information about the crime will call the Police Dept. or Crimestoppers.

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Construction of middle school pushes CMSD budget to $70 million
by Brian Jones

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The Columbus Municipal School District is projecting $46,363,157 in revenues and $69,689,032 in expenditures for FY 09-10, officials announced at a June 30 budget hearing. This is an increase in expenditures of $5,267,308 and an increase in revenues of $3,208,450 over last fiscal year.

A major part of the projected expenditures are construction costs, which total $23.6 million. Most of the construction costs center around the new middle school.

"Those construction costs are something we do not normally have in the budget of this size," said Business Manager Ken Hughes. "We may have something smaller, but not $23 million worth. If you take the expenditures for construction out, we have total expenditures of $46,013,784. When you compare that to our revenue, you see that it's lining up a little more reasonably."

"An expenditure like that $23 million is going to show up about once every 30 years," Superintendent Del Phillips said.

The budget includes $349,373 in revenues over expenditures, Hughes said. No tax increase is projected.

The largest source of revenue is from the state, which provides $21,939,548, an increase of $170,812 over last fiscal year. The largest state source is the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, which brings in $19,916,844; this is up slightly over last year's figure of $19,653,687. However, this figure is an estimate as no hard numbers had been announced by the state at the time of the budget hearing.

"We are projecting revenues, like every other school district, by using what was sent to us about a month ago by the governor's office," Phillips explained. "What they send us after the vote is taken by the legislature may change that. If it does, we'll do like every other school district and amend the budget once the state sends us the correct figure. We tried to take a conservative approach. We felt like this figure would be the least amount that the state would send us."

Other state revenue sources include $299,663 in educational enhancement funds; $345,244 in ad valorem tax reduction funds; $381,797 in homestead exemption reimbursement funds; $465,000 in vocational education funds; and $531,000 from other state sources.

Local revenue streams bring in $15,110,836. The largest amount of local funding is ad valorem taxation, which will bring in $13,674,136, an increase of $810,596 over last fiscal year. The district also receives $462,330 in interest income; $377,860 in food service sales; and $520,010 in "other local revenues." Federal revenue accounts for $9,303,273, an increase of $1,804,974 over last fiscal year. Title I funding is the largest federal funding area, totaling $2,562,716. Child nutrition, the next highest amount, totals $2,604,000. On the expenditure side, the largest area is facilities construction, which accounts for $23,675,248. The largest facility cost is construction of the new middle school at $18,659,982. Additions at Sale Elementary will cost $1,980,282; additions at Joe Cook Elementary cost $1,676,880; and additions to Stokes-Beard cost $1,358,104. The next largest area of expenditure is instructional services, which totals $22,440,716, a decrease from last year's instructional costs of $22.9 million. "We serve five K-4 schools and one intermediate school at Hunt," Hughes said. "Between those five schools, we are projecting 2,565 students. It will require 151 teachers and 46 paraprofessionals to serve those six buildings." Elementary instructional costs total $10,700,811. "In the middle school, we've got 665 students in grades seven and eight," Hughes said. There are 36 certified staff and one paraprofessional at Lee Middle School, he said. The total middle school instructional budget is $2,351,707.

On the secondary level, the instructional budget is projected as $4,946,380. "We are projecting 1,270 students," Hughes said. "We have 57 certified staff and three paraprofessionals there, and we offer 120 Carnegie Units." Other instructional expenditures include: • Gifted education: $339,082. This includes five certified staff and serves 165 students in grades two through eight. • Special Education: $2,556,646. This includes 57 certified staff and 24 paraprofessionals. SPED is offered in all buildings. • Alternative education: $304,774. This supports a K-12 alternative school with six certified staff and one paraprofessional, serving 85 students. • Vocational: $1,241,316. Vocational programs serve 375 students. It includes 23 certified staff offering 10 career education programs at McKellar Technology Center and Tech Prep in grades seven through 12. The district's support services budget is $17,268,339, an increase of $1,327,673. Non-instructional services expenditures total $2,452,405, up from last year's figure of $2,371,725.

Debt service expenditures are $3,736,684, and include $2,484,439 in principal; $1,198,269 in interest; and $18,000 in fees. This is an increase of $292,777 over last fiscal year.

The district's assessed valuation is $215,965,287, up from $188,205,074. This increase is due to the recent reassessment, Hughes said.

The CMSD is projecting an operational millage of 48.55 and a debt service millage of 11.42, for a total millage rate of 62.97. Last fiscal year, the operation millage was 53.30 and debt service was 11.50.

"When our assessed valuation went up in the most recent reassessment," Phillips added. "That reassessment is done every four years by law by the tax assessor. One important thing to note is what we've been able to do...our operational millage went down. Basically, everything that would have increased because of our appraised value increasing, we basically took that away on our operational millage. If you look across the state, most districts would have taken that extra millage and done something with it, but we actually went down 5 mills."

The district's tax request will be the same this year, and the district will take new property.

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New steel company will bring 65 jobs

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At Tuesday's board meeting, the Lowndes County Supervisors approved a memorandum of understanding with New Process Steel Co. that will result in construction of a $25 million facility employing 65 people. The supervisors agreed to pay a 10% match ($180,000) to secure a $1.8 million state economic development grant to help fund the project. The deal calls for New Process Steel to repay the county the $180,000, however. The county is basically escrowing the 10% match to secure the grant.

The New Process plant will take rolls of "thin" steel from the Severstal plant and slit and cut the steel to customer order. The plant will be located on approximately ten acres due north of the Severstal plant but south of the Industrial Park Road.

Link officials have been discussing the project with New Process officials for two years. Originally, Link officials hoped to bring New Process and two other steel finishers, Heidtman and Nova. The Heidtman and Nova projects were closely connected to a railroad boxcar manufacturing plant that ultimately was located in Decatur, Alabama. When that project did not materialize here and the global economy crashed the local Heidtman and Nova projects were abandoned.

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Packet #833 - June 25, 2009

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Baby alligator found sunning near house on Military Road

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Hank and Miller Greene stare at a baby alligator on the arm of Wildlife Specialist John Powell. The baby gator
was found near the Greenes' home on Military Road Tuesday morning. A search is on for the breeding pair that
produced the baby gator.

A baby alligator found sunning on a log near Military Road Tuesday has left the property owners wondering where its parents live.

The baby gator long was found Tuesday morning behind Rusty and Beth Greene's house at 3279 Military Road (on the high ground across from Bethel Baptist Church). The Greene's own eight acres, including a stream that meanders down from the heights above, where two ponds are located. Beth Greene is a teacher at Caledonia Elementary and Rusty is assistant principal of Caledonia Middle School. Their estate includes some foot bridges that cross the stream.

Monday morning Beth was walking across one of the bridges when she saw a little reptile about ten inches long sunning on a log. She said to herself that she wished her boys, Miller and Hank, were there so they could see the big lizard. She went back to the house and told Rusty about the lizard and he put on his waders and got his dip net and went back and saw what it was and captured it.

Rusty put the gator in an ice chest and netted a minnow for the gator to eat. He then tried to get a Fish & Wildlife agent to come see what he had. The agents were at a seminar but John Powell, a Wildlife Specialist with the Wildlife Service drove over from Starkville to check it out.

"I don't get many calls like this," Powell said. "I'm just here to confirm it's an alligator."

Beth told the Packet reporter, "John informs us that they're [the parents] more than likely close by. There are two lakes on the hill above the house."

"But I don't think the mama will come looking for him," said Powell.

The baby gator tried to eat a minnow but it wouldn't go down its throat.

Powell said that alligators have to be several feet long to procreate. He said that at that age their jaws and teeth are similar to those of a big pike. He said that the gator population in Lowndes County is on the rise.

Rusty said the parents probably crossed under Military Road via a culvert and then worked their way upstream.

Later Beth went back to the spot where she'd first seen the baby gator and "got real spooked" thinking what else was out there. She said that Kerry Pittman, an outdoorsman, had talked Rusty into going on an exploratory expedition yesterday to try to find the gator's parents. She said that Pittman took the baby gator, to release him somewhere else, but told them that its chances of survival were not good. He told the Greenes that a breeding pair of alligators produce a "clutch" of babies. Speaking of the baby gator, Pittman told them, "He's probably got brothers and sisters."

Beth said it might be time to sell their property. "Put it in the paper," she told the Packet reporter. "Say ‘motivated.'"

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Robert Rupert charged in Squirt Pernell murder
West Point

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Squirt Pernell

A West Point drug dealer doing time in prison has been charged with murdering Roosevelt Pernell Jr. more than five years ago. Robert Rupert was charged with the murder Monday, reportedly after days of questioning by Clay County Sheriff's Office investigators in West Point. Rupert is serving a 30-year prison term for dealing drugs but was reportedly moved to Clay County for the questioning.

Clay County Sheriff Laddie Huffman issued a statement on the arrest to area news outlets but refused to give the news release to the Packet. Huffman told the Packet editor yesterday to get his information from the Commercial Dispatch. [In the past, I have criticized Mr. Huffman for using county prisoners to do his personal work, among other things. • The Dispatch article contained some errors that I recognized and it may contain other errors I'm not aware of. I'll only draw on the Dispatch article here when I cite it as a source. The Packet carried more about the

Pernell was murdered on the night of December 4, 2003 and his brother, Cedric Pernell, was wounded in the attack as they drove away from their mother's home at the intersection of Seth & Division Streets. Cedric was driving and the shots rang out as he turned left onto Division. The shots came from a nearby railroad embankment.

Minutes after the shooting a car—apparently the shooter's getaway car—ran another vehicle off a bridge on Buggs Street, about a mile south of Seth Street (and parallel to it). The getaway car continued west on Buggs St. and West Point Police descended upon the wrecked vehicle. The driver, 20-year-old Brad Doster, was seriously injured in the wreckage. Police immediately treated him as Pernell's murderer (even though he was driving toward Division St., not away from it). The investigation had gotten off track within minutes.

It was clear from the beginning that Squirt Pernell had been murdered for testifying against local drug dealers. His testimony had already sent at least one dealer to prison and cases against others, including Robert Rupert, were coming up (after the murder, videotaped testimony by Pernell led to the conviction of at least one drug dealer, Timothy Fulks.

Rupert's name came up early and often in discussions about the Pernell murder. Debra Pernell was critical of law enforcement officials for failing to protect her nephew when he was helping them and then for failing to find his killer after he was dead.

Tuesday's Commercial Dispatch, apparently drawing upon Sheriff Huffman's news release, stated that Pernell case was cracked as a result of work by a "cold case unit" established by Huffman and headed by former MBN official Bobby Grimes. [The Dispatch article states that the Clay County Board of Supervisors "allowed Huffman to enter partial retirement and use part of his salary to fund the unsolved murders unit." Actually, Mr. Huffman probably availed himself of the same "early retirement" wrinkle that Lowndes County Circuit Clerk Mahala Salazar began taking advantage of several years ago (it only works for some long-time public officials). Ms. Salazar was able to increase her compensation by taking "early retirement" and drawing on her PERS account. She continued to work as before but the arrangement put more money in her pocket and saved the county money. I don't know if Mr. Huffman is working part time or full time, but I am sure that he is getting paid more than he was before. But Clay County ''''is no doubt saving money, and it is apparently the savings that is being used to pay Mr. Grimes. One difference between Mr. Huffman’s position and Ms. Salazar’s position is that his salary is set by state law and hers is capped. Ed.]

The case against Rupert was sealed when CCSO investigators reportedly found the rifle that was used to murder Squirt Pernell. A friend of Rupert's reportedly had the gun, or knew where it was, and decided to cooperate with investigators.

Packet readers will recall that for five years Squirt Pernell's aunt, Debra Pernell, offered rewards for information leading to the arrest of the murderer. She advertised the rewards in the Packet and periodically bought billboard space in West Point to advertise the offer. The last reward she offered was for $25,000.

Debra Pernell learned about Rupert's arrest on Tuesday at her home in Farmington, Mich. She drove to West Point, arriving last night. She told the Packet, "I'm still in shock. They told me Tuesday that the guy [Rupert] finally confessed."

Pernell said that Squirt Pernell's mother, Maggie Roby, is "relieved that it's finally happened."

Pernell said that everyone she ever talked to about the case always said that Rupert was the murderer. But authorities believe that other people were involved and the investigation is continuing.

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Roosevelt Pernell Jr. and his sister, Debra
Pernell, at the site of Squirt Pernell's murder.
The photo was taken in early 2004, three months
after the murder.

On Feb. 22, 2007, Roosevelt Pernell Jr., Squirt Pernell's father, died in custody at BMH-GT less than 24 hours after being arrested for public drunkenness at an apartment complex on Park Circle. The article in Tuesday's Commercial Dispatch referred to Roosevelt Pernell Jr.'s death, saying that he died in custody at LCADC. The article concluded, "Although an autopsy revealed Roosevelt Pernell Jr. died of blunt force trauma to the head, it is unclear whether he received the injuries before or after his arrest." In fact, the booking photo shows Pernell's face already badly swollen.

Immediately after Roosevelt Pernell Jr.'s death Joe Johnson, then interim chief of police, announced that he had been murdered. Johnson said that his investigators had identified and arrested a murder suspect, whom he named. The suspect was released a short time later and neither Johnson nor any other law enforcement official ever said again that Roosevelt Pernell Jr. had been murdered.

People who knew Roosevelt Pernell Jr. said that he never got over the death of his son. He was a West Point native but had moved to Columbus five or six years ago; he worked at Maxxim Medical at that time. After his son's death he stayed with Debra Pernell in Detroit for a time but returned to Columbus a year before his death. He was living with a friend at 1505 3rd Ave. North and doing handyman work.

Debra Pernell came from Michigan a week before Roosevelt Pernell Jr.'s death to visit their mother in West Point and Roosevelt Jr. in Columbus. She was with Roosevelt Jr. at his house on 3rd Ave. North the night of his death. She said he left around 9:00 p.m. and no one saw him again until they were called to the hospital the next day, after he died. (Their late father, Roosevelt Pernell Sr., was the first African-American police officer in West Point.)

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Dozens rally in support of meter reader charged with embezzlement
Aberdeen

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Brandon Scott supporters rally in Aberdeen Tuesday afternoon.

Hundreds of people rallied on Main St. across from City Hall in Aberdeen Tuesday afternoon to support a young meter reader who was charged Monday with embezzling money from the Aberdeen Electric Dept. Supporters say that 24-year-old Brandon Scott is being framed by superiors at the utility for exposing corruption. Many carried signs at the rally calling for the resignation of Electric Dept. chief Adrian Garth.

Scott was arrested Monday afternoon on a charge of felony embezzlement and posted $5,000 bond Tuesday afternoon in time to attend the rally, which lasted from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. It centered on Curry's Pharmacy, where Scott worked for several years before leaving to join the Aberdeen Electric Dept. about a year ago. Curry Bounds, owner of the pharmacy, is one of Scott's supporters. Scott and his family are prominent members of First Pentecostal Church of Aberdeen and many of the people at the rally are members of the church. First Pentecostal Pastor Ricky Bowen, Scott's uncle, was prominent among them.

Supporter James Terry told the Packet that Chief of Police Henry Randall was at the rally but that no officers were there. He said that the crowd never got unruly. He said that Randall made a statement to a TV reporter in which he acknowledged that the matter had not been handled correctly.

Scott would not speak to the Packet, on advice of his lawyer, Chip Davis of Tupelo, but his uncle, Rev. Bowen, talked about the case.

Bowen said that Monday afternoon Scott and another meter reader, Charles Hale, together took Electric Dept. cash to the bank to deposit it. Bowen said that Hale has worked for the Electric Dept. for several years and Scott only one year. He said that when they took the money to the bank the teller told them that they were $1,600 short. Bowen said that Hale and Scott took the money back to the Electric Dept. office, where Garth "locked down the Electric Dept. and called Chief [Henry] Randall and another cop." Bowen said that the police officers "searched everyone except Adrian Garth but did not find the money. He said that they did note that Scott had a $100 bill.

Bowen said that after the search a woman in the office found another bag of cash behind an office copier. He went on, "They told everyone to go home and then 15 or 20 minutes later called everybody back and said there was only $1,500 in the bag." Bowen said that at this point Garth walked up to Scott and said, "There's our missing hundred dollars."

Bowen said that Scott was arrested for embezzling $100 and was booked and jailed. Bowen said that Garth had learned during the earlier search that Scott had $100 in cash in his pocket and he charged that Garth framed Scott.

Bowen said that he and others had been trying for months to get the attorney general to investigate Garth and the Electric Dept. for not charging some customers. He said that Bowen had been keeping records of people whose electricity was cut off for non-payment but who then had their power restored but were not paying. Bowen told the Packet, "We've got a drawer-full of evidence of free electrictiy—I just saw it... Brandon knows the ones who haven't paid. He has to cut them off. He says they [others at the Electric Dept.] go back and put it back on."

Bowen said that Scott worked for Curry's Drug Stores for several years, running money and drugs back and forth between Aberdeen and Amory and never lost a dime or a pill. He said, "My nephew wouldn't take a dime from nobody. I've seen a lot going on but this time I got mad and said something's got to be done. They think they're gonna get by with it but we're not gonna let them."

Bowen said that Hale said that Scott not only did not take any money but that he never even handled the bags the money was in. He went on, "They're trying to ruin an innocent 24-year-old boy's life. This is an injustice."

Bowen said that Scott and his wife, Mary, are expecting their first child. Mary Scott works at Dollar General.

Adrian Garth and Chief Randall did not return Packet phone calls.

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Packet #832 - June 18, 2009

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Three charged with stealing firearms from CPD Firing Range

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Police officers and Metro Narcotics agents are pictured at the home of Brandon Roland's mother around 1:00
p.m. Monday afternoon on 17th St. North. At this point, Markell Gregory and Bryant Thompson had already
been charged with stealing guns from a police storeroom at the firing range. Roland was not at his mother's
house but turned himself in to police on Tuesday. Several stolen handguns have still not been recovered.

Three Columbus men have been charged in connection with the theft of firearms from the Police Dept. Firing Range. Three weapons have reportedly been recovered but police are scouring the town for several guns-reportedly handguns-that are still missing.

Police are releasing little information about the case, but the Packet received reports that at least two of the suspects worked at the firing range in the Community Work Program, a program that allows people convicted in municipal court to work off their fines. One of the suspects reportedly had worked off his fine but continued to go to the firing range anyway.

A CPD press release stated that on Monday, June 15, the CPD Criminal Investigation Division and the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office received information that some weapons had been stolen fromthe firing range. Actually, a motorist reported suspicious activity to an LCSO deputy and the deputy then followed up on the information. CPD's CID was subsequently brought in.

Gregory

The motorist went to the Sheriff's Dept. around noon on Monday and told Deputy (and deputized federal marshal) Chad Bell that he had just driven past the firing range and saw a man pull what appeared to be a rifle from his pant leg and place it in the trunk of a car. Bell followed the motorist back to the firing range and the motorist gestured toward two suspects and the car and then drove away. Bell went into the firing range compound and confronted the two suspects that had been pointed out by the motorist.

Thompson

After questioning the suspects Bell reportedly took them to Sgt. Ross Richardson, who is in charge of the firing range. The lawmen searched the trunk of the car and reportedly found an AK-47 rifle and some shotgun shells.

The car belongs to one of the suspects, Markell Gregory, 24, of 808 17th St. North. But it was the second suspect, Bryant Reshawn Thompson, 23, of 1513 5th Ave. North, whom the motorist allegedly saw putting the gun into the trunk.

Further questioning led lawmen to a house a few blocks away, on the corner of 23rd & College. Two shotguns were reportedly found under the house.

By now police knew that other weapons were missing from the firing range. A third suspect was quickly identified: Brandon Roland, 24, of 1122 15th St. South. Lawmen went to his mother's house on 17th St. North (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues) early Monday afternoon but he was not at home. Roland finally turned himself in to police Tuesday afternoon.

Roland

Gregory is charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and with grand larceny. Thompson and Roland are both charged with grand larceny.

Gregory was working at the firing range in connection with his Community Work Program duties when the thefts were discovered. Thompson was at the firing range even though he had reportedly already worked off his fine.

Chief Joseph St. John said that the investigation is continuing and that questioning suspects begets more suspects and more questions. He said that the case involves "personnel issues and a criminal side." He said that the three suspects who have already been arrested "seem to be the three big ones," but he said that more arrests are possible. "It's a full-bore investigation," he added.

Yesterday afternoon police descended upon apartments in the projects in the 2200 block of 8th Ave. South. Searches were conducted in at least two units but none of the missing weapons was found.

The guns that were stolen were kept in a room in the firing range headquarters, which is in a quonset hut near the firing range itself. The weapons room is about 10' x 10' and has stud walls covered with sheetrock and a single, wooden door with a deadbolt lock. The long guns were kept in a rack in the room and the handguns on hooks. Police think that whoever stole the guns had a key to the weapons room. The room is near another room that serves as the office of the Community Work Program Director, Jim Rhodes. The door to the weapons room is just off a large bay in the quonset hut where vehicles are cleaned by Work Program participants. The Work Program participants also clean the building and the range itself.

Police reportedly found two shotguns under this house at 23rd & College.

Sgt. Ross Richardson is in charge of the training at the firing range. A 27-year veteran, he answers to Lt. Carroll Culpepper, whose office is in the Police Dept. building. Culpepper also supervises Rhodes.

Rhodes is a reserve officer but is a full-time civilian director of the Community Work Program (the director must be a reserve officer). Chief Joseph St. John said that Rhodes is in charge of maintenance, service and inventory at the range.

Several months ago Rhodes was wounded when Officer Charles Johnson's sidearm discharged following a training session at the range. Both were in the quonset hut but they were in different rooms. The bullet passed through walls before hitting Rhodes.

Several years ago, when Billy Pickens was chief of police, a trustee cleaning his car stole Pickens's handgun from his trunk. The gun was later recovered.

Several years ago [I couldn't find the Packet that reported on it. Ed.] thieves stole SWAT weapons and paraphernalia from LCSO deputies' cars that were being worked on at Wood's Chevron on Hwy 45 North. The cars were in a fenced-in compound but the thieves climbed the fence. The weapons were recovered a few hours later with the help of the police.

Anyone with information about the gun thefts is encouraged to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-530-7151.

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Charles Younger dies at 78
Served as judge and chancery clerk for 35 years

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Charles Younger

Charles Younger, who served in office continuously for 35 years as a justic of the peace and then chancery clerk, died at his residence June 12 at age 78. Younger was a farmer and assistant mail carrier when he ran for Dist. 2 JP in 1967. [He ran in 1967 but he apparently had already replaced JP Bob Whitaker, who died in office. I couldn't learn whether he was appointed to fill out Whitaker's term or whether a special election was held. Ed.] It was his first try at political office and he won. He won reelection three more times as JP and then was elected chancery clerk five times in a row. In his first race for chancery clerk he ran against Tommy Johnson and the late Bill Burgin (David Shelton did not seek reelection). Younger defeated Johnson in a run-off. His last victory was in 1999, when his health was declining. He retired at the end of that termand his daughter, Lisa Younger Neese, who had served as his chief clerk for years, won the office.

