By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
Reports of a gun being found Friday inside a first-grade classroom at Central Elementary School were not confirmed until police, acting on information supplied by parents this week, questioned school officials about the incident.
According to a report released today by the Forrest City Police Department, a six-year-old student in Robin McKee's first-grade class took the gun to school Friday. Police reported the gun was found by the teacher, who at first thought it was a toy, but notified the principal's office.
The gun remained inside the child's backpack in his classroom until his parents, and grandparents, arrived. School officials then took the gun to the office and determined the gun was real and belonged to the child's grandmother, according to Vent.
Forrest City School District Superintendent Lee Vent said the revolver was broken. "The gun itself was of no immediate harm because it was broken," Vent said this morning during a conference call. In addition to Vent, Deputy Superintendent Alice Barnes, Central Principal Willie Doby and Assistant Central Principal Tammie Mills, participated in the conference call.
"The gun was not loaded and no threats were made," Vent said. The child is believed to have gotten the gun from his grandmother."
The FCPD was not made aware of the gun incident until parents and concerned citizens began asking them questions about the gun this week. Michael Long, a school resource officer, questioned Doby about the incident on Monday.
According to a report filed by Long Wednesday, Doby confirmed the gun incident at that time.
Vent said the policy in the district's handbook was not followed and that may have been an oversight due to the fact that school officials first thought the gun was a toy. "That's where the miscommunication may have come in."
"I can't question the way it was handled. There was just a miscommunication on policy and procedure," Vent said. "We can certainly learn from this and go on with life. I think what he did was appropriate, but we don't want this to happen again or sweep this under a rug."
Vent said the child was suspended Friday for an indefinite period of time, but allowed to attend classes in the mornings this week to take the SAT-9 tests. The child was required to be taken home after testing was completed each day. "We will make a decision tomorrow as to how to further carry this out," Vent said.
Long said he had discussed the situation with Doby and reminded him that the police are required to be made aware of incidents such as this on school campuses.
Forrest City Police Chief Clarence McNeary said he was not aware of the situation until he received Long's report this morning.
"They are supposed to notify the proper authorities, and according to the incident from the school resource officer, they did not do that," McNeary said. "We want to be notified of any type of criminal offense no matter if they're six or 16."
However, McNeary said he and investigators would contact First Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Fletcher Long to determine if any charges can be filed and who they might be filed against. "There might possibly be some type of neglect there."
By CRYSTAL HOLLIS
T-H Staff Writer
Area residents who have had cancer, or are still battling cancer, shouldn't have to be asked to participate in the survivor march in the fourth annual American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, according to Tippe McCollum.
"They should just show up," said McCollum, publicity coordinator for the event. "We want every one who has had cancer to be part of the march with us. All they have to do is come to the stadium at 6:30 p.m. to register and we'll take care of the rest."
Activities will begin at Sam Smith Stadium Friday at 7 p.m. and will continue through the night into Saturday.
McCollum said the night will be filled with entertainment, contest, prizes and food.
"There will be a clown costume contest. The prize will be a $50 savings bond. There will be other costume contests as well. There will also be a scavenger hunt, a circus barker contest and relay races," she said.
There is also a sunrise service scheduled for the morning of the relay.
Entertainment for the evening will be provided by various individuals and groups. Miss Arkansas 2000, Sarah Harris is scheduled to sing and Sammy Hernandez will sing the National Anthem. Other groups and individuals will be The First Baptist Church Youth Band, Power of One, Rising Sun M.B. Church Praise Dancers, the Tap Pruitt Brothers and a dancetroop, Dancing, Dancing, Dancing, just to name a few.
The survivor march will get under way at 7 p.m. and will be led by the ROTC Color Guard. The Class AA Champion Palestine-Wheatley Girls' Basketball team and the Class AAA Champion Hughes Boys' Basketball team are scheduled to take part in the march.
McCollum said there will be recognition of the relay sponsors. There will also be awards for best campsites and the most money raised.
This year's honorary chairman will be four-year-old cancer survivor, Hannah Gregory of Forrest City.
The main attraction, the luminaries ceremony, will be at 9 p.m. to honor those who have survived cancer or are still battling the disease and to memorialize those who have lost their lives.
"We have had a real good response from people in the community. We are selling a lot of luminaries and the purple bows have done real well also," said McCollum. "But we are still finding people who don't know what it is all about so people are still learning."
The event raised $35,000 last year and McCollum said she hopes it will do even better this year. "We have had some good workers -- hard workers, who have been putting this together and we appreciate all of their efforts. We really appreciate all the publicity from the newspaper and the radio station as well."
In the event of rain, McCollum said the event will be held inside the Mustang Arena.
Luminaries can still be purchased for $5 until 9 p.m.. Friday night. To find out more, contact McCollum at 633-1535 or chairwoman Phyllis Autry at 633-4592.
By CRYSTAL HOLLIS
T-H Staff Writer
The National Association of Letter Carriers, in cooperation with the United States Postal Service, will host its ninth annual food drive, Stamp Out Hunger, on Saturday, May 12.
To participate in the national event, local residents may leave nonperishable food items in or around their mail boxes Saturday in a sack. Residents are asked to raise the flag on their mailboxes if the food is placed inside of it.
Forrest City Postmaster Normal Gilchrest said the drive has always been successful locally. "We even have volunteers who help the letter carriers pick up the food items," said Gilchrest.
Thaddius Jackson, president of the Letter Carriers Association at the U.S. Post Office in Forrest City, and coordinator for the drive, said he hopes this year's food drive will surpass last year's effort. "Last year, we gathered 3,000 pounds of nonperishable food items, and we hope to gather 4,000 pounds this year."
Gilchrest also said a container will be placed in the lobby of the post office beginning today so residents can drop off food items at the Post Office if they can't leave them around their mail boxes.
Jackson and co-coordinator Judy Burns said they will probably initiate the help of volunteers again this year and do not want residents to be concerned if they see someone else picking up the food.
"They will be wearing t-shirts identifying themselves as volunteers," said Burns. Last year, Jackson said they had 32 volunteers help with the drive.
"You can identify the volunteers because they will be wearing white or gray t-shirts that say they are volunteers with the post office food drive," Jackson said.
Four people were arrested Wednesday by Forrest City police in two separate incidents involving drugs and other charges.
In the first incident, police reported that a man was trying to sell some rifles out of a van at Handy Foods on West Broadway.
Officers arrived and arrested Benjamine Dewayne Scott, 32, of Gillette, Shannon Rose Barnes, 27, of Jonesboro and Kenneth D. Dorn, 31, of Pine Bluff.
In the van, police found 11 rifles and a Nintendo 64 console, all believed to be stolen.
Barnes told officers she also had some cocaine given to her by Dorn.
Scott was charged with theft by receiving over $500, possession of firearms by a certain person, and parole violation out of Stuttgart. Barnes was charged with theft by receiving over $500 and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. Dorn was charged with theft by receiving over $500, possession of firearms by a certain person and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.
In the second incident, police were called to Forrest City High School by security, in reference to a fight on campus. There, police found a student, Joseph Drone, 18, of 943 Mann Street Apt. 129, who was allegedly involved in the fight.
According to the police report, Drone resisted an attempt to search him. During the altercation, Drone allegedly dropped a plastic bag containing marijuana.
Drone was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver near certain facilities, two counts of second degree battery and resisting arrest.