McNairy County Officials investigate armed robbery
Tishomingo County Man sentenced on meth charges
Home & Garden Color fall gardens with ornamental peppers
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Vol. 121, No. 225
• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • Two sections
County settles wrongful death lawsuit BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Alcorn County is making a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit stemming from a situation in 2013 in which deputies responded to a call at a Kendrick Road residence and a wom-
an was then shot. Betty Sue Dunn Gray died seven months later in July 2014 at the age of 66. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court by her husband, Wilburn Gray, and her sons, Ronnie Brown and William Brown,
against the county; Scott Dalton, a former county deputy; and Charles Rinehart, the former sheriff. The Alcorn County Board of Supervisors approved the terms of the settlement, which will not be disclosed, in an execu-
tive session Monday evening, according to Board Attorney Bill Davis. In court filings, the county denies the allegations of wrongdoing in the complaint. An Alcorn County Grand Jury in January 2014 cleared Scott Dalton, finding that the
deputy “was fully justified in discharging his service weapon and the other actions he took in responding to this incident.” The lawsuit argues that the shooting of Betty Gray “was an Please see SETTLE | 2A
Suicide widow speaks out Missing man’s Woman on mission to prevent, educate vehicle found BY L.A. STORY
lastory@dailycorinthian.com
It has been almost six years, but the image is forever seared into her brain — the day Doris “Dee” Dye came home to find her husband in the front yard on Oct. 19, 2011. He was dead by suicide at the age of 38. The Biggersville resident wears a brave smile as she sits at the conference table. She pushes back her long, blonde curls and fidgets with the edges of the notebook she brought along. She is wearing a turquoise blue T-shirt that proclaims, “Be The Voice #stopsuicide.” She has photos of her late husband, Terry Dye. She chose three of her favorites and she pushes them across the table to be viewed. One of them is a picture from their wedding. She mentally fortified herself for this, the hardest of conversations. At the age of 48, Dye said she is the oldest in her group of suicide widows. She takes a deep breath and begins to tell her story. Dye met Terry in 1998. They were married on April 22, 2000. He was injured on the job and she said his employer fired him. Afterward, he got on disability. He had some issues. “I knew he suffered from mental illness. He was bi-polar, severe depression and anxiety ... on top it,” she said. “I think after years of fighting it ... and I do mean years of fighting it ... his feelings just basically won.” Dye started a job with Toyota in Sept. 6, 2011. “I knew he was depressed and it was killing him — me being away from home — because I
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Photo courtesy of Dee Dye
Dee and Terry Dye are shown on their wedding day in Gatlinburg, Tenn., on April 22, 2000. had taken off for 10 years with him,” she said. Her eyes well up with tears. It’s obvious she is trying not to cry. “... I blame myself a lot.” At the time of Terry’s death, the couple lived in McNairy County in Tennessee. Oct. 19, 2011, began as a normal day. She said she will always remember that morning. Terry was having “a good day,” she recalled. His eyes were bright. He showered and dressed in his favorite clothes and took exceptional time to groom. She said she believed he had done this on purpose — that he had known from that morning what he intended to do. “I believe he had planned it. He knew what he was doing. He didn’t want me to find him unclean or unkept,” she said. She had just gotten her uniforms for work and he took a picture of her. He called her by his affectionate nickname for her, “Babydoll.” “You are so beautiful. I just
love you,” he had said. She tripped and fell into him, accidentally butting him in the nose. She made a joke about his nose and they laughed. She left for work. Dye called him every day on each of her breaks and on her lunch. That day was no different. When she called him on her first break, he kept telling her he was “cold” and he just “couldn’t get warm.” He told her he loved her, he was proud of her and that he couldn’t imagine his world without her. He also called and spoke to his mother. She got off work just after 3 p.m. and called him, but he didn’t answer. She said he always answered the phone. She worked over an hour’s drive from home and she tried to call him several times on the way home. Concern became fear and fear became panic by the time she got home.
A Corinth family is waiting on results from the state crime lab after their missing relative’s vehicle was found burned in Lee County. The Lincoln Navigator with a DeSoto County license plate was found in a rural area of Verona. Corinth Alderman J.C. Hill was notified of the discovery Friday afternoon by the Lee County coroner. “Right now, all we know is some remains were in the truck, the truck was found, and the truck was burnt,” said Hill. His son, Jay Hill Jr., 33, also
known as “Mac,” had his last contact with family on Aug. 9. It is unusual for him not to keep in touch, J.C. Hill said. Phone records had shown the last contact with his cell phone occurred in Lee County. Hill lived in Tupelo but also spent time with family in Horn Lake in northwest Mississippi. He grew up in Corinth. J.C. Hill said he expects to learn the crime lab results identifying the person in the vehicle later this week. The Associated Press reported the vehicle was discovered by a farmer searching for a lost cow.
Sales of T-shirts help Havis’ Kids BY L.A. STORY lastory@dailycorinthian.com
A simple T-shirt purchase could be more effective than wishing upon a star to help some special children get their dream trip to the “happiest place on Earth.” Always thinking up creative ways to raise money for the Corinth-Alcorn County Special Needs Kids, group director Havis Hurley recently announced that now there are Christmas-themed T-shirts available for purchase to help
Please see PREVENTION | 2A
Please see SHIRTS | 6A
The Havis’ Kids Christmas shirt is a Christmas-themed tee that comes in sizes from youth small to adult 4XL. All proceeds from shirt sales go to benefit the Havis’ Kids 2018 Disney World trip.
Animal lovers can ‘howl at the moon’ BY ZACK STEEN
zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
Animal lovers will get a chance to howl under the moon for a good cause. The Corinth-Alcorn Animal Shelter will host “A Night to Howl Under Moon” this week in downtown Corinth. The fundraiser event set for 6 p.m. on Thursday will be the first for the shelter’s new foundation which will
raise funds to construct a new state-of-the-art-shelter. The block party style event, co-presented by Vicari Italian Grill and Cruise Street Market, will feature entertainment from local jazz group Blue Magnolia, heavy hors d’oeuvers and craft beer from Vicari and a wine tasting. A silent auction and wine pull will also take place. Tickets are $25 or $250
for a eight-person sponsorship table. Tickets can be purchased online at corinthalcornanimalshelter.com or at the door the night of the event. “This is our first big kickoff event for the foundation,” said Volunteer Director Charlotte Doehner. “This will be our first block party style event and we are looking forward to it.” The event will take place in
the middle of Cruise Street between Vicari and Cruise Street Market. Cruise Street will be closed to traffic between Fillmore and Franklin streets beginning at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Doehner said pre-event ticket and table sales have been brisk. “Those local people and Please see HOWL | 2A
25 years ago
10 years ago
Chris Wooten, June Plaxco, Mike Jacob and Jim Weaver are among the stars of Corinth Theatre-Arts’ production of “Run for Your Wife.”
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