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Volume 115, Number 23, Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Independent Appeal Making McNairy County headlines for more than 114 years
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Kyle pleads guilty in child’s death By Jeff York Contributor
An Adamsville woman pleaded guilty in the death of her boyfriend’s son. Kyrie Kyle entered a guilty plea in McNairy County Circuit Court on Oct. 6. Kyle pleaded to the amended lesser-included offense of second degree murder for the death of child victim Asher Dilworth in August of 2014. Kyle was sentenced as a Mitigated Range I Offender to the presumptive statutory sentence
of 13.5 years to be served at 100 percent. She was given pre-trial jail credit for the time she has been in custody since her arrest in 2014. Kyle’s original charge had been First-Degree Felony Murder, Aggravated Child Abuse, Aggravated Assault, and Aggravated Child Neglect or Endangerment. She admitted to police she had pushed the young boy into a dresser and then left him alone in his room for 30 minutes. Asher was carried after a short stay at McNairy Regional Hospital to Le
Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis only to die three days after the accident. Kyle was the then girlfriend of Anthony Dilworth, the father of the victim. She was also 20 weeks pregnant at the time of the incident which led to the death of Asher Dilworth. Family members of the victim were present for the entry of the plea and sentencing, and were given an opportunity to give victim impact statements and testimony. In an open letter to Gov. Bill
Haslam, Ashley Taylor, mother of the victim, wrote a desperate plea for the Tennessee Governor to step in and advocate officials speed up the process in her son’s murder case. “You may recall a little boy, Asher Drake Dilworth, who was murdered in McNairy County in August of 2014,” Taylor wrote. “Kyrie Kyle, the girlfriend of his father, shoved him into a dresser knocking him unconscious and left him there instead of seeking medical attention. He was brain dead three days later after being
airlifted to Le Bonheur in Memphis.” The boy spent three days in hospitals, undergoing emergency brain surgery and suffering from violent seizures after the incident in McNairy County. The official police report stated the boy also had several bruises and teeth marks that were caused over a period of time. A judge had rejected claims of Miranda rights violations that were made in August 2014. (Head News Writer Jeff Whitten contributed to this story.)
Selmer officer recovers from carbon monoxide poisoning By Steve Beavers Assistant Editor
A Selmer Police officer continues to recover after suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. Officer Michael Gilbert was transported to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital on Oct. 12 when fellow officers replied to a call for help around 2 a.m. Gilbert, who was released from the hospital later that day, radioed for help from his patrol car. The officer said he couldn’t move, according to a report filed by Selmer Police Officer Robert Heathcock. Heathcock and off-
duty McNairy County Sheriff’s Deputy Rick Finley responded to the police department, finding Gilbert in the patrol car and complaining of severe fatigue and loss of motor function. “He stated the last thing he remembers is pulling up to the PD, becoming very weak and then waking up hours later,” said Heathcock in the report. “He didn’t know how he managed to call the other patrol car,” added Selmer Police Chief Neal Burks. The Selmer Fire Department was called to test the 2010 Dodge
See OFFICER RECOVERS, 2A
Former insurance agent charged with theft Student injured in accident Staff Photo by Steve Beavers
A McNairy Central High School student was injured in an accident involving a McNairy County school bus last week.
involving county school bus By Steve Beavers Assistant Editor
A McNairy Central High School student is home recovering following a two-vehicle accident last week. The 17-year-old was released Monday from North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, Miss. after spending five days in the hospital from injuries sustained in the wreck. The juvenile was transported to Magnolia Regional Health
Center in Corinth following an accident involving a McNairy County school bus on Oct. 14. The accident happened around 8 a.m. as the school bus – driven by Wayne Maxedon – picked up students on Highway 142. The bus and the 2004 Grand Jeep Cherokee were the only two vehicles involved. Both were traveling west on Highway 142, according to the report of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Ten students were aboard
the bus when the accident happened, according to McNairy County Director of Schools Wayne Henry. “A couple of them were taken by their parents to the hospital in Savannah and checked out,” said Henry. “They all checked out okay with no serious injuries.” Three units with the Selmer Fire Department responded to the accident which blocked both lanes of Highway 142 for about a hour.
