dailycorinthian.com - North Mississippi's Local News Source

CARE seeking to preserve
city’s downtown trees
Published Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009
By Jebb Johnston
Staff Writer
The CARE Foundation is seeking to reignite its effort to preserve Corinth’s downtown tree canopy and the vibrant show of colors they produce each fall.
The Forever Green program of Corinth-Alcorn Reaching for Excellence is currently seeking applicants for the program, which covers a portion of the cost of planting a tree along downtown streets.
“After the ice storm and so many of the trees were damaged, a federal agency analyzed the situation in the downtown area, and they recommended street trees to start a replacement program,” said CARE Foundation Administrative Assistant Mona Lisa Grady. Many of the downtown trees are older — as much as 150 years old — and may be reaching the end of their life span.
“We want downtown residents to plan ahead to look at having a tree maintained better so it won’t die as quickly or go ahead and plant one so when that one reaches its demise, there will be a replacement with a little bit of growth on it,” said Grady.
Properties eligible for “street planting” lie between Tate and Seventh streets and Washington and Kilpatrick streets. Residents pay the first $75 of the cost and agree to maintain the tree.
The types of trees available were recommended by the federal agency based on their suitability to line the downtown streets: Shumard oak, water oak, pin oak, red oak, willow oak, sycamore, red maple, sugar maple, fruitless sweet gum, tulip tree, dogwood and red bud.
Applications are reviewed by a committee.
“Then it’s a matter of what is the best timing for it to be planted,” said Grady. “We don’t want to plant it in July because that’s not optimal. This is a good time right now.”
CARE makes the arrangements for planting with the contractor. The program is not limited to residential properties, and Grady hopes people will consider a tree as a holiday gift option.
CARE will plant up to 30 trees each year with applicants accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Applications are available at The Alliance and the library or by contacting Grady at 287-6990.

ACHS production premieres
work of three local playwrights
Published Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009
By L.A. Story
Staff Writer
Crossroads area residents can enjoy the unique experience of being able to enjoy the first staged production of “The Fisherman and His Wife” to be performed at Alcorn Central High School Friday evening. “The Fisherman and His Wife” will be performed at the high school at 7:30 p.m. Friday night. The play is an adaptation of the famous Grimm’s Fairy Tale and was written by local actor/playwrights, Milton
Wallis, David Maxedon and Autry Davis.
The ACHS production will be the first staged performance of the play. Previously, the play had only been performed in public as a staged reading in 2007. Student director Patrick Hudson said that the piece will also be ACHS’s offering at a drama competition to be held Dec. 4 and 5 at Mississippi State University in Starkville. This will be the first time at competition for the ACHS drama program, now in its sixth year.
Co-author of the play and veteran actor, Autry Davis, said the play began as a personal project in which he wanted to produce a children’s play. Davis said he first spoke to Milton Wallis about the idea and they eventually approached veteran actor/writer/director/producer David Maxedon, about coming on board.
The three co-authors went about adapting the famous fairytale — which is a notably short piece — into a lively, funny and meaningful play with an approximate running time of about 30-40 minutes. The process of how they worked together took on a pattern that worked for them, Davis said. Davis and Wallis would work and write together and Maxedon did most of his part on his own. Later, they began to integrate the work and the finished product was born.
“I think having the authors being local has worked to our advantage,” said Hudson, regarding ACHS’s production of the play. “We were able to work with them to get their vision — we had them available for clarification — of what the play should be and it helped us bring it to life.”
ACHS Drama Instructor Leanne Williams also expressed sentiments regarding the advantage of having local playwrights.
“Community involvement was one of the main reasons I chose this play,” Williams said. “These writers are involved with CT-A and they work with the community. I think it’s a great way to help get everyone involved.”
Hudson said the plot of the play begins with a fisherman and his wife. The wife is a woman who wants everything, Hudson said.
“The fisherman ends up going out and catching this magic fish that grants wishes ... well, the wife is never satisfied ... I believe she had good intentions in the beginning, but just gets caught up in materialism,” said Hudson. “The wife goes through so much that her character literally transforms through the show.”
Currently, Wallis (also a CT-A actor) and Davis in the process of writing another play called, “The Glass Mountain.” Maxedon, in addition to his feature film that is now close to wrapping up production, also has a documentary in the works entitled "Why, Christy, Why?" which investigates cronyism and possible corruption in a West Tennessee juvenile court system.
The ACHS cast of “The Fisherman and His Wife” includes: Fisherman - Tanner Price; Wife - Lilly Wallis; Dog - Alisha Irvine; Cat - Chelsea Robbins; Rat - Molly White; Cow - Kaitlin Moore; Prince/Fish - Dylan Lambert; Princess/Neighbor - Heather Smith; Princess/Neighbor - Libby Moore; Neighbor/Royal Page - Kaitlin Mathis; Herald - Amber Watson; Prince - Sara Morrow; Prince - Heaven Ronacher; Narrator - Chalice Harbor.
Besides student director Patrick Hudson; the producer of the production and the teacher who oversees ACHS’s drama department is Leanne Williams. The stage manager for this play Anna Roby; assistant stage manager - Daniel Malone; crew - TJ Stevens, Chris Willis, Wesley Jackson; lighting by - Greg Norman and John Willis; and sound by Chris Tyson.
The show begins at 7:30 p.m. and admission is $3 per person and children under five may enjoy the show at no cost.

