By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Few things can galvanize a community quicker than news of a missing child. That happened last night in the Tuni area.
"I honestly think everybody who lives on this road was out looking," Christy Utley said this morning after a nighttime search. Her son, 3-year old Alex, had been found, dirty, scratched and mosquito bitten but otherwise none the worse for wear, and ready for today's session of Vacation Bible School.
It started simply enough. Alex's mom thought that Alex would be all right, because other, older kids were at the house. She said she recently had a nerve block in her neck and was having problems with it, and when she lay down for a rest, she fell asleep.
"My 9-year-old came outside to talk on the phone, because we sit out here a lot, she said, indicating the back porch area. "Alex was watching cartoons. But when the 9-year-old came outside, Alex came outside."
There are three dogs around the house, and two wandered off. Alex followed them. According to his mom, he later said he wanted to go swimming.
When the older kids noticed that Alex was missing, around 6:30 p.m., they didn't awaken Christy at first.
"They didn't call me until 7:10 or something like that. They had already called my dad's house and called everywhere, and looked all through the house, and he had left," she said. "I was so scared I didn't know what to do."
Authorities were brought in, including the county Search and Rescue team. "Everybody came," she said. "There were four-wheelers and all out looking, before even the county got out here."
At the height of the search, along with the Search and Rescue team and members of the Tuni community, there were members of the Forrest City Fire Department, Forrest City Police Department, Widener Police Department Colt Fire Department, Caldwell Fire Department, Wynne fire Department and Baptist Memorial Hospital.
"It was so dark, and the more dark it was getting the more scared I was getting," said Christy.
At about 9:30 p.m., Alex was found in deep woods by two young men from the area, Matthew Colvin, 17, and Joey Davenport, 19. He was unharmed except for mosquito bites and a few ticks. According to the Sheriff's Department report, Alex was greeted at home "by a roaring crowd of onlookers in excess of 75 people."
Christy said Alex was in good enough shape this morning to attend Vacation Bible School.
"He was fine last night," she said. "We gave him a little bath and got all the ticks off him. And he has scratches all over his face, and all he would say was, 'I had to leave my puppies in the woods.' And I said, 'We'll find your puppies.'"
The dogs have returned.
Colvin and Davenport said they never would have found Alex if they hadn't heard him crying. They then started calling, and he called back to them.
This morning, at First Baptist Church VBS, Alex admitted to being a little scared last night, but he was happy and active, and the Utley's neighborhood is relieved and quiet again.
By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
An estimated 250 people banded together Monday night in the search for a toddler who had disappeared from his home atop Crowley's Ridge.
Three-year-old Alex Utley was accompanied by two of the family's dogs when he wandered away from his home in the Tuni Community about 6 p.m., according to a report at the St. Francis County Sheriff's Department. The child's mother, Christy Utley, reported him missing about 7:30 p.m.
The sheriff's department coordinated the search that involved volunteers from the Tuni area, along with emergency workers from numerous area agencies.
"I have never seen a better response from the community and surrounding agencies," St. Francis County Sheriff Dave Parkman said. "Fire departments, law enforcement, all the agencies around us, came to our assistance, and I want them to know how much I appreciate that."
When police arrived at the family's home, volunteers were already combing the Ridge on foot and on four-wheelers for the child who was found by two teenage volunteers about 9:30 p.m., less than a mile from home. Other than numerous mosquito bites and scratches, the child was unharmed when he was found by Joey Davenport, 19, and Matthew Colvin, 17.
"He said his dogs went up in the woods and he followed them," Parkman said. "I talked with the child, and he seemed to be in good shape. His arms were scratched up a little, and he had some mosquito bites. He wasn't excited, he was as calm as he could be," Parkman said. "He is a tough little dude."
In addition to the sheriff's department and volunteers, other agencies assisting in the search included St. Francis County Search and Rescue, St. Francis County Auxiliary Deputies, Forrest City Police Department, Widener Police Department, Colt Fire Department, Caldwell Fire Department, Wynne Fire Department and Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City. Parkman also said the Memphis Police Department was in the process of getting its helicopter to the area when the boy was found.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), were in St. Francis County Monday as part of their 15-county tour to assess damage caused by storms earlier this month.
On June 6, President George W. Bush declared the counties of St. Francis, Chicot, Cleburne, Conway, Craighead, Cross, Independence, Jackson, Madison, Newton, Perry, Poinsett, Van Buren, White and Woodruff for emergency and permanent work. On Monday, FEMA representatives laid out many of the guidelines necessary for county officials and city leaders affected, including what should be filed for reimbursements on insurance claims.
"When you're assessing your damages, you need to look over your policy and see what will be covered by your insurance. If your insurance covers the damages, then we won't pay for it. We will need a statement from your insurance company showing just what the insurance company will pay," said Gerald Jones with FEMA.
According to Paul Rohne Jr., also with FEMA, a portion of the program will allow cities and the county to rebuild structures with an emphasis on avoiding the same type of damage in future storms.
"With our FEMA 406 Mitigation Program, we will also provide funding to help you rebuild bigger, better and stronger to avoid as much damage in the next situation," Rohne said.
According to St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco, the majority of the storm damage was seen on Crowley's Ridge and in the eastern portion of the county near Hughes. According to Cisco, the major damage in the county was due to flooding which damaged pipes in several ditches.
"A lot of the damage we had was from washouts and pipes that were damaged and will have to be replaced. We also had a lot of drift damage on the river that we had trouble dealing with. The clean up was difficult because the debris will float down the river and clog up on each bridge, and even though the Corp of Engineers puts the bridges in, it's our responsibility to clean those up. The only way to clean those up is by breaking up the drifts at each bridge," Cisco said.
FEMA will be back in the county on Wednesday looking at sites across the county.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Hughes City Council members held a brief called meeting Monday night to discuss two issues of city equipment.
Mayor Donnie Mooney told councilmen the main topic for the meeting was a grant from USDA Rural Development.
"We have received a grant for a Jaws of Life for the fire department," said Mooney. "I called this meeting so that we could pass a resolution for the grant and get things moving. Over the years, we have had to wait for one to come from Forrest City or Horseshoe Lake. There have been many wrecks that have happened that we could have used one here. I think it is a good thing for the city."
The council approved the grant resolution that was required by the USDA. According to a copy of the resolution, the grant, if approved, will not exceed the amount of $11,250.
The second topic presented by Mooney was for a one-ton truck to replace the city's current sanitation truck. Mooney told the council that he thought he had found a truck for the city, and asked the council's permission to have the vehicle inspected. Councilmen agreed to allow Mooney to do whatever he thinks is necessary to insure the vehicle is in working order.
Village Creek State Park will be offering special programs for area children during July.
"Kids Day Out," will be held at 3:30 p.m. each Saturday afternoon, beginning July 5. Children are invited to an afternoon of crafts, treats and other surprises, according to a VCSP press release. The fee is $1 per child.
For more information, contact VCSP at 870-238-9406. The park is located about 15 miles north of Forrest City.