Justice Court Judge Peggy Phillips, who was first elected in 1975 and has won reelection every four years since then, said of Younger, "Charles was a good friend of mine. Our children went to school together at West Lowndes. He helped many people, black and white-he couldn't say no to anybody. We worked well together in the old system."

Rep. Jeff Smith said that he interned with James "Punchy" Walters and began prosecuting in 1978 (he followed Mike Moore, now a federal judge). Smith was full-time prosecutor from 1980 until 1984. He said that in those years Younger "probably did more cases than all the rest of them [the judges] combined. He did most of the preliminary hearings in the county-he was really a worker."

Smith added that Younger received a lot of help from Louise Pack, his court clerk and secretary. "We used to call her Judge Louise," he said. Pack now lives at The Arrington and she attended Younger's funeral.

Smith recalled that when he was in law school and interning with Walters Younger told him he had to get into politics because he couldn't make a living dairy farming." Smith added, "Charles was an institution."

Billy James, who was elected Dist. 2 JP in 1967, said that Younger was already serving in Dist. 5 when he was elected. Younger was born in Alabama but moved to Columbus with his family when he was young. He and James were born just a month apart and got to know each other at S. D. Lee High School (Class of 1948). James said that when they were in grade school Younger attended Franklin Academy and he attended Barrow School.

James recalled that in the 1960s and early 1970s Lowndes County had nine JPs-two in Dists. 1, 2, 3 and 5 and just one in Dist. 4. Younger's office for years was in an old house west of the river (on what is now the cutoff island), east of the current location of Columbus Scrap Material. Later Younger used a mobile home as an office near the same site.

James said that in the early 1970s Joe Sams Jr. filed a federal lawsuit that resulted in a conversion to a justice court system with one judge in each district. James's residence was put in Dist. 5 and he and Younger ran against each other in 1975 for the one Dist. 5 judgeship. Younger won with around 1,200 votes to James's 900. (James said that when the election was held he was the only JP in Dist. 2. He explained that incumbent Ellis Dale had been defeated by Sonny Smith and that Smith subsequently died in office and was not replaced.)

James said of Younger, "We had a lot of contact when we were JPs. If I had a tough case I could call Charles and he'd come help me. We were always good friends. I hate he beat me, but he did."

Phillips said that the JP system was "real casual. She was an assistant teacher in Crawford and bus driver and would always have her receipt book with her. She said that people would flag down the bus to pay a fine or come to the school and wait in the office while the principal summoned her.

James first held court by the courthouse. The jail was nearby in those days and it was convenient to lock people up. After the new jail was built (now the old jail), he held court in a house by his service station at Main & 13th.

Younger was prominent in First Baptist Church. He was a farmer at heart and he and his wife of 56 years, Adrine Scarborough Younger, always lived on their farm on Old West Point Road. He was buried on the farm last Sunday after services at First Baptist. [I have photos of him with his longhorn cattle and with his family but couldn't find them. Ed.]

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Jim Terry loses appeal, now faces prison time

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Jim Terry at his trial in 2007.

Former Dist. 4 Supervisor Jim Terry has lost his fraud-in-office appeal and now faces 13 months in prison. The Mississippi Court of Appeals handed handed down its ruling in the case this week.

Terry was convicted in November 2007 of fraudulent use of public funds in office. Prosecutors used Fuelman records and computer records from Mississippi casinos to show that Terry drove his county vehicle and used county gasoline to make numerous trips to gamble between January 2004 and December 31, 2005. Terry and his attorney, Jim Waide of Tupelo, unsuccessfully argued that he made many of the trips to investigate matters of concern to people in Dist. 4. Terry was indicted in August 2006 but continued to serve in office until his conviction in late 2007.

Judge Lee Howard sentenced Terry to 13 months in prison (since it was more than 12 months it meant that he would have be an MDOC inmate) and five years' post-release supervision. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $2,227.29 to Lowndes County and to pay $4,000 to the Mississippi Dept. of Audit.

In the appeal, Waide raised one issue: "Whether an indictment alleging embezzlement or fraud occurring over a two-year period is sufficient when it does not give specific dates of embezzlement or fraud, or state what facts constitute the embezzlement or fraud."

The ruling notes that after being indicted Terry filed a motion to dismiss the indictment on three points: whether the indictment was vague and indefinite, whether the indicment charged Terry with "two separate offenses (fraud and embezzlement), making it fatally defective," and wther the indictment failed to state an offense. The trial court found that the legislature used "fraud" and "embezzlement" interchangeably, that the indictment contained the required elements and that the indictment fully apprised Terry of the charge against him.

From the appeals court ruling: "The indictment charged that Terry committed embezzlement or fraud between January 1, 2004 [and] December 31, 2005. Terry maintains that the range of dates was insufficient to put him on notice of the charges against him, arging that the indictment should have listed each specific date that he allegedly committed the offense... "This issue has mainly been addressed in the context of sex offender cases... However, the same principle can be applied here... The supreme court found that Rule 7.06 only required the indictment to provide 'the specific date if at all possible...' In addition, the supreme court found that the 'failure to provide the correct date does not render the indictment defective...

"In this case, Terry's indictment did not list specific dates on which the offenses occurred. However, the indictment did provide that the offenses were committed between January 1, 2004 [and] December 31, 2005. In addition, the State provided Terry with its Exhibit 9-a chart that matched the dates that Terry used his Fuelman card to the dates that Terry visited casinos. Terry argues that he did not receive this chart until the day of the trial. However, the record is clear that the State used Terry's Fuelman records and his casino redemption records in preparing Exhibit 9. Terry does not claim that he did not have access to his Fuelman records or his casino redemption records. Thus, Terry could have easily obtained this information from other documents that were provided to him during discovery...

"Additionally, Terry's embezzlement was a continuous offense was a continuous offense. Continuous offenses may ‘be laid as on one day and proved by acts either on one day or many.'..."

Terry also claimed in his appeal that the indictment did not say what type of "personal use" of public funds was alleged. The appeals court ruling states that an indictment does not have to specify what personal uses are involved.

As of yesterday, the Office of Lowndes County Circuit Court had not yet received the Appeals Court mandate in the case. Once the mandate is received here Terry's bondsman, Gretta Gardner, has 24 hours to produce Terry or forfeit his $20,000 bond.

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Packet #831 - June 11, 2009

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Deputy uses tourniquet to save shooting victim

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Larry Moore is loaded into an ambulance on Plum Nellie Road around midnight
last Saturday night after he was shot in the right calf with a shotgun. Dist.
4 Volunteer J.D. Brooks is holding a tourniquet stick on Moore's right thigh.

Late at night and in a remote part of the county, LCSO Deputy Bo Shelton disarmed a gunman and then made a tourniquet out of a t-shirt to save a shooting victim. The victim, Larry Moore, is recovering but suffered very serious damage to his right calf from a close-range shotgun blast.

The incident happened shortly before midnight last Saturday night on Plum Nellie Road, just west of the Tenn-Tom and near the Noxubee County line. Shelton, who is a medic in the National Guard, had been dispatched to 29 Plum Nellie Road on a report of a disturbance. Deputy Robbie Robertson was ordered to the scene as back-up. The house at 29 Plum Nellie Road sits near the western end of Plum Nellie Road, where it meets Togo Road. Chief Deputy Greg Wright said that when Shelton arrived at the house a young female ran up and said that Johnny "J. J." Johnson had pushed her grandmother, Annie Clayborn. Other people reported trouble a short distance down the road, at 113 Plum Nellie Road, the home of Johnny "J. J." Johnson, who is Larry Moore's brother (both men are sons of Annie Clayborn).

Wright said that another female ran up to Shelton and told him that Johnson was trying to shoot Moore. At the same time a single shot rang out along the heavily wooded gravel road. Shelton radioed to Robertson to quicken his pace, then got into his car and drove the 100-plus yards to Johnson's mobile home. He found Clayborn and Johnson standing in the road and they informed him that Johnson had shot Moore in the leg and had then gone into his house. Shelton saw that the wound was severe.

A few hours before the shooting J.J.
Johnson was grooving with Margie Brown
at the annual Plum Grove Day Festival.

Shelton told Clayborn and Moore to get behind his patrol car, to give them some protection should Johnson shoot again. He requested E-911 to dispatch an ambulance, then approached the dilapidated mobile home with pistol drawn. Wright said that when Shelton got within about 15 feet of the porch Johnson appeared with the shotgun. Shelton told him to put the weapon down. Johnson didn't respond at first and Shelton repeated his command. This time Johnson pointed the shotgun briefly toward Shelton as he backed into the house. Johnson then dropped the gun and came out and put his hands on the side of the house, as ordered.

Shelton handcuffed Johnson and then turned his attention to Moore. Wright said that Shelton had Moore sit down and asked Clayborn for some cloth. She gave him a t-shirt and he knotted it around Moore's upper thigh and then made a tourniquet and applied it. Robertson now arrived on the scene with a medical kit and the two deputies put a temporary dressing on the wound. They had Moore elevate his leg.

Now Robertson stayed with Moore and Clayborn while Shelton went into Johnson's house to make sure no one else was inside. Other deputies, Dist. 4 Volunteers and an ambulance arrived in a wave on the scene. Moore was placed in an ambulance and transported to Columbus, escorted by another deputy.

Larry Moore

Johnson was taken to LCADC and charged with one count of aggravated assault with a weapon.

Moore, 46, lives on Sandyland Road in Noxubee County and works for Lavender Inc., which does welding and machine work at Weyerhaeuser's big plant on Carson Road. Johnson, 36, reportedly does not work and lives with their mother, Annie Clayborn. All three had spent the day and evening at the Plum Grove Day Festival. They reportedly left the festival around 9:00 p.m.

Shelton was scheduled to deploy to Iraq with the 114th but reportedly was cut because of a problem with a disk in his back.

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Burns Bottom on top for Sportsplex
by Brian Jones

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District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks speaks during Wednesday's joint
meeting of the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors, the Columbus City
Council and the Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority while Parks
Director Roger Short and CLRA Board President Scott Hannon listen. City
Councilman Jay Jordan is visible over Brooks's shoulder.

A consensus seems to exist among city and county officials to locate a proposed sportsplex in Burns Bottom.

Members of the Columbus City County, the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors and the Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority met Wednesday morning to discuss studies of the top three sites. An informal poll at the end of the meeting showed overwhelming support for the Burns Bottom location, but also some interest in buying both the Burns Bottom properties and the nearby Army Corps of Engineers site.

The meeting began with Kevin Stafford of Neel-Schaffer presenting feasibility studies of each of the top three sites: Burns Bottom; land near the Riverwalk that is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers; and the so-called Grayco site on Highway 82 near GoBox. The studies looked primarily at wetlands remediation requirements at each site, as well as infrastructure needs. "When this originally started years ago, it was a multi-part plan to improve soccer facilities, but also baseball facilities," Stafford said. "Somewhere in there the term sportsplex was coined, and I think a lot of people are confused as to what that means. There is a 10-step plan, and I think the first three steps are all about improving soccer. This is really more or less a soccerplex. There is really no baseball looked at as part of this complex. Right now we are only talking about soccer and flag football, because they can share the same fields. Later steps in the plan involve redoing Propst Park and redoing the baseball fields and the parking.

"What we are basically looking at for the sportsplex is six regulation-sized soccer fields," Stafford said. "With parking, about 30 acres is what's required. That's where this whole study started."

The original cost for the sportsplex was estimated at between $4 million and $5 million.

"We're a little closer on where those costs are, and it's looking a lot closer to the $4 million range," Stafford said.

Stafford first discussed the Burns Bottom location, which is located immediately off of Columbus's downtown area. It includes roughly 71 acres of land owned by 32 different parties, including the city of Columbus. The site is bordered to the north by an abandoned right-of-way of Plymouth Road, to the northwest by Highway 45/82, to the southwest by West Main Street, to the south by Second Avenue North and to the east by North Third Street. The Farmer's Market is located in the southeastern corner of the site, and there are some "housing clusters" throughout. Moore's Creek passes through the site. According to tax office records, the approximated land value for the 55.82 acres of non-city owned property is $462,840, which breaks down to an average cost of $8,291 per acre. There are approximately 11.6 acres of wetlands.

"Our layout for this site avoids the wetlands as much as possible," Stafford said.

The site can be configured so that all of the 71 acres is not needed, Stafford explained.

"You don't need it all for this layout," Stafford said. "We only need 34 acres. If you look at just the 34 acres, there are only 2.5 acres of wetlands. It would cost around $15,000 per acre to mitigate those wetlands, but if you're not improving on top of them you can just leave them alone." Burns Bottom has little in the way of infrastructure needs, he stated.

"It already has water, sewer, roads, electricity in the area," Stafford said. There are five streets within the site: portions of Second Street North, Seventh Avenue North, Fourth Avenue North, Third Avenue North and Coretta Street.

"You would need to pave Seventh Avenue, which is now a gravel road. Also Coretta Street is too narrow and would need to be widened."

There is about 22 feet of topological difference throughout the site, he said.

"At the Farmer's Market, half of that property is actually out of the floodplain," Stafford explained. "The rest of it is in the floodplain, and along Moore's Creek is in the floodway."

The majority of the site is located in a Zone AE floodplain, which means that it has a 1 percent chance of flooding annually. Culverts in the area of Coretta are undersized and need to be replaced, he said.

"As of right now, the city is looking at the possible upgrade of a bridge or culvert," he said. "That is not included in our price, and would need to be done as a necessary part of this project. You're probably looking at around $200,000 to replace that."

Pedestrian bridges would also be needed throughout the site, he said, which would add several hundred thousand dollars in cost.

Councilwoman Susan Mackay pointed out that the site has little visibility from the bypass.

"There is no visibility from Highway 82 and there is only a small part of visibility from the bypass," Mackay said.

Mackay also pointed out that, if only the 34 acres immediately needed is purchased, the site will include only one residence.

"It will be the house down there on stilts," she said.

The study notes that the site's proximity to downtown is a benefit: "The Burns Bottom Site is in a location close to the historic downtown area, which would provide excellent opportunities for community connectivity and as a central gathering place. Being in close proximity to existing urban development would encourage alternate forms of transportation, such as biking or walking, to get to the park. By following the meander of Moore's Creek, this property could also be connected with the Riverwalk Trail located nearby. Multiple services, such as restaurants and shops, area also located within walking distance of the site."

According to the feasibility study, the base land cost for all 71 acres is $462,840; Stafford also included an "inflation factor" of 50 percent, or $231,420, bringing the total land cost to $694,260. The wetlands mitigation cost is estimated to be $174,180. The estimated cost of the facility would be $3,258,840.

The total cost, including the facility and improvements, stands at $4,127,280.

Purchase Packet #831 for more on this story!

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Packet #830 - June 4, 2009

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New Hope man arrested for 1987 Arizona murder

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Gene Smith after his arrest.

[This article was written with the help of Lisa Halverstadt, a reporter with the Arizona Republic. Ed.]

A New Hope man who lived here for more than 20 years has been charged with a murder that occurred in Phoenix, Ariz. in 1987. Federal marshals arrested Daryl Eugene Smith, 61, at his residence at 530 Mac Davis Road without incident Monday morning. Davis has been extradited to Phoenix, where he is accused of shooting 32-year-old Michael Napier in the head during an argument over a car.

Local LCSO deputies Chad Bell and Jeff Harris, who are also deputized federal marshals, went to Smith's house with other marshals to make the arrest. Smith had a small amount of marijuana in his possession when the marshals arrived and he was charged with simple possession. He was taken to LCADC and booked. He reportedly did not deny the murder charge but simply asked the marshals to let him speak to his two sons, whom he said knew nothing about his past. He reportedly knew that authorities were looking for him and expressed some relief that his long run was finally over.

The arresting party was commanded by Deputy Marshal Inspector Dennis Spencer, who is based in Oxford. Spencer said that it is not unusual to find a murder suspect after 10 or 12 years but said that 21 years is very unusual. "This is probably the oldest one I can recall," he said. He said that a "persistent Deputy U.S. Marshal in Phoenix pushed this along." He would not go into detail about the investigation that led to Smith but said that it involved "database checks."

A warrant was issued in Phoenix in 1988 for Smith's arrest Lawmen believe that after the murder Smith relocated to Lowndes County with his girlfriend, named Vera. Smith worked as a painter in this area and mostly stayed out of trouble. He was arrested for a misdemeanor amount of marijuana in 2005 but his fingerprints were not put into the criminal database. In recent years, he worked for RMI (Chris Chain's renovation company) and Jeff Shepherd's Painting. Shepherd called him "Cheech" (as in Cheech and Chong) because he thought Smith had a slightly Hispanic appearance.

Vera Smith reportedly left Gene Smith several weeks ago, but officials deny that her leaving was connected to his discovery and arrest. She reportedly will not face any charges in connection with the murder or flight.

The murder with which Smith is charged occurred on Feb. 13, 1987 at 4400 North 29th Drive, in north Phoenix. Police believe that Michael Napier took Smith's car without permission and that an argument ensued that turned into a physical altercation and ended with Smith's shooting Napier once in the head. Smith, who may have been affiliated with a motorcycle gang, fled on a motorcycle. Phoenix police built their case against him and obtained a murder warrant for him, but by then Smith was gone.

On May 15, 2009, the Phoenix Police Dept.'s Cold Case Unit began working with the U.S. Marshals on homicide warrants from the 1980s. They "played around" with Social Security numbers and dates of birth and compared possible matches to available photographs. In Smith's case, they found a possible match in New Hope and asked U.S. Marshals here to check it out.

The Smith arrest was the first fruit of that collaborative effort between the Phoenix P.D. and the U.S. Marshals.

In addition to the murder charge, Smith also faces charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

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Incumbents Jordan and MacKay both out
Blacks will be a majority on city council for first time
Robert Smith coasts to victory

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Incumbent council members Jay Jordan and Susan MacKay were both
defeated in Tuesday's election.

For weeks, people speculated on whether Jay Jordan could hang on to his Ward 5 seat or whether Kabir Karriem would take the traditional "swing ward" from him and again give the city council three black members. It wasn't even close. Karriem received 602 votes to 366 for Jordan (62.12% to 37.77%).

The big surprise of the evening wasn't that Jordan lost in Ward 5 but that incumbent Susan MacKay, who is white, lost her Ward 2 seat to Joseph Mickens Sr., who is black. The Ward 2 seat had always been considered a safe white seat, though the African-American percentage has been growing for years and is probably well over 50% now. Mickens received 349 votes to 313 for Mackay (52.71% to 47.28%).

All four white incumbents (all Republicans)—Jordan, MacKay, Jerry Kendall and Gene Coleman—were defeated in the primary or general elections.

MacKay won the Ward 2 seat in a special election following the death of her husband, Doug MacKay, in office.

Geiger

Mayor Robert Smith, who became the city's first black mayor in a special election three years ago, coasted to victory as expected over independent challenger Thom Geiger (3,367 to 486). Come July, Smith will preside over a council that is 4-2 black instead of the current 4-2 white.

Smith became mayor by defeating Jay Jordan in a special election following the resignation of Mayor Jeffrey Rupp three years ago (one year into Rupp's second term). Smith is the first black to be elected Mayor of Columbus.

The Ward 1, 3, 4, and 6 races were already decided prior to Tuesday's general election. Ward 4 Councilman Fred Stewart did not have a primary opponent. Gene Taylor (Ward 1), Charlie Box (Ward 3) and Bill Gavin (Ward 6) won their primary contests.

Mickens

Mickens is a carpet and flooring installer and a member of the Mickens family that is politically prominent in Noxubee County.

Karriem is a brother of Rev. Kamal Karriem, who won the Ward 5 seat in 2001 and held it through 2005. Jordan defeated Kamal Karriem in the 2005 election when Karriem was under indictment for embezzlement from the city involving a cell phone. Kamal Karriem reportedly had agreed not to run in 2005 and to let Kabir Karriem run instead, but then reneged on the deal. After losing the 2005 Ward 5 race, Kamal Karriem ended up in prison. Coincidentally, he was released on Tuesday (see related story in this Packet). Kabir Karriem had the support of longtime Dist. 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks in his Ward 5 campaign.

Geiger, MacKay and Jordan were all at the Municipal Complex when the votes were counted Tuesday evening. Geiger, who hosts the Columbustalks internet site and is a quadrennial candidate in city elections, ran surprisingly well in several of the boxes, but the outcome was never in doubt.

Robert Smith celebrated his win at a party at the Holiday Inn after the votes
were counted. Pictured are Cynthia Williams, Kabir Karriem, Hussein Karriem,
Demetrias Hodges, Ula Ousley and the mayor.

The Ward 5 results came in before the Ward 2 results, and Jordan, a former president of the Chamber of Commerce, took his defeat with a smile. MacKay seemed shaken when she learned that she had been defeated and Jordan spoke to her and put his arm around her.

Yesterday Smith complimented Geiger on the way he conducted his campaign and added that he is glad it's over. He went on, "I'm excited about being able to serve a full four-year term. I personally thank God, and the citizens for the giving me the opportunity to serve. I appreciate the voters' prayers, votes and support and I look forward to working with the new council. We have a lot of work to do to continue progress in the City of Columbus: annexation, the sportsplex, financial stability, job creation and a reduction in crime." Smith said that reducing crime will be a top priority of his.

Smith went on, "I hope guys don't come in with selfish agendas. I hope we can work as a team for the betterment of the community. It's not about black or whitebut about doing what's right. My major theme in 2006 was unifying the city, and I want to continue trying to do that. To continue progress will take all of us working together."

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The current council has four whites and two blacks, but the council had three whites and three blacks as far back as 1993. In that year, Jackie Evans (then Leroy Brooks's administrative assistant) won the Ward 5 seat following the death of Virginia Hooper in office. The late Jackie Ball represented Ward 1 at that time and the late Dan Spann represented Ward 4 (both predominately black wards). Ball and Spann were both black. Evans was defeated in 1997 by the late Howard Wiliams, who was white. Although he was losing his mental faculties, Williams insisted on running for reelection in 2001 and he and another white candidate, Beverly Broocks, split the white vote and Kamal Karriem won the seat. Jordan narrowly defeated Karriem four years later and now has in turn been defeated by Kabir Karriem.

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Packet #829 - May 28, 2009

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Pickup fleeing police flips in front of downtown clubs at midnight
Police catch passenger, still looking for driver

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Officer Bo Pearson, who initiated the pursuit of this Tundra early last Saturday morning, talks to shift supervisor
Lt. Wayne McLemore after the chase ended in a spectacular crash at 5th & College. No one was seriously hurt.

A high-speed police chase on Hwy 45 North early last Saturday morning ended with an accident at 5th & Main and the fugitive pickup upside down at 5th & College. The pickup flipped and slid on its roof on 5th St. in front of busy clubs but miraculously no one was struck. Two people in the car that was hit at 5th & Main were taken to BMH-GT but their injuries were not serious.

