Friday Feb. 3,
2012
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 29
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • 2 sections
Man pleads guilty to murder Preston Lee Pegg Jr. gets life sentence in wife’s slaying BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Preston Lee Pegg Jr. pleaded guilty Thursday morning to capital murder in the killing of his wife and was given a net sentence of life plus 20 years in custody with no possibility of parole. Pegg, 38, appeared in Alcorn County Circuit Court before Judge Thomas Gardner to plead guilty
to one count of capital murder enhanced by firearm possession and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the killing of his wife, Joanna Denise Pegg, on July 30, 2010. Gardner imposed the state’s recommended sentence of life in custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections without the possibility of parole plus 10 years for the en-
hanced murder charge and another 10 years on the firearm possession charge. He was also ordered to pay $6,500 to the Mississippi Crime Victims Compensation Fund for the victim’s funeral expenses. The additional 20 years are consecutive to the life sentence. Pegg was to be transferred immediately to MDOC custody. He had prior felony convictions
in Alcorn County of burglary and grand larceny and pending felony charges of rape and statutory rape in McNairy County, Tenn. In a brief remark to the court, Pegg said he attempted suicide around July or August. Pegg’s attorney told the court that one of the defendant’s reasons for pleading Please see PEGG | 2A
Pegg
Man gets 12 years in kidnapping, burglary case BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
A Booneville man has been sentenced to a total of 12 years in prison for his role in the 2009 kidnapping and robbery of an elderly Prentiss County man and his daughter. Anthony Branch, 43, pleaded guilty to two counts each of kidnapping and burglary and larceny of a dwelling and one count of armed robbery Thursday in
Prentiss County Circuit Court, bringing to a close his role in a case that began in June 2009 when he and two others broke into the neighboring homes of the woman and her father, tied them up and forced them at gunpoint to drive into town to cash a check. The daughter was able to escape from the vehicle and alert bank employees and the suspects then fled the scene. They were arrested by the Pren-
tiss County Sheriff’s Department in April 2010 following a lengthy investigation. Branch was sentenced by Judge James Roberts to 20 years in prison with 12 suspended and eight to serve on each of the two counts of kidnapping with both sentences to run concurrent, 20 years in prison with 16 suspended and four to serve on each of the two counts of burglary and larceny of a
dwelling with both sentences to run concurrent and 20 years in prison with 12 suspended and 8 to serve on the charge of armed robbery. He also pleaded guilty to one count of manufacturing marijuana and was sentenced to 3 years in prison on that charge. The kidnapping sentence and the armed robbery sentence run concurrently and consecutive to the burglary sentence and the marijuana sen-
tence runs concurrent with all other sentences. He will have 12 years to serve, along with five years of post release supervision, fines, restitution and court costs. He will receive credit for the two years he has been in jail since his arrest. The daughter, Cathy Weeks, testified during Thursday’s plea hearing that the crime has Please see SENTENCE | 2A
Corinth to close street for work BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The city of Corinth plans to close a stretch of Proper Street to through traffic next week for a sewer line replacement necessary before the street is improved. The closure beginning Monday will be from the Young Street intersection to the Cruise Street intersection while the sewer department replaces 400 feet of deteriorated sewer line. The city will limit access to only those who live or work on that section of Proper. “The bulk of the sewer line to be replaced is located from just west of Fulton Street to just west of Young Street,” said Dave Huwe, director of
Photos by Kim Jobe/Corinth School District
Teddy Bear Olympics Kindergarten students at Corinth Elementary School recently participated in the Teddy Bear Olympics. The games were 10 minutes each with kindergartners rotating as a class to each room. All games included some sort of learning activity. One of the games was sight word cake walk while another one had students, and their stuffed teddy bear pals, acting out a word they drew from a pile such as “march” or “draw,” as shown by teacher Delia Curtis. Each kindergarten teacher and assistant had a different activity in their room. Student Abby Ross shows her excitement over the Teddy Bear Olympics.
community development and planning. “Most of the residents west of Fulton Street will be able to access their homes from the west, as will persons needing access to the offices of Tennessee Valley Regional Housing Authority.” The sewer department will begin work in the Fulton Street area and move east, and the area from Fulton to Cruise could possibly reopen after a day or two. The closure will not interrupt the city’s normal garbage pickup schedule. The city has notified the school district so that bus arrangements can be made. The sewer work must be Please see STREET | 2A
5 grants available for potential homebuyers BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
Those looking for a little help in taking their first step toward the American dream are encouraged to apply for assistance through a grant program aimed at homebuyers. The homebuyer assistance program offers qualified buyers up to $14,999 to be used as a down-payment on a home loan. Darlene Grimes with the Northeast Mississippi Planning and Development District (NEMPDD) explained the program is designed to help those who are ready and able to obtain a home loan but lack the down payment. Alcorn County currently has funds available to assist five more homebuyers and must close out the grant by June, so they are strongly encouraging anyone who thinks they might be eligible to obtain an application for the program.
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The grant funds are provided by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and come through the state to the county. NEMPDD administers the grant on behalf of the county. Participants must meet several criteria to be eligible including: ■ Income — must fall within HUD’s low-income limits for annual income ($26,350 for a household of one person; $30,100 for a two-person household; $33,850 for a three-person household; $37,600 for a four-person household; $40,650 for a five-person household; $43,650 for a six-person household; $46,650 for a seven-person household and $49,650 for an eight-person household). ■ Credit History — must be able to show they have the ability to qualify for and repay Please see GRANTS | 2A
On this day in history 150 years ago Feb. 3 — President Lincoln politely refuses the offer of war elephants from the King of Siam by explaining the United States “does not reach a latitude so low as to favor the multiplication of the elephant.”