Man Chased, Caught After Break-In

Leads Police On Lengthy Chase Ending In Charlotte County
A North Carolina man is in custody on burglary charges, with more charges pending, after allegedly breaking into Runts Store and leading police on a lengthy chase early yesterday morning, according to Sgt. D.W. Barker of the South Boston Police Department.
Barker said that at 12:05 a.m., officers received a call reporting that a subject had been seen coming out of the Highway 360 business.
“The reporting party said the subject had gotten into a white car and was traveling initially on Dan River Church Road and then on Love Shop Road,” Barker said.
While the suspect was on Love Shop Road, Officer C.S. Yeatts saw the vehicle, which had turned around and was traveling back in the direction of Dan River Church Road.
“A few moments later, Officer S.M. Gilliam, who was also on Love Shop Road, spotted the vehicle,” Barker added.
According to police, when officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver refused to stop.
The pursuit continued onto Dan River Church Road and then onto Highway 360, where Sgt. R.E. Redd and other officers joined in the pursuit.
“The pursuit continued on Highway 360 east into Charlotte County,” Barker said. “Approximately three miles into Charlotte County, the suspect vehicle appeared to have mechanical problems and came to a stop – but not before crossing the median and going across oncoming lanes of traffic.”
Police said the vehicle came to rest out of the roadway and the suspect then jumped out and fled law enforcement on foot.
Following a short foot chase, the suspect was taken into custody.
Barker said the suspect initially gave a false name but was later identified as James Shelton Rhodes, 41, of Henderson, N.C.
“The vehicle that Rhodes fled (the burglary scene) on had been reported stolen in Louisburg, N.C.,” Barker said.
According to police, the items stolen from the store, and a firearm, were discovered inside the vehicle.
Police added that Rhodes is also a suspect in another vehicle theft in North Carolina, with warrants outstanding on those alleged charges.
Additional charges against Rhodes are expected, Barker said.

 

Sheetz Victim Of Another Armed Robbery

Police are searching for suspects in an apparent armed robbery at Sheetz early Friday morning, according to Captain Larry Fears.
Fears said that at approximately 3 a.m., deputies David Irby and Ronnie Lipscomb responded to the Riverdale convenience store for a call reporting the robbery.
“Information at the scene revealed a black male in his mid-20s entered the store at about 2:50 a.m.,” Fears said.
The suspect is described as wearing a black tee shirt, black cargo pants and white sneakers with a white tee shirt draped over his head.
“He was approximately 5’8” and weighed between 140-150 pounds,” Fears said.
According to police, the suspect walked to the counter and asked the cashier for change for $1.
“When she opened the cash drawer, the robber reached into his pants pocked and displayed a handgun then told her to give him the money out of the cash drawer,” Fears said.
Fears said the suspect then fled the scene on foot through the front door and was last spotted running on Route 501 toward South Boston.
An undetermined amount of cash was taken in the incident.
A subsequent search for the suspect conducted by deputies, officers with the South Boston Police Department and the sheriff’s office K-9 unit was unsuccessful.
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office at 476-3334 or Crimestoppers at 476-TIPS.