Final paving set to begin
at Harper-Proper intersection
Published Wednesday, November 18, 2009
By Jebb Johnston
Staff Writer
The final paving at the Proper and Harper intersection could begin today, Corinth aldermen learned Tuesday, but it will depend on the weather.
Street Commissioner Jim Bynum told the board that the contractor planned to begin work on the final layer of asphalt for the intersection upgrade today. After that is completed, the final striping will be placed. While the contractor is in town working on that project, paving is also planned between the bridge area on South Harper and the intersection. Aldermen took action on a couple of other street work items, accepting a bid of $49,900 from Riverside Traffic Systems for striping in some high traffic areas of Harper Road and North Shiloh Road.
The board also approved advertising for bids for the city's stimulus funded paving projects - Fulton Drive from Linden Street to Shiloh Road, Fulton Drive from U.S. Highway 72 south to the city limits, and Alcorn Drive from U.S. Highway 72 to Linden Street in the area of the medical district.
In other business:
- As the city received no protest on its bond issue plans, the board passed the final resolutions to make it official, including a resolution authorizing the issuance of up to $3.2 million in general obligation bonds.
It will fund projects including improvements to Droke Road; other paving; and the city's purchase of court and police department space in the regional jail and justice center.
The bond sale is set for 4 p.m. Dec. 8.
- The board accepted the low bid of $3,297,647 from Garney Construction of Nashville for the construction of the Tuscumbia outfall line for the sewer system. It is a fully stimulus-funded project that will put the city in compliance with an order to cease discharging treated water into Elam Creek.
- The board set the holiday schedule to reflect the state holidays for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. The city will take Thursday and Friday for each of the holidays ‹ Nov. 26 and 27, Dec. 24 and 25, and Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
With next week's closings, garbage routes will be affected. The Monday and Tuesday route will be collected on Monday; the Wednesday route will be collected on Tuesday; and the Thursday and Friday routes will be collected on Wednesday.

County shuffles some
insurance coverage
Published Wednesday, November 18, 2009
By Brant Sappington
Staff Writer
Alcorn County Supervisors agreed Monday to shift a number of employees of agencies funded jointly by the city and county to the county's health insurance.
The change will result in no increased costs to the county, according to insurance agent Sammy Smith.
Smith told board members the City of Corinth's recent switch to a partially self-funded health insurance program will make it much more complicated to insure these employees through the city as has been done in previous years.
Corinth City Clerk Vickie Roach said the employees of the Crossroads Arena, Parks and Recreation Department and Corinth-Alcorn County Airport have been receiving coverage under the city's plan with their agencies then reimbursing the city for the coverage.
Under the new arrangement, the employees will be covered under the county's group health insurance plan with Humana and the agencies will reimburse the county for the cost of the coverage so there will be no increase in costs for the county.
The board also indicated their support of a plan by the Alcorn County Veterans Service Office to host a public meeting for veterans and area veterans service officers to share information about changes to veterans benefits. Bill Parker, a veterans service officer with the office, said they will be meeting with the Crossroads Arena board in the coming days to determine a potential date for the event and will be finalizing details in the near future.
In other business, the board:
- approved an expenditure of $1,750 for the purchase of commercial tile and other materials for installation in the small courtroom and surrounding areas at the Alcorn County Courthouse. Circuit Clerk Joe Caldwell made the request and said his office would provide $1,600 toward the project to pay for the labor required to install the materials.
- reappointed Dr. Tommy Alexander to the Magnolia Regional Health Center Board of Trustees. His term expires this month.

