An early-morning crash yesterday claimed the life of 29-year-old Ronald Sterling Wilmouth.
Police say that Wilmouth was driving his 1987 Toyota Celica east on River Road when he lost control of the vehicle about 300 feet west of Sinai Road and ran off the left side of the highway.
"He hit an embankment and overturned," said Sgt. J.D. Barber of the South Boston Police Department.
Barber said that when he struck the embankment, Wilmouth's vehicle flipped end over end before landing on its roof near a driveway at the scene.
"It was raining really hard at that time," Barber said.
He added that a passing motorist stopped just after the accident happened, and went to a nearby home to call police.
"We don't have any reason to suspect that anything but the weather was a factor in the accident," the officer said.
Although members of the South Boston Fire Department and Rescue Squads responded to the call, there was nothing they could do to save the father of two.
"The medical examiner pronounced him dead at the scene," Barber said.
"We think that he was killed instantly," he added.

The South Boston Police Department executed a search warrant Saturday night that yielded the arrest of one individual that police think may be involved with last week's arson of two cars,said Lt. Rick Loftis of the South Boston Police Department.
A stash of cocaine, marijuana, cash and firearms were found at the scene, Lt. Loftis said.
Kenneth Alonzo Hodges, 23, of Wildflower Drive, was arrested Saturday night and charged with brandishing a firearm, two counts of trespassing and possession of a firearm after being convicted of a felony.
Members of the South Boston Police Department Tactical Team, including Lt. Loftis, and Officers B.K. Lovelace and W.M. Garner executed a search warrant on Hodges' Wildflower Dr. residence, where they found marijuana, cocaine, approximately $5,000 cash and several firearms.
"The search warrant was executed in connection with last week's two-vehicle arson," Loftis noted.
He added that more arrests would be forthcoming in the continuing investigation into the arson.
Hodges remains held in Halifax Regional Jail without bond.

Hunters seeking a change in the county's hunting ordinance - as well as those who favor the 100-foot offset from the center of the road rule - will have their hearing tonight.
Public hearings will begin at 8 p.m. in the gym at the Mary Bethune Complex in Halifax.
At 7 p.m. supervisors will begin the Board meeting at the usual site in the conference room at Mary Bethune Complex, but the Board decided last month to move the public hearings to the gym to allow ample seating for tonight's expected crowd.
Over 200 hunters attended the March supervisors' meeting, with the majority seeking a public hearing to address the 2001 ordinance.
The current ordinance prohibits hunting or attempting to hunt with any firearm, archery tackle or crossbow while the hunter is on a primary or secondary state-maintained highway, and within 100 feet of the centerline of the highway.
Public safety is expected to be the driving issue as supervisors' address the hunting issue.
At the same hearing, the Board will address the use of a muzzleloading rifle from a stand during the first 15 days of the state's prescribed regular season for deer hunting.
In other public hearings supervisors' will hear a request to relocate the Childrey polling site to Childrey Baptist Church Fellowship Hall. The current polling place is the Virginia Department of Transportation Maintenance Building on State Shed Road, State Route 645.
A proposed Joint Powers Association agreement between Halifax County and the Virginia Energy Purchasing Governmental Association for the acquisition of energy services is also on the public hearing agenda.
A public hearing to hear David H. Barksdale's request for a conditional use permit to operate a sales and service business for ATV's and motorcycles at the former Heartwell Store property at 8212 Philpott Road will complete the agenda.
During its regular session, supervisors will address a request from three organizations asking that April be declared Confederate History and Heritage Month. Seeking the designation are The United Daughters of the Confederacy, The Cabell-Graves Camp 1402, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the Armistead-Hill-Goode-Elam Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Supervisors will also address several road closing proposals. One is to close Route 631 between Route 644 and Route 630 for main line pipe replacement beginning April 22 and lasting about three weeks.
The Board will also consider a resolution to close part of Route 712 to replace the bridge over Brandon Creek. The work would begin May 1 with an anticipated completion date of five weeks.
The Board will also consider a resolution accepting $450,000 Riverstone Industrial access road award and approving agreement to bond reimbursement of award if required industrial development does not occur in five years.