Heat, Rain Can’t Dampen ‘Lope Fest

Organizers Estimate “One Of Biggest Crowds Ever" At This Year’s Event

Hot weather and a summer downpour couldn’t dampen the spirits of the thousands who turned out for the 25th Annual Virginia Cantaloupe Festival Friday.
From the politicians on hand campaigning to the vendors providing food and beverages to the guests in attendance, everyone seemed to enjoy gathering for one of Halifax County’s signature events.
“I’ve been here for almost every one, and I can’t remember any festival where it was this hot,” South Boston Mayor Carroll Thackston.
By 6 p.m., everyone’s eyes turned to the sky as threatening clouds formed, resulting in a deluge at the Halifax County Fairgrounds.
But organizer Nancy Poole said the downpour only temporarily halted the festivities.
“When it first started, my heart just sank," she said. “But you know, it was probably just 30-45 minutes and when the rain subsided it cooled things off quite a bit.
“I don’t know where they went during the rain but they (those in attendance) all came back out," Poole added. “Their spirits were as good as before the rain started. It was like everyone forgave Mother Nature."
She said the band even got into the spirit of the event.
“The band that was on stage when the rain started (the Switch) played longer than they were supposed to," she said. “They didn’t have to do that but the crowed just loved them."
Poole said that all and all, she was “very pleased" with this year’s festival.
“It went off without incident, and that’s always a good thing, and everyone seemed to be having a good time and that always makes me feel good," she said.
Although exact numbers weren’t available at press time, Poole said she estimates between 2,500 and 3,000 people attended this year’s event.
“It looked like one of the biggest crowds we’ve had out there," she said.
Poole said she is hoping to net between $25,000 and $30,000 from the festival.
“The expenses just run so high, but that’s what our sponsors are for," she said. “We are just so pleased with the sponsors for their support.
“That allows us to use the money put the money raised back into the community."

Obituaries

Bertie Lance Jones

Bertie Lance Jones, 71, of 2005 Old Cluster Springs Road, South Boston died July 20.
Mr. Jones was born July 6, 1934, in Pittsylvania County the son of the late Percy L. Jones Jr. and Rose Martin Jones, and was married to Lucille Moore Jones. He was a member of Centerville Baptist Church, American Legion Post 1097, and was an Army Veteran.
A memorial service was held at Oak Ridge Cemetery on July 23 at 2 p.m. with American Legion Post 1097 conducting the service.
Survivors include his wife of Halifax; two sons, Bertie Jones Jr. of Milton, N.C. and Jason Jones of South Boston; five sisters, Irene Arthur, Shirley Turman and Clare Tate of Danville, Thelme Talbart of Ringgold and Muriel Fritts of Kernersville, N.C.; one brother, Percy L. Jones Jr. of Danville; three grandsons, Bertie Jones III of Shreveport, La., Matthew Jones and Seth Jones of Milton. Mr. Jones was preceded in death by one sister, Doris Bailey; and three brothers, Alvin, Larry and Martin Jones.

William H. Logan

William “Bill” Harold Logan Sr., of Union Church Road in South Boston, died Thursday, July 21, at his home.
He was 77 years of age at the time of his death.
William Logan Sr. was born in Kiskimentas, Pa., December 20, 1927, the son of the late Harold Stanley Logan and Ruby Adams Logan. He was married to Doris M. Logan who survives.
Mr. Logan was a member of the VFW, American Legion Post 8, and the USS General Mann.
William Harold Logan Sr. is survived by his wife, Doris M Logan of South Boston; one son, William Harold Logan Jr., of Chandler, Oklahoma; one daughter, Patty L. O’Neal of South Boston, one son-in-law, Daniel O’Neal of South Boston; one daughter-in-law, Linda Logan of Chandler, Oklahoma; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Services for William Harold Logan Sr. will be held today, July 25, at 11 a.m. at the Union United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Ann Davidson and words from Clinton McKinney.
Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

Ruby Frances Seamster Palmer

Funeral services for Ruby Frances Seamster Palmer of Burlington, N.C., will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at First Baptist Church of Graham with Dr. David Kolb officiating.
Graveside services will be held at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at Winns Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Halifax County.
Mrs. Palmer, a Halifax County native, died Sunday, July 24, at the Hospice Home.
She was born in Halifax County, a daughter of the late Albert Hurt and Mary Womack Seamster, and was married to the late James Edward Palmer Jr.
She was a member of First Baptist Church of Graham, a homemaker and a former employee of Winn-Dixie.
Mrs. Palmer is survived by her daughters and son-in-law, Jennifer Lee Palmer of Greensboro, N.C., and Shelia and T.J. Barnes of Anchorage, Alaska; one granddaughter; one great-granddaughter; sisters and brothers-in-law, Alease and Jim Grimm of Newport News, Allie and Charlie Powell of South Boston; sisters-in-law, Mae Perkins, Carolyn Keatts and Lucille Dickey, all of South Boston, and Evelyn Bowen of Virgilina; and numerous nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends from 7-9 p.m. Monday at Lowe Funeral Home and Crematory and at other times at the residence, 2236 Buckingham Court.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Baptist Church of Graham, c/o The Community Missions Fund, 224 N. Main St. Graham, N.C. 27253.
Condolences may be sent to the family at lowefh@bellsouth.net.