Police officers and citizens alike are asking questions about the pursuit. Police Chief Joseph St. John said yesterday that he was waiting for an internal report on the chase. He said that after he gets the report he will listen to the E-911 tape of the incident before releasing a statement.

At least three police officers were involved in the pursuit but the cars were either not equipped with video cameras or the cameras were not working. (The cameras were installed when J.D. Sanders was chief but St. John said this week that they are obsolete and could not be kept operable. He said he is an advocate of such video systems and said that efforts were already being made to purchase new cameras before the chase occurred.)

A paramedic talks to Jerry Sharp after police ran him down between the
Commercial Dispatch building and the post office.

The incident began around 12:30 a.m. when Officer Bo Pearson stopped a 2003 Toyota Tundra pickup on Hwy 45 North near the Bluecutt Road intersection. The pickup was towing a long, low utility trailer made of angle iron. After Pearson got the driver's license the pickup sped south on Hwy 45 and Pearson got into his car and set off in pursuit.

Officer Bill McClure joined the pursuit at some point and it continued south past Leigh Mall. Officer Donnie Elkin pulled onto the highway from Waverley Road after the pickup had passed but before Pearson and McClure reached that intersection. The chase was apparently discontinued at around the same time, but the police officers continued following the pickup as it raced toward Downtown Columbus.

Chief St. John was standing in front of Zachary's Restaurant talking to musician Mike Chain when a pickup towing a trailer rocketed past. Seconds later they heard an impact—as the pickup raced through the 5th & Main intersection a westbound Cadillac struck the trailer. St. John ran south toward the accident scene.

A Cadillac westbound on Main collided with the trailer being pulled by the
Tundra as it streaked south on 5th St. across Main.

The impact stuck the trailer to the front of the Cadillac and separated it from the pickup. Items were apparently flung from the bed of the pickup—something hit the cab of a pickup parked in front of the Fashion Barn and a hole was made in a window of the Fashion Barn. A twisted bicycle was left on the sidewalk in front of the Fashion Barn—no one claimed it and police assumed that it had been thrown from the bed of the Tundra.

The Tundra continued south on 5th St., never hitting cars parked all along both sides of the street. The Tundra finally flipped onto its top, apparently around the middle of the block, and then slid to the end of the block and across the intersection at 5th & College, finally coming to a stop near the northwest corner of the WCBI-TV building. The driver and a lone passengrt fled from the overturned vehicle, running east on College and then north into the alley behind Fuhgettaboutit and Huck's Place.

While police pursued the fugitives on foot other police officers, deputies and citizens helped extract the two occupants of the Cadillac. A window was smashed with fire extinguisher and massive Worm Nichols, the local boxer and now a manager at Fuhgettaboutit, smashed another window.

Police ran down one of the fleeing suspects in the post office parking lot between the Commercial Dispatch and the post office. This was the passenger, identified as Jerry Sharp, 55, of 520 11th St. North. He was treated and released at BMH-GT. He is charged with failure to obey a police officer and his bond was set at $391. He is being held because police have "an investigative hold" on him, making him ineligible for bond [Probably until his companion is caught. Ed.].

Debris from the collision at 5th & Main shattered
one of Homer Beatty's windows at the Fashion Barn.
Firemen cut a piece of plywood to patch the window.

A back door was open at the Commercial Dispatch and police searched the building but did not find the driver. The search continued for some time but he was not found.

There was no doubt who the driver was, however, because Pearson had his driver's license and because when the pickup flipped in front of Huck's Place hundreds of business cards flew from the vehicle. They said, "Williams Mobile Auto Detailing, Ricky Williams, Proprietor, 678-643-6657."

After the truck was pulled back onto its wheels officers reportedly found items that came from a purse that had been stolen earlier.

Police identified the driver as Richard Williams, 44, of 1010 3rd St. Stouth. When arrested, he will be charged with felony fleeing or eluding and felony possession of stolen property.

The Cadillac that hit the trailer at 5th & Main was driven by Willie Vance, 29, of West Point. His lone passenger was Rashad Tate, 31, of Starkville. Both were taken to BMH-GT but neither was seriously injured.

The pickup that was heavily damaged in front of the Fashion Barn is a 2003 GMC belonging to Justin or Mike Atkinson of West Point.

Another pickup was also damaged, an F-150 belonging to Sammy Buckhalter of Columbus [I never saw this one and suspect that the damage was not great. Ed.]. The Tundra that flipped is registered to Richard Williams, 43, of Doraville Ga.

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Chief St. John said yesterday that the Police Dept.s internal affairs officer, Keith Worshaim, is preparing a report on the incident. St. John said that he is especially interested in learning if or when the order was given to cease the pursuit and when the pursuit was actually abandoned.

St. John said that a number of factors come into play when deciding whether to pursue a vehicle or not, including the seriousness of any crime that has been committed and how much danger the pursuit poses.

Lt. Wayne McLemore was the supervising officer at the time of the incident. Officers who were on duty and heard the radio traffic told the Packet that McLemore ordered the pursuit stopped. [I had fallen asleep and only woke up after the pursuit and the crashes. I'll add here that several people told me that Chief St. John was drunk at the scene. I was around him and talked to him and can say that I smelled no alcohol and saw no evidence that he had been drinking. I mentioned this to him and he said that he had not had a drink. Ed.]

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More than 200 gather to support Hester
by Brian Jones

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Coach Stacy Hester addresses his
supporters at a rally last night
as Chris Herring listens.

Over 200 supporters of embattled New Hope High School baseball coach Stacy Hester gathered Wednesday night to show their support. Hester, who has been at the school for 18 years, is facing a potential non-renewal by the Lowndes County School Board.

Hester was on hand to address the crowd at New Hope's baseball field.

"This really touches my heart," Hester said. "Believe it or not, I have a heart. When I signed on to come to New Hope, I was told to be a baseball coach. I only know how to do that one way. I'm not a parents' type coach, I'm a players' type coach. I got run off from where I was before I came here because I made parents mad.

"I came here with one goal in mind, and that's to make New Hope the best place it could be for baseball," Hester continued. "My goal was to make sure I put a good product on the field. Every year I've tried to come out here and outdo the previous year. When I got to 1996, I realized that was never going to happen-I'd reached the Promised Land. We were 43-0. I was just along for the ride. I said even a coach can't screw that up."

"I'm not here to bash any parents," Hester said. "The superintendent told me to fight for my job. This isn't about Hester supporters and Hester haters. That's not what it's about. It's about doing the right thing. I'm not here to make everybody happy. I'm here to coach the players, not the parents. If I listened to every parent who complained, there wouldn't be any (championship) signs on the walls. I don't know how to be a politician, and I'm not going to try to be one. This is as close to being a politician as I'm ever going to be. I don't know how to tell people what they want to hear. I tell my kids this is how it's going to be, we're going to work hard, we're going to act right, we're going to be on time, we're going to do everything we're supposed to to be the best we can be."

Hester said the support of his players was very important.

"The players who are out here tonight mean more to me than anything," he said. "They are great young men. In 18 years, very few have ever gotten into trouble when they got out of school. They were good people in their community, wherever they were. I'm more proud of that than anything."

Hester denied that he had ever physically mistreated a player.

"I have never, ever physically mistreated one kid," Hester said. "I hate to be accused of that. I have never, ever done that. Lots of people have heard that because of this great invention, the internet. If you're an internet basher of me...I don't read it. You folks who support me and put your name on there, thank you. If you don't support me and don't put your name on there, there you go."

"I have made mistakes while I was here," Hester said. "You don't coach every year and not make mistakes. But I have tried to make sure our kids are organized and structured. I tell all the kids that I'm not here to coach your parents, I'm here to coach you. You don't realize when I first got here how bad it was. For all the years I've been here, Mike Halford has let me run this program my way, and I hope that now that he's superintendent he'll continue to let me do that."

"I have tried to talk to Mr. Halford and to the school board members to tell them that what they're hearing about me isn't true," Hester said. "If they tell me I've got to make some changes to the way I do things, and I can live with those changes, then I'll be here. But if I can't coach these kids and make them better players, then maybe it is time for somebody else. That's all I can tell you."

Chris Herring, who organized the meeting, said that, for him, it's not about supporting Hester or not supporting Hester.

"I'm not trying to sell people on Stacy Hester," he said. "I've been here 18 years, since he got here. This man is not getting done right. I'm not asking for people to say they love him. He's a turd sometimes. When I was on that field, he ran my tail off. When he burned my tail, my parents never said nothing. That's what's wrong with this situation—the parents do not need to control this team.

"There's a lot of things being said about [Hester]," Herring continued. "But we're a community in New Hope. We stick together. We always have. We've got differences of opinion. There are some people that want [Hester] out of here, and that's fine. But we've got elected officials that we put in office, and they're supposed to stand for all of us, not just a handful that's mad. And if there's anyone on that board that has a conflict of interest, they need to not be involved. It's not right. He deserves more after 18 years."

Herring said that he wants Hester to get due process.

"Mike Halford was one of the best principals New Hope has had," Herring said. "He's a good man, and I believe that he'll do what's right. He's a Trojan as far as I'm concerned. He can't control how the board is going to vote, but I think he will do the right thing. I don't have a kid that plays for [Hester], so I don't have a dog in this fight. I just want to see the board do the right thing.

"[Hester] has done a lot to bring this community together," Herring stated. "We are a tight knit community, and baseball is a big part of our community. The bashing has gotten out of hand, and people need to stop."

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Packet #828 - May 21, 2009

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Buttahatchie River claims two lives
Smithville youth drowns and diver dies during search

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Members of the Columbus Dive Team prepare to dive in the Buttahatchie River near Cockerham Bridge in Monroe
County Monday in the effort to find the body of Smithville teen Taylor Smith. An Itawamba County diver died
at the scene yesterday. Taylor's body has still not been found. A boat carrying the Monroe County Dive Team
can be seen downstream from the Columbus boat.

A 15-year-old Smithville Jr. High School student apparently drowned swimming with friends in the swollen Buttahatchie River last Friday and yesterday a diver from Itawamba County died while engaged in the ongoing search for the youth's body.

The missing youth is Taylor Smith (though the name has not been released by officials), a redheaded, popular, sports-crazy teen who recently won third place in weightlifting at a state competition in Jackson. The diver who died yesterday during the search was David Sheffield, 44, of the Dorsey Community near Tupelo—Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley released the name last night.

Smith, known as "T.O.," was swimming with three teenage friends shortly after noon last Friday when he was swept downstream in the strong current on the east bank of the Buttahatchie just below the Cockerham Bridge (the bridge is in the Bartahatchie Community about ten miles east of Lackey). The friends saw Smith go under the surface of the water about 50 yards downstream. He has not been seen since and is presumed drowned.

A search for Smith's body began immediately and continues. It has involved divers and specialists from all over Northeast Mississippi, coordinated by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. The Columbus Fire and Rescue Dive Team was one of the first units to respond, joining the search last Friday and continuing through Tuesday of this week.

T.O. Smith

The Buttahatchie River was running high when Smith disappeared. It had dropped about four feet by Monday but the current was still strong. People at the scene said that the current changed the river constantly.

Yesterday the Itawamba County Dive Team joined the search as volunteers. Gurley said that according to witnesses after Sheffield had been in the water between one and two hours he surfaced and said he could not breathe. Gurley said that fellow team members got Sheffield into a boat and that Dave Eldridge of MedStat Ambulance Service immediately started treating Sheffield. Gurley said Eldridge and other medical personnel continued treatment while en route to Pioneer Community Hospital in Aberdeen but that Sheffield was dead on arrival at the hospital.

Gurley said that Sheffield was apparently not breathing when he was pulled from the river into the boat.

Gurley would not speculate on the cause of Sheffield's death, saying that the body will be taken to the Mississippi Crime Lab in Jackson today for an autopsy.

Gurley said that initial 911 call concerning Sheffield's condition was made at 12:21 p.m. and that Sheffield was pronounced dead at the hospital at 1:13 p.m.

Donia and Kris Smith, at the scene Monday, four days after
their son disappeared.

Sheffield was stricken almost exactly five days after Smith disappeared. Monroe County Sheriff Andy Hood said that the search has involved the Department of Wildlife, the Monroe County Dive Team, the Monroe County Search and Rescue UColumbus Fire and Rescue Dive Team, the Desoto County Sheriff Search and Rescue (with sonar), GTR K9 Search Dogs (Kathy Doty of Columbus), MedStat EMS Services, the Lamar County Emergency Management Agency K9 (James Smith), Search Dogs South (Bob Weible), the and the Itawamba County Dive Team. Hood said that volunteers have offered boats and help in conducting land searches and that a volunteer "flew" the river in a airplane.

Hood said that he received a call Tuesday from Itawamba County Sheriff Chris Dickinson offering to assist in the search. The Itawamba County Dive Team arrived yesterday morning and began by evaluating conditions. He said that the Itawamba team decided to search an area that had not been searched previously by divers.

Speaking yesterday of the effort to find Smith's body—and which had now claimed Eldridge's life—Hood sasid, "We have brought in every resource that was available for us to safely search for the missing teenager. We are working in dangerous conditions and safety is a priority."

Hood said that Fish & Wildlife officers have been working 14-18 hours a day on the search. He said that the Desoto County Sheriff's Dept. sent a team equipped with "sonar radar" twice—he said that the team stayed on the water almost until midnight Monday night. He said that the Monroed County Dive Team and the Monroe County Search and Rescue Team volunteered their time and that the Columbus divers sent teams for four days. He continued, "Efforts have been made and we have pooled every resource that has been available. I have had deputies volunteer to come in to work all day just to find him. We have worked hard, long hours and made every effort to recover the missing teenager."

Hood said that last Saturday sonar experts thought they had found the body but that when Monroe divers finally cleared the object it was found to be a piece of carpet wrapped around a log.

Looking downstream from the Cockerham Bridge. The Columbus Dive
Team boat is on the left and the Monroe County boat is farther
downstream.

"We do not know where the body of the teenager is at this point," Hood said last night. "We are continuing the recovery effort and hope to get some closure for this family soon."

Smith's parents, Kris and Donia Smith of Smithville, have been at the scene for days, along with friends and some of their son's classmates. Many of them spend nights under the bridge.

Kris Smith, who has always lived in the same Smithville neighborhood, said that his son loved to hunting, fishing, and played football and baseball and lifted weights. T.O. was the only student from Smithville to qualify for the Jackson weightlifting tournament, where he placed third.

Nets have been stretched across the river well below the spot where Smith disappeared, in case the body rises and starts to float downstream. The nets must be monitored frequently.

"The community has really helped us out," Hood said. "They have brought food and fed the officers and family. That is something that was very much appreciated. Kenneth Lackey of Lackey's Restaurant [which recently burned] cooked hamburgers for us one day, the Hamilton Sports Association brought food, Bartahatchie Outback cooked for us, Bo Riley's from Amory sent food, churches and individuals have gone beyond anything we could ask for. Numerous people have brought food, but these are a few." He added, "Evans Heating and Plumbing owner JC Evans in Hamilton has accommodated us by use of private facilities to access the river."

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Columbus Fire Chief Ken Moore said yesterday that the Columbus Dive Team participated in the search from last Friday through Tuesday. He added, "They've done everything they can do unless they call us back and want us to go farther."

Members of the Columbus Fire and Rescue Dive Team who have participated in the search are Dale Ballard, Robert Bobo, Kevin Brown, Doug Cox, Clyde Egger, Richard Graves, Robert Kain, Richard McBride, Michael McReynolds, Michael Miller, Chief Moore, Susan Snapp, Scott Swain, Mark Ward and Josh Westbrook.

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Longtime Supervisor Bit Thompson Dies at 84

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Bit Thompson

William Grady "Bit" Thompson, who represented District 4 on the board of supervisors for 24 years, six of those years as president, died Tuesday at age 84. He is being remembered as a quiet gentleman who treated everyone with courtesy and respect.

Thompson lived his whole life in Crawford. He and his son, Grady, were partners in a farming operation there.

Grady Thompson said his father first ran for office in 1967 at the request of people in the neighborhood. He took office in January 1968 and represented Dist. 4 through 1992. In 1971, at the height of the Civil Rights movement and in an attempt to forestall the election of blacks, supervisor candidates in Lowndes County ran county-wide. In that unique election Thompson received more votes than any other candidate. Yet when blacks were fully enfranchised and constituted 80% of the Dist. 4 voters, Thompson continued to easily win reelection in the district every time he ran.

Grady Thompson said that following integration his father's opponents demanded recounts several times, not believing that he could have received so many votes in a district that was 80% black. He said that secret was that his father was "a helluva nice fellow. He treated everybody good, black, white, green or yellow. I think everybody respected him."

Thompson retired in 1992 and endorsed Murry Anthony, an African-American and the Dist. 4 foreman, as his successor, and Anthony won.

Bit Thompson accepts a Key Community Award
from Gov. William Winter.

Thompson was president of the board of supervisors when Weyerhaeuser Co. decided to build its huge new plant in dist. 4 in the late 1970s. But Thompson later lost the presidency to Harold Blaylock when Blaylock joined the board with Charles Moore and Jim O'brien. The fifth supervisor at that time was Ed Andrews, who represented Dist. 5 until he was beaten by Leroy Brooks in 1983 (Andrews and Thompson both ran unopposed in 1979).

Walt Willis (Dist. 1), who served on the board with Thompson from 1985 till 1992, said this week that Thompson was a quiet but effective leader. "He was a gentleman to everybody. If you couldn't get along with him there was something wrong with you," Willis said. Willis said that Thompson was especially attentive to budget matters and that he consulted frequently with department heads.

Rep. Jeff Smith, who was elected County Prosecuting Attorney in 1979, said that Thompson became president of the board when Dist. 2 Supervisor Bill Smith died in 1978. He said that the years that Thompson was president were "the quietest and most cordial years."

Services will be held this afternoon at 2:00 p.m. at Oak Limb Cemetery in Crawford, Dr. Walt Porter officiating. Burial will follow in the Oak Limb Cemetery.

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Packet #827 - May 14, 2009

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Three Columbus males charged with shooting up West Point party

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Dexter Conner

Gunfire erupted outside the West Point American Legion Hall last Friday night during a party for high school students. Five party-goers were wounded, but only one required hospitalization. Three Columbus males have been arrested and charged in connection with the shootings and the investigation is still ongoing.

Dexter Conner and Tony Easley were arrested Tuesday afternoon in Columbus by Columbus police in cooperation with their West Point counterparts. Conner and Easley were each charged with one count of aggravated assault but Capt. Romel Matthews, head of the WPPD Criminal Investigation Division, said that more charges are possible. Easley and Conner are being held in the Clay County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bond each.

Matthews said yesterday that another suspect was being sought. The Packet learned late yesterday that Dexter Conner had been arrested in Columbus yesterday afternoon. Matthews said that "others might be involved." Matthews said that the shootings occurred around 11:20 p.m. last Friday. He would not speculate on what triggered the gunfire. "Nobody knows what caused it," Matthews told the Packet. "When you get a bunch of guys together there can be words of mouth."

Matthews said that the suspects were developed through various investigation techniques, including interviews with witnesses and victims. He said that the active shooters were part of a larger group, perhaps six or seven, but that some of those were not involved in the shooting. He said that those who weren't involved were cooperating with the investigation. He also said that the group that included the shooters arrived on the scene in at least two vehicles.

Matthews said that police officers were near the scene when the shooting erupted and heard the shots and raced to the Legion Hall but the vehicles carrying the shooters were gone by the time the officers arrived.

Matthews said that four of the gunshot victims were treated and released [I forgot to ask but I presume they were taken to NMMC-West Point. Ed.]. The fifth victim, who was shot in the groin, was taken to NMMC-Tupelo but was released by Tuesday.

Matthews would not say how many shots police think were fired, or what type of weapons were used.

Matthews declined to release the names of the victims but did say that none was an adult. He would not release mug shots of Easley and Conner (this was after they were charged and their bond set but before Isaac was arrested).

West Point sources told the Packet that the American Legion Hall was rented by the parents of a West Point student and that the party was well chaperoned. The hall is located on Westbrook St. not far from the West Point police station.

According to Packet sources, the Columbus males were told to leave the party and they went to their vehicles and at least some put on red bandannas and then fired back at the Legion Hall from the street.

A Legionnaire told the Packet that he counted five bullet marks on the building. One bullet went through the glass next to the front door, bounced off a fire extinguisher, went through a wall and into the women's restroom, where it hit the door and ended up on the floor. Orange paint in the street and on the grass marked the positions of about a dozen empty shell casings.

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Complaint Leads to Meth Arrest
by Brian Jones

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A CFD Hazmat team member hoses down Jason Hines early last
Saturday morning after deputies allegedly found him and
Stephen Walker cooking meth in a shed on Priscilla Circle.

A neighbor's noise complaint at 2:00 a.m. last Saturday morning led deputies to an active meth lab on Priscilla Circle, south of CAFB. Scott Glasgow, the first deputy to enter the shed where the noise was coming from, inhaled the toxic vapors from cooking meth.

Scott Glasgow is examined before being washed down
and taken to BMH-GT. He inhaled meth vapors when he
entered the shed.

Stephen Walker's dog was confused by all the activity
and strangers. Here he tries to comfort his master.
Walker appeared upset by events, but Hines laughed
and joked with lawmen.

Walker is led away after his hosing as deputies
with air tanks prepare to enter the meth lab.

Glasgow and two men allegedly doing the cooking, Jason Hines and Stephen Walker, were all hosed down by narcotics deputies in hazmat suits and then taken to BMH-GT for examination. Hines and Walker were each charged with manufacture of methamphetamine.

The deputies were assisted in the operation by Dist. 2 Volunteers, Metro narcotics agents, MBN agents and the Columbus Fire Dept. hazmat team. Priscilla Circle was jammed for hours with law enforcement cars, fire trucks, ambulances and the long hazmat trailer.

Columbus Fire Dept. Hazmat Team members used water from a Dist. 2 VFD pumper to shower Walker and Hines. After hosing them down firemen used scissors to cut the rest of their clothes off and continue the hosing. The water was not cold—the day had been warm and the truck had been parked in a Dist. 2 VFD station.

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Packet #826 - May 7, 2009

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Coleman and Kendall ousted in primary

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Charlie Box

Incumbent Columbus Councilmen Gene Coleman and Jerry Kendall were beaten decisively by political newcomers Charlie Box and Bill Gavin in Tuesday's Republican primary election. Neither Box nor Gavin has a Democratic opponent.

The turnout was very light.

Box, who retired as YMCA Director earlier this year, defeated Coleman for the Ward 3 seat 564 to 239. Coleman, a pharmacist, was seeking reelection to a second term.

Gavin, a drafting instructor at EMCC, defeated Kendall 382 to 186 for the Ward 6 seat. Kendall is a retired Jitney Jungle manager.

In the Democratic primary, Ward 1 incumbent Gene Taylor defeated Anthony Sanders 412 to 107. Taylor does not have an opponent in the general election.

In Ward 2, Joseph Mickens defeated Troy Miller 106 to 85. Mickens will face incumbent Susan MacKay in the general election. MacKay ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

In Ward 4, incumbent Democrat Fred Stewart was not opposed in the primary and does not have an opponent in the general election.

