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Making McNairy County headlines for more than 110 years
Volume 110, Number 08, Wednesday, July 11, 2012
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64-year-old lady hits pastor with bible BREAKING NEWS Three burglaries reported south of Selmer near Hwy. 45
By Amanda Lowrance Staff Writer
After allegedly hitting Pastor Leon Taylor with a bible, the 64-year-old lifelong church member Ina Garrett was arrested for assault at Mt. Zion Baptist Church during Sunday service on May 20. Deputies Dustin Jaco and JP Kellum of the McNairy County Sheriff’s Department responded to “an unwanted person” call early that morning at the Purdy Road church. “We spoke with Ms. Garrett, and she advised there were problems with the preacher, and she wasn’t going to take it. Mr. Taylor came to the door and advised her that she wasn’t welcome back, and they voted her out of the church,” said Jaco in the report. The two witnessed Garrett’s accurate Bible throw, which hit the pastor in the face. It can be described as regular-sized soft leather bible. It was reported that Taylor responded by swinging at Garrett but it was uncertain whether he made contact. Garrett was charged and transported to the McNairy County Jail. Both parties reported that they went to the hospital for medical assistance after the altercation. Last Thursday, the charges filed against the pastor were continued, according to the circuit court. Following the incident it was reported that some members were locked outside the church last Sunday claiming that the pastor did not tell all the members that church would not be held. While the stories by both Garrett and Taylor differ, they will both make their arguments on Sept. 6 as the decision will carry from the
Staff Photo by Christen Coulon
The McNairy County Sheriff’s Department has reported that three burglaries were reported last Monday night south of Selmer near Hwy 45. Burglars struck Elam Mattress, Joe Reaves Construction and Littlejohn Monuments making off with a laptop computer and guns. If you have any information on these crimes please contact law enforcement. Staff Photo by Amanda Lowrance
Pastor Leon Taylor proudly displays his one year anniversary on the Mt. Zion Baptist Church sign, but not before being hit by the Word. church into the courtroom. Following the incident, both Garrett and Taylor spoke with the Independent Appeal to assure that their point of view was covered accurately and fairly.
Member and pastor offer both sides of the story Ina Garrett Born and raised in McNairy County, Garrett grew up in the church and has raised her family and her grandchildren at Mt. Zion Baptist. She was there when the new building was built in 1976 and has played piano there for many years. In May of 2011, the members voted on a new pastor after the previous pastor retired. With a 10-9 vote, Taylor won by one additional vote to get the majority rule. He became pastor that June and has changed many things within the church GARRETT
Pastor Leon Taylor The previous television and internet news reports about the altercation are an embarrassment to all church communities according to Taylor. “It’s the devil trying to make the church look bad and trying to make Christianity look bad,” said Taylor. “I’m in a situation where I can’t let a few run over an entire church.” Now that the altercation is over, Taylor believes there are good people attending the church. He considers Garrett to be the ringleader of the trouble. “The only two words to deTAYLOR scribe it is bullying and terrorism.
See GARRETT, 4A
See TAYLOR, 4A
Victims still recovering following brutal attack By Christen Coulon Editor
The Independent Appeal has an update to the late breaking story in last week’s paper involving the assault of two women in Selmer. The story contains a somewhat graphic description of the attack and may not be suitable for all readers. As reported, the Selmer Police Department arrested Christopher R. Scott, a 33-year-old Milledgeville man, for the assault of his grandmother Earline Kirby, 74 and his aunt Pamela Pitts, 51 at 235 State
St. in Selmer last Monday. As of last Monday, Scott was charged with especially aggravated burglary, aggravated assault and theft of property in the attack. “Mrs. Kirby, who is the grandmother, she is becoming more alert and later this week I will meet with her at the MED and get a full statement,” said Lt. Tony Miller, Selmer Police Department. “What we know right now is that he broke into the house using the shovel that he ended up beating his grandmother with. Then with a variety of other items, he ended up beating his aunt and grandmother both with those
items.” Because of their injuries, Miller said that he still has not got a complete account of the attack from the Kirby or Pitts; however, both victims have identified Scott as their attacker. Miller said that so far both the police and victims have no reason why Scott would attack his family members and said that he is currently being evaluated at Western State Mental Hospital in Bolivar.
See ATTACK, 4A
Selmer cops use camera to catch speeders By Christen Coulon Editor
Selmer’s Police Department is adding a tool to their arsenal to combat speeders. The new gadget will allow police to catch speeders in the act and ticket them without having to pull the car over. Selmer has recently gone live with their manned handheld photo enforcement system. The Velocity Snap System is a device which is a combination of a laser speed detector or LIDAR Unit and an HD Photo Camera. The device is officer operated and officer witnessed (the lack of which is a major complaint with the red light cameras). Selmer became the first community in Tennessee to use such a device for speeders said Lt. Tony Miller of the Selmer Po-
Photos by Christen Coulon
Officer Tony Westbrooks demonstrates the Selmer Police department’s newest tool to capture speeders. The gadget allows police to catch speeders in the act and ticket them without having to pull the car over. Violators will be notified of their tickets through the mail and will have to cough up $50 for every offense.
See SPEED CAM, 4A
Pee-Wee is back Bethel ends police drama, restores order to meetings By Christen Coulon Editor
After nearly three months without a functioning police department, the City of Bethel Springs had an officer on duty last Tuesday when officer T.E. “Pee-Wee” Sowell returned to his post following a suspension, months of legal wrangling, and a disagreement between Sowell and Mayor Kay Cox over his schedule. It seemed that Sowell was poised to return to his post following last month’s meeting of the Bethel Springs Board when a vote was passed to rehire the officer. However, a working schedule for Sowell never materialized, and the issue was not resolved until last Monday’s meeting. Following a motion by Bob Graham, the board voted to offer Sowell a weekly shift from Tuesdays File Photo through Saturdays from 3-11 p.m. The board said T.E. “Pee-Wee” Sowell address the that this schedule would board during a previous meeting likely change slightly when of the Bethel Springs board. Sowschool and the city’s court ell returned to his post following a three-month absence last Tuesresume. Much of the meet- day. ing was spent focused on solving the city’s police problems, with the only other business discussion centering around paying bills and reading the water reports. This month’s meeting was unique in the fact that it was tame compared to previous month’s meetings. There was an almost complete absence of audience outbursts and side discussions that have plagued the city’s recent meetings. The quiet, productive meeting was thanks to a clarification of the rules of conduct at public meetings by Lou Perrigo as the meeting opened. Perrigo made it clear that the meeting was public and the audience was welcome to watch the city conduct business, but it was not a place of public discussion. He said the public was welcome to speak at scheduled hearings or request to be placed on the agenda 72 working hours prior to the meeting, but audience members were not able to speak during the meetings otherwise. Perrigo used an allegorical story from his childhood about a visit to a meeting of the U.S. Congress. Perrigo said that he was welcome to watch the proceeding but was not allowed to speak during the proceedings. When questioned by audience members about the change of rules regarding audience participation, Perrigo answered, “It used to be allowed when it should not have been.” Editor’s note: I despise it when journalists blatantly editorialize throughout their stories, but I can’t help myself here. Our paper will likely have much less to write about in the coming months; however, I would like to applaud the Bethel Springs Mayor and Aldermen for standing up and taking back their monthly meetings. The city still has many problems to solve before it achieves the financial stability it deserves, but having a forum for its leaders to work productively and conduct their business is a brilliant first step to a better Bethel Springs. Continue reading the Independent Appeal for complete coverage of Bethel and every other municipality within McNairy County.
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