CMYK Assembly’s '09 session not all that bad
Shiny new penny for Abe’s birthday
Michael Vick signs with Eagles
Opinion, Page 10A
Nation, Page 12A
Sports, Page 1B FRIDAY, August 14, 2009
Volume XCV, No. 189
(252) 436-2700
www.hendersondispatch.com
By WILLIAM F. WEST Daily Dispatch Writer
From STAFF REPORTS
Daily Dispatch/William F. West
Oxford Police Lt. Gordon Blackwell walks past a vehicle that was struck in the rear by what appeared to be gunfire in the midst of a shooting early Thursday afternoon. Police are continuing to investigate the incident, which happened in the southeastern part of the city.
Oxford police probe afternoon shooting By WILLIAM F. WEST Daily Dispatch Writer
OXFORD — Police are investigating a shooting that happened early Thursday afternoon along Peace Street near Person Street in the southeastern part of the city. Capt. Glen Boyd said that, to the Police Department’s knowledge, no one was injured. Boyd said that people were in custody and that the department was sorting out the details. Boyd said that at least one vehicle, a white Chevrolet sport utility wagon, was struck in the Please see ARREST, page 3A rear by what appeared to be a shotgun blast, and that another
Our Hometown . . . . . 2A Business & Farm. . . . 5A Public Records . . . 6-7A Opinion . . . . . . . . . . 10A Light Side . . . . . . . . 11A Sports. . . . . . . . . . 1-3B Comics . . . . . . . . . . . 4B Classifieds. . . . . . . 5-7B
Weather Today T-storm High: 88 Low: 65
Saturday T-storm High: 89 Low: 70
Details, 3A
Deaths Henderson Elizabeth T. Granger, 85 Thomas E. Harris, 65 Philadelphia, Pa. Mary A. Williams, 86 Richmond, Va. Shirley G. Ricks, 58
Obituaries, 4A
50 cents
The Granville County mother of 2 vanished in early September 2008
Police: Residents had no water, food or electricity
Index
SBI gets OK to see more Morris e-mail
Boarding house operator arrested
A Kittrell woman was arrested Thursday following an investigation into the operation of a boarding house, Henderson Police Chief Keith L. Sidwell announced. The woman, Mary Ester Thompson of 1664 Bobbitt Road, was charged with three counts of exploitation of the disabled or elderly, one count of felony larceny for theft of electricity from Progress Energy and two counts of possession of a stolen electrical meter. Members of the police department, the Department of Social Services, the fire department and code enforcement on July 28 responded to a code violation complaint at 212 Charles St., police said. The residence did not have electricity or water. Police said that three men ages 45 to 88 years were living there along with 5 others. The residents had no food, and human feces were found on the floors throughout the residence. Police said that one resident said they received only a small amount of nourishment each day. The elderly residents said they paid Thompson each month to provide food, shelter and care.
vehicle may have been involved in the incident. The Chevrolet was parked in a yard next to a house at 111 Summitt St., with Summitt Street being nearly parallel to Peace Street. And police were talking to people outside the house and along Peace Street. “We did recover some cartridges off of Peace Street,” Boyd said. “They were pistol cartridges.” Word of the shooting surfaced at approximately 1:40 p.m. Boyd said the department did not have any indication as to the cause of the incident. Contact the writer at bwest@hendersondispatch.com.