In Ward 5—majority black but considered a "swing ward"— radio personality Kabir Karriem defeated Rev. Kenneth McFarland 342-214 in the Democratic primary. Karriem will face Republican incumbent Jay Jordan in the general election.

Gavin said he thought his race would be closer than it was. He said he won on a platform of moving Columbus forward and said he plans to make good on his promise.

Kendall said that Gavin ran a good campaign and "won fair and square." Gavin went on, "I tried to do what was best for the city but he just beat me." Kendall said he enjoyed serving on the council and will stay involved in city issues and volunteer work, such as with the Salvation Army. He said that the current council inherited a serious financial problem and got the city back on its feet. He said he hopes that the new council can continue the work.

Mayor Robert Smith was unopposed in the Democratic primary. His only opponent in the general election is independent Thom Geiger.

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Ross sails to easy victory in West Point
by Brian Jones

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In primary elections in West Point, incumbent Mayor Scott Ross won a decisive victory, but only one incumbent selectman emerged a winner. Ward 2 Selectman Bubba Wilkerson was defeated, and Linda Hannah and Keith McBrayer face runoffs. Veteran Ward 3 Selectman John Cummings did not seek re-election.

(These results include both machine votes and absentee ballots.)

Ross defeated five opponents in the Democratic primary, receiving 2,314 votes. His closest challenger, Tonya Quinn, garnered 555. Jarvis Boyd received 71; Terry Buffington, 243; Jimmy Davidson, 329; and Xanthe Joiner, 87.

Ross will face Independent candidate Harold Lathon in the general election in June.

In Ward 1, incumbent Linda Hannah will face Rod Bobo in a runoff May 19. Hannah, who has been on the board for sixteen years, received 226 votes, Bobo 268. Challenger Mary Ann Lamparter received two votes, and Scott Reed received 136.

In Ward 2, Homer E. Cannon defeated incumbent Bubba Wilkerson 349 to 224.

Ward 3 will see a runoff between Hubert Caston and Charles Collins. Caston received 169 votes, Collins 264. Justin Brian Estes polled 44 votes; William Huffman II, 56; and Randel Whitmire, 53.

Incumbent Ward 4 Selectman Keith McBrayer will face challenger John Caskey in a runoff. McBrayer received 505 votes to Caskey's 435; Eddie Holcombe received 96 votes.

Incumbent Ward 5 Selectman Jasper Pittman won a narrow victory over challenger Joe Michel III; Pittman came away with 396 votes, while Michel received 382.

After the results came in, Mayor Scott Ross was grateful for his victory and ready for the June general election.

"I feel great," Ross said. "It was very gratifying to win. I was very optimistic throughout the campaign and I got a great reception in all neighborhoods when I went door to door. I'm very pleased with the results.

"This was a relatively clean race," Ross said, "and I stayed on good terms with all of my opponents. I congratulated each one of them today, and I hope that they will see fit to support the Democratic nominee."

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Packet #825 - April 30, 2009

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Gunmen shoot into apartment but no one hit

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A bullet passed through the front of Dwight Doughty's t-shirt but
never hit him. His left arm was showered with glass when a bullet
hit a pane in his front door.

An East Columbus couple and their teenage son narrowly escaped injury last night when two strangers showed up at their door and started shooting into their apartment. The father, Dwight Doughty, was left with bullet holes in the front of his loose t-shirt and his left arm was showered with glass from bullets that passed through the front door after he closed it against the gunmen. His son, a senior at Victory Christian Academy, and his wife were within feet of the door but were not struck.

The Doughtys live at 400 Forest Blvd., Apt. #9. It opens into the interior courtyard and pool at the well-kept apartment complex. The Doughtys have lived in the apartment three years.

Doughty told police that someone knocked on the door and that when he opened it he saw two black males who asked for Chris, then started shooting. Neither Doughty's wife nor his son is named Chris.

Doughty closed and locked the front door
while the gunmen were firing into the apartment.

When the shooting erupted Doughty's son was standing at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the second floor of the apartment, just to the right (from the inside) of the door. His wife was sitting in a chair in the living room a few feet to the left. As the shooting continued Doughty closed the door and locked it against the gunmen, but two more bullets came through the glass panes in the door.

Two of the bullets hit the edge of a flat-screen TV and then into a wall on the other side of the living room. Doughty told police that he had recently had a run-in with some young people who don't live at the apartment complex but who were using the pool, but police were left wondering if the shooters had simply gone to the wrong apartment.

Many neighbors heard the shots. Some said that as many as ten shots were fired, in two bursts, but police only found two spent 9 mm casings in their initial search.

The investigation was just getting underway when the Packet went to press during the night.

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Masked robbers invade home on Pandora Drive

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Pearlie Leach sits in the front yard of 165 Pandora Drive after she and several
other people were robbed at gunpoint early yesterday morning. Her husband,
Bobby Leach, is on the right. Robbers put a gun to Pearlie Leach's head. She
has a history of heart trouble and remains hospitalize at BMH-GT as a result of
the stress.

Three masked men burst into a residence on Pandora Drive early yesterday morning, threatening and robbing the occupants before escaping. Police arrested a suspect a short time later. The two accomplices are still being sought.

The armed invasion occurred at 165 Pandora Drive, the home of Mildred Drungo. She told police that she and friends were in the kitchen when the three robbers burst through a side door and ordered everyone onto the floor.

Police said others in the kitchen with Drungo were Bobby Leach, Pearlie Leach, Linda Deloach, Shondra Deloach and Betty Jackson. Marcus Thompson was in a back room and went to the kitchen when he heard a commotion. He was also ordered onto the floor and was then hit with a golf club, but he did not require medical treatment.

Thomas Austin Jr.

The Packet has received a report that Anthony Cockrell was also in the residence when the invasion occurred (he was outside after it was over).

Bobby Leach told police that one of the robbers pointed a pistol at his wife's head. His wife, Pearlie Leach, 45, has a history of heart trouble and began to hyperventilate and experience chest pains because of the stress. After the incident was over she was taken to BMH-GT. She reportedly was still in the hospital yesterday afternoon.

Officer Glynn Culpepper looks for shell casings in front of the Doughty
apartment. Officer Donnie Elkin is on the left.

Drungo told police that she recognized the voice of one of the robbers when he told her to get on the floor. She identified hiim as Thomas Earl Austin Jr., known as Mohawk. His mother, Mary Ann Beard, lives across the street from Drungo.

According to a Packet source, Austin was the only intruder with a pistol. The other two were armed with golf clubs and whacked several of the victims, but not hard enough to require hospital treatment.

The robbers reportedly made off with hundreds of dollars, a cell phone and a pack of cigarettes, all taken from Drungo and her guests.

Officer Jesse Johnston stopped Kerrick Turner and Maure Ballard on
Pickensville Road about 30 minutes after the home invasion. Police
determined that the pair weren't involved in the robbery but they were
both charged with possession of marijuana.

About 30 minutes after the incident, when officers were combing the area, Officer Jesse Johnston saw a car turn around on Yorkville Road West. He followed the car a short distance south on Pickensville Road and the car veered into a residential lot. Other police converged on the scene but soon determined that the two occupants, Maure Ballard, 20, and Kerrick Turner, 22, had not been involved in the robbery. Both were charged with possession of marijuana, however.

Later Johnston spotted Austin's Maroon Lumina at his residence, 2205 8th Ave. South, and Austin was arrested.

Drungo reportedly hosts friends at regular card parties at her house.

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Packet #824 - April 23, 2009

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Police report surge of burglaries and break-ins

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Burglaries and break-ins occur almost every night in Columbus but a higher number than usual have been reported over the last week [I prepare a Police Incident Report for publication each week but usually have to leave it out. Ed.]. They included several unusual break-ins.

Glenn and Jan Miller's house at 605 5th Ave. South was broken into last Thursday. This time the thief carefully removed a pane of glass in a back door to gain entry. Glenn Miller noted that the break-in occurred three years to the day after a previous burglary.

It is rare that an antebellum home is burglarized, but a few minutes after Glenn Miller reported his burglary Stephen Imes reported that burglars had been inside his residence, Snowdoun, on 9th St. North. Items were later discovered missing from both the Miller home and the Imes home.

A little before 5:00 a.m. Tuesday morning Janice Harris was awakened by a burglar in her residence at 1804 6th Ave. North. She could see someone moving in the dark room and when she yelled the intruder escaped through a bathroom window. Police responded from different directions within minutes [I was close behind them but didn't take any photos. Ed.] but no suspects were found. Cpl. Donnie Elkin found that the window to the bathroom had been propped open—Harris had opened it during the night when she used the bathroom. Harris said that her purse had been hanging from her bedroom door and was on the floor after the intrusion, with her wallet lying next to it. Nothing was taken.

Approximately 24 hours later a burglar tried to break into an occupied house across the street from 1804 6th Ave. North but was frightened away by an audible burglar alarm.

CPD spokesman Cpt. Fred Shelton said yesterday that investigators have developed two suspects in the latest burglaries but do no yet know if the burglaries are connected.

Shelton said that the police need the help of the public, especially information, to help solve such crimes. He encouraged the public to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-530-7151 or the CPD Criminal Investigation Division at 662-244-3552.

Shelton also urged citizens to take these precautions to help prevent property crimes:

Tips to prevent car thefts
1. Never leave your car running or keys in the ignition. Close windows, lock doors, even if your car is in front or the driveway at home.

2. Park in busy, well-lit areas.

3. Carry your registration and insurance card with you. Don't leave personal identification documents or credit cards in your car.

4. Install mechanical devices limiting steering, ignition, and brake functions, or electrical alarms for burglar deterrence.

5. Etch non-VIN or non-serials numbered, readily marketable parts, e.g. windows, windshields, or wheels with personal ID.

Tips to protect homes
1. Quality security doors with locks left unlocked are poor investments. An expensive lock in a flimsy door may be poor investment.

2. Criminals do not like operating in lighted areas. Use security lighting during hours of darkness. Continuous lighting around your property during the day may not deter vandals as much as normal on and off cycling of lights with darkness, typical of resident activity. Inexpensive timers or photo cell sensors that activate lights can cycle necessary on/off lighting that may discourage vandals, especially when you must be away from your property. Their reasonable purchase costs can soon be offset with energy savings over continuous lighting cost.

Shelton also encouraged citizens to "be a neighbor" and report suspicious neighborhood activity. He said that ignoring suspicious or criminal activity at a neighbor's house may lead to property damage or loss. He urged people to record serial numbers or mark valuable property by engraving and to take photos of hard-to- engrave items. He said that the Police Department has officers trained to help communities set up neighborhood watch programs.

[Here's another suggestion: keep dogs in and around the house. Take them with you in your vehicle when possible. The Humane Society Shelter euthanizes hundreds of dogs each year and almost all of them would be great companions and guards. Ed.]

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Thousands brave storms for Ean Evans benefit concert at Fairgrounds
Evans takes stage with Lynryd Skynyrd bandmates

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Ean "Mississippi Kid" Evans (center) performs with Lynryd Skynyrd bandmates Johnny Van Zant (left), Gary
Rossington (right) and Michael Carlone (on drums) at a benefit for Evans and his family at the Columbus
Fairgrounds last Sunday. Thousands of Southern Rock fans attended the festival despite heavy thunderstorms
that swept across Columbus until late afternoon.

Lynryd Skynyrd bass guitarist Ean Evans of Columbus has tirelessly encouraged area musicians and has often performed benefit shows to help local people in need. Evans, known as the Mississippi Kid, recently returned home after undergoing months of treatment for cancer, and last Sunday he was the beneficiary of a concert that put Columbus at the center of the Southern Rock universe for a day. The show climaxed with Evans taking the stage with his Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmates.

The stage for the Mississippi Kid Festival was set by dozens of Evans's friends working hundreds of man-hours. Bands came from throughout the South and fans came from as far away as Texas, Oklahoma and Ohio.

Buddy Easley and Ricky Killian work on wiring
systems for the festival last Saturday.

Heavy thunderstorms threatened to wreck everything but there was enough good weather Sunday afternoon to make things workable and by evening the skies had cleared (corn-size hail fell near the Lock & Dam around 6:00 p.m. but it never hailed at the Fairgrounds).

Gov. Haley Barbour declared Sunday Ean Evans Day in Mississippi—the proclamation was hand-delivered onstage by Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood. Mayor Robert Smith took the stage to welcome the bands and the fans and to proclaim Sunday Ean Evans Day in Columbus. Early in the evening Evans went onstage and Police Chief Joseph St. John, an amateur rocker, made him an honorary member of the Columbus police force.

Columbus businessman Robert Rhett was the informal but acknowledged leader of the volunteer effort to stage the event. Chuck Cook and Kenneth Montgomery took the lead in preparing the grounds by cutting acres of grass for the spectators and for parking. Electrician Buddy Easley did most of the wiring. But Rhett said that dozens of other people stepped forward at every turn to help, many with special equipment and skills. He said that Mayor Smith helped in every way. After the show, people doing community service work to pay off fines helped clean up the Fairgrounds (some stayed after hours to work for wages).

Henry Glover (in truck), Clint Hanson, Hank Vaiden and
Darrell McElrath move plastic stage roof tarps from a
pickup to a backhoe scoop.

The stage and sound system were donated by Billy Amstrong of Magic Productions of Tupelo. The stage is the same one used at the Market Street Festival. After each downpour Armstrong would motor the fabric-covered roof down so the water could be pushed out of the sagging fabric. Rex's Rentals donated tents and the Magnolia Catering/Cotton Patch staff donated their time and served 355 meals to VIPs and performers.

Hank Vaiden, Mike Chain and Dennis McKay handled the between-acts stage setups.

Rhett said that when he first approached some bands about playing at the festival their managers expressed misgivings about the conditions, but he said that they were all thrilled with the setup and the treatment they received. It included traveling in Leo's Limos to and from the Fairgrounds with police escorts.

Rhett said, "Those stars couldn't appreciate it enough that they weren't held up in traffic. They were well taken care of."

Janet Marsh, Amber Spear and Chase Lindley of Columbus wait behind a
barricade for the arrival of the Lynryd Skynrd Band near the stage late
last Sunday afternoon. The band members arrived in a Leo's Luxury Limo
and were then driven through some mud on golf carts to Chuck Cook's
luxury mobile home, where they waited until going onstage.

Rhett said that many of the performers want to come back again. He said there has been talk of making the festival an annual event and that Evans suggested that it benefit Camp Rising Sun.

Performers included members of .38 Special, Three Doors Down, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Evans Capps Band (formed by Ean Evans and Bobby Capps—they signed a record deal in Chuck Cook's motor home during the festival), Molly Hatchet. Also performing were the Dirt Brothers (one of the members is the son of LCSO Deputy James Farris—he's also a cousin of Sen. Terry Brown) and Cross & Dixon.

Police Chief Joseph St. John presents an honorary mem-
bership in the police force to Evans. Bobby Capps is on
the right and Evans's daughter, Andrea, is behind him.

Rhett said that the rough weather was "scary." He said there's no doubt it kept people away but he added that that might have been a good thing because too many people could have been overwhelming. Acres of grass parking was prepared but the vehicles were diverted to the Airline Mfg. and United Technologies parking lots to keep from tearing up the ground. Leo's Luxury Limos had buses to ferry people from the parking lots to the Fairgrounds. Rhett said yesterday that 4,000 to 5,000 people probably attended the festival, though many left during downpours.

Mitchell Distributing (formerly Cash Distributing) made a donation to the event and provided beer, which was sold by festival volunteers. Mitchell provided a refrigerated trailer. The company also provided all of the signs needed for the event.

Ricky Medlocke and Johnny Van Zant get it going.

Regular and reserve police officers and deputies were everywhere, along with volunteers from North American Security under the direction of Jim Bell and at least one Highway Patrolman, Larry Smith. Rhett said some officers were of particular help: police officers Jeff Guyton, Guy Taylor, Garry Moore, Carroll Culpepper, Glynn Culpepper, Donnie Elkin, Neal Taylor, John Pevey and Barry Goode, and deputies Ivan Bryan, Joey Brackin, Archie Williams, Lloyd McWilliams and Ryan Rickert.

There were zero security problems at the concert, but after the show Police Officer Ric Higgins was struck by a vehicle near the south entrance onto Hwy 69 South. He was knocked face-first to the pavement and suffered a broken finger and cuts and bruises. A Highway Patrol spokesman was unable to identify the driver of the vehicle yesterday but Rhett said that she is 17 and that she was "hysterical" after hitting Higgins and that she went to BMH-GT to check on him.

Mayor Robert Smith watches the show
next to the stage. [Except for some
Street Dept. employees and maybe some
lawmen, Mayor Smith was probably the
only black guy at the festival. He had
started the evening at the gospel show
at the Trotter Center but enjoyed the
Fairgrounds show so much that he stayed.
I left the Fairgrounds to take photos at
the Trotter Center and I was probably the
only white guy there. Both venues were
rocking. Ed.]

Hartley Peavey of Meridian donated a Peavey electric guitar to be signed and auctioned at the festival. Columbus restaurateur Freddy Fields (The Golden Horn, Fuhgetaboutit) bought it for $3,500. Restaurateur Glenn Baldwin (Kountry Kitchen) bought a signed acoustic guitar. Denise Reid of Strings & Things donated a Peavey guitar that was won in a raffle. During the show former American Idol contender Bo Bice donated his mandolin, which auctioneer Mike Stone proceeded to auction off (Rod Taylor of Jumpin' Gs bought it for $1,000—he also donated an inflatable to occupy kids at the festival). A guitar donated and signed by the Lynryd Skynrd band members was sold for $8,000, but Rhett couldn't remember who bought it (one raffled guitar was won by a man from Michigan, another by a man from Florida).

Trash bins were everywhere, courtesy of Scott Hanon at Triangle Maintenance. He also donated generator lighting systems.

Officer Ric Higgins
was hit by a pickup
directing traffic

Cumulus Broadcasting, WCBI-TV and the Packet provided free advertising. Roberts Bros. Coach Co. of Nashville sent two buses to the event and charged only $450. Rhett said that one of the drivers had been up for 36 hours.

Rhett said that the festival "had major power issues" and needed a 400-amp electrical service. The utility couldn't donate it but Rhett said that CL & W Manager Todd Gale and Electric Division Chief C. F. Harris did everything they could to make things happen.

The performers mostly came by bus, though Johnny Van Zant flew in to GTRA and Chris Hicks of the Marshall Tucker Band drove up from Florida. Rhett said that Todd Harrell of Three Doors Down left a rehearsal in Nashville to be at the festival. They stayed in local hotels except for two who stayed with Russell Kyle in the prairie.

Rhett said that so many people helped with the event in so many ways that he was afraid he was forgetting to mention some [And I'm probably leaving some out that he mentioned. Ed.]. He said that he didn't know yet how much money was raised for Evans and his family, but he indicated that it would be a considerable amount.

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Packet #823 - April 16, 2009

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Car Wrecks

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Three Caledonia teens survived a multiple rollover and impact with a tree Monday afternoon on Cal-Steens Road. Justin Hauerwas, who turned 16 on March 2, lost control of the southbound 1994 Honda Civic just north of Bloomer's Nursery. A witness said the car "came around the curve sideways" and then flipped three times before snapping a small tree and hitting a big tree broadside on the passenger's side. Oren Cantrell, 14, of 99 Carolyn Drive, was in the front passenger seat and Daniel Legett, 13, of 16 North Street, Caledonia, was in the back seat. All three occupants were wearing seatbelts and despite the multiple rollover and the massive damage to the car they only suffered cuts and bruises. They were all out of the ER in two hours.

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Antonio M. Taylor was northbound on Hwy 12 East in front of the Nissan dealership Monday afternoon when his 1994 Dodge pickup was rear-ended by a larger pickup driven by Jon M. Forbus. The Dodge was knocked upside down in the north driveway of the dealership. Taylor's injuries were not life-threatening. Forbus said that he swerved to miss Taylor's vehicle and it was the sideways impact that flipped the Dodge pickup. [The Starkville HQ of the Highway Patrol has been without a public information officer for months and this is all the information I could get on the accident. A patrolman has been assigned these duties and is supposed to start work today. Ed.]

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Three youths and an small child were injured last Friday night when their Dodge Neon flipped into a ditch on Hwy 69 South about a mile south of New Hope Road. Courtney Taylor of Columbus was at the wheel of the Neon, which was northbound, when she lost control of the vehicle and it went off the left (west) side of the highway and flipped in the grassy ditch. Taylor, her young child and two teenage passengers all remained in the vehicle. The Highway Patrol did not identify anyone but Taylor, but the Packet learned that one of the passengers was Jeremy Wells, a NHHS student. Another passenger reportedly was a cousin of Taylor's. The cousin was reportedly transferred to a Jackson hospital.

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Packet #822 - April 9, 2009

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Late Night Shooting

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BMH-GT Paramedics and Columbus Firemen wheel Tavares Evans to an ambulance after he was shot last night outside 1124 15th St. North. Details were still sketchy at press time but neighbors reported hearing one shot and police found one empty shell casing in the yard. Evans apparently went inside the house after being shot. An hour after the shooting police reported that he was "stabilized" but in critical condition at BMH-GT and a short time later said that he had been flown to Jackson. Neighbors said that Evans is in his 20s and that he does not live at 1124 15th St. North. Another young male, said to be Evans's brother, was inside the house when the shooting occurred. Police would not speculate on the nature of the wound.

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West Bros. wins contract for new middle school
Board advertises for elementary school improvements
by Brian Jones

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At a special meeting early Wednesday morning the Columbus Municipal School District unanimously accepted an $18,451,000 bid from West Brothers Construction to build the new middle school complex. Construction on the 143,622 square-foot complex could begin as early as next month.

The district received 10 bids for the project. The bids were:

• West Brothers Construction: $18,451,000.
• Panola Construction Co: $18,888,800.
• Worsham Brothers Inc: $19,180,000.
• Doster Construction Co: $19,238,000.
• Johnson, Evan and Sons Construction: $19,340,000.
• Sanderson Construction Company: $19,500,000.
• Jesco Inc: $19,621,000.
• Brasfield and Gorrie: $19,697,000.
• Harrell Contracting Group: $20,090,000.
• Conn Construction Co: $20,700,000.

Superintendent Del Phillips said that the recent economic downturn may have helped the district bring in such a large number of bids.

"We had ten bidders on this job, and for those you that have been here and been involved in the construction process, ten is the most we've ever had," Phillips said. "I think the economy helped us receive more bids, because I think there's less work out there for people to do and it worked in our favor."

Architect Chris Morrow said construction could begin as early as the first part of May.

"We'll get the contract put together today," he said. "We'll get it out this week, and then West Brothers will have to get their insurance and bonds together. I fully expect to have a notice to proceed before the first of May. The groundbreaking can be any time. As soon as the insurance and bonds come back I'm going to get them started because we've got a lot to between now and November 2010."

The cost came in far under the district's cost estimate.

