Daily Corinthian E-Edition 032813

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Thursday March 28,

Daily Corinthian

Mostly sunny

2013

50 cents

Vol. 117, No. 75

Today

Tonight

63

43

20% chance p.m. rain

• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • One section

Domestic dispute ends in fatal shooting Corinth man faces murder charge; woman found shot in face Ralph Dance. He was in custody at the Alcorn County Justice Center with bond pending. Davis is accused of fatally shooting Karson Stewart, 22,

BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

A Corinth man is charged with murder after allegedly shooting a woman on Martin Luther King Drive Tuesday night following a possible domestic dispute. Demarlen Obryan Davis, 25, of Dickey Street, is charged with murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to Detective Capt.

Davis

of Sawyer Road. Funeral arrangements for Stewart are pending with Memorial Funeral Home. The police department responded to a 911 call of a female shot on MLK Drive about 9:40 p.m. Dance said officers found Davis standing beside a car parked in the yard of a vacant residence at 602 MLK Drive. “Once officers approached,”

said Dance, “he said, ‘I didn’t do it. Somebody shot my girlfriend.’ They detained him and went to the car to check on the victim.” Stewart appeared to be unconscious and had a gunshot wound to the face. She was taken to Magnolia Regional Health Center, where she was pronounced dead a short time later. Officers canvassed the

neighborhood and recovered some evidence from the scene, including a small caliber handgun. Dance is familiar with both people and believes a troubled relationship between the two may have culminated in the shooting. Davis has two prior felony convictions. The nature of the prior charges was not immediately available.

Burcham’s hearing closed to public Teachers file federal lawsuits Burcham is represented by attorney Thomas O. Cooley of Langston & Lott, P.A. in Booneville. In related news, two ACMS teachers have filed a federal lawsuit against Burcham and Smith. Tupelo attorney Rachel Waide filed the lawsuit on behalf of two ACMS teachers, Janet Walls Holley and Burcham Stephanie Leigh Eaton. Defendants in the suit are named as Gina Rogers Smith in her official capacity as superintendent and Dan Burcham individually. The lawsuit alleges that for a period of time leading up to

BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com

South Harper Road drug bust Corinth police and investigators search the trunk of a vehicle early Wednesday afternoon in the parking lot of Renasant Bank on South Harper Road. Police arrested a man for possession of drugs. Police Chief David Lancaster said officers found marijuana in the man’s possession after answering a call of a suspicious vehicle parked in the bank parking lot. Several police officers responded to the call, and the vehicle was towed from the scene. The investigation continued late Wednesday afternoon, and Lancaster said more details would be released once formal charges were filed.

A closed hearing for Alcorn Central Middle School Principal Dan Burcham will be held this afternoon. Burcham’s case will be heard in executive session beginning at 4 p.m. at the Alcorn School District Education Center. Hearing officer John C. Ross will hear the case before making a written report to the Alcorn School Board. According to board attorney James Price, the board can either accept the report or reject it. On March 5 the district school board rejected Burcham’s resignation during a special called meeting. Burcham was placed on administrative leave with pay on Feb. 11 while allegations were being investigated, according to a letter sent to ACMS parents by Superintendent Gina Rogers Smith on Feb. 18.

Please see BURCHAM | 2

Mayor’s Youth Council holds inaugural meeting BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com

The Mayor’s Youth Council recently held its inaugural meeting with Mayor Tommy Irwin. “The first meeting went very well, with 17 of the 22 council members present, along with a few parents, Mayor Irwin and several of our Advisory Committee,” said Youth Council Coordinator Emily McGrath. “The students seemed very engaged, and you could feel the excitement in the air.” The council is a group of Corinth High School students who meets with the mayor each month. The purpose of the council is to develop individual leadership skills in an effort to strengthen their communities through volunteer service and increased communication with municipal leaders. Irwin said the Youth Council will play an important role in the community and is very important to him. “It's a good opportunity for youth to build a good foundation and start out

the right way in community service and leadership. They are our leaders of tomorrow.” “These youths are tomorrow's leaders and people who contribute to the volunteerism we see every day in the community,” said the mayor. At the meeting Irwin spoke about his job description and said that each meeting would include a discussion of a different part of city government. The group also elected this year’s officers. They are: Chairman - Austin Powell, Vice Chairman - Savannah Smith, Secretary - Isaac Patterson, Parliamentarian - Logan Gates, and Historian Elizabeth Whitehurst. Officers will be sworn in during the regular meeting of the mayor and aldermen on April 2. The council discussed its first community service project of the year. One day in April or May, council members will go out in the city to clean up areas of local school

Staff photo by Steve Beavers

Samuel Bragg will be playing the part of Jesus in the Oakland Passion Play “The Risen Lamb.”

Oakland presents ‘The Risen Lamb’ BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com

He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Oakland Baptist Church will be sending the same message as the angel did to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary in Matthew 28:6 with its 24th passion play. “The Risen Lamb” is sched-

Please see YOUTH | 2

Index Stocks........8 Classified......14 Comics........ 9 State........ 5

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uled for Friday through Monday at 7 p.m. each night. There is no admission and a nursery for children ages three and under will be provided. Those expecting to see the same storyline of past passion plays at the church are in for a surprise, according to Oakland Minister of Music and play director Jim Pinkston.

“We wanted to try some different things because we didn’t want people saying I saw it last year or the year before,” said Pinkston. “This year feels like the first year we did the passion play.” Pinkston’s wife, Carol, and son, Jon, are helping produce Please see LAMB | 2

On this day in history 150 years ago

Weather...... 10 Obituaries........ 6 Opinion........4 Sports...... 12

Remy Martin V.S.O.P. $

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The USS Diana sails up the Atchafalaya River in Louisiana with a contingent of infantry. The ship is attacked by Confederate soldiers, who force it ashore and capture the crew and infantry. The vessel, previously captured by Federals, ree-nters Confederate service as the CSS General Richard Taylor.

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$ 99 29 1 L 17 1.75 L 34 750mL 9 750 mL 9 750 mL 2015 Hwy 72 E. Corinth, MS. 38834 • 662-594-1877 • Mon. - Sat. 10 A.M.- 9 P.M. • www.JRwinespirit.com


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