By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The St. Francis County Election Commission set voting locations Friday for the Sept. 21 school elections, and later in the day drew for positions on the ballot for contested school board races.
The first meeting was held in the board room at the Forrest City School District administration offices. There was some discussion of whether there should be precinct-by-precinct returns, and Superintendent Lee Vent said he was only interested in the overall totals in this particular race. Representatives of other districts could not attend.
The voting locations will be as follows:
In the Forrest City School District, Ward I will vote at Christ Church. Wards II, III and IV will vote at the Forrest City Civic Center. Courthouse East and West will vote at the courthouse. Madison will vote at the Madison Community Center. Tuni-Bonair will vote at the Wiley T. Jones Fairgrounds. Colt City and County will vote at the Colt Community Center. Parrot and Newcastle will vote at Wesley Methodist Church. Caldwell will vote at the Caldwell Fire Station. Widener City and County will vote at the Widener Community Center. Pine Tree will vote at the Pine Tree Experimental Station.
In the Palestine-Wheatley School District, Palestine City and Country will vote at Twin Assembly Fellowship Hall. Goodwin will vote at Goodwin Baptist Church. Wheatley City and Country will vote at the Wheatley Civic Center.
In the Hughes School District, Hughes City and Country will vote at the Hughes Community Center. Heth and Blackfish will vote at the Blackfish Community Center. Horseshoe Lake will vote at Bond's Marina.
Later Friday, the commission contacted as many school board candidates as they could and met at its office in the county courthouse to draw for positions.
In Forrest City, Ronald Williams is unopposed for Position 3. In the contested race, Rausch Hodges will be listed first with Henry E. Peacock second for Position 4.
In the Palestine-Wheatley district, Donald Cagle will be listed first and Donald L. Story second for Zone 4. John H. Parker is unopposed for Zone 6.
In the Hughes District, Kuhron Meurrier will be listed first and Irene Combs second for Position 6; Dorothy Weems will be listed first and Jimmie Bain second for Zone 5.
Early voting is scheduled to begin Sept. 7.
By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
A third suspect in a bank fraud scheme involving checks from an insurance company is being sought by federal officials.
David McGill, 33, is one of three men arrested in March 2002 on charges stemming from an alleged eight-state bank fraud scam in which State Farm checks were forged for more than $200,000.
McGill, along with his brother, Christopher McGill, 30, and Lucious Carroll, 28, were indicted in May on one count each of aiding and abetting bank fraud.
"On Aug. 4, a superseding indictment was filed charging David McGill with the offense set forth in the original indictment. The superseding indictment only added the amount of the loss to the charge. David McGill is currently a fugitive, and an arrest warrant has been issued," Bud Cummins, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, said in a news release.
At the time of the offense, Carroll and C. McGill were police officers with the Forrest City Police Department. Each had also served as police chiefs in neighboring cities.
The indictment alleged that the defendants, aiding and abetting one another, caused fraudulent checks purportedly from State Farm Fire and Casualty to be deposited into various accounts in the Forrest City area. The defendants then allegedly withdrew cash from those accounts before the banks could learn of the checks' fraudulent nature.
One June 25, C. McGill pled guilty before the Honorable James M. Moody, U.S. District Judge, to the count of aiding and abetting bank fraud. On July 21, Carroll pled guilty to the same offense.
Sentencing has not been set for either defendant, according to Cummins. Each faces a statutory sentence of up to 30 years and a fine of up to $1 million, although their ultimate sentences will be determined at the sole discretion of the United States District Court in consultation with the U.S. sentencing guidelines, Cummins said.
A Forrest City woman is charged with first-degree battery after police say she intentionally struck a mother and her pregnant daughter with her car.
The incident occurred about 8 p.m. Saturday on Gum Street, according to a report at the Forrest City Police Department.
Danielle Jennings, 18, 305 Kittle Rd., Apt. 15, Forrest City, who is three months pregnant, reported about 8:15 p.m. that an unknown black female subject, driving a red Grand Am, had struck her with her car, causing injuries to her left leg, for which she had to seek medical treatment in the emergency room at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City. She was treated and released.
Therresa Jennings, 40, also of 305 Kittle Rd., Apt. 15, Forrest City, told police she was sitting outside her vehicle when she saw the car strike her daughter, and when she stood up, the driver aimed the car toward her. Jennings told police she saw the car coming toward her, but thought it would stop.
The driver, however, struck T. Jennings, with the impact throwing her onto the car's windshield where she told police she grabbed the wipers and tried to hold on, but her feet got caught under the tires and pulled her underneath the car, causing injuries to her legs and back. She was also treated and released at BMH-FC.
The suspect, identified by police as Latoya Hodges, 20, 902 Wilson St., Forrest City, was later arrested on Franklin Street on failure to appear warrants through St. Francis County District Court. In addition to these charges, Hodges is also charged with two counts of first-degree battery, permitting an unauthorized person to drive, obstructing government operations and no driver's license.
A burglar wound up getting the short end of the deal when he was confronted by a homeowner early Sunday morning inside the home he was allegedly attempting to rob.
Bennie Henderson, 210 Brandon St., Forrest City, told officers with the Forrest City Police Department that he surprised the burglar, identified as James McKinney, about 2:30 a.m., after McKinney allegedly broke into Henderson's home.
Henderson told police McKinney started shooting a gun at him, but he was able to grab a machete which he reportedly used to attack McKinney, who was struck several times and held on the floor by Henderson until police arrived.
McKinney was transported by ambulance to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City. However, before he could be treated for his injuries, he walked away from the hospital.
McKinney is wanted by the FCPD on outstanding felony warrants for residential burglary and aggravated assault.
The investigation is continuing.
The Forrest City City Council is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 17, at city hall.
Councilmen will open bids for a new water slide at South Side Park, and be asked to approve a contract for catering at the Civic Center. The group will also hear from Garver Engineers, who will discuss the next phase for the proposed regional airport.