By DAVID NICHOL & KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writers
Testimony ended this morning in the trial of a man accused of abandoning two of his children to die in St. Francis County, highlighted by the defendant's testimony and the prosecutor's pointing out of inconsistencies.
The jury was to receive instructions this afternoon.
Alex Ware, 35, of Memphis, is accused of capital murder in the deaths of Xavier Alexander Harrell, 1, and K-Von Harrell, 2.
Ware was the only defense witness called. Under questioning by defense council Jerry Coleman, he said that during a time when he and the mother of the children, Chantilly Harrell, were separated, he came home and found Xavier at the bottom of the stairs at his apartment. He said two of his children by another woman also lived with him there, along with his younger sister.
"At first I thought he (Xavier) was asleep," said Ware. "But he wouldn't move and he wouldn't breathe."
He said that after examining Xavier, he realized the child was dead. Coleman asked him why he didn't seek medical attention for the child.
"I was afraid," said Ware. "I was afraid that my children would be charged with homicide, because of the way kids are killing kids and the way kids are being charged with adult crimes."
He also said he was afraid that the child's mother would blame him.
"I picked up Xavier and I put him in my car," Ware said. "I drove over to West Memphis and I drove down Broadway. I kept driving, driving, until I got to St. Francis County."
He said he looked for a secluded place.
"I didn't know where to go or what to do. I took him (Xavier) and I found some bushes and I laid my son in them."
He testified that the other child, K-Von, was still alive and staying with a friend in Seattle.
On cross examination, Prosecutor Fletcher Long Jr. asked him again why he didn't call for medical attention.
"There was no evidence of foul play," said Long. Ware still said he was afraid.
Long asked him if he told Chantilly Harrell that she would never see either of the children again.
"I won't deny it," said Ware.
Ware also said that Harrell lied about trips they took to Chicago and Detroit. She testified that they were supposed to be getting the children.
Long also reminded him that in the police car after his arrest, he asked if he could be convicted if a body was never found.
"I just didn't care about nothing," Ware said. "I didn't commit no crime. The only crime I committed was taking his body over there."
Under more questioning, Ware admitted he was angry with Harrell, "But I would never get that angry. I would never hurt a child."
"But," Long responded, "You would take one of your children over the weeds and bushes in St. Francis County and leave him."
At another point, Long asked about the child that was still supposed to be alive.
"When can we expect K-Von?" Long asked of the child that Ware said is in Seattle, Wash.
Ware answered, "Maybe a week. Maybe a month. Maybe three or four months, maybe a year from now."
"Mr. Ware, we've already been waiting for 18 months to find out what happened to those children," Long said.
He also showed Ware a picture of the slough where Ware originally claimed he threw K-Von. Ware agreed that was the place.
Earlier, the last prosecution witness had been called. Dr. John Stewart, program manager for the National DNA Data Base with the FBI, testified that there was a 99.4 percent certainty that bones found in one of the two locations indicated by Ware were that of Xavier.
On Thursday afternoon, two Memphis policemen, Patrolman Billy Smallwood and Sgt. Marcus Worthy, testified for the prosecution. Glenn Ramsey of the St. Francis County Sheriff's office also testified. Dr. Cheryl May, a specialist in biological pathology, also testified.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Area residents have begun to see the dramatic increase in the costs of heating their homes this winter.
According to Margaret Preston with Reliant, formerly Arkla Gas, customers are seeing increases that will double and in some places triple the price for gas that they paid during the same period last year.
"It's really an issue of supply and demand. A year ago natural gas prices were a little over $2 per cubic foot, and now it's over $10 per cubic foot. Our customers aren't paying that $10 price or the $2 price, they're somewhere in the middle. We had a reserve of gas, and that's allowing us to keep our price nearer to $5 and $6," said Preston.
According to Preston, the increase was brought on during the summer cooling period when electric companies, who are the primary consumers of natural gas, used a large amount of the supply.
"Everyone basically had reserves on hand, and when the drilling companies saw that, they cut back on their production. The summer is a normal slow period for gas usage, but our larger consumers, the electric companies, used a lot of gas and that tapped into the reserves. Industry analysts are saying that this increase could go on for a year to 18-months before prices go back to normal again," said Preston.
There are two agencies in Forrest City that provide bill assistance for residents. They are the St. Francis County C.A.R.E Center and the Crowley's Ridge Development Council.
The C.A.R.E. Center, located at 302 N. Rosser, assists families with bills, clothing, food, and other necessities and according to Alma Dulaney, they have seen a few people asking for assistance with their gas bills.
"We've had a couple of families that have come in so far. People that are seeking assistance need to know what we require, and it makes the process of helping them go smoother. We need verification of income, and we also need an expense report to go along with two forms of identification. Even though verification of income and an expense report sounds simple, it's really not. We have to see check stubs and receipts from the prior month. That shows us what the family will need," said Dulaney.
Jerry Rushing of the Crowley's Ridge Development Council also said that the correct information helps them considerably with assisting residents.
"First, there has to be a need proven, and we see that after getting the proof of income and copies of their monthly bills. We help people not only with their natural gas bill but with their electric and water bills, and also with filling propane and butane tanks. But, we do need a copy of the previous month's bill to help us with the process," said Rushing. The CRDC is located at 247 N. Division.
According to Preston, Reliant also understands the problems that the price increase has caused. She cautioned customers not to wait until the bill is past due or scheduled for disconnection before calling.
"We need our customers to call us and let us know if there are going to be problems with paying the bill. When they first see the bill and realize that there may be a problem, they should call us and set up a payment schedule. That helps us work with them more," Preston said.
