THE LEADER Thursday, November 12, 2009
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Serving All of Tipton County Established 1886
Volume 123 • No. 86
www.covingtonleader.com
Nine indicted on voting fraud charges By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com COVINGTON – Nine Tipton Countians were indicted last week after being accused of voting illegally in 2008. The indictments, said District Attorney General Mike Dunavant, result from a cooperative investigation by and between the state coordinator of elections from the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office, the Tipton County Election Commission and the 25th
Judicial District Attorney General’s Office. Those charged have previous felony convictions in Shelby, Lauderdale and Tipton counties and were charged with illegally registering to vote and illegally voting during last year’s presidential and state and municipal elections. Six named defendants were arraigned in Tipton County Circuit Court on Nov. 5: • Angela P. Akins – illegally voted on Oct. 20, 2008; felony conviction in Shelby County, Nov. 15, 1996
• Kenneth B. Bradley – illegally registered to vote, Nov. 9, 2007; illegally voted Nov. 4, 2008; felony conviction in Shelby County, Nov. 17, 1998 • Edward A. Cannady – illegally voted on Oct. 20. 2008; felony conviction in Shelby County, March 16, 2005 • Jessie Lewis Cleaves – illegally voted on Nov. 4, 2008; felony conviction in Tipton County on July 28, 1997 • Rose Lovelady Williams – illegally voted on Oct. 18, 2008; felony conviction in Tipton County on Aug. 14, 2003 • Henry Lee Willingham – illegally
voted on Feb. 5, 2008 and Oct. 22, 2008; felony conviction in Tipton County on Sept. 17, 1999 Three other unnamed defendants have been indicted, but have not yet been arraigned or identified to the public. State Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins and Tipton County Election Administrator Linda Burnett assisted in the identification, investigation and documentation of these cases of election fraud in Tipton County.
Triumphant: Munford band ranks second in nation T
his weekend, the Munford High School band showed it has what it takes to be triumphant, even when competing against bands from all over the nation. The band competed against 95 other high school bands in the USSBA national championships in Annapolis, Md. on Nov. 8. Munford took second place and only .2 points separated the band from a national title. The band won best percussion, best visual and, being the band who best represented Marine Corps values, the band also won the coveted Esprit de Corps award for professionalism, pride and patriotism. This year’s show, the Emergence of Triumph, was dedicated to the
memory of Mr. Doug Van Neste, an MHS teacher who died earlier this school year. During final rehearsals for nationals, band members learned of the loss of another longtime band supporter and MHS staff member, Mrs. Connie Vaughn. Band members decided the chimes played at the start of the show would be in her honor. The last of over 500 hours of rehearsing and over 3,000 gallons of Gatorade started Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. Central time. Band members ran a couple of laps, then broke out into sections to begin their day. Three hours later, they were ready to play. Students and chaperones had a SEE BAND, PAGE A2
Burglary suspects lead officers on pursuit By ECHO DAY
Photo by SHANE WAITS
Members of the Ripley Junior ROTC march during Covingtonʼs annual Veterans Day parade Wednesday. The parade takes place on the square each year.
Local troops ask for cookies By SHERRI ONORATI sonorati@covingtonleader.com The holidays are a stressful time and for those serving abroad and away from their families, even more so. To help bring a touch of home to a desert full of sand, the men of Task Force Chaos, currently serving in Afghanistan, are asking for ... cookies. In a desperate attempt to have cookies sent to them, the members of the team have come up with a scheme to have cookies sent to them by devising the first-ever cookie bake-off. “We were sitting around the operation center at our homemade table (a sheet of plywood on boxes) and we were lamenting the fact that no one had received any cookies from home for awhile,” wrote Master Sergeant Randy McKee of Brighton. “So after hours of listening to hours of exhaustive testimony from loved ones and friends about their family members baking skills, we decided to hold a contest.”
McKee said the rules are simple. “Once the cookies arrive, the contest committee will be assembled and the entry will be sampled as soon as possible to insure freshness,” he wrote. “The results will be recorded and kept in our hermetically sealed U.S. government approved safe.” Although all cookies will be accepted, the committee is specifically looking for cookies in the following categories: chocolate chip, sugar, oatmeal, peanut butter, and specialty (fudge, brownies, divinity (mom), etc.) Contestants can submit an entry in one or all categories. Entries will be judged for quality, texture, freshness, ingredients, uniformity, size and quantity. At the completion of the contest, the overall grand champion, as well as the five category winners, will be announced and notified of their awards. McKee said due to the number of committee members it is suggested that a two dozen minimum be subSEE COOKIES, PAGE A3
COVINGTON – Three burglary suspects are in custody after leading law enforcement officers on an hourslong foot pursuit Tuesday afternoon. Just after noon, deputies were dispatched to the 800 block of Yarbrough Road, near Covington, after a reported burglary. As deputies responded to the area, Tipton County Sheriff J.T. “Pancho” Chumley was also patrolling
and located a suspicious vehicle on Rhodes Lane, off of Yarbrough. As Chumley approached the vehicle to identify the driver, three occupants fled the vehicle on foot across nearby cotton fields. The driver, who was later identified as Marquise D e a n g e l o Middlebrooks, 21, of 273 Ervin Lane in Covington, physically resisted arrest by attempting to flee, but was captured after a short foot
Photo by ECHO DAY
After apprehending Nathan Cook in a field off of Yarbrough Road in northern Covington, Sheriff Chumley leads him to deputies.
pursuit. Deputies and officers with the Covington Police
Department quickly surrounded the areas of Flat Iron Road,
SEE PURSUIT, PAGE A3
Extreme rain has affected quality of harvest By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com In the wake of the above average rainfall and a mild summer, harvesting has not been easy this season. Though it should have already been completed, said David Templeton Sr., he and other farmers are still working to get their crops out of the field. “Normally we harvest in September, but we lost our best harvest days in most of September and October because it rained so much,” he said. “We’re about halfway through.”
Action News 5 Chief Meteorologist Dave Brown said rainfall totals for September were 8.59 inches, which is 5.28 inches above normal. In October, the area received 10.56 inches of rain, 7.25 inches above normal. October 2009 was the wettest October on record. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the extreme rainfall caused serious harvest delays of three weeks or more behind normal pace. The longer crops remain in fields, the more their quality declines. The USDA said some growers SEE RAIN, PAGE A2
Area events events Area This week’s This week’sFeatured featuredChurch: church: Covington • Barretville • Millington • Collierville South Tipton • South Covington Morgage Offices: South Tipton • Millington • Arlington • Collierville
FRONT.indd 1
Cornerstone Assembly of God Turn to to Page Turn PageA7 A7forfordetails details
11/13 – 11/14/09 7 p.m. Hee Haw Howdy Ruffin Theatre – Covington Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society
11/11/09 2:30:49 PM