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THE LEADER Thursday, April 8, 2010
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Serving All of Tipton County
Established 1886
Volume 124 • No. 23
www.covingtonleader.com
Delauro pleads guilty to kidnapping, rape By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com COVINGTON - The man accused in the August 2009 kidnapping and rape of a Tipton County woman will serve the next 16 years behind bars Anthony Lenny Delauro, 21, pleaded
guilty in court Tuesday morning to eight charges including carjacking, aggravated kidnapping, rape, robbery, felony evading arrest (endangering others), aggravated assault, vandalism ($1,000-$10,000) and reckless endangerment. On August 6, 2009, he Tipton County Sheriff's
Office received a call stating a woman had been raped in a rural part of the county near Duvall Landing then was released by her alleged attacker. "She was coming out of Walmart and a lone white male approached her, had a gun, and told her to get in the vehicle
or he'd blow her head off," Sheriff J.T. "Pancho" Chumley told The Leader in August. "She got in the vehicle and he made her cover her head and took off. He later drove to the Mississippi River bottom, down to Sullivan Road, and that's when the rape ensued." According to police
reports, the victim reported she was sexually assaulted and robbed of her money, cell phone and vehicle. Delauro reportedly fled in the her car. The victim was able to call police from the Wilkinsville area, where Delauro left her. Deputies in the area
located the victim's vehicle being driven on Richardson Landing Road by a male matching the description given by the victim. "The deputies spotted the perpetrator in the victim's car and that's when the pursuit startSEE DELAURO, PAGE A3
Dean files to run for Deen's seat By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com This year's election will bring a turnover at the county clerk's office and there's a chance the office will go to a candidate with the same name. Last week, former Covington business owner Pam Dean qualified for the seat which will be vacated by current county clerk Pam Deen in August. "This is a first for me," said Cindy Pinner with the Tipton County Election Commission. "I've never had that happen before." Worried voters would be confused at the polls, Deen wants residents to know she intends to retire in August and will not be seeking re-election. "I'm thankful for the 40 years I've served," Deen said. Recently remarried, Deen said she has no plans to change to her new name until after she retires because she'd have to be bonded again among other changes. Deen is not the common spelling, said the county clerk, and many times residents have spelled it Dean. "People spell my name as D-E-A-N half the time even though it's D-E-E-N," she said. "I don't want to mislead anyone, I'm still retiring." Pinner said although Dean's full first name is Pamela, she has chosen to run as Pam. "On the form, candidates are asked to write
their name as they'd like it to appear on the ballot. It has to at least be similar to your legal name so you can be identified," Pinner said. Two of Deen's longtime employees – Mary Gaither and Darlene Wheeler – have already announced their candidacy for the seat. Pam Dean and Casey Fletcher, though they have qualified, have not yet made formal announcements. Pinner said last week the race for sheriff usually fuels the election, but with no opposition for Sheriff Pancho Chumley, the county clerk's race is the one with the most opposition. Other seats are also seeing opposition: districts 3, 7 and 8 for county commission; school board district 7 and constables in districts 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8. Additionally, the district 2 school board position is up for grabs after Rodney Eubank's death last month. "Odd number districts are up this year, but because Mr. Rodney died, this one is also open," Pinner said. "We're able to put it on this ballot and had two people qualify for it." But it is only one race that has the potential to confuse voters and Deen wants to be clear she's retiring on Aug. 31. Candidates have until Thursday, April 8 at noon to withdraw from the election. Unless Dean pulls out of the race Thursday, her name will appear on the ballot next to the other four candidates.
Though opening day baseball and soccer games were rained out, the Easter egg hunt was still on Saturday in Munford. Sisters Savannah and Kaci-Lynn Ellwood, daughters of Chris and Shelly Ellwood, pose for a photo before the whistle was blown. Photo by Echo Day
Senior talent review set for Sunday
Miller joins Leader staff By LEADER STAFF Beverly Miller, former advertising sales representative for The Leader and lifelong Tipton Countian, has come back to the newspaper. Miller, who worked for four years for The Leader before pursuing other career opportunities, said she missed the job. “I missed the excitement of visiting and interacting with the community and the customers I came to know in my time here,” she said. “I wanted to return ‘home.’” Leader Publisher Brian Blackley said he’s very optimistic about his decision to get Miller back. “Anyone who talks to Beverly knows she’s got ‘it,’” Blackley said. “I am not sure that’s something you can quantify, but it’s a blend of excitement, energy, knowledge and enthusiasm that’s contagious. Beverly’s the
Miller
kind of person who makes you excited about the possibilities ahead for The Leader. In Andy Posey and now, Beverly Miller, I know we’ve got a dedicated, motivated sales team that our customers will appreciate.” Blackley said Miller’s daily duties will be working with customers on delivering
strong advertising messages to improve their business while working on improving the newspaper’s advertising revenue. It’s a job Miller knows is challenging, but rewarding. “I have missed the challenge of the job and the energy I get from doing it, from visiting with people, from working to help them drive business to their doors,” Miller said. “It’s hard work, but it’s fun.” Miller was consistently an outstanding performer when she was with The Leader and was known to regularly win an internal “Top Dog” sales contest, something one member of her family didn’t forget. “The Tuesday before I started work on Wednesday, I told my nephew Dylan I was taking the job. He said, ‘Again?’ Then he asked me, SEE MILLER, PAGE A2
By SHERRI ONORATI sonorati@covingtonleader.com Get ready to laugh this weekend at the fifth annual Tipton County Commission on Aging (TCCA) Senior Talent Review. The show, an opportunity to highlight senior talent, will take place on Sunday, Apr. 11 at 2 p.m. at the historic Ruffin Theater in Covington. “This will be a great afternoon of fun and entertainment for the entire family,” said TCCA administrative assistant Kim Smith. “You will laugh until your sides hurt!” Seventeen acts will be featured this year, including two from Jessica and Jennifer McCullough. “Normally, we have just seniors preforming but this year we have two youngsters,” said Smith. “Jessica will be singing and Jennifer, the current reigning Miss Nashville, will play the flute.” Other acts will range from
singing and dance numbers to comedy routines. The fundraising event will be hosted by Lee Johnston and Ronnie “Bubba” Wiley will be back to entertain the crowd during act changes. Concessions will be available before the show and during intermission. Door prizes will also be awarded. All proceeds from ticket sales will go to support TCCA programs for seniors. “Everything we make off this goes right back into our programs to help Tipton County’s seniors,” said Smith. ”We promise you will have a good time. Each year the talent review gets better and better and where else can you be entertained for two hours for five bucks!” The price of admission is $5 per person. Children ages 3 and under are free. Tickets can be obtained by contacting any advisory committee member, board of directors, at the TCCA office or at the door on the day of the show. For more information please call 476-3333.
Area events events Area This week’s This week’sFeatured featuredChurch: church: Covington • Barretville • Millington • Collierville South Tipton • South Covington Morgage Offices: South Tipton • Millington • Arlington • Collierville
FRONT.indd 1
First United Penecostal Church Turn to to Page Turn PageA7 A7forfordetails details
April 11, 2 p.m. Senior Talent Revue, Ruffin Theater April 17, 10 a.m., Earth Fest 2010 Veterans Museum
4/8/10 8:39:00 AM