By Jeff Whitten Head News Writer
A former insurance agent has been charged with theft and identity theft in McNairy County. Barry Bynum was indicted on charges of theft over $250,000 and identity theft by the McNairy County Grand Jury on Oct. 10, according to District Attorney General Mike Dunavant. The charges were the result of an ongoing investigation by the Identity Crimes Investigative Unit of the Tennessee Department of Safety. Bynum was served an arrest warrant and taken into custody on Oct. 14. He remains in the McNairy County Jail with a $100,000
bond set by the court. Bynum was formally arraigned Monday in McNairy County Circuit Court with Circuit Judge Weber McCraw presiding. Bynum requested a reduction of bond which was opposed by the state and denied by the court. Bynum informed the court he did not have sufficient funds with which to retain counsel. McCraw set the case for status review on attorney for Oct. 24. The Securities and Insurance Divisions of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance revoked Bynum’s insurance license and imposed a $3,000 civil penalty on him last
See AGENT CHARGED, 2A
County school building plan moves forward By Jeff Whitten Head News Writer
New school construction has moved one step closer to reality. The McNairy County Board of Education voted Oct. 13 to send an outline drafted by Director of Schools Wayne Henry to the McNairy County County Commission Budget and Education Committees. Construction would probably begin with additions to Adamsville Elementary School
in the spring of 2017 and in the fall of next year for the new Selmer Elementary School. Architect Jev Vaughn would receive $828,000 over 20 months from the projects. Additions at AES include 16 classrooms, an administrative office, a cafeteria, a band room and a multi-purpose building. Total square footage for additions would be 26,000 to 32,000 square feet, Henry said. Selmer Elementary would get 36 new classrooms, an ad-
ministrative office and a cafeteria for a total square footage of around 86,000. The Adamsville addition would be L-shaped, adjacent with the soccer field and connected to the existing gym with an awning and crosswalk. The new SES would have a central hub, which would house the office with spokes running from it. Henry said hallways could be restructured at minimal cost to be storm shelters.
The total cost for those two projects is $19.3 million. Total cost for recent and planned construction is $23.4 million with previous capital outlay notes. The financing plan assumes an interest rate of 3.6 percent. Through 2047, the school district would average a debt payment of $1.3 million, with a total payback of $39.2 million. “I don’t see those numbers changing, other than the fact, as we go through the construc-
tion process, the interest rate changed a little bit,” Henry said. The current debt payment for the school district for this year is $1.3 million. “I want to be able to present this to the combined committees this month,” said Henry. The board unanimously voted to authorize Henry to present this plan to the committees. The plan would ultimately have to be approved by the full County Commission since it controls expenditures.
Judgement House begins Sunday at First Baptist Church By Steve Beavers Assistant Editor
First Baptist Church has a story to tell. Close to 300 people of the congregation are getting their chance to share the gospel through the 13th Annual Judgement House of the church. “Shaken” will be presented starting Sunday night at 4 p.m.
Performances are also scheduled for Oct. 26 from 6-8 p.m.; Oct. 30 from 3-9 p.m.; Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m. and Nov. 2 from 6-9 p.m. There will be no admission to attend any of the live performances. “We do not have the dramatic scene like we have had in the past,” said FBC Associate Pastor/ Youth Director John Chandler. “What we do have is a realistic
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story which connects with everyone.” “Shaken” deals with the lives of four teenagers. The quartet of – Maggie, Brittany, Eric and Olivia – all come together at a condemned building which turns into a site of tragedy. What will happen when drugs, alcohol, lies, tempers and compassion
See JUDGEMENT HOUSE, 4A
Quilt show dazzles county with talent-laden tapestries.
Staff Photo by Steve Beavers
First Baptist Church Associate Pastor/Youth Director John Chandler adds Judgement House bracelets to a wooden cross at the church.
Cardinals take eighth victory, Bobcats fall to Dyersburg
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