MEC tour visits Corinth
Published Wednesday, November 18, 2009
From staff reports
The Mississippi Economic Council brings its Transformation Tour to Corinth Thursday for a discussion of ways to build a stronger economic future.
The event is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Refreshments Inc. in conjunction with Corinth Rotary. There is no cost to attend the meeting, but preregistration is requested by visiting www.mec.ms or calling 1-800-748-7626.
With proper planning, Mississippi can have an advantage over its neighboring states once the economic recovery begins, said Blake Wilson, president of MEC.
"We must look at the ways we can place Mississippi in the position of greatest opportunity," he said. "Mississippi is in position to benefit when the economy improves, and we must be ready to build on the recent success that has attracted international companies to Mississippi."
The session will include presentations and a question-and-answer session. Topics include economic competitiveness, education, workforce training and transportation.
The Transformation Tour is visiting a dozen cities. Corinth is the fifth of the 12 stops.

Authorities continue
probe into bank robbery
Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009
By Brant Sappington
Staff Writer
Authorities were preparing to charge the surviving suspect in last Tuesday's robbery of SouthBank in Corinth as federal authorities continued to investigate a possible link between the suspect and another robbery in Tennessee.
Corinth Police Department Detective Captain Ralph Dance said Asa Nakeen Warren, 25, remained in severely critical condition at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo Monday.
Warren is accused of robbing the Harper Road branch of SouthBank in Corinth of an undisclosed amount of cash Tuesday afternoon. Authorities say he then fled the scene in a Ford Explorer driven by his girlfriend, 24-year-old Vida DeShondrell Byrd, also of Tuscumbia.
Byrd allegedly attempted to run over a police officer in the bank's parking lot before fleeing down U.S. Highway 72, sparking a high-speed pursuit that reached speeds of around 100 mph before Byrd lost control of the vehicle just east of the Highway 72/Highway 25 interchange near Iuka. She and Warren were both thrown from the vehicle and Byrd was pronounced dead a short time later at North Mississippi Medical Center in Iuka.
Dance said he was in the process of preparing affidavits and other documents Monday prior to obtaining a warrant charging Warren with armed robbery.
In addition to the cash taken from the Corinth bank, more than $1,000 in additional cash was recovered from the crashed vehicle, along with other items. Investigators are trying to determine where the additional cash and items came from.
Dance said he has been working with investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Ardmore, Tenn. Police Department regarding Warren's possible involvement in the robbery of the Ardmore branch of CB&S bank in Ardmore the Friday prior to the robbery in Corinth. Ardmore is a small town of just over 1,000 people sitting on the Tennessee-Alabama state line in central Tennessee. Detective David Witt with the Ardmore Police Department referred questions regarding the case to the FBI's Memphis office. A message left with that office had not been returned late Monday.

Authorities crack
string of burglaries
Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009
By Brant Sappington
Staff Writer
Last week's arrest of a Corinth man allegedly caught in the act of burglarizing a downtown business has helped authorities crack a series of burglaries in the city and county.
Corinth Police Department Detective Josh Fortenberry said the department had received reports of four burglaries of commercial buildings inside the city last week.
Last Thursday night, Officer Michael Willard responded to report of someone attempting to break in to the Square Nest in downtown Corinth around 4:30 p.m. and witnessed two individuals trying to gain access to the business. The suspects ran on foot and Trent Austin Ward, 20, of Corinth was arrested a short distance away. The second suspect escaped. Fortenberry said an interview with Ward and subsequent investigation led them to arrest Jordan Seth Harmon, 18, in Prentiss County the following day.
The pair are accused of breaking into Brewer's Drive In and Cash Cow on Tuesday, Nov. 10 and Lil's Chicago and the Square Nest on Thursday, Nov. 12. Alcorn County Sheriff's Department Investigator Tommy Hopkins said he also has warrants on both suspects for one count of burglary of a commercial building for the burglary of the Giving Tree Day Care and attempted burglary of a commercial building for the attempted burglary of the A & B Quick Stop in Biggersville.
Both suspects are being held on $20,000 bonds each at the Corinth City Jail and a hold has been placed on them by the sheriff's department.
Fortenberry said almost all of the property taken in the burglaries has been recovered. He said the suspects are also being investigated by Booneville police for potential connections to burglary cases there.