 

Post 8 Baseball Team 1-1 In District 10 Tournament

SoBo Wins 6-5, Loses 14-4; Played Elimination Game Last Night

BY Doug Ford
G-V STAFF WRITER

The South Boston American Legion Post 8 baseball team faced a must win situation yesterday in the District 10 Tournament at Liberty University in Lynchburg, following a split of its first two games on Saturday.
Tyler Clarke pitched a strong game and Post 8 scored three runs in the seventh to edge Big Island Post 217 by a 6-5 score to open the tourney. Post 8 then endured a 14-4 drubbing at the hands of Lynchburg Post 16 North, the tournament’s top seed, in its second game of the tournament.
Post 8 played the winner of the Big Island-Rustburg Post 165 game last night to stay alive in the double elimination tourney.
The first two games of the tournament were like night and day, according to Post 8 coach Jason Jones.
“We felt pretty confident going into the game against Big Island,” said Jones, adding Post 8 had won three of four games against Big Island in the regular season.
“Tyler did a great job and we got contributions throughout the lineup, including a big RBI double from Travis Powell in the fourth to give us a 1-0 lead.”
As well as Post 8 played against Big Island, it played equally as flat against Post 16 North, the tourney’s top seed.
Post 16 North scored one run in the first inning, eight more in the third, one run in the fifth, three in the seventh and one in the eighth inning to stop the game, while Post 8 responded with Justin Armistead’s home run, Brent Long’s two-run double and Ryan Roller’s RBI single.
South Boston 6, Big Island 5
Post 8 took a 6-1 lead into the ninth inning, and held off a Post 217 rally to win 6-5 in its first game.
Robert Carter and Long led Post 8 with two hits apiece, while Armistead, Chris Sizemore and Brandon Spence added base hits, in addition to Powell’s double.
Post 8 squandered one early scoring opportunity before taking the lead in the fourth inning against Big Island.
Carter’s single and two stolen bases, along with Armistead’s walk, put runners aboard in the top of the first with no outs, but a strikeout and two flyouts got Big Island out of the inning.
A walk and stolen base by Roller put another runner in scoring position in the fourth, and Powell’s big two-out double made it 1-0.
Spence walked to start the bottom of the fifth, advanced on a passed ball and scored after a Long single to make it 2-0.
Big Island used an RBI double to cut the deficit in half the top of the sixth, but Post 8 got that run back in the bottom of the inning, when Sizemore walked, went to second on a balk, and scored on two wild pitches.
Post 8 added its final three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Carter leading off with a walk, Armistead reaching on an error and Long a base hit.
Carter was out at home on a fielder’s choice, but Blake Waller reached on a fielder’s choice, Ryan Gieselman drew a bases loaded walk, and Sizemore hit a RBI single to plate three runs for a 6-1 lead.
That proved to be just enough to hold off Big Island, as it used three base hits and three walks to score four runs in the top of the ninth to close to within one run, but a flyout clinched the win for Post 8.
Clarke gave up only one earned run while pitching eight and two-thirds innings against Big Island, finishing with eight strikeouts. Long pitched to three batters in the ninth, before Spence came on to record the final out of the game.
Lynchburg Post 16 North 14, South Boston 4 (Eight Innings)
Lynchburg Post 16 North belted out 11 hits, five coming out of the leadoff position, to batter Post 8 14-4 in eight innings Saturday night.
Armistead and Long each collected two hits for Post 8, Armistead hitting a solo home run in the fourth and adding a base hit in the seventh inning. Long added a pair of doubles, one in the fourth and another in the seventh which plated South Boston’s final two runs.
Roller, Waller, Sizemore and Powell collected the other hits for South Boston, Powell’s hit a double.
Post 8 trailed only 1-0 going into the third inning against Post 16 North, but emerged with a 9-0 deficit, Post 16 North using four singles, a double, two walks and a couple of Post 8 miscues to help score its runs.
South Boston tried to rally in the fourth, Armistead smacking a solo home run, Long a double, and Roller an RBI single to make it 9-2. Waller was hit by a pitch to put another runner aboard, but a strikeout and flyout got Post 16 North out of the inning.
Trailing 13-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Post 8 rallied again to plate two runs, Powell reaching on an error to start the inning, and Sizemore getting a base hit. Armistead singled, and Long hit a two-run double to make it 13-4, but Post 16 North got an RBI triple in the top of the eighth for a 14-4 advantage.
Powell hit a two-out double in the bottom of the eighth inning, but a pop fly ended the game.
Spence started the game on the mound for Post 8, pitching the first four and two-thirds innings. Chris Fisher came on to hurl through the end of the sixth, and Powell finished the game on the mound for Post 8.