"We had cost estimated the building last June at $24 million when fuel was so high," Morrow said. "In November it had crept down to between $21 million and $22 million. Then what we really started seeing after the meltdown across the board on all our projects was the bottom falling out."

"We got a lot of building for the cost," Phillips said. "I think now is the time for us to do projects if we're going to do them. You may not feel this is the time, but from a cost standpoint now is the time to be in the market."

Phillips then asked the board to approve advertising for bids for a total of approximately 42,000 square feet of additions to Stokes-Beard, Joe Cook and Sale elementary schools. The new projects are in response to some existing needs at these three campuses, but will also serve to handle incoming fifth-graders; when the new middle school opens, the district's elementary schools will move from their current K-4 setup to K-5.

Sale would see a total of 15,678 square feet of additions, including alternates. If approved, Sale would receive a pod of four new classrooms, which total 6,478 square feet, with the remaining square footage divided between a new play gym and library. (A play gym is a half of a normal size basketball court.)

"The classroom is the base bid, and the play gym and library are included as an alternate," Phillips said. "They desperately need the new gym and the library."

The new additions would be added off of the main corridor at Sale, with space left over for more additions if needed. Storage space and restrooms wou

ld also be added, he said, and the classrooms will be pre-wired for Promethean boards.

Stokes-Beard will potentially see 11,580 total square feet of additions, with 6,508 square feet in the base bid.

"We are looking to add four classrooms at Stokes-Beard, with four more as an alternate bid," Phillips said. "These classrooms were actually an alternate several years ago when the school was built. This will be the exact same footprint as we have at the other end of the building, and will balance the building out."

Joe Cook could see 15,720 square feet of additions, with a base project of 11,000 square feet.

"We're looking at adding two new pods with bathrooms and office space," Phillips said. "The office will probably be used for an assistant principal."

A small conference room is also included, Phillips said.

Phillips also recommended that the board look at potentially using the current CLRA soccer field site to build a new road coming into campus.

"If the Park and Rec soccer fields ever move anywhere else, you may want to look at taking the driveway that's there now and run it around the school," Phillips said. "It would then come out across from where the stop sign is at Heritage Academy. Streets would basically come into the campus from both sides."

The new classroom pod would then become an exit for students to go to the buses, while the front of the school could be used for parent pickup, he said. Currently both buses and parents pick students up at the front of the school.

The board unanimously approved advertising for bids.

All of these projects need to be finished by August of 2010, Phillips stated.

Finally, the board approved bidding out road improvements for the new middle school site.

"MDOT is taking care of the traffic light on Highway 45," Phillips said. "We're going to do improvements to four-lane to our entry point on Highway 373 and put up lights. It's about 1,000 feet or something like that we'll have to do."

The board unanimously approved advertising.

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Giant rat has Crawford residents on edge

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Alfred and Pearlie May Sharp woke up last Sunday morning to find a huge dead rat in their front yard. Alfred said that their dogs, Blackie and Spotty, killed the monster rodent during the night, apparently in the woods near their home at 104 Farmers Market St., and dragged it into the yard. The rat measured three feet long and had big orange front teeth and slightly webbed back feet. Neighbors stopped by the Sharp's home to look at the monster. Jaqualon Sharp, a student at Coleman Head Start in Columbus, is pictured next to the rat. Spotty and Blackie are in the background. An internet search identified the rat as a nutria (or coypo), a semi-aquatic species of rodent that is common on the Gulf Coast and is beginning to invade this area. Catfish farmer Sam Pilkinton said that nutrias burrow into levees and are becoming more and more common here.

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Packet #821 - April 2, 2009

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South Lamar Student killed in accident near Reform
by Paula Bryant
West Alabama Gazette Staff

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Madison Orr

On Monday a tragic accident occurred on Highway 17 four miles north of Reform when five people were injured with one fatality in a crash that happened at 3:25 p.m. in the Friendship Community just outside the Reform city limits.

Thomas Morgan Orr was southbound on Hwy. 17 and Shane Noland was northbound when their vehicles collided head-on according to Pickens County Coroner Chad Harless.

"The call came in to the Pickens County 911 at 3:30 p.m. that there was a 1050 [accident] involving two trucks. Shane Noland was the driver of one truck and Morgan Orr was the driver of the other truck. Madison Orr died at the scene. Shane Noland of Pickens County and Morgan Orr were both airlifted to UAB. State troopers are investigating the crash," said Harless.

In the pickup driven by Morgan Orr, 16, were his sister, Madison Orr, 12, and Sarah Long also 12. Sarah Long was transferred to Childrens Hospital and at press time Morgan Orr was in critical condition at UAB.

All three were students at South Lamar School in Millport.

Gregory Shane Noland, 17, was the driver of the other vehicle. Noland and passengers Joseph Michael Oden II, 19, and James Aaron Simmons, 19, were all injured. They are all from Pickens County, Ala.

Alabama Highway Patrol accident investigators reconstruct the scene of
the accident where Madison Orr was killed in a head-on collision.

South Lamar principal Ken Dawkins said on Tuesday, "This is a tragedy we are dealing with. We have counselors and ministers on campus for students to talk to. We just want to ask the community to all pray. The students are taking advantage of the counseling. The students are coping and there is a lot of pain here right now.

Dawkins went on, "Madison was a very well liked student by everyone. We will miss her. She was in the seventh grade. It is going to be a long week ahead."

Lamar County Superintendent of Education Jeff Newman said, "We are trying to handle this situation as best we possibly can. Counselors from all the county schools are at South Lamar today for all the students who are grieving. We want to make sure that everyone who needs help dealing with this tragedy is getting it. We had an assembly this morning [Tuesday] and spoke with all of the student body. We wanted to make sure everyone knew what had happened and what was going on and what we were doing to help. If any of them wanted to cry and just talk about it, we had professionals there to listen."

Newman added, "It is a very traumatic to lose a student classmate. We also had principals from other school districts who have dealt with this type of situation to help."

This is the second student in Lamar County to be killed in a car accident this year. Presley Dawn Pinkerton, 16, of Vernon was killed last October.

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Happy Irby dies at 94
Generals and colonels attend funeral at M.U. Baptist

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Happy Irby at last fall's Happy Fund Golf Tournament at the Whispering Pines
Golf Course at CAFB with Col. Mark Brown, Command Chief Rich Brackett and
Wing Commander Col. Roger Watkins.

George "Happy" Irby, a figure of legendary generosity and a symbol of continuity at Columbus Air Force Base, died at his home last Friday morning on his 94th birthday.

Irby died one day after Gov. Haley Barbour signed a bill into law that renamed Hwy 786, the road from Hwy 45 North to the east gate of CAFB the George "Happy" Irby Parkway. The renaming of the road had been in process for more than a year.

Irby died of complications from a fall at the CAFB Officers Club on February 6. Son George Irby, the Director of Federal Programs and the head of the Inspection Dept. for the City of Columbus, said that his father broke his hip in the fall but that because the pain was not centered in the hip the break was not diagnosed for weeks, during which time infection and other complications developed.

CAFB Wing Commander Col. Roger Watkins said of Irby, "We lost a very special member of the Columbus Air Force Base family. He was selfless and generous, with a bright smile and endearing laugh. He served Columbus Air Force Base for over 50 years and was loved and respected by all who knew him, from the most junior enlisted person to four-star generals. He'll be missed and never forgotten."

Happy Irby with good friend Mark Alexander at Irby's 93rd birthday party
in the Happy Lounge in March 2008.

Irby's friends and family speak of his selflessness and desire to help others. He was a symbol of generosity to the largercommunity through the Happy Fund, which began with his practice of saving tips at the Officers Club to buy presents at Christmas for underprivileged children. The Happy Fund eventually drew in donations from base and throughout the community and was administered by the wives of officers in the Support Group. One hundred percent of all collections are used to buy gifts. Last year 500 children in local schools received gifts fromthe Happy Fund and over 150 fruit baskets were delivered to senior citizens and the economically disadvantaged.

A major fundraiser for the Happy Fund was the Happy Fund Golf Tournament. Irby attended last fall's tournament at the Whispering Pines Golf Course on the base.

Col. Watkins and three former CAFB Wing Commanders, Ret. Major General Jack Catton, Ret. Col. Tom Quelle and Ret. General Robert "Doc" Foglesong, were among the mourners at Irby's funeral Tuesday at M.U. Baptist Church. About 25 other Air Force personnel attended the funeral, including Col. Jeff Dunn, Col. Mark Brown, Col. Diane Fletcher and Command Chief Master Sgt. Rich Brackett. Other former wing commanders sent condolences to the Irby family.

Happy Irby was born in Columbus in 1915 and was a member of Union Academy's first football team—and he was the last surviving member of that team. He went on to play quarterback at Jackson State University before returning to Columbus and working for the Columbus & Greenville Rwy. Men who are now old remember standing by the tracks when they were boys and catching nickels that Irby tossed to them as the train went by.

In the early 1950s Irby began working at the Officers Club at CAFB and ultimately became head of customer relations at the club. The club's lounge was named Happy Lounge in his honor. He continued to go to the club twice a week until he fell there in February.

Son George Irby said that retired Air Force Col. Sonic Johnson, now civilian head of Public Affairs at CAFB, stayed with him at his father's bedside Thursday night and offered much-appreciated support.

When streets at CAFB were renamed in honor of local military heroes and longtime base supporters two years ago it was decided that the principal road leading to the base be named for Irby. Because it was a state highway the name change had to be authorized by the legislature. The Senate passed a bill several weeks ago to rename the highway the George "Happy" Irby Parkway. The House has a standing rule not to name roads for people who are still living, but last week the name change was included in a House-Senate conference bill, which exempted it from the House rule. The bill passed and Gov. Barbour signed it last Thursday.

Irby was an honorary CAFB Wingman and was a recipient of the Columbus Exchange Club's Book of Golden Deeds Award.

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Packet #820 - March 26, 2009

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Columbus man killed, two injured in accident on Hwy 45 South

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Bianca Smith and Tiara Williams talk to Jonathan Williams (no relation) while waiting for
an ambulance to arrive at the scene of last Sunday morning's accident on Hwy 45 South.
Williams was seriously injured in the accident.

A young Columbus man was killed and two friends were critically injured when their car ran off Hwy 45 South early last Sunday morning and hit a concrete box culvert. Anthony Skipper, 20, also known as "Tony" and "Skip," was pronounced dead at the scene. Javante "Monkey Man" Williams and Jonathan "Jon Jon" Hughes were taken to BMH-GT and remain hospitalized at press time.

The accident occurred a little after 3:00 a.m. just south of Springfield M.B. Church on Hwy 45 South (a half-mile south of Gilmer-Wilburn Road). Skipper, Williams and Hughes were northbound in a 1999 Camry that went off the left (west) side of the highway and struck the north wing wall of a concret box culvert. The car then flipped 25 yards and landed upside-down in some undergrowth just west of a ditch that parallels the highway. Hughes remained in the car but Skipper and Williams were both ejected.

Highway Patrol investigators are still trying to determine who was driving the Camry, which reportedly belonged to Williams's girlfriend.

The Camry was in a line of vehicles that were northbound on the highway. The vehicle immediately in front of the Camry was occupied by several young Columbus men. The driver of that vehicle saw, in his rear-view mirror, the Camry's headlights veer off the highway and disappear. A car in front of that vehicle carried several young Columbus women. The driver of this car also saw the Camry's headlights veer away and disappear. The drivers of both of these vehicles turned around and went back to the scene of the accident to lend assistance. One of the women in the second vehicle was Bianca (Mays) Smith, a 2002 graduate of Columbus High School who is now a paramedic in the U.S. Army stationed in El Paso, Tex.

A few minutes before the accident was reported LCSO deputies were dispatched to the area on a report that a northbound car was running other cars off the highway. Lt. Clint Sims and Reserve Deputy Mark McGarity stopped the suspect driver near Burkhalter Rigging just as the accident was reported. Sims helped secure the suspect, Jody Eugene Swartz, and then left him with McGarity and headed south to the accident scene. Deputy Eric Granderson had gone on ahead of him.

Motorists and Transcare EMT Joe Hamiter (blue jacket) help free
Jonathan Hughes from the wreckage

E-911 first reported that a car had flipped near Dan's County Line Club and the Dist. 4 Volunteers were dispatched to that area. A minute or two later E-911 reported that a car had flipped near Gilmer-Wilburn Road and Dist. 5 Volunteers were dispatched to that scene. A few minutes later it became clear that only one accident had occurred, near Gilmer-Wilburn Road. Volunteers from both VFDs went to the scene.

It took some minutes for the deputies and then the volunteers and ambulances from BMH-GT to arrive. In the meantime, the men and women in the two cars that had been ahead of the Camry tried to help the victims. They were quickly joined by retired Columbus fireman Joe Hamiter, who was transporting a patient from Noxubee General Hospital to BMH-GT in a Transcare ambulance and saw the activity and stopped. His assistant stayed with their patient in the ambulance while Hamiter went to help the others at the scene.

At first the only victim they found was Hughes, who was trapped in the wreckage. Bianca Smith discovered Williams when she ran from the wreck to the Transcare ambulance to get a body board and stumbled over him lying in the ditch in the darkness. He was lying northeast of the overturned Camry.

Sims, Granderson and Hamiter soon arrived on the scene. Sims said that Granderson held Williams's head out of the water in the ditch while he (Sims) put a C-collar on Williams's neck. Smith, the Army paramedic, went back and forth to the Transcare ambulance getting items that Sims and Granderson needed. Sims said that it was a great advantage having someone on the scene who knew what he was asking for. Hamiter, meanwhile, was trying to help Hughes, who was trapped in the wreckage nearby.

Williams was placed on a body board (from Hamiter's ambulance) and carried up to the shoulder of the highway, where Smith and another occupant in her car, Tiara Williams of Columbus, talked to him and tried to keep him engaged

When Hamiter and the volunteer firemen finally freed Hughes from the wreckage the young men who had been in the car ahead of the Camry helped carry him across the ditch and up the bank to a BMH-GT ambulance. It was at this point that one of the victims told rescuers that the Camry had been carrying two other occupants. Everyone with a flashlight then began searching the area from the culvert to the overturned car and well beyond, trying to find the other victims.

Dist. 4 Volunteer Larry Caldwell examines the pool
below the box culvert while searching for missing
victims. The car hit the wing wall on the right and
then flipped 25 yards through the air.

Skipper's body was finally discovered in the ditch 50 yards north of the wreckage—75 yards north of the culvert. The body was lying face-up in the ditch, which was very small at that point and contained only a little water. Paramedics determined that Skipper was dead.

Additional questioning of Hughes and Williams finally convinced deputies that only three people had been riding in the Camry.

Coroner Greg Merchant pronounced Skipper dead at the scene. He said later that Skipper died of blunt force trauma to the head and chest. One of Skipper's shoes was found near the culvert and Merchant considered the possibility that Skipper had been ejected near the culvert and had walked north in the ditch until he finally collapsed, but Merchant ultimately concluded that Skipper had been thrown from the vehicle to the spot where he was found. Merchant said that one of Skipper's legs was broken and that the sock on the exposed foot was soiled from the ditch but showed no evidence that Skipper had walked up the ditch from the culvert.

The rear of the Camry was completely crushed, suggesting that the car spun around before hitting the wing wall going backwards. The rear bumper was stuck 30 feet high in a tree. Merchant said that Skipper would have been "catapulted" out of the tumbling vehicle.

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Sims considered the possibility that the wreck was somehow connected with the report that Jody Eugene Turner was runniing people off the highway minutes earlier (the 911 call was made by someone in the Smith vehicle), but he said that he could find no connection between Turner and Skipper, Hughes and Williams.

Turner was taken to BMH-GT at his request, for a cut over an eye, but Sims said that the cut was apparently caused by a rifle scope recoil and occurred earlier in the day. Turner was charged with possession of a weapon by a felon, possession of a stolen firearm, DUI, switched tag, no insurance and no driver's license.

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Sims praised Smith and the others who stopped and provided assistance after the wreck. He said that with their help he and Granderson had Williams "packaged" and on the shoulder of the highway by the time the first BMH-GT ambulance arrived. [I neglected to get the names of the young men who helped rescue Mr. Hughes and Mr. Williams. Ed.]

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Carter's Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements for Skipper's funeral, which will be Saturday at Southside M.B. Church.

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Heritage graduate killed in Hwy 25 accident

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An MSU student from Columbus and a Byram native who recently earned his masters degree at MSU died from injuries received in a two-vehicle accident last Sunday afternoon on Hwy 25 near Carthage.

Bradley Gibson, 26, of Starkville, died at University Medical Center in Jackson around 6:00 p.m. Saturday evening, just three hours after the accident. Lyndsi Hill, 21, a Columbus native and a senior education major at MSU, died of her injuries at UMC around 9:00 a.m. Monday morning.

A Highway Patrol spokesman said that the accident occurred at 3:10 p.m. last Sunday afternoon near the intersection of Hwy 25 & Red Dog Road, about a mile south of Carthage. He said that Gibson was at the wheel of a northbound 1999 Toyota that was also carrying Hill and Jonathan Chandler, 25, of Brandon. Brandon was in the front passenger seat and Hill was in the back seat.

The Toyota collided with a 1996 Dodge pickup that apparently crossed the highway on Red Dog Road into the path of the Toyota. The pickup was driven by Derrick Moss, 19, of Pulaski. Three minor passengers were also in the pickup.

All four occupants of the pickup were transported to Leake Memorial Hospital, where they were treated and released. Gibson, Hill and Chandler were transported to Leake Memorial Hospital and Gibson and Hill were then flown to UMC.

The accident is still under investigation.

Hill graduated from Heritage Academy in 2005 and was earning an education degree at MSU. She worked as a waitress at the Mugshots Bar & Grill in Starkville.

Gibson earned a degree in entomology at MSU, graduating cum laude, and recently earned his master's degree in entomology. He had just been hired by Monsanto Chemical Co. to work in Jonesboro, Ark. His father, Jerry Gibson, is a Caledonia native.

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Packet #819 - March 19, 2009

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Lee Middle student dies in accident on Hwy 69 S.

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Dist. 3 Volunteers examine the wreckage of the car that flipped on Hwy 69 South last Sunday morning killing
14-year-old Lee Middle School student Jennifer Jackson and injuring five other occupants.

A one-car accident on Hwy 69 South early last Sunday morning claimed the life of a Lee Middle School 8th grader. Jennifer Jackson, 14, died from injuries she received when she was ejected from the vehicle and then crushed beneath it in a water-filled ditch. Jackson's sister and four other young females suffered minor injuries in the accident.

The accident occurred in light rain near the First Colony Drive & Hwy 69 South intersection. Jennifer Jackson's 17-year-old sister, Jessica Jackson, was at the wheel of a southbound 2007 Mazda 6 when the car ran off the right side of the highway and struck a field road with a small culvert. The car flipped over the field road and came down on its roof in a ditch on the other side. The water in the ditch was knee deep.

The other occupants of the car were bruised and bloodied but managed to get out.

The accident was reported at 12:41 a.m. Jessica Jackson and the other passengers, Shaquala Boyd and Steronda Boyd (sisters) and Rashada Payne and Lashada Payne (sisters) managed to get out of the overturned vehicle, but Jennifer Jackson's body was pressed into the ditch beneath the overturned vehicle. It was clear to Dist. 3 Volunteers that she was dead. The volunteers and BMH-GT paramedics tended to the survivors as relatives arrived on the scene. The car was left in position until Deputy Coroner Tim Hamilton and a Hwy Patrol accident reconstructionist could take photos and notes, then a wrecker lifted the car to free Jennifer Jackson's body.

Hamilton ruled that Jackson died of blunt force trauma to the head and chest. She had been riding in the front passenger seat and it appeared that may have been thrown through the windshield and that the car then rolled onto her.

Jackson was the daughter of Sandra Jackson and Jessie Jackson Jr. Graveside services will be March 21 at noon at Taylor Chapel Cemetery in Victoria. Rodgers Funeral Home in Coldwater is in charge of arrangements (obituary in this Packet).

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George Pate charged with murder in wife's death
He remains in Willowbrook

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George Pate is pictured being moved
from his house to an ambulance after
his wife's body was discovered last
Wednesday night.

George Pate remains at BMH-GT's Willowbrook psychiatric facility under 24-hour police guard more than a week after his wife was shot to death in their home on 8th St. South. Willowbrook officials have reportedly thwarted police plans to transfer Pate to a cell at LCADC.

Police found Peggy Pate's body in the couple's bedroom on the night of March 12, after her sister called from Arkansas expressing concern about her welfare. The sister had not talked to Peggy Pate since late the night before (Tuesday, March 11). Police broke into the home a little after 8:00 p.m., after seeing a key in the inside of the back door deadbolt lock—which meant that whoever locked the door was still inside the house.

Peggy Pate's body was found in the master bedroom, clad in nightclothes. George Pate was found asleep or unconscious in the room, apparently from a drug overdose.

George Pate was not carried from the house but was helped out the back door and then placed on a gurney and taken to an ambulance on 8th St. in front of the house. A photograph in the last Packet showed Officers Don Holifield and Donnie Elkin flanking the gurney that carried Pate from the house to the ambulance. Holifield was holding a tape recorder near Pate's head. Pate reportedly was reportedly making unsolicited statements about the shooting at the time. Two police officers rode in the ambulance to BMH-GT. He was put in CCU with an officer always with him.

Coroner Greg Merchant took Peggy Pates's body to Jackson last Thursday (March 12) for an autopsy. After the autopsy Merchant ruled that she died from a gunshot wound to the head. Shortly after noon that same day George Pate was charged with her murder. He requested an attorney and, in the words of a police officer familiar with the case, he "lawyered up." Pate was still in CCU at that time but later that afternoon was transferred to a private room at Willowbrook. Police guards have been with him continuously, rotating every few hours. The guards do not carry firearms in the hospital but carry Tasers and pepper spray.

Police hoped to move Pate to LCADC on Tuesday but were reportedly thwarted by Willowbrook doctors. Police spokesman Capt. Fred Shelton said yesterday that discussions with hospital staff were continuing. He referred to "a legal issue" and said that because George Pate apparently tried to commit suicide doctors want to observe him. He added, "But once they give us the all-clear we'll move him... Regardless of his condition, he's going to jail."

Shelton said that Pate could be placed under suicide watch at LCADC.

Merchant said that Peggy Pate died of a large-caliber gunshot wound to the head but he would not say if she suffered more than one wound. He said that Dr. Amy McMaster conducted the autopsy, which revealed no cuts or bruises. Speaking of the fatal wound, Merchant said, "The position of the wound is such that it couldn't be construed as self-inflicted."

Merchant said that Peggy Pate's sister talked to her about 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday night (March 10). Merchant thinks that she was probably shot late that night or early on Wednesday. George Pate apparently stayed inside the house with her body until he was escorted out by police Wednesday night (Mrch 11).

George Pate retired from 4-County Power Assn. three years ago, after a career in which he rose to become supevisor of the Mapping & Engineering Dept. A former subordinate said that he "never raised his voice." She said that he earned his master's degree at MSU while working at 4-County and encouraged those working under him to continue their educations. The former subordinate described him as "super-smart and super-nice." She said he did not hunt and "hated guns" (but he reportedly acquired a handgun recently).