A new addition to the garden
Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009
By Jebb Johnston
Staff Writer
This year, Scott Byars of Corinth decided to add something new to his vegetable garden: tobacco.
He raised about 30 tobacco plants and has enjoyed a few cigars made from the fruits of his labor.
Byars' father grew up on a tobacco farm in northern Tennessee and passed tips on to his son.
"As I was growing up, he would raise small amounts of it from time to time," said Byars, who works in engineering at Automatic Machine Products. "It fascinated me. A lot of people in this area have never seen a tobacco plant." Read more

New treatment plant
scheduled for 2011
Published Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009
By Jebb Johnston
Staff Writer
Bid openings for two portions of Corinth’s surface water project are approaching as Corinth Gas & Water targets winter 2011 to have the new treatment plant in operation.
The project is still on schedule to open in that time frame despite some weather-related delays and erosion, according to Chris Latch, CGW manager. Last week, the Board of Aldermen gave approval to advertise for bids for the portion of the project that includes construction of the treated water line from the plant into the city.
A bid opening is coming up this month for construction of the treatment plant near the Alcorn-Tishomingo county line off U.S. Highway 72. In December, bids will be opened for a transmission line. The plan is to tap the Tenn-Tom Waterway as a water supply. While Corinth’s groundwater availability is not in immediate danger, signs have long pointed to a decreasing water supply, according to the Corinth Public Utilities Commission.
Water will be pumped from the Tenn-Tom to the treatment plant. The intake structure on the Tenn-Tom will be the final portion of the project to go out for bids.
Site preparation is complete at the treatment plant location. Latch said most of the needed easements for construction have been obtained, but there are a couple outstanding in Tishomingo County between the treatment plant location and the waterway. The estimated price tag for the project is $40 million. A low-interest state loan is among the funding sources for the project.

Five arrested on
narcotics charges
Published Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009
From staff reports
The Alcorn Narcotics Unit reported five drug arrests in the last couple of days, including a case that involves charges of child abuse.
• Brandon Craig Vuncannon, 23, and Ricayla Shea Gray, 20, were both arrested Thursday at 209 Miller Road Trailer 21 in Corinth and charged with sale of a controlled substance and two counts of child abuse. Officers with the narcotics unit and Corinth Police Department went to the residence in reference to complaints that drugs were being sold in front of children, according to Narcotics Investigator Darrell Hopkins. Two small children are involved.
As of 1 p.m. Friday, bond had not been set and the two remained in custody.
• Keila Bumpas Sappington, 29, of 770 CR 500, Corinth, and Robert Damone Giles, 35, of Tucson, Arizona, were arrested after a traffic stop Thursday night. The two face charges of possession of a controlled substance enhanced due to being within 1500 feet of a church. Hopkins said the Saturn vehicle fled for approximately three blocks before it was stopped by the narcotics unit and Corinth police. Hopkins said an officer retrieved items thrown from the vehicle, including a bag of cocaine and several Xanax pills. Giles was the driver and Sappington a passenger. Bond had not been set and the two remained in custody.
• Nathan Dewey Knight, 30, of 32 CR 247 in the Glen area, was arrested Friday and charged with felony possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and possession of two or more precursors with intent to sell.
The arrest stemmed from a call about someone beating on the door of the residence. Hopkins said Deputy Jerry Mayhall found the resident, Knight, to be acting suspiciously, and an odor consistent with the manufacture of methamphetamine was noticed. Knight and a female inside were asked to exit the residence due to potentially harmful fumes. Hopkins was called to the scene, and Knight showed him where most of the methamphetamine lab was and also a coffee filter with alleged methamphetamine in it, the investigator said. A Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agent took samples of the evidence.
Bond had not been set Friday afternoon.
Hopkins said the investigation remains open with other arrests expected.