McCaskill Takes Second Late Model Win At SBS

High Groove At South Boston Becoming Popular

BY Doug Ford
G-V STAFF WRITER

Deac McCaskill took the high road in winning his second Late Model Stock Car division race of the season Saturday night at South Boston Speedway, making use of the outside line to capture the 150-lap feature.
Several drivers have discovered the high groove this season at South Boston, long known as a track with a single racing groove, that on the low side. Scott Worley used it to claim his first late-model win several weeks ago.
McCaskill, a Raleigh, N.C., driver started sixth in a field of 23 cars, but steadily moved through the field to overtake points leader Peyton Sellers on lap 42 and lead the rest of the race, despite several late challenges from Sellers.
Sellers qualified second and took the lead on the opening lap with a pass of pole sitter Drew Herring. He remained in the lead until McCaskill caught him.
From then on, McCaskill rode high to hold off Sellers and the rest of the field, including Drew Herring, along with hard-chargers Eddie Johnson and Jonathan Cash.
Herring, out of Benson, N.C., finished third just ahead of Johnson, who came from the final qualifying spot to a top-four finish. Johnson, who had mechanical problems during Saturdays’ practice session, did not qualify, but came from the rear of the field to eighth by lap 100, fifth by lap 135 and fourth by lap 150.
Cash continued his recent string of strong runs, coming from 13th at the beginning of the race to take home a fifth-place finish. He was seventh by lap 15 and fourth by lap 40, before being overtaken by Johnson in the late stages of the race.
Brandon Butler, David Quackenbush, Owen Miller, Wayne Ramsey and Ryan Rhodes rounded out the top ten, in a race which saw the South Boston Late Model debut of Keven Wood.
Wood, the son of Len Wood of NASCAR Woods Brothers fame, qualified third Saturday in his first Late Model appearance at South Boston and was running in the top five before his crash in turn two brought out the final of four cautions on lap 128. Woods finished in 18th place.
All About Momentum
Running the high line was all a matter of momentum, according to McCaskill.
“It was just something I found up there and I could run it every lap," he said. “It’s a known fact you get around the bottom of the race track faster, and it’s the quickest way.
“But, if you run the outside line, you build so much momentum to get around the race track."
Sellers took note of McCaskill’s success and followed him to the high line the final laps in an attempt to add to his division-high seven wins for the year. Sellers pulled next to McCaskill several times in the final laps of the race, but couldn’t pull ahead.
“I enjoy racing with him [McCaskill]," said Sellers. “Deac’s had some bad luck but they’ve rebounded really strong. He and Drew both raced me clean.
“This was a good night for us," the Danville racer noted, despite the second-place finish.
“Our car was a little off, and to come home second is okay. There are six races left, and Drew and me are running close.
“When I’m having bad nights, he’s having bad nights, when I’m on, he’s on, so it’s going to be a long summer."
Herring said he did all he could to get around Sellers, before settling for third-place.
“There was definitely a lot of racing out there," said Herring, who suffered through a problem with overheating in the inside of his racecar the entire race.
He may have also burned away his chances at a win trying to pass Sellers.
“We were real good at the beginning, and I just wore my tires out trying to get past Peyton.
“But, it was a good run, and we’ll take third-place."
With his second-place finish, Sellers added two points to his Late Model Division points lead over Herring. Sellers now has 702 points, and Herring 676 points.
Cash stands in third with 588 points, while Miller is fourth with 550 points. Rhodes and Butler are tied for the fifth spot with 546 points each.

