Of the people, By the people, For the people
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Patricia Waltz
TUESDAY, July 5, 2016 / Vol. 2 Issue 25 / 75 cents
Inmate flees jail
Memories abound as Woody's closes shop It was more than 40 years ago that Kennith "Woody" Lemings and his wife, Helen, opened their bait and tackle shop in Choctaw. Saturday, July 2, was the last day in business for Woody's, and it got off to an early start as long-time customers and friends dropped by one more time. "Somebody brought a pot of coffee this morning," Woody said, and people had been stopping in all day. One man said he had driven to town just to say goodbye and "thanks for being here for 40 years." The shop was open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week during the spring and summer months, and the couple say they are ready to retire. Helen says she wants to get back into jewelry making and spend more time sewing. Woody says he plans to work on their cabin on Crowell Mountain. And, he says, "I think I'll go fishing."
Semi crash on Highway 92 traps driver A tractor-trailer crashed Sunday evening on Highway 92 and French Road near Bee Branch trapping the driver inside, according to reports on the police scanner. The truck rolled over and was upside
24-year-old recaptured shortly
Woody and Helen Lemings closed up shop Saturday after 40 years.
down in the ditch with the driver trapped between the ground and the truck. Rescuers were at the scene and reported that the driver was conscious. A Haz-mat unit also was called to the scene because of leaking fluids. No further details were available at press time.
Man sentenced in child porn case A Fairfield Bay man was recently sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to distributing child pornography. James Vittitow pleaded guilty to the felony count in U.S. District Court and was sentenced on
A 24-year-old inmate at the Van Buren County Detention Center briefly escaped from custody in the early hours of Friday, July 1. Taylor Coats of Clinton was captured around 11:30 a.m. Friday, according to a statement from the Van Buren County sheriff's office. Coats was found at a residence on Highway 95 West near Walnut Grove. Here is the statement from the sheriff's office website in its entirety: On July 1st, 2016, between the hours of 1:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., 24-year-old Taylor Coats of Clinton, a trustee at the Van Buren County Detention Center, walked away from the Detention Center. Coats was incarcerated for a non-violent misdemeanor violation of probation, for failing a drug test. Coats had approximately 1
month left to serve. At approximately 11:30 a.m. Coats was captured at a residence on State Highway 95 W and is currently locked down. A spokesman for the sheriff's office said Sheriff Scott Bradley was not releasing any further statement on the escape because Coats had been recapture. Asked how the trustee program works, the spokesman said that arrangements are made to allow them to leave their cells to work. According to the sheriff's office statement, Coats walked away from the jail. However, several sources have told The Voice that the escape was made through a vent. Sources also told The Voice that an ambulance was stolen from Southern Paramedic Services office on Shake Rag Road after the escape. No reports from the Clin-
June 8, 2016. A second felony, possession of child pornography, was dismissed. Vittitow had been indicted in July 2015 on the two felony charges. U.S. District Judge Billy Roy Wilson sentenced Vittitow to 121 months to the Bureau of Prisons, the prison term rec-
ommended in a plea agreement negotiated in November. Vittitow also was sentenced to 10 years of supervised release after he is released, a $100 special assessment, and $2,500 in restitution. Vittitow was ordered to surrender to begin serving his sentence on or before 2 p.m. Friday,
Coats ton Police Department were available before press time. According to court documents, Coats was sentenced in May to 39 days in jail and 12 months of probation. In September 2015, Coats was charged with two felony counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, and one misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia. The charges came after a home visit by his probation officer, court papers show. July 15, 2016. The plea agreement states the steep sentence was due to the fact that Vittitow was found in possession of more than 600 images that depicted masochistic, sadistic or violent conduct, and that some of the material involved children younger than 12.
Celebrating the nation's birthday
Boaters and swimmers filled Greers Ferry Lake at the Choctaw park over the July 4th weekend. The park attendant said all the camping sites were occupied. Also marking the occasion of the nation's 240th birthday was a parade and fireworks Sunday evening at Fairfield Bay.
Empty building sparks controversy The Dennard church building on U.S. Highway 65 North stands empty now, and its future has some folks concerned. A ladies' quilting circle had been using the building and as long as it was in use of some kind, its bylaws were in effect and its bank account stayed open. Now, however, the church's account has
been closed and the money handed over to the treasurer of the Dennard Cemetery Association. Treasurer Teresa DeGroat isn't too happy about that. She contends the building and the cemetery are separate entities with separate tax identification numbers and should remain that way. A few Dennard residents have ex-
pressed concern over what is happening to donations to the church building, which apparently brought in more than usual at the recent Decoration. DeGroat said that she is currently accepting donations to the church and depositing them into the cemetery's account, keeping careful records of the separate transactions. She hopes there soon will be a sep-
arate bank account opened by those on the building's board of directors, one of whom closed the current one. DeGroat says the cemetery fund has about $50,000 while the church fund is closer to $2,000. She said the church building has a crack in the basement and is in need of repairs. That could be a major expense. The funds to repair that, she said, should come from the
money donated to the church, not that donated for the upkeep of the cemetery. DeGroat says she has consulted an attorney for advice and others have consult-
ed a separate attorney about the issue. The cemetery association's annual meeting will be held in late August, and DeGroat is hopeful everything can be settled then.
The Dennard church building is no longer in use.