Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 24

p''l I) I 63 The Clarion-Ledger Saturday, August 23, 1997 AROUND MISSISSIPPI Klo ds Narcotics officers fire on suspect L. Bertis Ward after vehicle chase The Associated Press filed in federal court in June by Ward's ex-wife, Terry Harris, and their two children. "The only action we have pursued is to file the suit and have a case management conference last week," Pascagoula attorney Gary Roberts said. "The case is still very formative at this stage. We have not taken deposition one yet." Fearing for officer safety, Mc-Clenic fired one shot at the vehicle.

Rader fired three shots, hitting Ward in the upper chest, the reports said. "I've said from day one that when the investigation was complete and the evidence was submitted to the grand jury that my people would be completely and totally exonerated," Sheriff Pete Pope said. A wrongful death lawsuit was olation. Ward fled the scene in his 1991 Chevy Blazer, and the officers used their vehicles to box him at a city intersection, the reports said. Ward swerved his vehicle in attempting to strike Wilson, who was standing on one side of the vehicle.

Wilson was able to get out of the way, but Ward's Blazer rammed the side of Rader and Wilson's vehicle, authorities said. conducted investigations of the incident. Both investigation reports were submitted to the grand jury in June. L. Bertis Ward, 50, of Kreole was stopped for a traffic violation on April 30.

According to police reports, Ward had been under surveillance for a period of time and the officers were ready to arrest him on a narcotics vi lice action involves the loss of life, but in considering that evidence, the grand jury declined to indict anyone," said District Attorney Dale Harkey. Interlocal Narcotics Task Force members Capt. Ron Wilson, Sgt. Ken McCleni and Sgt. Ricky Rader have been returned to standard duty as a result of the ruling.

The Sheriffs Department and the Mississippi Highway Patrol each PASCAGOULA Jackson County narcotics officers did not violate any rules in connection with the April 30 shooting death of a drug suspect, a grand jury has ruled. "It is very, very tragic any time po 5-year drug terms given father, son The Associated Press BILOXI A Jackson County man and his son must serve five-year jail terms following their convictions on charges of growing and distributing marijuana. The indictment against another son, arrested on drug charges at the same time as his father and brother, was dismissed. U.S. District Judge Walter Gex sentenced James Hurshell Dugger to five years for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and 46 months for unlawful possession ii I 7 1 fk I 1 'Lit In.

turn Iff Foundation abandons plan for St. Martin soup kitchen If 4 'i 15 i "We need to open lines of communication and work out a plan of action." Foundation attorney Pete Johnson purposes. Officials at St Elizabeth said the 1916 Italian Renaissance villa is slated for destruction in less than two months to make room for school expansion. The Rev. Brian Carroll, church pastor, was out of the country and unavailable for comment.

Removal of asbestos in the mansion was expected to begin today according to a St. Elizabeth building i If I Members of the Clarksdale Garden Club decorate the historic Cutrer Italian Renaissance villa, built in 1916, may be razed to make way for Mansion prior to the Tennessee Williams Festival in October 1996. The expansion of St. Elizabeth School Panel tries to save Clarksdale mansion Villa belonged to daughter of Clarksdale founder John Clark The Associated Press CLARKSDALE The Clarksdale Historic Foundation has voted to take emergency steps to keep a historic mansion from being destroyed. Dr.

Whitman Johnson, a member of the foundation's board of directors, called the Cutrer Mansion "Clarks-' dale's most important The newly organized foundation voted Wednesday to work to preserve the historic building, which was purchased by St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church in the mid-1940s. It has been used as a convent, an after-school youth building and other of a firearm. The sentences will run concurrently. He will have four years on probation after his release.

Shawn DeWayne Dugger was sentenced to five years for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. He will have four years of supervised release and will pay a $100 special assessment to the court. The arrests came June 19, 1996, after investigators found a large quantity of marijuana plants and packaged marijuana at the Duggers' home. ing Sept. 2.

