By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
A girl who told police she had been threatened has been arrested on weapons charges after bringing a gun and knife with her to school Wednesday morning.
The 13-year-old Lincoln Middle School student was arrested Wednesday afternoon after school officials learned she had allegedly brought a butcher knife and a handgun to school with her that morning.
According to a report on file at the Forrest City Police Department, authorities found a 10-inch butcher knife hidden in a trash can in a girls bathroom. An unloaded .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol, along with a box containing 13 .25 caliber cartridges, were found on the floor inside a storage room, also at the school. Authorities said the girl, who reportedly had never been in trouble before, tried to hide the weapons because she was afraid of being caught with them.
The student told police she took the weapons to school for her protection because several male subjects had told her they were going to rape her after school, according to the police report. The girl reportedly lives within walking distance of the school, and was afraid of being attacked on her way home.
The girl is charged with possession by a minor of a handgun on school property and carrying a knife as a weapon. She was released to her mother Wednesday afternoon.
The investigation is continuing to identify the students who were allegedly making the threats and to determine if charges can be filed against them.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The annual Relay For Life to benefit the fight against cancer will begin this Friday, May 30, at 5 p.m. at Sam Smith Stadium, weather permitting.
The Relay will continue until 5 o'clock Saturday morning.
In previous years, the Relay has been held from 7 p.m. Friday until 7 a.m. Saturday.
All proceeds from the Relay For Life will go to the American Cancer Society.
Debbie McInturff has been named this year's honorary chairperson.
A highlight of the Relay, the Survivors' Walk, will take place at about 7 p.m. Friday. Cancer survivors who wish to take part in the walk are asked to register by 6:30 p.m. Friday. A golf cart will be available for those who wish to participate but are unable to walk. Refreshments will be provided for survivors who take part.
A special effort is being made to get as many cancer survivors as possible to participate, as an inspiration to those who may have been diagnosed recently.
The teams will have "campsites" on the football field, as a place for team members to gather when they aren't walking.
There will also be live entertainment, including "9 Below Zero," a popular band from Wynne, who will perform beginning at 10 p.m.
Last year's Relay for Life raised more than $35,000.
Along with the walkers, there will also be other fund-raising going on. There will be concessions for sale. Also, a Razorback Quilt will be given away. The quilt has a white background with red Razorbacks, which have been autographed by the starters of the football team and Houston Nutt.
Purple ribbons have been on sale for $10 each, and will be for sale at the football field during the Relay.
Also, luminarias, purchased in honor or in memory of a loved one, continue to be on sale for $5 each. They will continue to be on sale up until 9 p.m. Friday, when the luminaria ceremony will be held. People can continue to purchase luminarias after that, but the purchase has to be made before 9 p.m. for names to be read during the ceremony.
Several teams have been formed, and members will walk for pledges. Teams named so far include: Beta Sigma Phi-Gamma Iota Chapter, Palestine-Wheatley High School, St. Farm Insurance-Mike Lawyer Agency, The Musketeers, The Ex-Yalies, AARP, Social Security Administration, Busom Buddies and Stewart Unity School.
The Relay for Life committee members include: Chair, Kim Hudspeth;
co-chair, Rosia Davis; team captain coordinator, Regina Gregory;
treasurer, Phyllis Autry; luminaria chair, Debbie Jones; secretary,
Lois Taylor; corporate sponsor chair, Tempie Moorehead; hospitality,
Marie Miller; on-site activities chair, Candace Martin Hays; publicity,
Tippe McCollum.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
A plat request which received preliminary approval last October was taken before the Forrest City Planning Commission again this week.
Engineer Paul Gunn, who is representing developer Danny Clark, requested final approval for the plat.
"The Lindauer Cove Addition is three lots coming of an 80-foot drive from Lindauer Road. It is a privately-owned street that the city will not be responsible for repairing. I am requesting that the plat be given final approval."
Chairman Danny Capps asked if easements for drainage and utilities had been figured into the plat.
Gunn said they had not.
Capps also asked if Gunn had a letter formally requesting the final plat approval from the commission.
Gunn said that he did not have one, but could get one drawn up.
The commission voted unanimously to approve the final plat request and to send it to the Forrest City City Council for final approval.
Several kilos of cocaine were found hidden inside a vehicle stopped for a traffic violation Wednesday morning on Interstate 40 near Forrest City.
A trooper with Arkansas State Police Troop D stopped the 1999 Dodge Intrepid, driven by Angela Paulette Broomfield, 40, of Centerville, Ohio, for improper lane usage near the Widener junction about 10:40 a.m.
After obtaining consent to search the vehicle, the trooper found the cocaine located inside a hidden compartment in the vehicle. State police would not say exactly how many kilos of the drug were found or the estimated value of the drug because the case is still being investigated.
Broomfield, and a passenger, Ramon Jose Broomfield, 38, also of Centerville, Ohio, are each charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.
The two were scheduled to appear in St. Francis County District Court today.