OXFORD — The State Bureau of Investigation obtained a court order to review a Road Runner email account used by Kelly Currin Morris, who has remained missing since early September 2008. The order, signed by Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood, said the SBI on July 1 and on July 7 interviewed a citizen who indicated Morris had previously written from the address kcmorris@nc.rr.com, with the citizen Morris providing the SBI a copy of an e-mail from the address and dated 2005. Road Runner Internet is a feature of Time Warner Cable. The SBI specifically obtained the court’s permission to look at any read or unread Road Runner e-mail in Morris’ name between Jan. 1, 2005, and Aug. 4. An SBI agent, in court records obtained by the Dispatch, said that he did not seize any items, but that Time Warner Cable would provide the SBI with documents. The SBI is keeping the identity of the citizen confidential because of details of past search warrants having been published by news organizations. Kelly Currin Morris’ husband, Scott Morris, has remained the sole “person of interest” in the disappearance of his wife and in the arson of the couple’s residence in the southwestern part of Granville County. The first signs of trouble surfaced shortly before 11:30 a.m. Sept. 4, when a caller to Emergency 911 reported a fire at the residence at 3220 Tump Wilkins Road southeast of Stem. Sometime between 4:30 and
5 p.m., the then-28-year-old Kelly Currin Morris’ 2005 Honda Accord was found abandoned approximately a mile away at a future subdivision, with her cell phone, pocketbook and other personal belongings still inside the car. On Sept. 12, the SBI concluded the house fire had been set deliberately. Then-Sheriff David Smith next declared Scott Morris a person of interest in the disappearance of Kelly Currin Morris and in connection with the arson. By Sept. 25, the first SBI documents were made public. They showed statements by Scott Morris about the vanishing of Kelly Currin Morris were inconsistent. The SBI additionally said sources specifically told them that Kelly Currin Morris and Scott Morris had separated before and had discussed divorcing and that he had punched holes in the wall during arguments and had once thrown a computer out of a window. And the SBI has said there is no evidence that Kelly Currin Morris, a mother of two, disappeared voluntarily. Scott Morris has declined to make any comments to the Dispatch. Throughout the rest of autumn 2008, the SBI focused on bank records of Kelly Currin Morris or Scott Morris and/or his tow truck business, with the SBI saying the crimes of arson and homicide are often committed in relation to financial motives. Additionally, the SBI received court approval to obtain Kelly Currin Morris’ laptop computer, to review e-mail records held by telecommunications giant Verizon regarding kcmorris1@ verizon. net, to review an e-mail address labeled kmorris1@ hotmail.com Please see MORRIS, page 3A
N.C. lawmakers leave bills on to-do list for next year Home-as-castle doctrine, annexation among items taking back seat to budget By EMERY P. DALESIO Associated Press Writer
RALEIGH — For emergency room nurse Terry Shook, his home is his castle. Anyone who kicks down his door to get inside ought to expect to be carried out again in a stretcher. That’s why he has urged the General Assembly to pass legislation making state law on deadly force crystal clear with the doctrine that unlawful and forcible entry into a home allows the resident to shoot without fear of potential prosecution. “I think we should have the right to protect ourselves against these people who want to do whatever they want to me. If somebody comes through the door to my house, as far as I’m concerned they’re bought and paid for,” said Shook, 47, of Claremont. The legislation is one of many updates and reforms that stalled when the General Assembly adjourned this week, but which could surface again when lawmakers return in May. Lawmakers enacted nearly 500 new laws
on topics ranging from sex education for middle-school students to new protections for auto dealers who could lose their General Motors and Chrysler franchises. But most of the Legislature’s energy went into finding a compromise on how much to raise taxes and which programs to cut. Lawmakers produced a $19 billion state budget that was more than $2 billion lower than last year’s appropriated amount. Scores of other issues were left hanging until next year. “We were so busy trying to get the budget out, maybe we didn’t push it as hard as we could have,” said Sen. John Snow, D-Cherokee, a retired district court judge who was one of the co-sponsors of the bill establishing the home-as-castle doctrine. “We’re going to give it an effort to get it moved in the next session.” Supporters of establishing the castle doctrine want to ensure residents aren’t second-guessed if someone breaking in at night turns out not to have a weapon, said bill sponsor Sen. Doug Berger, D-Franklin. Perhaps the biggest issue left for next year was reforming a law to make it more difficult for cities and towns to pull neighboring property owners into the comPlease see LAWMAKERS, page 3A
Daily Dispatch/AL WHELESS
‘Can You Tell Me Where...?’ This horse having a mid-afternoon snack knows exactly where he is in Kittrell, but if you’re a motorist who doesn’t, you can look at these signs to figure out you’re at the intersection of South Chavis and Moss Stock Farm roads. Of course, if the third sign confuses you, just ask the horses.