Charlotte County Youth To Compete In National Soap Box Derby Event

Missey Williams, a Randolph-Henry High School Student, Won The Regional Soap Box Derby To Give The Patrick Henry Boys & Girls Plantation Its First Winner

BY Joe Chandler
G-V STAFF WRITER

For several years youth residents of the Patrick Henry Boys & Girls Plantation have competed in the regional competition of the All-American Soap Box Derby in Richmond.
This year, for the first time, a Plantation resident has emerged as a winner.
Missey Williams, a 15-year-old student at Randolph-Henry High School in Charlotte County and a resident of the Patrick Henry Girls Home at Wylliesburg, won the regional competition held June 4, going undefeated through 10 heats in the process.
She will now go on to compete in the national All-American Soap Box Derby competition which will be held July 25-31 in Akron, Ohio.
“It was extremely fun." Williams said of the regional competition.
“I feel like I have as good a chance as anyone else (at the nationals). I’m just waiting for the day of the race."
When asked what she sees as the best part of her upcoming trek to Akron for the national competition, Williams said it is the opportunity to visit a new place.
“I’m getting to go to a place I’ve never been to before," she said.
“ And, I’ll get to ride in a Hummerzine (a stretch Hummer)," she added with a big grin.
The Ohio trip is being provided for Williams through contributions of various Soap Box Derby supporters.
One of the sponsors of Williams’ car is Dolly Fallen, owner of the South Boston-based Fallen Trucking Company.
Fallen owns a NASCAR Late Model Stock Car racing team that competes at South Boston Speedway with driver Owen Miller of Emporia.
A member of the Plantation Advisory Board, Fallen has been a longtime supporter of the Plantation and its Soap Box Derby program.
“I’m just glad to be a part of it," Fallen said.
“It’s a great program and I wish her good luck in the national competition."
With the regional competition being Williams’ first try at racing, she admitted to being a little scared. That, however, may have turned out to be to her advantage.
“Since that was my first time, I was scared to go down the hill, which gave me a bigger and better reason to get lower in my car," Williams explained.
The lower positioning which had nothing but the top of her helmet showing above her car, may have helped improve the car’s speed.
While Williams earned distinction as being the first resident of the Plantation to win a first place trophy, the regional competition was a huge success for the youth residents of the Plantation.
This year 10 of the Plantation’s youth residents entered the regional competition, five in the stock division and five in the super stock division. In addition to the win by Williams, residents earned two third-place finishes, a fourth-place finish and a fifth-place finish and another made the top-ten, giving six of the residents a top-five finish.
One of the houseparents, Don Inman, helped the participating residents build the cars.
There were 43 cars entered in the super stock class in which Williams earned her victory with the participants taking part in a double-elimination tournament.
At the upcoming national competition at Akron, Ohio, there will be over 150 cars entered in Williams’ class with the event having a single-elimination format. Instead of two cars racing at a time as it was in Richmond, there will be four cars racing at a time in the national competition.
Only the winner of each race advances up the ladder, meaning that Williams will race as long as she is able to win.
After the national event in Akron is concluded, Williams must retire her car.