But on Thursday, foundation President Jody O'Keefe said there would be no appeal. "It is unfortunate that we have found ourselves in the middle of a controversy about this location," O'Keefe said. "While we have heard from those who oppose it, we have also received a great deal of community support for it as well." Those opposed to the kitchen feared it would bring in homeless people who would camp out in the neighborhood. after he apparently could not get out of his residence, located on a county road between Hatley and Smithville, said county Coroner Alan Gurley. A neighbor called Monroe County 911 at 2:30 a.m.

to report the fire. Woman killed in one-car crash A Nettleton woman died Thursday in a one-car crash on Mississippi 6, just north of Nettleton. The victim was identified as Barbara Buchanan, 40, said Lee County Coroner Roy Bar-nett. Multiple trauma injuries were the cause of her death, he said. Bayou polluted, supervisors report Hancock County supervisors want to warn residents about the polluted bayou and canals in the Belle Isle subdivision.

Supervisors have asked state Health Department to post signs advising people not to swim or fish in the area. A recent analysis of water samples by the state Department of Environmental Quality showed fecal coliform bacteria levels far above the state recreational criteria. DEQ officials blame the problem on inadequately treated human waste being discharged into the bayou. Grant will hire 2 police officers The Coahoma County Sheriffs Department has received a grant for $141,730 from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Universal Hiring Program at the U.S. Department of Justice.

The grant will be used to hire two full-time, officers. 4. I 1 committee member. Foundation officers planned to meet with Carroll next week when he returned to the United States. The villa was built by attorney J.W.

Cutrer, who helped draft the state constitution, and his wife Blanche Clark Cutrer, daughter of Clarksdale founder John Clark. The mansion last year hosted the Tennessee Williams Festival finale, honoring the famous playwright and Clarksdale native. Foundation members emphasized they were not trying to undermine expansion of St. Elizabeth School. "We need to open lines of communication and work out a plan of action," foundation attorney Pete Johnson said.

Clarksdale Realtor and St. Elizabeth parishioner Billy Holcomb out in her name," Hale said. "It takes special people to do that to reach out to other people while they're still grieving. That's really a blessing. Amanda was their only child." The Wilsons established the fund through the USM Foundation and Office of Development with the stipulation that scholarships be awarded annually to a deserving nursing major and graduate of Hattiesburg High School, where Amanda had just completed her sophomore year when she was killed.

"Larry and Nell Wilson are special people who, through their commitment, will provide scholarships to nursing students in Amanda's memory for future generations," said Bill Pace, executive director of development. "We are proud to administer this endowment." "It was important to us that she be remembered in some way," said Nell Wilson, a 1966 graduate of Hattiesburg's Sacred Heart Catholic school and onetime employee of the university's Business Services office. "You never want your child to be forgotten. This way, she will live on by helping other young adults with their educatiqrn." The Associated Press ST. MARTIN The O'Keefe Foundation has dropped its plan to open a soup kitchen in St.

Martin. Instead, foundation workers will deliver hot meals prepared in Biloxi and Ocean Springs soup kitchens to the DTbervilleSt. Martin area. The foundation failed to get permission last month from the Jackson County Planning Commission to put a soup kitchen at the old St. Martin Community Club building.

It appealed to the Board of Supervisors, which had scheduled a hear Suicide suspected in inmate's death Authorities are investigating the death of a Chickasaw County inmate who investigators believe apparently committed suicide by hanging himself with a blanket. William Brent Bailey 23, of Houlka was found dead in his cell by other inmates about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, Chickasaw County Sheriff Jimmy Simmons said. The' sheriff said he believes Bailey hanged himself in a 10-minute period between the time a jailer spoke with him and breakfast was served. Notes to Bailey's family were found in the inmate's cell, said Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley.

Bailey was being held on a misdemeanor charge of disturbing the peace after being arrested Tuesday by Chickasaw County deputies. i Man charged in strangulation A Lafayette County man has been charged with murder in connection with the strangulation death of an Oxford woman, authorities said Thursday. The body of Charlotte Simpson, 27, was found Aug. 12 near Mississippi 6, about a mile west of Oxford, Lafayette County Sheriff Buddy East said. Rodney Campbell, 19, of Oxford, was arrested Wednesday after Simpson's body was found behind Campbell's trailer.