George Pate is currently employed as an instructional design coordinator at Northwest Community College in Senatobia.

Earl Weeks, who was 4-County CEO from 1988 to 2000, remembers the Pates as "a nice, congenial couple, kind of liberal, very progressive." He went on, "He was almost a pacifist... he is one of the last people in the world I'd suspect of something like this." Weeks said he had seen the Pates only a few times in passing since he left 4-County.

Peggy was a longtime CECO Building Systems employee, where she was a senior detailer in the drafting department. She would have been 54 on March 12. She was buried last Saturday, March 14.

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Packet #818 - March 12, 2009

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Woman Found Dead, Husband Unconscious

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Officers Don Holifield and Donnie Elkin escort the gurney carrying George Pate from
his house to an ambulance on 8th St. South last night around 8:30 p.m. Pate was
suffering from an apparent drug overdose. At midnight he was in stable condition at
BMH-GT but was still unable to communicate with investigators.

A Columbus woman was found dead and her husband unconsious in their home on 8th St. South yesterday evening. The case appeared to be a murder/attempted suicide but the investigation was in its preliminary stages last night and police and Coroner Greg Merchant had not yet reached any conclusions about what had happened.

The deceased is Peggy Ann Walker Pate, a CECO employee. She would have been 54 today. Her husband is George Henderson Pate, 56, an instructor at Northwest Community College.

Police spokesman Cpt. Fred Shelton said that Peggy Pate had suffered a gunshot wound, but he would not say that that was the cause of death. Police at the scene suspected that George Pate had suffered an overdose, but no such official pronouncement was made.

Police were dispatched to the Pate residence, at 415 8th St. South, around 7:30 p.m. last night on a "welfare check" call. Cpt. Shelton said that Peggy Pate's sister, who lives in Benton, Ark., had been unable to reach her at home or at work and finally called Lowndes County E-911 to request that police investigate.

Lead investigator Travis Robertson arrives on the scene, in a neighborhood
of neat but modest homes.

Police officers went to the house and saw nothing amiss at first, but on a follow-up visit about 45 minutes later an officer saw keys in a deadbolt lock on the inside of a door—meaning that someone had locked the door from the inside. The officers broke a window in the door to gain entry to the house.

Shelton said that inside the house the officers found Peggy Pate's lifeless body in a bedroom. They found George Pate unconscious. An ambulance was called and George Pate was taken from the house to the ambulance on a gurney. Paramedics treated him in the ambulance for some minutes before taking him to BMH-GT. Two police officers rode in the ambulance too.

Around midnight last night Shelton told the Packet that George Pate was in stable condition at BMH-GT but was still unable to communicate. He said that a police officer would stay with Pate through the night.

Merchant said that he will take Peggy Pate's body to Jackson today for an autopsy.

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King's Last Performance Was at the Omnova

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Dot Young onstage with Willie King at the Omnova.
(Photo by Joe Young)

Bluesman Willie King's last performance was at the Omnova Theater in the Rosenzweig Arts Center last Saturday night to a full house. The next day he died at Noxubee General Hospital of congestive heart failure.

King's appearance at the Omnova was a make-up show for one that was cancelled on January 8 after he became ill and was hospitalized at BMH-GT for diabetes.

King had planned to eat supper with Joe and Dot Young of Columbus before last Saturday night's show but was unable to keep the date because he had to take a cousin he looked after to the hospital. Dot Young fixed plates of food for him and his band and took them to the Omnova.

Joe Young, who is head of the LCSO Investigation Division and plays rythm guitar in Footloose, the house band at The Junction, opened for King at the Omnova. Young said that King looked more fit and seemed more energetic last Saturday night than he had in a long time. He said that King usually performed for an hour but last Saturday night performed for almost two hours. Backing him up were Caleb Childs of Louisville and Ed Swan of Starkville on guitar and Willie James Williams of Noxubee County on drums. Fan Quinn Brisline of Columbus sat in on drums during the show.

Joe Young videoed the performance, which included a new song, "Angels in Columbus," that King planned to record for his next CD.

Young said that he talked to King once or twice a week and that King had gotten his sugar adjusted and had been feeling wel since his stay at BMH-GT in January.

Young said that before last Saturday's performance "he sampled some of Dot's pound cake and saved some to take home with him. Dot brushed cake crumbs off his shirt..."

Young said that King was apologetic about missing the dinner engagement and promised to come this Saturday.

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Noxubee County Mourns Loss of Willie King
by Scott Boyd
MaconBeacon@aol.com

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Willie King's last show. (Photo by J. C. Long)

Willie King is being remembered this week as a Blues innovator and a friend to all who knew him.

King, a Noxubee native who found a legion of fans worldwide in recent years, died Sunday afternoon at the emergency room at Noxubee General Hospital.

Close friend Rye Weston of Macon said King came by her house late last Saturday night after playing a gig in Columbus. "It was about midnight and he said then he wasn't feeling good," she said. "He acted like he was having a little trouble breathing. I tried to get him to let me take him to the emergency room, but he wouldn't."

Weston said King hung around a while before heading home to Old Memphis, Ala. "We sat out on the front porch cause he said he wanted some fresh air," Weston said. 8 0About 5 a.m. he left and said he was going home."

It's not entirely clear what happened after that, but what is known is that someone brought King to Noxubee General Hospital Sunday afternoon where he died about 5 p.m.

Noxubee Coroner R.L. Calhoun said it appears King was a victim of a heart attack. "He apparently had a history of health problems," Calhoun said.

"I'm really going to miss him," said Weston, who said they became close friends several years ago when he invited her to accompany him on a trip to Mobile where he was scheduled to perform. "I became his biggest fan after that," she said.

Never one to be consumed with fame and fortune, King chose to live a simple life at his single-wide mobile home near Old Memphis, just across the county line from his birthplace at Prairie Point.

King, 65, was introduced to music at an early age, but it wasn't until about 15 years ago that he began playing seriously. The famed "Bettie's Place" off Prairie Point Road, was his20venue and brought in fans, both black and white, on many Sunday nights. In recent years John Ely's small club in Macon has been his home base. He had learned to match his guitar playing to his singing voice – a raspy tone that made it sound like he dined on sandpaper.

In recent years he has toured around the U.S. and Europe. All six of his albums, and his documentary DVD "Down in the Woods" helped spread his music and earn critical acclaim from Blues aficionados.

King performed many of his own songs – including several that addressed the injustices blacks had to endure prior to, and during the Civil Rights movement. Although all of his songs weren't political in nature, many were. In recent years, however, he had drifted away from grudge tunes and was focusing on reconciliation messages in his songs. He lived that in his life, too. The chip that was once on his shoulder had been knocked off long ago.

Many of his local fans are now recalling how special it was back last August when he joined fellow Noxubee Native Eddy Clearwater at the dedication of the Blues Trial Monument in downtown Macon. When they joined each other on stage to jam together – in mutual admiration – history was made.

"He was very special," said record producer Jim O'Neal of Kansas City. It was O'Neal who discovered King at a festival at Eutaw, Ala. in 1987. The two stayed in touch over the next 13 years and O'Neal gave King his big break in 2000 when he recorded his now famous "Freedom Creek" album, live at Bettie's Place.

"It really breaks my heart to know he's gone," said O'Neal.

Along with his music, King was dedicated to the improvement of his people through his Rural Members Association that sponsored classes in music, woodworking, food preservation, and other traditional African-American traditions.

Visitation is planned Saturday, March 14 from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. at Willie King's home in Old Memphis. Funeral services are set for Sunday, March 15 at 2 p.m. at Aliceville City Hall. For more information call Lavender's at 205-373-2420.

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A King Tribute:

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Noxubee County native and internationally known bluesman
Willie King performs at the Omnova Theater last Saturday
night. The next day he died at Noxubee General Hospital.
(Photo by J.C. Long)

Columbus native and musician J.C. Long wrote this tribute after learning of the death of Willie King:

I was home for a drum lesson with my old college teacher and dear friend, Dr. Robert Damm the weekend of the 7th of March, and to visit family. As I left my lesson with Dr. Damm, I learned that the North Mississippi All-Stars were going to be playing at Rick's Cafe in Starkville that night. The revered bluesman R.L. Burnside's son and grandson have both played with that band. As I was making plans to attend, I got word that Legendary bluesman Willie King would himself be playing in Columbus that evening. Something told me I ought to attend, and I made some phone calls to see if I could get tickets. The wonderful organizers of the event reserved two tickets for me, so I brought my dear friend Jeremy Dayton along, whom is pictured. The Dayton family has been a treasure not only to me, but also to this great nation, as Jeremy's brother made the ultimate sacrifice in Baghdad nearly five years ago. I know Jeremy was also ready to receive Willie's message, which is simple yet profound. Willie said, "My grandparents passed this stuff down to me, and they said, 'pass it on'... If everybody in this room was to be opened up on the inside, you'd see that on the inside, we're all the same... we're all the same." I promised Willie that I'd "pass it on", and so to me, the message means that it doesn't matter what color your skin is, how much money you have right now (he mentioned growing the sweet potatos back in the old days, down in the woods). It does not matter if you have a congested heart or a congested spirit. Every one of us at some time faces some kind of adversity, some of us more than others. It does not matter if you have hurt someone and need forgiveness, or if you have been hurt and need to forgive someone else-- on the inside, we're all the same. And so I pass on his message, and I will continue to 'pass it on', the rest of my days. I don't know why I was in the right place at the right time, but I am grateful I was ready to receive his message. I think everyone in that audience was ready, and I hope that each person reading this can receive the wonderful message of the late great Willie King. My warmest sympathy goes to his band mates, who make such beautiful music, and to his friends and family. I am honored to have been in his presence-- I learned more in those three hours...

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Packet #817 - March 5, 2009

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Jonathan Ellis, Chris Broussard and Garrett Cash (foreground) slide on the embankment at the Hwy 45 North-Hwy 82 Bypass interchange Sunday morning. They used an old skateboard board and a plastic garbage bag for sleds. Snow began falling in the Columbus area around 3:00 a.m. last Sunday morning. The snow stopped for awhile and then began falling more heavily and was still falling well after dawn, swirled by heavy winds. The snow melted on streets but accumulated on bridges. The skies started to clear around 8:00 a.m. but the temperature remained cold throughout the day. Patches of snow were still visible in shady spots late Tuesday. The last substantial snowfall here that anyone could remember was ten years ago.

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Lanell Hearn Will Spend the Rest of His Life Behind Bars

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Hearn leaves the courtroom.

Retired Columbus and Noxubee County schoolteacher Lanell Hearn was sentenced to 38 years in prison Monday for a shooting rampage on 18th Ave. North on February 29, 2008 that left his wife, Dorothy Hearn, former city councilman Rev. Kamal Karriem and Police Officer Guy Taylor wounded. Hearn himself was wounded with a shot to the head, but the bullet mushroomed and did not penetrate his skull.

Minutes before Hearn was sentenced Rev. Karriem left the building after a two-day hearing on a petition to get out of prison (his probation was revoked soon after he was wounded by Hearn, for failing a drug test) [I attended most of the Karriem hearing but didn't have time to work up a report this week. Ed.].

In the Leap Day rampage, Hearn shot his wife and Karriem near the 18th Ave. SOCO gas island and then chased Karriem north across the parking lot to the strip mall. Karriem ran into 1B Beauty Supply. Hearn was reloading, preparing to follow Karriem inside, when Taylor drove up and confronted Hearn. The two exchanged gunfire and Taylor went down with a bullet to the abdomen (five other slugs hit his vest). Police Chief Joseph St. John emerged from the nearby Fitness Factor and took up the gunfight with Hearn, who managed to flee in Taylor's car. Thirty minutes later Hearn was discovered walking north from Wal-Mart and Deputy Marc Miley and Police Lt. Keith Worshaim chased him through the slough north of Wal-Mart and exchanged gunfire with him. Hearn went down with a bullet to the back of the head.

Karriem was shot three times in the rampage and Dorothy Hearn was shot once but Taylor's wound was the most serious of anyone's. Taylor underwent emergency surgery after the shooting and underwent more surgery last month in an effort to repair damage caused to his stomach by Hearn's bullet. Taylor, who has not yet returned to work following this latest surgery, was in the courtroom when Hearn made his plea. Taylor did not speak—he had told D.A. Forrest Allgood that he would like to know why Hearn did it, and Judge Jim Kitchens asked Hearn that question. Hearn was charged with five oth

er counts connected to the shooting and taking a police car to make his getaway. Those charges were retired to the files.

At the sentencing hearing, Kitchens asked Hearn if he had anything to say.

"I'm sorry for what happened," Hearn responded. "I had no indication to harm anyone and I apologize to everyone involved. I beg for forgiveness."

"Why did you do this?" the judge asked. "What caused a man who served his country in the Army and taught school to do something like that?"

Hearn tried to explain what happened that day: "Once I came to the service station—they came after I did—I told them to come to talk to me and he [Karriem] became hostile. He wanted to know what it was about and said he was here to get gas..." He said that Karriem made a move toward him.

The judge asked, "Did you think they were having an affair?"

"Yessir."

The judge said, "You know that I don't condone the shooting of Mr. Karriem, but why on earth did you shoot Officer Taylor?"

"I was going off in my head. I could hear shouting in my head [saying], ‘Get out of here, they're trying to shoot you.' I just panicked."

Responding to the judge's questions, Hearn said that he served in the artillery in the Army, leaving the service in 1966 and then becoming a teacher.

Kitchens told Hearn that if he thought his wife was having an affair with Rev. Karriem he should have filed suit against them. He added, "But shooting them?" He asked Hearn, "If I were sitting there wearing that yellow jumpsuit and you were up her, what would you sentence me to?"

"Eight or ten years," suggested Hearn.

"You'd be a much more kind judge than I am," the judge replied. "You endangered everybody's life in the shopping center that day... I read [In the Packet. Ed.] where you went into Wal-Mart and bought more bullets."

"Yessir."

"I have to decide, can I ever safely trust you back into the community again."

"I have no problem with anybody involved," said Hearn.

Kitchens said, "We always equate forgiveness with turning people loose... I forgive a lot of people for what they do in front of me... I wish I could give you what you want here, but I can't. When you did this the die was cast. The most dangerous people are those who will kill their mothers and fathers and police officers. Do I think you were under extreme emotional distress, yes, but when the officer was in front of you you should have put the gun down."

Kitchens sentenced Hearn to eight years for one of the counts involving Karriem and to 30 years for shooting Officer Taylor. He said the terms are to run consecutively. Hearn is 72 and will therefore have to live to be 110 to ever get out of prison.

"Mr. Hearn, I wish I hadn't met you this way," said the judge.

A young woman said to be Hearn's daughter collapsed sobbing in the hallway as Hearn was led away.

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Aaron Pulsifer planned to plead guilty to defrauding Medicaid of over $1 million in a scam but then decided to go to trial instead. It was clear from the beginning that Pulsifer had no answer to the state's evidence. He was scheduled to take the stand last Friday morning but instead opted to end the trial by pleading guilty. Judge Lee Howard sentenced him to a total of 20 years in prison on seven counts of fraud. The judge did not ask him what happened to the $1.14 million he stole. Pulsifer is pictured outside the courtroom as bailiffs attempt to put handcuffs and leg irons on him. The cuffs and irons were too small to go around his wrists and ankles. [I have a lot of notes on the trial and still hope to work up a report. Judge Howard accepted the guilty plea (he didn't have to) and then did not ask what happened to the million dollars. He could have checked tax and property records to see where some of it went. And Mr. Pulsifer did not plead guilty to count 1, identity theft, which was arguably the most serious charge. The plea and sentence happened quickly. Ed.]

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Firemen and Police Officer Ben Sanders work to free Erica Harris from a mud hole last Sunday morning at 8th Ave. North & 14th St. Harris's foot became stuck in very soft mud on a lot where a house was burned last year, after torrential rains had fallen, followed by snowfall (more on this unusual rescue inside).

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Torrential rains last Friday night washed out the culvert on Steens-Vernon Road just east of Tim Hudson's farm and about a mile from the Alabama line. The branch that crosses under the road does not have a name. Hudson's nearby pond (south of Steens-Vernon Road and west of the branch) empties into the branch. Hudson's dam held but he said that during the downpour the water in the pond was higher than he had ever seen it (meaning that it was higher in the spillway than ever before). Walt Willis, former longtime Dist. 1 Supervisor, said that the culvert last washed out in 1984 after the dam on Hudson's property failed (before Hudson owned it). The old tube was 5' in diameter and 60' long and was heavily rusted on its underside. The Lowndes County Road Dept. tried to restore traffic last Saturday morning by putting two temporary tubes in the blowout, one 30" in diameter and one 48". The runoff was much diminished by this time and the two tubes had enough capacity to handle it but they were only 30' long—not long enough to provide for a roadway and sloping banks. A 5' x 60' tube was ordered and was installed in the cut yesterday.

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Packet #816 - February 26, 2009

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Work Program Supervisor Wounded in Accident at Shooting Range

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Paramedics wheel Jim Rhodes from the firing range quonset hut to an ambulance yesterday
morning about 7:15 a.m. Rhodes was shot through the upper left arm when an officer's pistol
discharged accidentally following shooting practice.

The supervisor of the city's Work Program was wounded yesterday morning in an apparent accidental discharge of a weapon near the Police Dept.'s firing range on MLK Drive South. Jim Rhodes, 56, was treated and released at BMH-GT for a bullet wound to his right upper arm.

The accident happened around 7:00 a.m. in the quonset hut adjacent to the firing range. CPD spokesman Cpt. Fred Shelton said that Rhodes, who is also a reserve police officer, was struck by a bullet that passed through two partitions before passing through his arm and then lodging in a wall. Shelton said that the .40 cal. bullet came from the gun of a police officer in another room in the quonset hut but he declined to identify the officer.

The Packet has learned that the bullet came from the service weapon of Charles Johnson, who had many years of service with the West Point Police Dept. before joining the Columbus Police Dept. four years ago.

Shelton said that the bullet passed through a fleshy part of Rhodes's arm and did not hit a bone or joint.

Jim Rhodes

Police Chief Joseph St. John was at the scene immediately after the incident. The Lowndes County Sheriff's Office was called in to conduct an investigation and Investigator Tony Perkins arrived minutes later.

Shelton provided a few details about the situation at the time of the shooting. He said that five police officers went to the range yesterday morning to fire their five-week qualifying course. Fifty rounds apiece are required to qualify but yesterday morning each fired 100 rounds. After firing on the range they went into the nearby quonset hut, which houses a room where officers can clean their weapons. Shelton said that one of the officers' semi-automatic pistols discharged inside this room. The bullet passed through two partitions and entered Rhodes's office; it passed through his arm and then lodged in a wall.

Citizens working off fines through the Work Program started to arrive at the scene shortly after the shooting.

Shelton has been on the police force for 20 years and said he did not remember another case in which someone was wounded at the firing range. He said that several years ago a pistol discharged in the cleaning room but in that case the bullet passed through an outside wall and disappeared. That hole is still in the wall.

Shelton said that the officers who were present at the time of the accident will participate in a "critical incident stress management meeting" this morning.

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Slab House Killer Says He Shot in Self Defense

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Chuck Newell of Vernon, Ala. is escorted to the court-
room for the start of his trial Tuesday morning by
Bailiff Don Hudson. The jury will begin deliberations
in the case this morning.

James Charles "Chuck" Newell of Vernon, Ala. went to trial Tuesday for the shooting death of Adrian Boyette of Sulligent, Ala. at the Slab House on May 14, 2008. The testimony ended late yesterday afternoon and the jury will go into deliberations this morning.

Boyette died after being shot through the chest around 9:00 p.m. that night. Newell was taken into custody by Alabama lawmen an hour-and-a-half later at his home on Sailor Cemetery Road near Vernon.

The Slab House is located near the intersection of Hwy 12 & Cal-Vernon Road, near the Alabama line.

D.A. Forrest Allgood reportedly was willing to offer Newell a 15-year recommended sentence prior to the start of the trial but Boyette's mother, Peggy Boyette, refused to agree to it. Peggy Boyette was at the trial, along with Diane O'Mary, Adrian Boyette's girlfriend since middle school. O'Mary said that Boyette lived with his mother, who has cancer, and did body work.

There was never any question that Newell shot and killed Boyette, 31. The issue at trial was whether Boyette threatened Newell before Newell shot him. Only three people were present when the shot was fired: Newell, Boyette and Jason Hollis, a lifelong friend of Boyette's. Jimmy Wright, owner of the Slab House, was inside the building when the shot was fired. When he emerged Boyette was lying in the parking lot, fatally wounded.

Newell and Boyette did not know each other. Testimony showed that Newell thought that his wife of two weeks, Diane, was seeing an old boyfriend, Tony Hays, and that she and Hays were at the Slab House. Newell tried calling his wife and a man answered the phone. He went to the Slab House and found his wife's pickup truck there but she and Hays were not there. Instead, he found Boyette and Hollis and asked them what they were doing near his wife's truck and if they had answered the phone. This led to a response by Boyette and the fatal shot.

Both Hollis and Newell testified at trial. Hollis testified that Newell and Boyette exchanged words in the parking lot before the shot was fired. Newell testified that Boyette slammed a truck door on his leg, beat on his pickup truck and threatened to cut him (Boyette had a pocket knife in his pocket).

The state, represented by Asst. D.A. Rhonda Hays Ellis, wanted to include phone messages that Newell had left for his wife on her cell phone the day of the shoting and statements that Newell made to Alabama lawmen when they went to his house to arrest him after the shooting. Newell's attorney, William Starks of Columbus, filed a motion to suppress these statements. Judge Jim Kitchens conducted a hearing on this motion to suppress before the jury came in and the trial actually started.

In the hearing on the motion to suppress, Lamar County deputies and a Vernon police officer testified about what occurred when they went to Newell's house to arrest him after the killing, including Newell's statements about the shooting. Starks tried to argue that when Newell was making these statements he was in police custody or under police control and that the lawmen had not read him his Miranda Rights, but the lawmen all said that when he was making the statements he had a gun and was threatenting to shoot himself and was not yet in custody.

Judge Kitchens ultimately rejected Starks's argument, saying, "I've looked at the [legal] authorities and I don't see this is any different that when somebody is holding a hostage and they say they're not coming out or ‘I'll kill everybody if you come in.' You can't argue that the defendant is in custody when he has a gun and you don't want him to kill himself or us kill him or he kill an officer... It's like somebody barricaded in—obviously he's not free to leave, but you don't have to Mirandize him. I don't feel it was violative of his 5th Amendment rights of self-incrimination. Clearly if he invoked the right after he was in custody, those statements won't come in. But statements he made while he was holding a gun... And they were not custodial interrogation-type questions that Miranda governs."

Starks also sought to suppress recorded statements that Newell left on his wife's telephone on the day of the shooting. In one, he told her, according to Starks's memory, "Diane, I think I'll come and pop a cap in your ass—and his [Tony Hays] too." In a subsequent message Newell said, "Nevermind—neither of you are worth it."