State and local leaders have joined forces with regional prosecutors in fighting for Virginia Exile, which is on the chopping block in Virginia's proposed budget.
Ten jurisdictions, including Halifax County, are in jeopardy of losing funding for the program.
As the budget is currently written, Halifax County will lose nearly $300,000 in funding for the anti-gun program.
Voicing their support of the program is Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, who sent a letter to Gov. Warner last Thursday urging the restoration of funding for the program.
"Virginia Exile has proven itself," Kilgore wrote.
"The ten jurisdictions in Virginia which benefit from an Exile prosecutor and support staff have garnered more than 300 convictions in the two years these Commonwealth's Attorneys have been able to aggressively prosecute gun crimes with the Virginia Exile statutes," Kilgore continued in his letter.
Shortly after Kilgore published his letter, Speaker of the House Vance Wilkins, R-Amherst, and Lt. Governor Tim Kaine joined him in asking Gov. Warner to put the funding back in the state budget.
Wilkins announced on Friday that he was joining other legislators in backing the Exile program.
"I've thought about calling him (Warner) and asking him to do the same," Wilkins said.
"It's one of the things that worked, and I like things that work," he added.
Virginia Exile began in 1999 and is modeled after Project Exile, former Gov. Gilmore's answer to increasing violence in Richmond.
Under the program, people charged with crimes involving illegal guns are denied bail, and are forced to serve a mandatory five years in prison.
Exile has been credited with reducing the amount of violent crime in all the regions it serves.
In the letter he sent to Warner Thursday, Kaine noted that the murder rate in Richmond fell 60 percent during the time Exile has been active.
The ten areas that participate in the program are Chesapeake, Chesterfield County, Halifax County, Henrico County, Lynchburg, Petersburg, Portsmouth, Roanoke, Richmond and Suffolk.
Kaine said in his letter that these localities will see a visible reduction in effectiveness if Exile is cut.
"These offices have employed Exile prosecutors based upon this mandate and the funding," he wrote.
"In a time when our commonwealth's attorneys' offices are already understaffed, this budget cut will force the elimination of existing attorney postions," he added.
Halifax County employes one Exile attorney, Kimberly Kurkjian and one Exile secretary, Lynette Lovelace.

It's not the start to the season that Halifax County High School varsity softball coach Melanie Saunders had envisioned.
In a span of four days, her Comets softball team twice battled its opponent tooth and mail for six scoreless innings before a miscue in the final inning resulted in a loss.
The latest disappointment came here Thursday night when neighboring Person High School put together three hits and took advantage of a Halifax County miscue to plate two runs in the top of the seventh inning and edge the Comets 2-0.
Last Monday Halifax County lost a close 1-0 game to Randolph Henry Monday in its season opener.
Both losses resulted from a late miscue and Halifax County's inability to put hits together when it needed them the most.
"Defensively, we're doing fine," said Comets coach Melanie Saunders.
"We just had a miscue there at the end (of the Person High game). Kristi (pitcher Kristi Myer) has been doing a good job on the mound and defensively we've been solid with the exception of a couple of things at the very end.
"But until we get the bats moving, nothing's going to happen," added Saunders.
The Comets had several miscues Thursday against the Rockets including missed bunts.
Halifax County players misfired on five attempted bunts, most of which were attempts to move runners around the horn.
"We're getting base runners on but we're not executing the fundamentals."
Person High broke a 0-0 deadlock with two runs in the top of the seventh inning that ultimately proved to be the game-winning runs.
Ashley Carver led off with a single and stole second base with leadoff batter Amber Penick at the plate.
Penick singled and Carver moved to third base to put Rockets runners on the corners with nobody out.
The runners held their bases when Kristi Reaves popped up to third base for the first out.
Carver and Penick scampered home on an error when Fountain, the Comets' second baseman, failed to make a play on a ball hit to her by Caroline Powell.
Fountain recovered quickly enough, however, to make a throw to Comets shortstop Lindsey Hastings at second base to nail Powell as she attempted to gain an extra base.
That left the bases empty but the Rockets' Jen Newsome laced a double to right centerfield to keep the team's rally alive.
Person High's rally ended with Alisa Latta popping up to Fountain at second base.
Halifax County tried to make a run at the Rockets in the bottom half of the inning with the help of a pair of errors on the part of the Rockets.
With one out, Myer reached base an error by Carver, the Rockets' second baseman.
Emily Stolzenthaler hit another shot to Carver with Carver making that play on the fielder's choice, stepping on second base to get the force out on Myer.
With Stolzenthaler on first base, Mashonda Dismuke reached base on an error by Newsome, the Rockets' shortstop, to give the Comets runners at first base and second base with two out.
Rockets hurler Kryestyn Matherly put a quick end to the game by fanning Reagan Cannon in four pitches.
Matherly and Myer locked horns in a pitching duel that saw Matherly hold the Comets to two hits and Myer hold the Rockets to one safety through the first six innings.
Person High had a scoring opportunities go by the board in the first inning as Myer walked three Rockets batters in a row.
In the third inning, a leadoff base hit by Powell and a Comets error gave the Rockets two base runners.
On both occasions, the Comets turned the Rockets away with good defensive plays as the Rockets left six runners stranded on base through the first three innings.
The Comets had a scoring opportunity go by the wayside in the third inning after tagging Matherly for two hits.
A leadoff double by Mashonda Dismuke kicked off the bottom of the third inning
Dismuke was unable to advance until Dominique Fountain laced a single to center field.
The Comets' scoring opportunity came to a quick end when Felicia Sprattley flied out to center field to end the inning.
For the game, the Rockets had four hits with Penick, Powell, Newsome and Carver getting a hit each.
Halifax County had three hits in the contest with Fountain getting two of them and Dismuke adding the other.
As far as the pitching went, Matherly held the Comets to three hits and allowed one walk. She fanned 10 batters.
Myer allowed four hits, walked five batters and struck out three batters.
The Comets will be idle until Tuesday, April 9 when they face Randolph-Henry here in a non-district contest.