School board considers bids
for Junior High renovations
Published Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009
By Jebb Johnston
Staff Writer
Bids on renovations for a portion of Corinth Junior High School went to the school district’s board of trustees this week.
With no motion to accept the low bid forthcoming, the board took the bids under advisement and will consider them in a future meeting. The apparent low bidder among the eight contractors is Worsham Bros. of Corinth with a bid of $940,000.
The planned renovation of the 1954 west wing includes replacement of windows; drop ceilings; bathroom renovations, including full ceramic tile; sewer upgrade; and new electrical wiring.
The bids include three deductive alternates that the board will consider whether to leave in the project. One would exclude new vinyl floor tile, in which case the existing tile would be cleaned and buffed. Underneath the existing tile is old tile that contains asbestos, and Superintendent Lee Childress is recommending that all of the tile be removed.
“That way we would get out all of the asbestos materials that we know exist in this building,” he told the board.
Another alternate is the addition of a handicap ramp and rails at an entrance, and the third affects light fixtures.
The district expects the work to take place during the winter months. The district will also pressure wash the building. Other base bids on the junior high renovation: Anco Construction, Inc.
- $1,041,250; CIG Contractors, Inc. - $985,000; Griffin Classic Builders, Inc. - $1,027,000; Knight Brothers, Inc. - $1,100,000; Roberts Builder, Inc. - $1,299,000; Sanderson Construction Co., Inc. - $999,000; TL&C Construction, Inc. - $1,035,000.
In an update on the new Corinth Elementary School construction, Childress said rains in September and October caused some delays. “The fourth-grade slab is complete, and workers today were working on the back of that gym-cafeteria area to try to go ahead and get that poured,” he said.
The district plans to solicit bids for the furnishings later this month. In other business:
• Childress reported that approximately 30 percent of elementary students took the H1N1 swine flu vaccination last week when shots were given in the schools. “Those numbers dropped off at the junior high and high school,” he said.
• Facility rental was approved for the Essence Ladies Club, which will hold its annual lupus benefit event at the South Corinth Elementary gym, and was rejected for the Donna Groff Agency, which had requested to hold a talent audition at the high school. The rejection was based on the event being for-profit.
• The board received a request from the South Corinth Focus Group regarding use of equipment that will stay at the facility after it is vacated by the district.

Napper: Logical health
care reform needed
Published Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009
By Brant Sappington
Staff Writer
Magnolia Regional Health Center CEO Rick Napper believes reform legislation currently pending in Congress will devastate America’s health care system and make it more difficult for patients to gain access to the care they need.
Napper told a crowd of around 100 people gathered at the Crossroads Arena Thursday for the hospital’s second town hall meeting on health care reform that he believes the system needs to be changed but the current bills are not the solution and will create more problems than they solve. Read more

Break in water line, tower repairs causing problems for residents
Published Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009
By L.A. Story
Staff Writer
GLEN — Many customers on the Glen water system of the Alcorn County Water Association have found themselves with extremely low water pressure — or no water at all — at various points since Thursday morning and calls have overwhelmed the Association’s Corinth office as customers anxiously seek information. Read more

Pursuit suspect
remains hospitalized
Published Friday, Nov. 13, 2009
By Brant Sappington
Staff Writer
The surviving suspect in Tuesday's robbery of a Corinth bank that sparked a chase ending in a fatal automobile crash remains unconscious in a Tupelo hospital as authorities continue their investigation. Read more

Investigation continues
into body found in river
Published Friday, Nov. 13, 2009
By Brant Sappington
Staff Writer
Authorities continue to await autopsy results in the case of a Ramer, Tenn. woman whose body was found in Tuscumbia River.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Agent in Charge John Mehr in Jackson, Tenn. said the investigation is continuing into the death of 50 year-old Donna Hill of Ramer.
Mehr said they are still waiting for the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office to issue its final report on Hill's autopsy and are also interviewing other people as they work to determine what led to Hill's death.
Two suspects previously identified as persons of interest in the case remain in custody. Amanda Ervin Wilbanks of Ramer is still being held in the McNairy County Jail on a $150,000 bond, charged with theft over $10,000. Wilbanks was allegedly in possession of Hill's missing rental car. Aaron Hastings of Corinth is being held at the Corinth City Jail on an unrelated burglary charge. He was arrested by Corinth police for the burglary of his parents' home. Bond has been set at $150,000. Hill's body was discovered by a deer hunter floating in the Tuscumbia River approximately three miles north of the Tuscumbia Wildlife Management Area boat ramp off of County Road 750 on Sunday, Oct. 25.
Her rental car, a white 2009 Nissan Sentra, was missing at the time and was later allegedly found to be in Wilbanks' possession in Ramer, leading to the theft charge.
Anyone with information on Hill's movements in the day's leading up to her death is asked to call the Alcorn County Sheriff's Department at 662 286-5521, the McNairy County Sheriff's Department at 731-645-1000 or the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.