"Customers might also want to look into signing on with our Average Monthly Payment Plan. What that will do is average out an individual's average bill over a 12-month period. Most people will see higher gas bills in the winter when they use gas for heating, added to the usage on water heaters and stoves. During the summer they see a drastic decrease in that bill. What this plan does is basically level out the amount paid by a customer to more of an average for the entire year. There may be some fluctuation in the bill, but it's normally not anything drastic," said Preston.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
East Arkansas Community College had a spring semester enrollment of 1,167 as of 4:30 p.m. Thursday, with two days of late registration left.
The report was made by Vice President for Student Affairs Catherine Coleman at Thursday night's EACC Board of Trustees meeting.
Coleman said the final enrollment for last spring's semester was 1,192. She said that with registration continuing through Saturday, it's realistic to believe that figure will be exceeded.
On another matter, EACC President Dr. Coy Grace told the board that the new Learning Resource Center is up and running. He said some of the technical equipment has yet to be installed, but he said all the personnel has been moved into the facility.
Grace also said he appreciated all those who volunteered to help move books from the old library to the new building. "It was cold and icy," he said. Shopping carts to help move the books were loaned by Oral Edwards.
Since it was the first meeting of a new year, the board elected officers. A nominating committee put together a slate which was adopted unanimously. The new officers include: Oral Edwards, chairman; Steve Hollowell, vice chairman; Ann Hudson, secretary; and Dale Morris, treasurer.
Speech and drama instructor Tammy Freligh urged board members to watch "Breakfast With the Arts" on the A&E channel this Sunday, Jan. 14, at 8 a.m. At that time, the winners of a special contest will be announced. The contest is to promote the upcoming A&E production of "The Great Gatsby." Students were invited to submit audition tapes in which they acted out a scene from the made-for TV movie. Three EACC students, Elisheba Morningstar, Byron Criss and Keith Johnson, are finalists. They could win a chance to appear on a future A&E production.
On another matter, Kevin Jumper asked what would become of technical programs if EACC and Crowley's Ridge Vocational Institute were merged. Grace said he believed they would grow. He also said that by law, faculty and staff members would be guaranteed positions for five years. He also said that not all technical instructors would be required to get academic degrees.
In other action the board accepted the resignation of Sheila Nichols as St. Francis County literacy coordinator, and also accepted the retirement of R.L. Hamilton, plant maintenance supervisor.
The board also approved five recommendations for employment. These included: Dr. Brenda Smith, director of Nursing; Mary Ella Riley, St. Francis County literacy coordinator; Denise Ramirez, Cross County Literacy Coordinator; Charla Roemer, administrative secretary; Emily McNair, foreign language instructor.
A man wanted by police after his Nov. 29 escape from the St. Francis County Jail has been recaptured without incident.
Roger Dante Hill was one of five inmates who overpowered a jailer and escaped.
Hill was arrested by federal agents on Thursday in Waukegan, Ill., just outside of Chicago.
"I couldn't be more pleased," said St. Francis County Sheriff Dave Parkman. "Hill is the one I wanted most of the two that were still at large. I consider him to be the most dangerous."
Hill was being held in the SFC jail for the capital murder of Carlos Ivey. Hill and Maurice Greer were the two inmates still at large.
"Don't get me wrong," Parkman said. "I want Maurice Greer back also, but I really wanted Hill back."
Hill and Greer, along with Frederick Tiswell, Jeffery Gibson and Marcus Fuller, overpowered a jailer after flooding a cell in November. Gibson, who was being held for the murder of a Forrest City policeman, Tiswell and Fuller were captured the same day of the escape.
"We thought that we had Hill, but it turned out that it was Fuller who was captured, and was mistaken for Hill.
With Hill now in custody, Parkman says the state can now concentrate on extraditing him back to Arkansas to face charges for capital murder, escape and assault.
The Forrest City Police Department and the office of Mayor Larry Bryant are getting ready to kick off the final phase of the "Mayor's Challenge to Buckle Up" campaign.
This is part of a national "Buckle Up America" campaign.
The campaign was kicked off in November. Surveys had shown that 75 percent of people in the area did not use seat belts. A media campaign, bumper stickers, talks to different groups, banners and zero tolerance were some of the methods used to promote seat belt use.
The police department will be conducting another survey at various locations around the city during the week of Jan. 15-19.
Schools and many government offices will be closed on Monday due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
The Forrest City, Hughes and Palestine-Wheatley school districts will be closed, along with East Arkansas Community College and Crowley's Ridge Technical Institute.
The St. Francis County Courthouse and the Forrest City city hall will be closed on Monday along with area post offices, the FC Public Library and the St. Francis County Museum.
Area banks will also be closed on Monday.
January is National Volunteer Donor Month, and in keeping with that, Life Blood has scheduled two blood drawings in Forrest City.
One will be held at Baptist Memorial Hospital Friday, Jan. 19, from 9 a.m. until noon. The second will be at McDonald's Monday, Jan. 22, from 2-6 p.m.
St. Francis County Deputies arrested a Forrest City man on drug charges Thursday afternoon.
David W. Fleming is charged with manufacturing a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of anhydrous ammonia in an unlawful container.
According to the report officers, executed a search warrant at the Fleming's residence, 360 SFC 707, about 12:30 p.m. Upon entering the residence, police reportedly found Fleming in the process of manufacturing methamphetamine. Also found inside the residence were chemicals used to manufacture and process the drug and finished product, police reported.