Anna Virginia M. McMichael

Anna Virginia Muse McMichael, 80, of New York died March 22 at the Lincoln Hospital in Bronx, NY.
Mrs. McMichael was born in Halifax County on December 2, 1921, the daughter of Andrew Muse and Hallie Lee Muse and was married to Thalease McMichael. She was a member of New Zion Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband; one daughter, Georgie Anna Olivero of NY; 12 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and three sisters, Selena Gomes Vernon Hill, Esther Murray and Regina Crawford, both of NY.
Funeral services for Mrs. McMichael were held March 30 at 1 p.m. at New Zion Baptist Church, Chatham Road, with the Rev. Willie N. Yancy conducting the services. Burial followed in the church cemetery.

Alice Elizabeth Ford 'Betsy' Gravitt

Alice Elizabeth Ford "Betsy" Gravitt, 74, of 4052 Kingwoods Road, Virgilina, died yesterday, March 31, at her home.
Mrs. Gravitt was born in Halifax County on August 21, 1927, the daughter of the late Jimmy D. Ford and Pearl Ratliff Ford, and was married to the late Dallas Arron Gravitt.
She was a member of Shady Grove United Methodist Church and the American Legion Post 337 Auxiliary in Virgilina.
Survivors include four sons, Bobby D. Gravitt of Virgilina, Kirk D. Gravitt of Boydton, D. Carlton Gravitt of South Boston and James H. Gravitt of Summerfield NC; one sister, Carrie F. Pool of Clarksville; and eight grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mrs. Gravitt will be held tomorrow, April 2, at 2 p.m. at Shady Grove United Methodist Church with the Rev. Don Davidson conducting the services. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends today, April 1, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Brooks Funeral Home, and at other times at the home, 4052 Kingwoods Road, Virgilina.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to give to the Shady Grove United Methodist Church Building Fund.

Howard Thomas Lovelace

Howard Thomas Lovelace, 59, of North Main Street, Halifax, died March 29 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Lovelace was born in Halifax County on November 21, 1942, the son of the late Thomas Howard Lovelace and Frances Robertson Lovelace. He was married to Mabel Coleman Lovelace.
Mr. Lovelace was a member of Trinity Baptist Church.
He was a former employee of the Halifax County Sheriff's Department and a United States Army veteran.
Mr. Lovelace is survived by his wife, Mabel Lovelace; two daughters, Miss Tabatha Lovelace and Miss Monique Lovelace, both of Alexandria; three sisters, Ms. Mattie Lovelace of Atlantic City, New Jersey, Mrs. Sarah Fountain and Mrs. Beulah Ford, both of South Boston; six brothers, James Edward Lovelace III of Philadelphia, Pa., Gerald Lovelace of Atlantic City, NJ, and Carrol Lovelace of Gaithersburg, Md., Dwight Lovelace of Campbell, California, Garry Lovelace of Atlantic City, NJ, and Brian Lovelace of South Boston; his mother-in-law, Mrs. Lola Coleman of Halifax; four sisters-in-law; six brothers-in-law; four aunts; one uncle; and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
A funeral service for Mr. Lovelace will be held Tuesday, April 2, at 1 p.m. at Trinity Baptist Church with the Rev. Harold Roberts officiating. Burial will follow in the Rose Garden Cemetery.
The family is receiving friends at the residence, 435 North Main Street in Halifax.