Glen man charged
in child porn case
Published Friday, Nov. 13, 2009
By Brant Sappington
Staff Writer
GLEN - An Alcorn County man faces a pair of felony child pornography charges after being arrested by investigators with the Mississippi Attorney General's office.
Jarrod Newman, 30, of 9 County Road 255A, Glen, was arrested Monday at his residence by investigators from the attorney general's Cyber Crime Unit, assisted by officers with the Alcorn County Sheriff's Department. The investigation was conducted through the Mississippi Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Newman was charged with two counts of possession of child pornography and is being held at the Alcorn County Jail. He faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted.
"The penalty for possession of child porn is five to 40 years per count in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections," said Attorney General Jim Hood.

'Old Capitol' exhibit visits Crossroads Museum
Published Friday, Nov. 13, 2009
By L.A. Story
Staff Writer
Lovers of both state history and architecture will enjoy the new exhibit at the Crossroads Museum: "Mississippi's Greatest Treasure: The Old Capitol" which is now on display.
The exhibit, sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, will be on display throughout the month of November and takes the viewers from the beginning and moves them through to the future of the state's Old Capitol building, a defining piece of architecture which has graced the downtown area of the state's capital city for over 160 years. Jackson became Mississippi's state capital in 1822 and the original building to be used to house the state's legislators was designed by architect William Nichols. Legislators first met in the Old Capitol in 1839. The exhibit takes the viewers on through the building's history and gives drawings and photos of the time period. One interesting photo on display is of a shirt made by a Union soldier, during the Civil War, \ from the Old Capitol's brocade curtains.
The building began deteriorating in the 1900s and restoration began in 1958 and was completely renovated in 1961. It was renamed the Old Capitol Museum of Mississippi History in 1992.
Another part of the exhibit visitors may find interesting is to see the list of notable visitors to the building. Visitors such as Andrew Jackson, Spiro Agnew and Morgan Freeman. Upon their deaths, authors Willie Morris (1999) and Eudora Welty's (2001) remains lay in state for a period of time at the Old Capitol.
Devastation came to the aging structure in the form of Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005. Katrina's high winds rolled the copper roof from the south end of the building and drove rain in. Hurricane Rita caused further damage a month later.
In 2006, Mississippi Legislature fully funded a complete restoration for the building and there are currently plans to build a new Museum of Mississippi History.
The Crossroads Museum is located at 212 North Fillmore Street in Corinth. Museum hours are: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tues. - Sat.; and 1-4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults; $3 for military, senior citizens and students; and free to children 16 and under and museum members.

Ala. couple responsible
for bank heist, pursuit
Published Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009
By Brant Sappington
Staff Writer
A Tuscumbia, Ala. couple apparently spent much of Tuesday afternoon in Corinth preparing for the bank robbery that sparked a two-county pursuit ending in a fatal crash.
Corinth Police identified the couple as 25-year-old Asa Nakeen Warren and 24-year-old Vida DeShondrell Byrd, both of Tuscumbia. Byrd was killed Tuesday when she and Warren were ejected from their vehicle in a violent car crash as they were attempting to flee from police. Warren was seriously injured in the crash and remained hospitalized at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo Wednesday afternoon. The couple was described by authorities as boyfriend and girlfriend.
Police Chief David Lancaster said officer Sharon Parker responded to a report of a robbery at the SouthBank branch on Harper Road at 4:29 p.m. Tuesday and saw a black male later identified as Warren exit the bank and jump into the passenger side of a Ford Explorer driven by a female later identified as Byrd.
As the officer approached, the driver of the Explorer allegedly attempted to run over her and the officer fired two rounds at the vehicle in response. Officer Ben Moore spotted the vehicle on Harper Road and he and two additional units began pursuing the suspects.
The pursuit reached speeds of around 100 mph as it traveled east on U.S. Highway 72 before the suspect vehicle crashed just east of the Highway 72/Highway 25 interchange near Iuka. At least two unsuccessful attempts were made by the Tishomingo County Sheriff's Department and the Mississippi Highway Patrol to stop the suspects using tire-damaging spikes before the suspects lost control near Iuka.
Lancaster said police had been called to the bank earlier in the day after tellers had seen Warren enter the office acting suspiciously around 1:15 p.m.. The tellers immediately called police when he returned several hours later and officers were in route to the bank when the robbery happened.
The suspect used a .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun to threaten the bank's two tellers and force them to empty their cash drawers before fleeing from the building.
The police chief said receipts and other evidence recovered from the crashed vehicle indicates the couple had lunch in Corinth and also purchased the bag used to collect the stolen money at a local sporting goods store before returning to the bank for the robbery.
The money taken from the bank was recovered at the scene of the crash along with more than $1,000 in additional funds and other items. Investigators are working to determine where the additional cash came from.
CPD Detective Captain Ralph Dance said they anticipate filing armed robbery charges against Warren and additional charges are possible. They are waiting to file formal charges until they are able to attempt to interview the suspect who remains unable to talk to investigators due to his injuries.
The Iuka Police Department and the Mississippi Highway Patrol are investigating the crash.