A preliminary autopsy shows Simpson was strangled and suffered severe trauma to her head, East said. I i Elderly man dies in fire at residence An elderly Monroe County man died Thursday in a house fire. Raymond Vaughan, 91, ced a The Associated Press told the foundation Wednesday that the mansion was important not only for its historic value, but as a tourist attraction. This building is so important to Clarksdale," he said. "Clarksdale is having a tough time.

We need to talk about good things going on here and help our small merchants with tourism boosting the economy." The foundation gave Holcomb permission to get 2,000 signatures on a petition protesting the demolition plan. Board members also said they would try to find immediate preservation grant funds. One possibility was tapping into museum funding established by the Legislature last year, to be administered by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Paint mist settling on parked cars The Associated Press PASCAGOULA Some Pasca-goula residents have complained about a mysterious paint mist causing damage to vehicles parked in the downtown area. Police officials, some of whose vehicles were also harmed by the mist, were investigating the case.

"Normally we don't assign cases like this," said Lt. Scott Ferguson. "But this time since it's so widespread, we went and assigned an investigator to it." Officials believe the paint mist, which settles on vehicles as fine white particles, is coming from a local industry. Ferguson said paint spraying from HAM Marine near the East Pascagoula River is one suspected culprit for the paint overspray. Natalie Pharr, director of communications for HAM Marine, said it was not known if HAM did any industrial painting this week, but it had caused problems with paint mist in the past.

"If that's happened, and if (HAM Marine) is the cause, they can bring in their car to us and have it buffed," Pharr said. Toni Smith noticed the paint specks on her brand new car and immediately reported it to police. Smith said she hoped she could find an economical way to get the USM senior wins Wilson scholarship Man gets life in '96 killing in Lee County The Associated Press -TUPELO Michael Wayne Wilburn has been sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to the 1996 killing of an Itawamba County woman. Wilburn, 32, entered the plea Thursday before Lee County Cir-: cuit Judge Thomas Gardner. The plea came two weeks before his scheduled Sept.

8 trial for capital murder in Lila Jean Hood's death. Wilburn was charged in the Feb-; ruary 1996 shooting death and rob-; bery of Hood in the Ratliff commu-! nity. Wilburn escaped from the Ita-, wamba County Jail on Aug. 15, 1996, but was recaptured in Eva, in late December. i Prosecutors claimed Wilburn entered Hood's home on Feb.

12, 1996, and hit her in the head with an object, causing serious injuries and bleeding. Wilburn then put the 46-year-old woman in the trunk of I his car and took a Bank of Mississippi bank bag filled with receipts and possibly funds from her purse. Prosecutors said Wilburn drove the truck to the Peaceful Valley Community, dragged the body into the woods and shot her six times in i the back with a gun. Au-r topsy results show she had been hit in the head several times and that three of the six gunshot were Mihal. A Endowment set up by parents of Hattiesburg teen killed in accident The Associated Press HATTIESBURG A University of Southern Mississippi senior is the first recipient of the Amanda Lynn Wilson Endowed Nursing Scholarship for the coming school year.

Angela Marie Hale, 21, who will graduate with a bachelor's degree from the School of Nursing next spring, will receive $2,400 over her final two semesters of classroom work. The scholarship comes from a $50,000 endowment established last April by Larry and Nell Wilson of Hattiesburg in memory of their daughter. "I was even more excited when I found out the scholarship was in her name because we used to play and swim together at the Elks Lake Lodge in the Dixie community when we were kids," Hale said of Amanda Wilson. Wilson was killed in a 1994 automobile accident at the age of 16. A longtime friend of Amanda's, Erin Myers of Petal, also died in the crash.

"It meant more to me to know that her parents were peaching paint off her car..