Clayton James Beale Jr.

Clayton "C.J." James Beale Jr., 84, of L.P. Bailey Highway, Nathalie, died March 30 at his home.
He was married to Virginia Younger Beale.
Mr. Beale was born in Halifax County on February 11, 1918, the son of the late Charlie Joel Beale and Anna Owen Beale.
He was a member of First Baptist Church of Republican Grove.
Mr. Beale is survived by his wife, Virginia Beale of Nathalie, and three daughters and sons-in-law, Mary Anna and James Evans of Greenwood, SC., Sandra and Joe Pete Wells of Dinwiddie and Debbie and Chuck Cox of Forest. Other survivors include four grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, one brother, Deroy Beale of Richmond, and one sister, Blanche Booker of Gretna.
A funeral services for Mr. Clayton will be held today at 11 a.m. at the First Baptist Church of Republican Grove with the Rev. Shelton Miles officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider the Building Fund for First Baptist Church of Republican Grove, 1035 Jimmy's Trail, Nathalie.

Ron Sterling Wilmouth

Mr. Ron Sterling Wilmouth, 29, of 1027 Flashback St., Halifax, died March 31 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Wilmouth was born in Halifax County on July 18, 1972, the son of Ronald Wayne Wilmouth and Linda Conner Francis and was married to Shannon Vicks Wilmouth. He attended McGees Mill Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife, Shannon Vicks Wilmouth of Halifax; one daughter, Alyssa Kathryn Wilmouth of Scottsburg; one stepson, Dustin Dean McGregor of South Boston; his mother and stepfather, Linda and Jimmy Francis of Scottsburg; his father, Ronald W. Wilmouth of Halifax; two sisters, Shannon Slagle of Scottsburg and Melanie Wilmouth of Danville; one brother, Ricky Wilmouth of Halifax; his grandmother, Livian Wilmouth of Halifax; his grandparents, Owen and Belle Francis of Scottsburg.
He was preceded in death by his grandmother, Margaret Virginia Conner and his grandfather, Harold O. Wilmouth.
Funeral services for Mr. Ron Sterling Wilmouth will be held Tuesday, April 2, at 2 p.m. at Bethel Baptist Church, with the Rev. Tony Brooks and the Rev. Frankie Reeves conducting the service. Burial will take place in the church cemetery.
The family will recieve friends at Powell Funeral Home Monday, April 1, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Betty Mobley Long

Dr. Betty Mobley Long, 67, retired professor of education at East Carolina University, died Saturday, March 30, 2002, at her home.
Dr. Long, a native of Cluster Springs, Va., received the B.S. and M.A. Degrees from East Carolina University and the doctorate from Duke University. Her specialties were Reading, Language Arts and Dactylology.
She had extensive teaching experience in North Carolina and Virginia schools and was a supervisor in the Washington, NC, city schools before coming to East Carolina University.
She retired from East Carolina in 1993.
Dr. Long held memberships in Delta Kappa Gamma, the National Education Association, North Carolina Association of Educators and the South Atlantic Philosophy of Education Society.
She was a reading consultant for many schools and served as a Reading Laboratory Director for East Carolina.
Survivors include one nephew, Edwin Long Jr., of Halifax; one niece, Linda Link of South Boston; one great nephew and niece, Edwin Long III and Lisa Whit, both of Halifax; and a number of other relatives and friends.
The funeral service for Dr. Betty Mobley Long will be conducted Wednesday, April 3, at 10 a.m. in the Wilkerson Funeral Chapel.
A graveside service will be conducted at 3:30 p.m. in the Black Walnut Baptist Church cemetery in Cluster Springs, Va.
Friends may gather at Wilkerson Funeral Home one hour prior to the service.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Pitt County Humane Society, P.O. Box 8121, Greenville, NC, 27835.