County gets KC Road bids
Published Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009
By Brant Sappington
Staff Writer
An Aberdeen-based contractor is on track to become the primary contractor on the long-awaited Kimberly Clark industrial access road project.
Eutaw Construction Company, Inc. of Aberdeen submitted the apparent low bid of $9,166,118.58 for construction of the 4.5-mile road which will connect Kendrick Road near the Kimberly Clark plant with U.S. Highway 72 near Marty's Fish and Steak Restaurant east of Corinth.
Supervisors took all six bids submitted for the project under advisement and expect to award the contract at their regular meeting on Dec. 7. Cook-Coggin Engineers President Kent Geno said he was extremely pleased with the amount of interest generated by the project and the quality of bids received.
"These were some excellent bids," he said.
Geno said his staff will review the bids and make a recommendation to the board by the December meeting. He said they have to wait until environmental clearances for the project are received from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a process that should be complete by the end of this month. All but two of the bids received Tuesday were below the state's estimate for the project. The Mississippi Department of Transportation had estimated the cost of the construction at $10,154,196.75.
The project is being funded through a combination of grant funding from the Mississippi Development Authority and local monies.
The MDA has provided $11,250,000 to the project. The county provided $320,000 in matching funds in 2002 and recently borrowed an additional $800,000 to fund its final $720,403 in matching funds and the purchase of the final three pieces of property for the roadway. The funding includes monies used to purchase property, in addition to the cost of construction. Other bids received for the project included: $9,319,771.75 from Phillips Contracting Co. Inc. of Columbus; $9,687,844.57 from Ronald Franks Construction LLC of Savannah, Tenn.; $9,787,215.42 from L&T Construction Inc. of Hernando; $10,290,800.90 from Hill Brothers Construction Co. Inc. of Falkner; and $10,419,558.13 from Tomlin Construction LLC of Gordo, Ala. RaCON Inc. of Tuscaloosa, Ala. also submitted bid documents, but its bid was not read because one of the required forms was not included in the package.

Corinth Bank robbery leads to deadly high speed chase
Published Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009
By Brant Sappington
Staff Writer
A female subject was killed and a male subject injured after they were ejected from their vehicle following a high speed chase that began with the robbery of a Corinth bank Tuesday afternoon.
The first officers on the scene at the Harper Road branch of SouthBank reported shots fired as the suspect vehicle allegedly attempted to run them over while leaving the parking lot around 4:30 p.m.
The robbery sparked a pursuit which ended when the suspects lost control of their sport-utility vehicle on U.S. Highway 72 just east of the Mississippi Highway 25 interchange near Iuka. The vehicle rolled at least once, coming to rest on its roof and ejecting both occupants.
Tishomingo County Coroner Mac Wilemon confirmed a female occupant of the vehicle was killed in the crash and a male occupant was transported to North Mississippi Medical Center.
Corinth Police Chief David Lancaster said his officers received a call reporting the hold-up alarm at the bank had been tripped. The first officer on the scene witnessed a male suspect exiting the bank and shots were fired as the officer attempted to apprehend the suspect.
Officers spotted the suspect vehicle on Highway 72 and several agencies joined in the pursuit before it ended with the crash.
Lancaster said the Mississippi Highway Patrol was assisting in the investigation of the crash and agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation were also headed to the scene.
SouthBank President Gerald McLemore, standing outside the bank late Tuesday as investigators talked with employees inside and collected evidence, confirmed the bank had been robbed of an undetermined amount of cash. Several sources also reported the suspect had been seen inside the bank earlier in the day before returning to commit the robbery. Lancaster said the investigation was in its earliest stages Tuesday evening and he expected to be able to release more information today.

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