Thursday Jan. 2,
2014
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Daily Corinthian
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Vol. 118, No. 2
• Corinth, Mississippi • 14 pages • 1 section
Inmate died of multidrug overdose BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
An autospy report has revealed an inmate on a weekend pass died from a multi-drug overdose. William “Danny” Whitaker, 56, was found dead at his mother’s home on Oct. 26 while on pass from jail. Whitaker, a Mississippi Department of Corrections inmate
County Sheriff Charles Rinehart. Rinehart was admonished by the commissioner for granting Whitaker and five other inmates leave. Rinehart’s repeated violations of the Offender Leave Program forced Epps to discontinue housing state inmates at the jail in November. The MDOC resumed sending inmates to the correctional facility on Dec. 17 after Epps
being housed at the Alcorn County Regional Correctional Facility, was found to have several drugs in his body, according to Alcorn County Coroner Jay Jones. Whitaker was serving a jail sentence for robbery, burglary and aggravated assault and was not eligible for leave, according to MDOC Commissioner Christopher Epps in a letter to Alcorn
received a detailed plan by the sheriff stating unauthorized passes were discontinued. On Dec. 2, the Alcorn County Board of Supervisors approved a two-year agreement with Mississippi Correctional Management, Inc. to operate, manage and maintain the facility. The board’s action resulted in Epps deciding to resume sending inmates to the facility.
Rinehart previously told the Daily Corinthian that Whitaker and the others were given passes because they were not considered dangerous. Whitaker was given a pass to spend time with his sick mother when he died, according to the sheriff. “If I felt there was any danger, I wouldn’t have done it,” said Rinehart on Nov. 13 in reaction to Epps’ letter.
Women injured in New Year’s Day crash Two drug
sentences include prison time
BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
A New Year’s Day wreck sent a pair of women to the hospital. Two black females were transported to Magnolia Regional Health Center following a two-car crash at the corner of Crater and Dunlap around 3:10 p.m. Wednesday. According to a witness at the scene, the driver of a blue Ford Mustang was traveling west on Dunlap when it ran a stop sign and hit a black Grand Prix which was headed south on Crater Street. The Grand Prix suffered heavy damage to its front as parts of the vehicle and glass littered the street. Cause of the crash is being investigated by the Corinth Staff photo by Steve Beavers Police Department. Two women were transported via ambulance following a two-car crash on New Year’s Day.
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
A judge handed down two more sentences of jail time for individuals involved in what prosecutors describe as a north Mississippi drug trafficking operation. In a sentencing hearing Dec. 17 for Qavis Deron Green of Corinth, U.S. District Court Judge Sharion Aycock sentenced him to five years and 10 months in custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on an indictment for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, according to court records. He must also serve three years probation upon release. The judge also recommends Green participate in the Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program and GED Program. On the same date, Aycock also sentenced Brandon Demario Wells, whose address at the time of indictment was given as Decatur, Ill. On an indictment for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, Aycock sentenced Wells to two years in custody followed by three years probation. The two were among a group of 10 indicted in December 2012 for allegedly arranging the purchase and shipment of drugs into the region between October 2011 and May 2012. Several more await sentencing. Green was 25 at the time of indictment, and Wells was 23.
Air Evac flight nurse likes to inspire others BY KIMBERLY SHELTON kshelton@dailycorinthian.com
Bloody and exhausted, Gail Hudson stumbled through the front door of the medi-vac trailer. She had just returned from cleaning and disinfecting the team helicopter. The roof of the air craft had been splattered crimson as the 46-yearold flight nurse and her fellow teammates worked diligently to save the life of their patient. For many, this ghastly scene would turn their stomachs, but for Hudson it’s just another day on the job. The veteran nurse is not squeamish when it comes to carnage. Over the years, she has seen it all. An angel to her patients, the Chicago born RN, CEN has treated close to 2,300 souls since she arrived at the Corinth base. This April will mark her 13th year as a member of the Air Evac Life-team. After completing the academy, Hudson herself went under the knife for a hysterectomy on Dec. 28, 2000. “I was hired to work at the base in Cullman, Ala.,” said Hudson. “I went home New Year’s Eve, but woke up New Year’s Day in pain.” On Jan. 2, 2001, the nurse was back in the hospital and her family was called in to break the news. Septic shock had set in and infection was spreading rapidly through her body. “They told my family I was going to die,” she explained with a shudder. “Something dirty was used during my ini-
Street milling, resurfacing done Gail Hudson RN stands with other members of the Air-Evac Life team in front of their aircraft. They are J.J. Mathis EMT-P (left) and Nathan Palmer, RN. tial surgery, and I had a staph and strep infection and ended up with Toxic Shock Syndrome. “They saved my life, but they weren’t able to save my fingers and toes,” recalled the longtime nurse with a grimace. Eleven months later, she was back to work at the emergency room in Muscle Shoals, Ala. Hudson joined the Air Evac Life-team in April 2002. “Air Evac was just great. The battle made it that much
sweeter when I finally did it,” proclaimed Hudson. Reared in Iuka, she has known many of the people she’s treated. Hudson has been married to her husband Larry for 27 years. The couple have two children, Beth, 23 and Jon, 19. “Every time we get a call from Iuka, I worry for kids,” said the mother of two. She is a graduate of Northeast Mississippi Community College, where she earned her
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Several paving projects recently wrapped up in the city ahead of more work to come in the spring. Streets milled and resurfaced include: ■ Dennistown Road off Wenasoga Road ■ Caroline Street ■ Fourth Street from Fillmore to Madison ■ Davis Street ■ Grant Street ■ Reynolds Street These were paved with Mayor Tommy Irwin’s share of bond issue funds. He hopes to add one more to the list in the spring. The aldermen are formulating their lists. Contractor APAC completed the work.
Weather........8 Obituaries........ 6 Opinion........4 Sports...... 10
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ADN, Nursing degree. When asked why she chose nursing as a career, she explained, “I was in LPN school and we had a team come here. It was one of the coolest things you can imagine. They were the best of the best and it’s where I knew I wanted to end up.” Used to going into the unknown, Hudson said everyday is different. “I never know where I’ll be Please see NURSE | 2
On this day in history 150 years ago Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne suggests slaves be offered their freedom for service in the Confederate army. The idea, eventually adopted, is received coldly in Richmond and Cleburne is denied the promotion he so richly deserves.
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