Starks wanted these messages kept from the jury because they were "not relevant," were privileged messages from a husband to a wife and because they presented "authentication problems."

Kitchens said it appeared to him that the messages indicated that Newell "was intent on going to the Slab House and killing them."

Starks responded that the messages were "not relevant... This doesn't involve the victim. Neither Tony or Diane was present. It's a bad action in itself but he didn't have any ulterior motives with Mr. Boyette. It's more prejudicial than probitive, and it's violative of the Mississippi Code, since we've never been gien an opportunity to consent to it or not... If he was attempting to shoot his spouse at the scene and he shot a third party it might be admissable. It was intended for her alone and nobody else."

Kitchens asked if Newell went to the Slab House looking for his wife and Hays. Starks admitted he did but said that neither was there.

Ellis argued that the tapes showed "a deliberate design to kill. Prior to going to the Slab House he intended to cap somebody and he ultimately did. It's a statement, not a bad act. It goes to his intent, what he intended to do when he got to the Slab House."

Kitchens asked if Newell "had an expectation of privacy on his wife's phone?" and Starks said that she was "the only recipient of the message."

Kitchens said the messages would be admissable, "to show motive and intent." He added, "Any prejudice will be outweighed by the probitive value as to intent and plan..."

Lamar County Deputies David Sullivan and James C. Smith and Vernon
Police Officer Jeff Patrick outside the courthouse on the first day
of Chuck Newell's murder trial. They facilitated Newell's surrender
after he shot Adrian Boyette and then threatened to kill himself.

Under the tree with a gun
Several lawmen testified twice about what happened when they went to seize Newell at his home on Sailor Cemetery Road after the killing. They testified first at the hearing on the suppression of statements and again in front of the jury.

Vernon Police Officer Jeff Patrick said that he was the first to arrive at Newell's home, which was down a short trail from Newell's sister's house on Sailor Cemetery Road. He said he had been dispatched to the scene on a suicide report. He said that Newell was sitting against a tree in front of his house with a gun to his head. Patrick was closely followed by Deputy James C. Smith. They were there "for a minute or two" before Deputy David Sullivan arrived and took over the negotiations. He said that Sullivan was a longtime friend of Newell's.

Patrick said that Newell had a gun in his hand. Asked what Newell said, he responded, "Excuse my French, but he said, ‘F--- uy'all motherf---s. You're gonna have to kill me. I'm not goin' anywhere."

He said that he and other officers backed off when Sullivan arrived and that Sullivan "was just talking to him, and in the course of it they talked about what had happened." Ellis asked if Newell made demands or requests and Patrick said he wanted a cigarette and they gave him one. And he wanted to know "if the person he had shot had died. We didn't know but we said no. And he wanted fingerprints taken from his pickup [where Boyette had hit it]. We complied with all his requests." Patrick said that Newell was threatening to shoot himself or them. "There was quite a bit of conversation about what had happened."

Patrick said that Newell said he had called his wife's cell phone and that a man had answered "and he went down there and there were two men [Hollis and Boyette] in the parking lot and he asked both if they had answered the phone and they wouldn't admit it and one guy banged on his truck and said he'd f--- his world and he'd finally had enough and flung the door open and popped a cap." He said that's what Newell said, and that he volunteered all of it."

Smith testified that Newell told them under the tree that no one would believe him about the shooting and that "everybody at the Slab House would say he murdered him because they were not his friends. He started offering up information—unsolicited information, we didn't ask him..."

Ellis asked if he heard Newell say that he "got into words with an individual and he out out of his truck and popped a cap in his ass."

"I heard it," said Smith.

"Did anyone give him his Miranda Rights?" Starks asked.

"No," said Smith. He said that Sheriff Terry Perkins took Newell into custody when he finally put his gun down and surrendered.

Sullivan talked to Newell because he had known him a long time. He said that Newell was telling him things and he was asking questions.

"He wasn't free to leave, was he?" asked Starks.

"No."

"What was he telling you about his wife, Diane?"

"He thought she was messing around with Tony Hays."

William Starks

"He wasn't backing down"
Jason Hollis testified that outside the Slab House Newll asked them what they were doing beside a truck in the parking lot (his wife's pickup) and Boyette and Newell got into an argument.

Starks asked if Boyette "was participating in the heatedness?"

"He wasn't backing down," Hollis replied. "But he never pushed or shoved him."

Starks asked, "After the first exchange Mr. Newell walked to the car, didn't he? And opened the door and was getting in thecar?"

"He was standing in the doorway when Adrian shut the door... but I didn't completely observe the whole situation."

"Is that the only act of physical aggression you saw?"

"He saw the shooting," said Ellis.

Starks said, "You were busy icing down the beer adn were a distance away and befor the shooting you thought everything was over, so you quit watching?"

"Yessir."

Ellis asked, "Mr. Hollis, could you tell from the volume if Mr. Newell was yelling?"

"You could tell he was ill [angry]."

"And at some point he calmed down, and then you heard the gunshot..."

[I have many pages of notes but don't have time to work it up. Ed.]

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Packet #815 - February 19, 2009

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Diners Will Never Forget This Valentine's Day Supper at Ryan's

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Firemen and paramedics mix with Valentine Day diners at Ryan's Restaurant minutes after a
deer crashed through a dining room window and ran amok among the tables last Saturday night.
The young woman in the lower right of the photo was among four people taken to BMH-GT for
injuries (she had a cut on a foot).

Ryan's Restaurant in Columbus was thrown into pandemonium last Saturday evening when a deer crashed through a window and ran amok among the tables in a room full of diners. The deer then ran down a short hallway and into an unoccupied party room, where it crashed about for some minutes before escaping into the night. Four people were taken to BMH-GT after the invasion but none was hurt seriously.

The incident began a few minutes before 6:00 p.m. when Ryan's was packed with several hundred Valentine's Day diners. The large doe crashed through a north window into the northeast "party room," a room that holds more than 50 diners and which is used for meetings and parties. On this night, because of the large crowd, it was being used as a dining area. The room is on the northeast corner of the building. It is separated from the main dining area by a partition made up of windows mounted on a low wall.

Ryan's diner Joe Myers saw this unidentified
woman tossed into the air by the deer after it
crashed into the northeast party room. Her
injuries were not thought to be serious, however.

Joe Myers was eating in the main dining room but could see through the windows into the party room. He said that the deer first jumped against the northeast corner of the building, which caused some diners sitting near that corner to move away from the windows. The deer then jumped again and crashed through the window. Myers said that the deer whirled around in the middle of the room and came up under a woman and tossed her into the air.

Officer Ric Higgins holds the folding door
to the party room while the deer thrashes
around inside.

The deer then ran down a short hallway into the second party room, on the southeast corner of the building, which was unoccupied—luckily, the folding door to the party room was open. After the deer entered the unoccupied party room restaurant manager Keisha Petty pulled the folding door shut behind the terror-stricken animal and held it until police arrived on the scene. Officers then manned that door (to the hallway) and a second folding door that opens into the main dining room.

Looking across the northeast party room toward the window that the deer
came through.

The only other door into that room opens to the outside of the building and it was locked, but when the deer lunged against the emergency bar on the door the door opened briefly and Lt. Oscar Lewis, who was standing outside, pulled it open and allowed the deer to escape. The restaurant was evacuated but most of the diners returned about 40 minutes later and were served again, at no charge.

Waitress Wilma McCarter has worked at Ryan's since it was built in late 1995. She was surprised that a deer could crash through the window, because she remembered that once when a .22 bullet was fired at Motel 6, next door, the slug did not penetrate through both panes of a front restaurant window.

Firemen peer into the southeast party room while Officer Kenneth Brewer
holds the folding door to the main dining room.

The restaurant opened as Ryans but was a Fire Mountain Restaurant for several years before becoming a Ryan's again. The restaurant can accomodate 466 diners. Each of the party rooms holds 50.

The restaurant was at capacity on Valentine's night except for the second party room. Diners were waiting for seats. Everyone who was present agreed that if the deer had run into the large dining room instead of into the empty party room there would have been many injuries and much more damage.

The deer wrecked the empty party room. It was bleeding from cuts sustained when it crashed through the window.

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Two Dead in Apparent Murder/Suicide in Vernon

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Johnny and Edna Waldon's house on Court NW in Vernon was still circled
with crime tape yesterday afternoon (Packet photo by Matt West).

A Vernon, Ala. couple died yesterday of apparent gunshot wounds to the head. Police believe that Johnny Wayne Waldon, shot his wife, Edna, and then shot himself in their home on Court NW, near the First Baptist Church of Vernon.

Police Chief Ted Collins released this statement yesterday afternoon:

On 2/18/09, at approximately 12:25 hours, an officer with the Vernon Police Dept. (VPD) responded to 401 3rd Court NW, Vernon Al to conduct a welfare check on an individual who had not reported to work. Access was gained to the home. Upon entering the residence, 51-year-old Edna D. Waldon was found in the master bedroom bath. She had sustained an injury to her head which was consistent with a gunshot wound. Johnny W. Waldon, 62, also located in the bath, had sustained an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Johnny Waldon was pronounced dead at the scene at 13:05 hours by Lamar County Coroner Marshall Guyton. This is a pending investigation; further details will be released after the completion of the case. This case was investigated by the Vernon Police Department, with the assistance of the Lamar County Sheriff's Department and the 24th District Attorney's Office.

The Packet has learned that Edna Waldon was transported by helicopter directly to Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa. According to a hospital spokesman, she died there yesterday soon after arrival.

It was Edna Waldon, a beautician, who did not show up for work. Johnny Waldon was an antiques dealer who had a stall at Faulkner's Antiques Mall in Vernon and also sold antiques at Carol Duran's Antiques Mall in Caledonia.

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Macon Man Kills Wife, Wounds Son, Then Shoots Himself
by Scott Boyd
The Macon Beacon

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Noxubee Coroner R. L. Calhoun, with help
from the Macon Police, the Noxubee Sheriff's
Department, the Brooksville Police Department,
Transcare Ambulance, and Lee-Sykes Funeral Home,
remove the body of Judy Weston last Friday
afternoon after she was murdered by her estranged
husband. (Beacon photo)

Henry Weston Sr. apparently couldn't live with the idea of his wife spending time with another man, so he picked Friday the 13th and took matters into his own hands by shooting her and his son before killing himself.

Macon Police converged on the Weston house at 303 Walnut Street in Macon about 2 p.m. last Friday after reports of gunshots inside the house. When they arrived they discovered the gruesome scene just inside the front door. Henry Weston and Judy Weston were both dead from gunshot wounds. They were both lying in pools of blood, just inches from each other, near the front door.

Henry Weston Jr. managed to escape the melee and commandeer a ride to the Noxubee General Emergency Room from a passing motorist. He was quickly transferred to a Columbus hospital, suffering from three gunshot wounds, according to Asst. Police Chief Lucious Mason. Henry Weston Sr., 53, and his wife, Judy, 54, had been separated for some time, according to friends. He had moved out of the house and Mrs. Weston and her son were the only ones living there. The younger Weston told police that his father had become angry over reports that his wife and been seeing another man. Friends said Henry Weston Sr. had also been dating someone else.

Henry Weston Jr. 22, reportedly told police he had run into his father last Friday morning and he had made threats against him and his mother regarding the sit uation.

Friends who knew the couple said they knew they had argued in the past, but were shocked that he would get violent.

Henry Weston Jr. told police that he was sitting on the couch when his father walked in the front door last Friday about 1:45 p.m. He told them he reached in his pocket and pulled out a pistol. He shot the son twice and then shot Judy Weston twice as she entered the front room from a side room. He then turned the gun and shot himself in the head.

Noxubee Coroner R.L. Calhoun said he believes Henry Weston Jr.'s story and says there was evidence of powder burns on the elder Weston to indicate he shot himself at point-blank range.

The bodies were sent to Jackson for an autopsy, but results weren't back20at presstime Tuesday. Toxicology tests were also performed to try to confirm or disprove rumors that Henry Weston Sr. had been drinking before the shooting.

Mrs. Weston, an Aliceville, Ala. native, was well-known around Macon. She was a longtime employee at First Baptist Church's Tender Years daycare where she cooked. She was fondly known as "Miss Judy" by the children there.

Funeral services for Mrs. Weston are planned Friday with Lavender Funeral Home of Aliceville in charge of the arrangements. Services for Henry Weston are set for Saturday with Lee-Sykes Funeral Home of Macon in charge.

Asst. Chief Mason said the incident was among the most disturbing he's investigated in his 17 years as a member of the Macon Police force. He offered thanks to the Noxubee County Sheriff's Department and the Brooksville Police Department for their quick response in assisting last Friday.

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Packet #814 - February 12, 2009

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Horse-drawn Journey Comes to Tragic End South of Shuqualak
by Scott Boyd
MaconBeacon@aol.com

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The scene from Tuesday's wreck shows what's left of Skelding's
rolling home and the 18-wheeler in the background (Beacon photo).

A note to our readers: Even though we live in a somewhat isolated area, we're blessed with many fascinating people to report on each week - and others who pass through. In recent years we've covered a Washington man who was running across the country, pushing a three-wheeled baby stroller loaded with his possessions. A few years later his parents came through following his path on an adventure of their own. And, there were the two brothers from Wisconsin traveling through on their antique riding lawnmowers, camping and visiting along the way. So, we weren't surprised, but fascinated, when we met Bob Skelding and his team of draft horses Monday morning as they prepared to continue their journey south. We had a great visit with him at his campsite at Macon Stockyard and prepared the story and photos at left for this week's paper. He had attracted a lot of attention and we figured his story was worth telling.

Now, we're heartbroken following Tuesday morning's tragic accident on Hwy. 45 just south of Shuqualak. After much thought we made the decision to continue with our original plans to publish the story of his travels. What follows below is what we've been able to find out about the accident.

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Wagon master Bob Skelding and his four draft horses, just shortly after leaving Noxubee County Tuesday morning, were involved in a horrif ic accident with an 18-wheeler just south of the county line.

According to an eyewitness, Skelding's rig was rear-ended by a tractor-tanker-trailer rig on Hwy. 45 about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. The crash immediately killed two of Skelding's prized Percheron draft horses. The other two miraculously survived and were treated at the scene and retrieved by DeKalb veterinarian Billy Calvert.

Skelding and his team travel south through Noxubee County before the accident (Beacon photo).

Skelding's homemade wagon/camper disintegrated upon impact with the truck, scattering debris and all his personal belongings over a 200-yard area along the southbound lanes of the highway. That stretch of the highway is flat, with no hills.

The 18-wheeler driver was uninjured after his rig jacknifed and landed in the ditch on the west side of the highway. He was visibly shaken as State Troopers questioned him about the accident. His tanker was reportedly empty at the time. Another driver with the same trucking company who was just ahead and saw the accident in his rear view mirror, said they use the rigs to transport "drilling mud."

Skelding was conscious and talking to paramedics from Transcare Ambulance Service as he was loaded for transportion to Rush Hospital in Meridian. He was listed in stable condition at presstime Tuesday after undergoing surgery for broken bones. Skelding, 49, left his home in New Hampshire last August on his "dream trip" to travel around the country, with his horses leading the way. Also along for the ride was Clementine, his 18-year-old poodle. Clementine was uninjured. They had logged nearly 1,800 accident-free miles before Tuesday's crash.

The skies were overcast at the time of the accident and a light rain had just started in the area.

Skelding had camped near Shuqualak Monday night and was making his way toward Meridian. His wagon rig had flashing lights on the rear and a reflective triangle to warn approaching traffic.

In an interview Monday, Skelding told The Beacon he favors traveling two-lane roads, but occasionally finds it necessary to travel four-lane freeways. He said he feared 18-wheelers.

Investigators from the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol were on the scene for several hours Tuesday piecing together details of the accident. The two horses that died were reportedly buried nearby by a crew from the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

Several of Skelding's family members were enroute to Meridian late Tuesday from the Northeast.

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Doc, here smiling for the Beacon, survived
the accident. (Beacon photo).

A local benefit fund has been established to help Bob Skelding pay for his medical expenses and the care and recovery of his surviving horses. You can contribute at any Citizens National Bank in Mississippi or mail to Citizens National Bank, "Bob Skelding/Wagon Teamster Benefit Fund", P.O. Box 426, Macon, MS 39341, 662-726-5861. For branch info go to www.yourcnb.com.

Packet editor's note: The Commercial Dispatch, in an article about the accident, quoted a Highway Patrol reconstructionist as saying that the accident occurred over the crest of a hill and that two big rigs were traveling "side-by-side." Scott Boyd reports that the road was flat. Another Highway Patrolman was quoted in a website article as saying that a distant hill had nothing to do with the accident. Here is a letter sent to the Beacon from a truck driver who witnessed the accident:

Despite protests to the contrary from those who read articles in distant newspapers about the accident, and wish to argue facts of which they do not have personal knowledge, I must say that you can't believe everything that you read in the papers. Let me set Katie and anyone else straight and state for the record. The Macon Beacon reporter is correct as to his description of the locale. There was no hillcrest to limit visibility. There were no 'two trucks running side by side'.

I saw the accident occur. I drive a gasoline tanker for a company based in Columbus, MS. At approximately 11:30 cst this morning, I was southbound on US 45, 6.7 miles N. of Scooba, MS, when I came upon Bob. I recognized his rig immediately as I'd seen it this past weekend North of Columbus. I changed lanes left to pass the vehicle. As I checked the right mirror, I observed a T.K. Stanley vehicle changing lanes left to pass Bob also. There was a second T.K. Stanley vehicle following close behind the first. This second vehicle did not change lanes. There occured the impact which blocked the highway for approximately an hour and a half. Two of the beautiful horses were dead at the scene. I cared for=2 0Bob until the arrival of emergency medical services. Bob asked about the condition of his horses and of Clementine. I found Clementine and brought her to him until he was being prepared for transport from the scene to Meridian.

There was no one at the scene who appeared to be willing to take custody of Clementine. So, I sent my information with Bob to tell him when he recovers where Clementine is. I transported Clementine to Columbus and gave her to my wife who promptly took her to the vet. As of this writing, Clementine is staying at the vet's overnight for observation. The vet did say that for a dog of her advanced years (a woman never discusses her age) she is doing remarkably well given what she's just been through. She was ambulatory and her kidney/bladder funtions appear normal. If things progress as well in the morning, she'll get a bath and much T.L.C. until she can be reunited with Bob.

My thoughts and prayers are with Bob and for his speedy recovery.

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Gene Coleman Takes Bankruptcy After Qualifying for Re-election

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Gene Coleman

Ward 3 Councilman Gene Coleman, who filed for reelection on January 6, declared personal bankruptcy three days later under pressure from creditors to repay money that he and some associates borrowed to establish a string of pharmacies in North Mississippi. The business enterprise failed and the entrepreneurs are being pursued for repayment by drug companies and the Bank of Vernon of Vernon, Ala.

The Bank of Vernon sued Coleman and his associates in Lowndes County Circuit Court on December 19, 2008 for $301,095.01. Named as defendants were Coleman, Richard Nenneau of Caledonia and James Gable of Columbus, all of whom were involved in Pharmacy Management Group LLC. Court records indicate that the corporation was established in early 2007 with backing from the McKesson Corp. and Bellco Drug Co. Also involved in the enterprise were Amy C. Weathers of Columbus and Ronald Harris of Tupelo.

Coleman, a pharmacist, owned New Hope Pharmacy and had a reported ownership interest in Southern Drugs in Columbus. Weathers practiced pharmacy at both drugstores. Gable reportedly is the principal owner of Southern Drugs. Along with Nenneau and Harris, they purchased several other drugstores: Alford Drug in Columbus; Barrett Hodges Drug in Greenwood; Family Meds in Fulton; Family Meds in Okolona; Family Meds in Winfield, Ala.; Family Meds in Pontotoc; Family Meds in Starkville and Family Meds in Water Valley.

Court records suggest that the start-up company never really got started. Within just a few months McKesson was filing suit in Lowndes County Circuit Court to take possession of collateral—apparently the stores and inventory that Pharmacy Management Group had acquired with the borrowed money.

According to Packet sources, last September Dutch Pharmacies of Columbus (one of Joe Gillis's companies) stepped in and "bailed out" Coleman and his associates. But not completely, because Coleman and the others were still being pursued by creditors.

Court records show that last June the McKesson Corp. filed suit in Lowndes County Circuit Court to collect approximately $650,000 from Pharmacy Management Group.

On October 28, 2008, Bellco Drug Co. filed an application for default judgment against Pharmacy Management Group LLC, and Ronald Harris of Tupelo,jointly and invidually, for $73,712.90. Two days later, on October 30, 2008, Amy Weathers declared Chapter 7 voluntary bankruptcy in federal court in Aberdeen.

The Bank of Vernon filed suit on December 19, 2008 asking for $301,020.00 from Nenneau, Gable, Harris and Coleman.

Coleman submitted a petition for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on January 9. Coleman declared bankruptcy just three days after he and Mayor Robert Smith and the other incumbent councilors qualified as a group for reelection. He declared bankruptcy as William E. [Eugene] Coleman.

Asked about the Bank of Vernon suit at the council meeting last week, Coleman said, "We made some bad business decisions in our drug business and I'm having to pay the price for it personally and professionally. Unfortunately, the Bank of Vernon was involved in our business."

Coleman is represented by Columbus attorney Jeff Turnage, who is also the attorney for the City of Columbus.

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Packet #813 - February 5, 2009

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Shane Smith makes obscene gestures to the Packet photographer after being captured by deputies last Thursday night off the end of Fowler Drive after trying to outrun deputies in his pickup truck. The incident began at Yorkville Road & New Hope Road about 9:00 p.m. when Deputy Toby Rickert tried to stop Smith's pickup and Smith raced west on Yorkville Road in an attempt to escape capture. Rickert and a passenger, Reserve Officer Jimmy Banks, followed Smith west on Yorkville and then north on Fowler Drive. When Fowler Drive ended Smith turned left and drove about 400 yards through a pasture before running his pickup into some pine trees. Smith then jumped out of the pickup and tried to escape on foot but he was outrun by Rickert and Banks.

Dixie Towing owner Bill Cole talks to Rickert in the pasture prior to towing Smith's pickup (Cole's company, Dixie Towing, was next on rotation when the call came in). Smith, 37, of 109 Maxwell Lane, was charged with DUI-3 (felony), disorderly conduct, false information, suspended DL, reckless driving, no insurance and failure to yield to a blue light (misdemeanor). He will appear in court on February 24.

[Mr. Smith's photo was left out of the felony arrest sheets that were forwarded to the Packet this week. We'll try to include it next week. Ed.]

In 2008, Rickert made 110 DUI arrrests, the most by any LCSO deputy.

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Two Teens Charged with Smitty's Robbery

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Miller

Columbus police recently made two arrests in connection with the November 30, 2008 robbery of the 45 Express Mart (Smitty's) at Hwy 45 North & Wilkins-Wise Road. One of the robbers carried a shotgun in the robbery but no shots were fired.

