Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 150, No. 9, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 22, 1999 Page: 1 of 14
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00/03/10 ¿97 COMF'MW
SOUTHWEST MICROPUBLISHING
2627 E YANDELL DR
EL PASO TX 79903-3743
Cljerokeeaij/Merald
Texas' Oldest, Continuously Published Weekly Newspaper - Established Feb. 27, 1850 as the Cherokee Sentinel
OF TH€
UÜHOPP€fll
Former SESCO
manager sets new
record at Lake
Jacksonville.
see page 2
Vol. 150, No. 9-14 Pages
Thursday, April 22, 1999
Rusk, Texas 75785
25 cents
Police car totaled after shoplifters steal $9 of plants
H Rusk teens assert that
Jacksonville policeman never
identified himself
Three 16 year old Rusk youths were arrested Fri-
day night after a brief pursuit by Jacksonville Police,
but a citizen has questioned whether the chase was
necessary and if proper procedures were followed by
Jacksonville Police.
The trio was arrested for allegedly stealing three
plants from Wal-Mart in Jacksonville. Innocent by-
Alto trustees
adopt discipline
policy, guidelines
standers say they were frightened when they were
confronted by an unidentified gunman, who was
later identified as a police officer.
According to reports, off duty Jacksonville police
Corporal James Stewart first witnessed the theft at
approximately 9:30 p.m. Friday. When he called out
to the boys to stop and pay for the plants, they got into
their car and left the scene. Cpl. Stewart followed
the boy's car in his personal auto and called Jackson-
ville Police to inform them of the theft.
Jacksonville patrolman Larry Reeves joined the
chase which at times exceeded 75 m.p.h. on S. Bolton
St. when he crashed the squad car about a half mile
south of Loop 456. Jacksonville Police Chief Floyd
Stieffer told the Cherokeean/Herald the patrolman
was unable to negotiate a curve and totaled the
vehicle.
Stieffer said, "The patrolman was not injured, but
his left wrist is a little sore."
Shortly after the accident, Cpl. Stewart saw the
boys enter the Highland Lanes Bowling Alley on
Hwy. 69 S. of Jacksonville and pursued them into the
building. A witness, 17-year-old Buddy Cook, said
Cpl. Stewart entered the building searching for the
'Rumors' Abound
by Randall Birdsong
SPECIAL TO THE CHEROKEEAN/HERALD
During the regular meeting of the Alto Indepen-
dent School District board of education a discipline
plan for the middle school and high school was
adopted by board members. The plan calls for a five-
step process that will be used to deal with repeat
offenders. The plan also calls for a two-hour, after
school detention process for minor offenses. The
district discipline committee compiled the plan which
will go into effect immediately.
Board members approved a service agreement with
Region VII Education Service Center for data pro-
cessing during the coming year. An agreement was
also established with Alto Care Center for the use of
a school gymnasium should there be a disaster at the
care center.
Region VII, via a letter to superintendent Dr. J.
Floyd Worley, requested the "Head Start" bus either
be used for strictly Head Start students or returned
to the Head Start headquarters. The bus, was left
with the district in lieu of monies owed for rent,
utilities, etc. for that program bv Child, Inc. Child,
Inc. was the previous administrator for the Head
Start program and owed the district over $5,000
dollars. The superintendent was instructed to confer
with Region VII and come to an agreeable solution to
the situation.
Approval was given to paying a medical bill that
was remaining from the old insurance program. The
timing of the billing and payment process caused the
item to slip through the cracks during the transfer of
insurance programs. The $440 dollar amount will be
paid but it was noted this would be the last bill paid
from the old "self-insured" program.
Update 59 and update 60 of the Policy Reference
Manual and the Localized Policy Manual was ap-
proved.
Lance Bernard was provided with a stipend to
administer discipline at the high school for the rest of
this school term. A one year maternity leave of
absence for Jennifer Pearman was approved.
Donna Smith, a retired English teacher, was ap-
proved to fill out the remainder of the school year for
Cindy Johnson who is scheduled for major surgery.
Board members approved transferring $77,000 from
the employee benefit fund to the interest bearing
building fund in the Lone Star Investment Pool.
Approval was given to require a purchase order
before any purchase is made. Failure to obtain the
proper purchase order approval could result in the
purchaser being required to pay for the item pur-
chased. Incidental purchases for maintenance items
will be at the discretion of the superintendent.
The next regular meeting of the Alto ISD board of
education will be Monday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the
Media Center.
Early voting for
cities, schools
continues
Early voting for places on area city and school
district ballots concludes Tuesday. City and school
elections are scheduled for 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday,
May 1.
Since there is no opposition in the Rusk City Elec-
tion that election has been cancelled. Rusk Mayor
Emmett Whitehead and Council members Jerry Jor-
dan, District 1, and Walter Session, District 2, are all
unopposed in their bids for re-election.
The Rusk ISD trustee election has nine candidates
vying for two spots on the board.
By mid-morning Tuesday a total of 80 persons had
cast votes in the Rusk ISD election. Candidates for
Rusk school board include incumbent Frances Long,
former board member Jan Pate, Sammie Attaway,
incumbent Stephanie Caveness, Vesta Downs,
Charles Dear, former board member Billy Joyce,
Karen Mallard Bolton and Debbie Jinkins Struhall.