Harrison

Yotyler Miller, 18, was arrested on January 23 but although he had an initial appearance in city court three days later and his bond was set at $5,000 the arrest was not announced at the time. Miller lives at 3305 Wisteria Drive.

On January 30 police arrested Nathan Harrison, 18, of 117 Crepe Myrtle Drive. He is scheduled to appear in court on February 19.

Each of the suspects is charged with one count of armed robbery.

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Three Caledonia High School teens miraculously survived Tuesday afternoon when their Mitsubishi car flipped several times in a pasture after leaving Wolfe Road. Emily Jackson was at the wheel of the car, which was southbound on Wolfe Road when the accident occurred around 2:45 p.m. After going down the hill near Mayor Whitten's house the car went off the left (east) side of the road and into a short-grass pasture.

A witness said that the car flipped four times and that an occupant was ejected. Impact marks in the pasture supported the report of flipping, but the only heavy damage to the Mitsubishi was to its front. People at the scene speculated that the car may have done a series of 360-degree end-for-end flips, the front of the car striking the ground each time.

Jackson was the occupant who was ejected. She reportedly lay about 15 yards from the vehicle when emergency responders arrived. Her frontseat passenger was Kalyn Weaver and the backseat passenger was Ciandra Arnold. Like Jackson, they are also 15. None of them was wearing a seatbelt. All three were transported to BMH-GT by ambulance. Their injuries were thought to be relatively minor but the Packet was unable to get reports on their conditions later. Jackson was reportedly involved with an accident involving a school bus near Caledonia last semester.

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Packet #812 - January 29, 2009

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A little after 3:00 a.m. Monday morning a motorist driving on Yorkville Road West saw flames coming from a house about 200 yards south of the road. The motorist called 911 and reported the fire, which was at 122 Friendship Lane (which runs off of Yorkville Road West). Officer Kenny Brewer was the first person to arrive and he found the residence fully engulfed in flames. Dist. 3 Volunteers fought the fire, supported by Columbus firemen. Jerry Bolin lived in the house alone and his car was in the carport. Firemen feared the worst and when the flames were extinguished Bolin's body was found on the floor near his bed. Coroner Greg Merchant ruled that Bolin had died of smoke inhalation. Merchant said it was likely that Bolin got out of bed and then collapsed. Bolin, 60, had worked for many years at Johnston-Tombigbee and later at Old Hickory Steak House. He rode a bicycle for transportation until recent years and was long a familiar figure on the city streets on his bike. He cared for his elderly mother until her death and continued to visit friends in nursing homes after she died.

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GTRA Unveils Direct Flights to Memphis

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Mike Mooney, Senior Vice President of Boyd Group Inter-
national, GTRA Executive Director Mike Hainsey and Mike
Doil of Delta Airlines at Tuesday's announcement of new
Memphis flights at GTRA.

Area leaders gathered at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport Tuesday morning to hear airport and Delta Airlines officials announce that Delta is adding a direct connection to Memphis International Airport. The connection will include two round trips per day to Memphis. Delta will also eliminate one of three current round-trip flights to Atlanta.

Delta is guaranteed against loss on the new route by a $500,000 U.S. Dept. of Transportation Small Community Air Service Grant and a $150,000 match from the local entities that own the airport, for a total guarantee of $650,000. GTRA Executive Director Mike Hainsey said that Delta doesn't expect to have to tap any of the guarantee money.

The planes plying the GTRA-Memphis route will be 32-passenger Saab turboprops flown by Mesaba, a Delta subsidiary. The flights to and from Memphis will take 35 minutes, take-off to landing.

Present for the announcement was Michael Doil of Delta Airlines and Mike Mooney, Senior Vice President of Boyd Group Interntational, a consulting firm that helped GTRA land the Memphis connection. In making the announcement, Hainsey said to Mooney, "Mike, if it weren't for you we wouldn't be having this announcement today." Hainsey went on, "This is a big day, the culmination of more than five years of effort... a cooperative effort. It comes at a time when airports like this are not necessarily growing, but we're a mirror of the growth in our area, which is the result of everybody working together."

GTRA Board Chairman Robin McCormick of West Point said that the Memphis connection "continues GTR's history as a regional success story that started 40 years ago when community leaders recognized that we needed an airport... and it carried over to today. It shows that smaller communities can pool their resources and achieve success."

McCormick noted that the local economic renaissance began with the establishment of the Eurocopter plant next to GTRA (it was a GTRA-initiated recruitment), and she noted that Eurocopter Phase 1 had seven different funding sources. She said that Eurocpter was followed by SeverCorr, Aurora Flight Sciences and now Stark Aerospace, which is building a plant north of the Eurocopter facility.

Doil said he was at GTRA on behalf of 70,000 Delta employees. He noted that Delta "flew here for the first time in 1984, almost a quarter-century ago, and we're pleased to expand the partnership by introducing Memphis service. We're excited about being able to offer a truly omni-directional pattern of service to customers here. We pride ourselves on providing good quality service and partnering with communities."

Doil said that more than 200 flights a day go in and out of Memphis International Airport and that Delta intends to expand that hub. He referred to the unusual amount of economic activity that is occurring in the Golden Triangle. "My hat's off to you guys for making things work. Your area seems to be growing and we recognize that. We hope you'll use our new Memphis service starting May 4."

Hainsey said that changes and upgrades have been made and planned at GTRA to keep pace with the economic activity around it. "Since 2003 we've spent over $12 million on infrastructure," he said. "We've added two ramps and rehabbed tow and added a $1.6 million control tower. We repaved the parking lots and added a commercial hangar. In the last year we've purchased over 200 acres of property. And we're not done yet. We're working on a 1,500-foot runway expansion, at $10 million." He said that the waiting area will be expanded from its current 58-passenger capacity to accomodate 180 passengers. "We're working to keep up with the growth," he said. "We're here to help people fly out and be comfortable and safe. We're optimistic and excited." He said that the new flights "are already in the system" and that people can make reservations on them now.

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Roy Lee Hamilton is wheeled to an ambulance in the 400 block of Main Street around 2:45 a.m. Monday morning with knife wounds to the head and left elbow. Hamilton was allegedly knifed at the nearby Gilmer Inn and then walked across the intersection to an upstairs apartment at 404 Main St., where people he knew lived. Hamilton was sitting at the top of the stairway when police and firemen arrived. He had a severe cut to the left side of his head, and a stab wound to his left elbow. Hamilton reportedly identified his attacker as Fayetta Dozier but said that he didn't want to press charges against her. Police began looking for Dozier but could not find her. Later Hamilton told police that he wanted to charge Dozier (felony charges could be brought by police but they would need Hamilton's cooperation to proceed against her). The case is still under investigation and Dozier has not been charged.

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Castleberry Project

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Motorists on the Hwy 82 Bypass have a ringside view of a project that is transforming an overgrown tract along Moore's Creek into a hotel/restaurant complex. The 13-acre site east of the Bypass and north of 18th Ave. is being developed by Mark Castleberry of Castle Properties.

Two Marriott-franchise hotels will be built on the east bank of the creek: The Courtyard, with four stories, 113 rooms and a 3,000-sq.-ft. meeting facility and bistro-type restaurant, and The Fairfield, with 87 rooms and threes stories. A foot-and-traffic bridge over Moore's Creek will offer access to the land between the creek and the Bypass, where Castleberry will create "a dining destination" with up to four restaurants.

Castleberry is partnering in the development with the Peachtree Hotel Group of Atlanta (50/50 ownership). Burns Dirt Construction is doing the site work and A. Mason & Associates, a Tuscaloosa construction-management firm with experience in hotel construction, will be the general contractor on the hotels.

Castleberry said, "We'll more than likely sell the restaurant sites, but we'd also build to suit." He said that the entire project will represent an investment of more than $30 million. He pointed out that the last motel/hotel built in Columbus was the Wingate, 12 years ago. He said that the two hotels will be finished by the spring of 2010 "and we think that two restaurants will be up by then too."

Castleberry is building the streets, the bridge and water/sewer systems with "tax increment financing" assistance from the city—when both hotels and 10,000 sq. ft. of restaurant space is finished the city will reimburse Castle Properties through bond proceeds; the bonds will be retired with the increased property taxes that the site will generate. The huge project is but one of several developments that Castleberry currently has under construction in Columbus

[I interviewed Mr. Castleberry three weeks ago and will have more about him and his projects next week. Ed.]

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The 9th Annual 2009 Holy Hip Hop Awards and Artist Showcase was held in Atlanta, Ga. January 15-17. Attending from Columbus were Juvante Burks, Eddie Turner Jr. and Frederick "BiggTone" Price. Price and Dimarco "Twice Born" Baskin of Clinton performed on the second day of the festival in the Center Stage Arena. They were among over 100 Gospel Rap Artists from different states and foreign countries. They said that one of the big highlights was Hip Hop Legend Minister Kurtis Blow being honored with an award. Pictured are Eddie "E-Love" Turner, Jr., Juvante Burks, Minister Kurtis Blow, and BiggTone

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Elderly Fisherman Drowns in Lone Oak Pond

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An elderly man Caledonia man was found dead in a pond near his house last Saturday morning in the Lone Oak community. Authorities concluded that Claudis Eugene Jones, 82, drowned after his clothes became hooked to a trotline while fishing. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Deputy Coroners Tim Hamilton and Rochelle Murray.

Jones lived by himself at 1749 Lone Oak Road. The house was near the pond where he died. Coroner Greg Merchant said that a brother-in-law talked to Jones almost every day and last talked to him last Thursday, Jan. 22. The brother-in-law did not talk to Jones on Friday and when he could not reach him by phone Saturday morning he called one of Jones's cousins and they went to his house to investigate. They saw Jones's four-wheeler near the pond and thought they saw his body in the water and then called 911. Dist. 1 Volunteers and LCSO deputies responded.

Jones died in water about three feet deep while working a trotline that was attached to the bank and to a stump about 50 yards from the bank. A hook had caught in the front of his overalls, near his waist, and another hook had caught in one of his socks. He was not wearing shoes. Neither hook penetrated his flesh. A garden hose that he used to draw water from the pond was wrapped around one foot. Merchant said that he was not tangled in the trotline itself.

Merchant said that Jones had had both hips replaced. The water was cold but the temperature was not noted in the report.

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Packet #811 - January 22, 2009

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Obama Is First Successful Presidential Candidate
to Campaign in Columbus

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At the Obama inauguration Tuesday. Columbus attorney Wil Colom took this photo of the
Capitol terrace where Barack Obama and Joseph Biden took the oath of office. Colom and
his wife, Judge Dorothy Colom, were among a number of Columbus residents present at the
inauguration

Barack Obama was not the first presidential candidate to campaign in Columbus but he was the first to campaign here and then win the presidency. A number of other presidential candidates have campaigned here and then lost. One won the presidency and then came here and another passed through as president.

Obama came to Columbus last March 10, when he was still locked in a hard-fought primary contest with Hillary Clinton but was beginning to prevail. Now that he is president, Obama is one of two men who became president who visited Columbus. The other, William Howard Taft, is the only sitting president to come to Columbus.

Taft came to Columbus in 1909. Local Historian Carolyn Burns said that his Secretary of War, J. M. Dickinson, was a Columbus native. A stage was set up in Downtown Columbus for the event. [The mayor was E.S. Donnell. His son, Jack, was a little boy then and used to tell me that he presented the president with a bouquet of flowers. Jack Donnell said that the president's aidede- camp looked after him during the ceremony and he said that this aide later perished in the sinking of the Titanic. Jack Donnell died about 20 years ago, when he was in his late 80s. Ed.]

Barack Obama campaigns at MUW's Pohl Gym
last March on his way to the nomination.

Burns said that contrary to popular belief Andrew Jackson never set foot in Columbus. She said that he met his troops on the Gulf Coast and then, after the Battle of New Orleans, sent some of them to build Military Road.

Ronald Reagan came to GTR Airport when he was campaigning for the presidency in 1980 but never entered Columbus. Wil Colom recalls that Reagan came again in 1984 for a Tenn-Tom ceremony.

George H.W. Bush spoke at MSU as president and was apparently driven from CAFB to MSU, meaning that he passed through Columbus.

Gerald Ford was at GTRA in August 1974, at about the same time that Richard Nixon resigned (it may have been the same day—Don Depriest remembers Ford telling him at the airport that he was in the air when he was informed that Nixon was going to resign).

Lloyd Bentsen, who ran for vice-president, came to Columbus more than once when he was in the Senate, and spoke to the Rotary Club.

Presidential candidate George McGovern got married in Columbus when he was in the Air Force.

Jesse Jackson campaigned in Columbus when he ran for president in 1988.

Vice-President Dick Cheney made a speech at MUW three years ago.

Dan Quail attended a fundraiser at Don and Sandra DePriest's home in 1992 (when he was decrying "Murphy Brown's" pregnancy).

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Columbus Man Murdered in New Mexico Sunday

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Savage

Brooksville native who had moved to Columbus was murdered outside a private club in Hobbs, N.M. early last Sunday morning (Jan. 18). Yurhonnd "Ron" Deloach, 28, died of multiple gunshot wounds. The shooter escaped but was soon identified as Aubrey Savage, 25, a Hobbs resident well known to police. He was captured early Tuesday morning.

Deloach is the son of former Brooksville town clerk Alvina Deloach and Tony Deloach. He was working construction in Hobbs. News of the murder was released by the Hobbs Police Dept. The Hobbs Chief of Police is J.D. Sanders, who was formerly chief of police in Columbus.

The shooting was reported at 2:29 a.m. last Sunday. Deloach was pronounced dead in a local hospital. Police offered a $500 reward for information leading to Savage's whereabouts.

Officer Mike Stone, public information officer for the Hobbs Police Dept., said that Savage was captured without incident around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning (Jan. 20) at an apartment on East St. Anne Street in Hobbs. He said that Hobbs police officers, including SWAT officers, entered the apartment and placed Savage under arrest. He is being held in the Hobbs City Jail without bond.

Stone said that Savage has "a long record- --we've dealt with him for years." He said that at the time of Deloach's murder Savage was out on bond for "a shoot-out" last Labor Day. He said that in connection with that incident Savage was charged with assault with intent to commit a violent felony, dueling, felony possession of firearms and tampering with evidence. Stone said that Savage might not be granted bond in the Deloach murder because he was out on bond when it was committed.

Stone said that Savage is a member of the Bloods gang and that he was with some fellow gang members at Forrest's Place when Deloach was killed. He said that the gang members "started harassing some construction workers" inside the club and then "kept pressing the issue" when they and the workers exited the club. He said that Deloach was shot from the front multiple times with a large-caliber weapon. He said that none of the other Bloods have been charged in the case.

Stone said that Forrest's Place is a private club that the owner rents out for parties. Guests do not pay admission and bring their own drinks. He said that the building was formerly an Elks lodge and is not a large building.

Stone said that the police do not know where Savage went immediately after the shooting but later received information that he was in the apartment on East St. Anne. He was in the apartment by himself when police went there.

Stone said that in addition to the Bloods Hobbs also has an active Crips gang and several Mexican gangs. He said that Hobbs had only one murder last year but that Deloach's murder was the second so far this year.

Carter's Funeral Services of Columbus is in charge of arrangements for Deloach's funeral.

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Columbians Attend Obama Inauguration

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Spectators climb onto the pedestal of the Grant equestrian statue for a
better view (photos by Wil Colom or members of his party).

A number of Columbus residents attended the inauguration of Barack Obama in Washington Tuesday, prominent among them Mayor Robert Smith, Director of Federal Programs George Irby, attorney Wil Colom, who is a member of Obama's Financial Committee, and Colom's wife, Chancery Judge Dorothy Colom.

Irby and Wil Colom spoke to the Packet after returning to Columbus yesterday. Both were awed by the vast crowd—estimated at around two million people.

Asked if being among that many people was unnerving, Irby said, "If everybody hadn't been civil it would have been unnerving."

The sea of people was the most memorable part of the experience for many.

Irby stayed with his son, Serapis, who lives in nearby Maryland and is an accountant with a firm that monitors agencies worldwide. Another son, Joseph, who lives in Memphis, joined them.



In November, Irby and the mayor went to Washington for a Cowboys-Redskins game and stayed with Serapis (they were guests of Nick Katsiokas, a former Columbian who now works for the owner of a commercial construction compan who has a suite at the stadium). While there,they got commitments from Congressmen for inauguration tickets. The tickets were for seats in the "purple" area, except for one "yellow" area ticket given to Smith. Wilbur Colom, as a member of the Finance Committee, had a number of tickets for the "yellow" section, which was slightly closer to the Capitol.

Irby had to pick up his tickets in person Monday and he said later that lines of people seeking tickets stretched around the House and Senate office buildings.

Smith stayed Monday night in a Baltimore motel. Irby and his sons went to pick him up early Tuesday morning and they took the Metro to the Mall, but when they arrived security forces would not let passengers out of the underground terminal. They learned later that it was because a woman had fallen in front of a train. By the time they emerged onto the Mall security forces would not let anyone cross Pennsyvlania Ave. to get to their assigned seats. They watched the inauguration as part of the vast standing crowd. None of their tickets were used, but there's no question that someone sat in those seats—young people nearby climbed onto bronze statues to get a better view.

At the Southern Ball at the D. C. Armory. In the center of the photo are
Judge Dorothy Colom, Wilbur Colom and Megan Exum.

Wil Colom said that the inauguration was "historic and interesting" but that what was most apparent was how difficult it was to stage. "Logistically, it was a nightmare," Colom said. He and Judge Colom were in the yellow section but did not have adjoining seats (after the ceremony there were no buses or taxis and Judge Colom had to walk 30 blocks to their motel, where they reunited). He had a good seat but said that a huge media tower partially obstructed his view of the terrace where the oaths were administered.

Colom had offered to pay the way for any employees in his office who wanted to attend the inauguration. Accountant Nanteen Robinson and secretary Megan Exum took him up on the offer and he got them purple tickets. He gave yellow tickets to some friends, including Abdul Kinana, a former speaker of the Parliament of the East African Union, and Nimrod Mkono, whom Colom described as "one of the most powerful members of the Tanzanian Parliament." He said that the Tanzanians couldn't deal with the bitterly cold weather and left early.

First Lady Michele and President Barack Obama at the
Southern Ball at the Armory. The Obamas attended ten
balls and then rose in the morning to attend a prayer
service.

"From where I was, everyone was interested more in the crowd [behind them] than what was going on in front," Colom said. He said that the crowd was "incredible." Awoman with binoculars let Colom and others look through them back toward the Lincoln Memorial. "Just standing there, you couldn't see the end of the crowd," Colom said. He added that there was no trouble. "The people were absolutely orderly."

Colom said that the crowd was estimated at 1.8 to 2 million people and doubtless was "the largest gathering in the history of the country." He said that he thinks that the crowd was "skewed toward the young, but others had other impressions." He said that African-Americans were "over-represented" in relation to their percentage of the nation's population. He noted that while blacks make up only 13% of the population they probaly accounted for 40% of the people at the inauguration.

Hank Tolbert (President of Genesis Press), Andre
Tyler, Abdul Kinana (former Speaker of the Parliament
of the East African Union) and Wil Colom preparing to
enter the ball.

Colom said that Obama's speech was not the most inspirational that he has heard him give. He said that the only awkward part of the event was when outgoing President George Bush was introduced and many in the crowd started singing, "Na na na na, good bye." He said that Obama people snuffed it out by appealing to people not to be rude.

The Coloms and their guests attended the Southern Ball Tuesday night at the D.C. Armory. It was one of ten balls that the Obamas and Bidens appeared at. He said that the new president and first lady were there about 15 minutes. Obama said a few words on the stage and then danced with his wife and they then left for the next ball. About 5,000 people were at the Southern Ball. Colom said that he saw Sharon Lewis of Columbus at that ball, and Ike Brown and some others from Noxubee County. Columbus native in Newsday Below is an excerpt from an article in yesterady's New York Daily News (Dewanda Nelson is a granddaughter of George "Happy" Irby of Columbus. The grandmother referred to is his daughter, Linda (Irby) Jones, who still lives in Columbus—he is a sister of George Irby, the Director of Federal Programs for the City of Columbus. Dewanda is a triplet— her sisters are Denise, who earned a PhD in Chemistry from Georgia Tech and teaches at Samford University, and Dione, who is a school administrator in Jackson. Dewanda is a housewife—her husband manages a pharmaceutical company.)

By midparade, many of the bone-chilled spectators were gone, with memories they will cherish for a lifetime.

"I got to see the President! The first African- American President," said 8-year-old Zachary Nelson, who came from Collegeville, Pa., with his mother and grandmother from Mississippi.

"It was just amazing," said his mother, Dewanda Nelson, 36. "You can't even describe it, and you saw it with your own eye."

Jill Biden and Vice-President Joseph Biden at
the ball.

Barbour issues statement on transition of power:
"I want to thank President Bush for his service to our nation these past eight years. Our nation is more secure because of his unwavering leadership. Equally important for Mississippi, President Bush worked hard to help our state recover from the worst natural disaster in American history.

"Now, as President Obama has assumed our nation's highest office I wish him great success for our country. His inauguration was uplifting and inspirational. I look forward to having a positive, productive relationship with him and his team."

Wicker comments on inauguration
"I congratulate President Obama on his historic achievement, and I look forward to working with him on the challenges facing our nation. As President Obama spoke today about the challenges before us, he reminded us that America's path to prosperity has never been easy. The president rightly told Americans that despite our troubled economy, future generations need not lower their sights. America has been tested before. And as we have done in the past, we will persevere, remaining the most prosperous nation in the world.

"As we work through these difficult economic times and take on large budget deficits, it is more important than ever to better manage taxpayer dollars and streamline government. I agree with President Obama that we should take a hard look at government programs. Programs that are duplicative or do not work should be ended.

"Additionally, I was glad the president spoke to the world about America's resolve in the war against terror. We have and always will defend our nation against those who wish to do us harm.

"As there always is in our democracy, there are bound to be healthy disagreements and arguments in the weeks and months to come. However, we can and should come together as a country to solve our problems together. I am optimistic we can do so in the bipartisan manner the president called for today."

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Packet #810 - January 15, 2009

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Clay County
Former Supervisor Demands Answers
by Brian Jones

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Glen Pate questions the Clay County Board of Super-
visors about their agenda policy and meeting announce-
ments. In front of him are Chancery Clerk Robbie
Robinson, left, and District 3 Supervisor RB Davis,
right.

A vacant Pheba building and allegations of unannounced meetings caused Clay County citizen Glen Pate to take the board to task during their January 8 meeting.

Pate, a former supervisor himself, demanded to know what the board planned to do with the old Allied Enterprises building in Pheba. The 14,000+ square foot building has sat vacant for years and is slowly deteriorating, Pate said.

"I come before the board about 13 months ago and asked y'all to go out to Pheba and check on that former Allied building and see if y'all could do something," Pate said. "I haven't heard from anybody to this day. It's going to take some money to protect it. I don't know if y'all have mone