In Alto, Mayor Sandy Wallace and former Mayor
and now City Councilman Garwin Baugh have filed
as candidates for mayor. AIbo filing for a place on the
ballot is Carey Palmer, Kerry Black, Kyle Griffith
and Glen Willhite for two two-year terms and Montie
Collins, Chris Lewis and John Grindle Sr. for a one-
Please see EARLY VOTING, page 13
Cast members Kris Vick, Alea Clay and Crystal Morgan are busy getting ready for this
weekend's Cherokee Civic Theatre production of "Rumors." The production will be presented
Friday-Sunday at the theatre in downtown Rusk. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
alleged perpetrators. "He came up to Zach Hudson
and pulled out his gun and told Zach to come with
him. The man did not identify himself as a policeman
and scared everyone in the bowling alley," said the
youth. Neither he nor Zach was involved in the theft/
According to Zach Hudson's mother, Amy Hudson^
the 14-year-old boy told the corporal he had been at;
the bowling alley all night. Mrs. Hudson said hei;
child was frightened and she was concerned that
someone with a weapon in the bowling alley may
Please see 3 YOUTHS, page 13
Jury picked in
Sexton capital
murder trial
A jury of eight men and four women will decide the
fate of Patricia Sexton, 23, of Jacksonville. Ms. Sex-
ton is charged with the capital murder of her es-
tranged husband, Bobby Sexton.
Jury selection began Monday and the trial began
Tuesday morning in the 2nd Judicial District Court
of Judge John Robert Adamson.
Also charged with capital murder in the case is Ms.
Sexton's grandmother, Dorothy Bingham. Michael
Fielding, 31, has been charged with murder in the
incident. Willie Wright, 57, of Jacksonville, has been
charged with tampering with evidence.
Mr. Fielding took the stand Tuesday morning.
Fielding was advised by both his own attorney, Jeffery
Clark, and by Judge Adamson that he was under no
obligation to testify and that anything said could be
used against him at his own trial. Fielding said that
he understood, but was willing to answer District
Attorney Jim Cromwell's questions regarding the
killing of Bobby Sexton in February 1998.
Early in his line of questioning, when Cromwell
asked Fielding who killed Bobby Sexton, Fielding
responded "I did." Cromwell next asked Fielding
about his encounters with both Bobby and Patricia
Sexton prior to the killing, and Fielding indicated
that he and Patricia Sexton had been having an affair
from early November 1997 until the time of Sexton's
death. Fielding described a number of altercations
Please see SEXTON, page 9
Love at First Bite
By Shawn Wofford
SPECIAL TO THE CHEROKEEAN/HERALD
O lis Middleton wasn't looking for
love when he became a regular
of the Meals on Wheels lunch program.
He had been widowed in 1992 and was "eating
all of his meals in town," he says, before a
friend invited him to the Senior Citizen Center
for lunch.
A few months later, however, Mr. Middleton
met Evelyn Martin. The two started going out
to eat, their friends at the center remember,
and it was love at first bite. "Every time they
took a bus trip together, we figured they would
come back married."
Their friends weren't the only ones. "His son
and my daughter had been campaigning for us
to get together. The first time they ever met they
started planning." Mrs. Middleton laughs.
When the couple called her daughter-in-law to
tell her of their plans to marry quietly at the
preacher's house, her daughter-in-law insisted that
the couple would have a church wedding. So after
Sunday services on Dec. 17, 1995, the pair was
married.
Mrs. Middleton's two sons escorted her down the
aisle of Atoy Baptist Church. The ladies of the
church surprised the newlyweds with a wedding
dinner attended by sisters, nieces, nephews,
grandchildren, everyone came, Mrs. Middleton
said. Three years later, the pair has a lot in
common. "We haven't had a cross word yet," she
smiled.
Mr. and Mrs. Middleton still enjoy lunch time at
the Senior Citizen Center with friends who include
m
f;
It was almost love at first bite for Evelyn and
Oils Middleton. The couple met at Meals on
Wheels three years ago, and married shortly
afterwards.
Frances Hassell and Marguerite McKellar. Mrs.
Hassell has been a regular at these gatherings
for nearly 12 years.
Please see LOVE AT FIRST BITE, page 13
Rusk Sports
Girls Softball
Tiffany Dover puts one over the
plate in Rusk's seventh-inning
victory over Dlboll last Monday.
See pg. 10 for related story
Sports Banquet
Lon Morris basketball coach
Dale Dotson will keynote annual
banquet May 3
See pg. 10 for related story
On to Region!
Three Rusk High School boys
will advance to the regional
track meet In Bryan April 30.
See pg. 10 for related story.
Health kits will be
sent to Kosovo's
Albanian refugees
Preparation of Health Kits will be the work of
service for the Women's Fellowship of First United
Methodist Church when they meet at 7 p.m. Thurs-
day.
The members will meet in Fellowship Hall. They
plan to assemble Health Kits to be sent to the refu-
gees of Kosovo. Each kit will contain one hand towel,
wash cloth, comb, nail file, bar of soap, toothbrush,
toothpaste and six adhesive bandages.
For information call 683-4675
Items will be placed in the towel and tied with
string or yam. Many churches are participating in
the effort. When completed, all Health Kits will be
sent to a central location in Baldwin, La. for ship-
ment.
The project is sponsored by the United Methodist
Committee on Relief (UMCOR).
"The kits are expected to help prevent the outbreak
of communicable diseases due to unsanitary condi-
tions," states Rev. Noy Pruitt, pastor.
Contributions of any of the needed items will be
welcomed by the Women's Fellowship. They may be
left at the church office between the hours of 9 a.m.-
1 p.m. and 2-4 p.m.
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 150, No. 9, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 22, 1999, newspaper, April 22, 1999; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152421/m1/1/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.