Odor on Nictitate (chapter 3)

Odor on Nictitate
By Odor Eliminator

Chapter 3 – Someone’s got to take the heat, it might as well be the cops!

Bloggers sure have been busy this past week. It’s taking me longer and longer to keep up with all of the posts on the many blogs. Trying to sort through the relevance of all the mucky muck that is being slung out into cyberspace is becoming a who’s who story of its own. This book might well extend into the next millennium.

Before I go any further I need to say that there is a great divide that has been inserted into Christine’s case and it appears as if there are now sides as to who the good people are and who the bad people are. In relationship to the case, the only bad guys are whoever is involved in Christine’s disappearance.

Secondly, if you have ever been a victim of crime, you will understand the feelings of expecting law enforcement to move heaven and earth to put the perpetrator(s) behind bars. Add watching too many television programs such as CSI or Cold Case to the mix of emotions and the imagination runs wild.

So, where were we? Last week, we left off with the promise of looking into law enforcements role in this saga. This is going to take some time so for all of you avid readers out there – sit back and get comfy because I’m going to stop along the way for doses of rationality.

In telling this story, it needs to be perfectly understood that no member of law enforcement has contributed to this accounting. Likewise, OE would never expect LE to divulge any details concerning Christine’s case and would think much less of them if they did.

Along came a spider called Nictitate spinning a tale of corruption and conspiracy within law enforcement agencies involved in Christine’s case. Nictitates tale is spun from a long running conspiracy theory which has been brewing in the City of Pocomoke and fueled by opinions from a local blog. In the spirit of fairness, one has to reason that it’s much more interesting to tell conspiracy tales than to tell factual accountings of a story.

Just what does a real accounting of the events of police involvement tell? Supposedly, the police dropped the ball in the very beginning when Christine went missing and if you listen to the chatter, they haven’t done much good since then. This is where OE’s investigation has gone. Sources and eyewitness accounts are differing from the chatter.

Concerns over Christine missing began on the evening of November 13, 2007 and a call was made to the Pocomoke City Police Department by her family. The caller was told to contact the Delaware State Police.

At this point in time, there’s no reason to suspect that anything out of the ordinary had taken place only that someone had taken off. Christine had every right to disappear if she wanted to since she was an adult and couldn’t be considered an underage runaway.

In addition, the farm house where Christine was staying is not within the jurisdiction of the PCPD it’s in the jurisdiction of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Department and the Maryland State Police. Christine was from Delaware, was supposed to have returned to Delaware that evening, and the caller was from Delaware.

– Proper procedure?

By November 15th, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Department arrived at the farm on Byrd Road to take a statement from the last people to see Christine Sheddy. The occupants, Clarence aka Butch, aka Junior, aka JR, Jackson and Teresa Lynn, aka Tia Johnson, tell the story that they had left the farm on the afternoon of the 13th to pick their children up from school and when they returned they found that Christine was gone and had left her two young children behind.

It’s also known that at the time of Christine’s disappearance a cousin of Tia’s, Justin Hadel was living at the farm house and he was questioned as well. It is not known if Justin Hadel left the farm house with JR and Tia when they went to pick their children up from school. There is evidence that tells a different story than the one that JR, Tia, and Justin tell.

There are others who LE has identified that were on the premises during the day of November 13th when Christine was reported missing.

Time Out……… Dose of rationality………………..

Nictitates tale says that Christine was murdered on the night of November 12th. How this has been determined is anyone’s guess and it appears as if a supposition has been made. Nictitates groupies are hanging on the web of tales accepting it as the gospel truth. We know that Nictitates nest has hatched out some interesting babies who have become a team and they claim to have psychic powers.

Observers of the international seer society have mixed thoughts about their special abilities and say that it’s a show worth seeing. Over the past two years, the team of seers has placed Christine all over the countryside. Witnesses tell OE that some within LE were willing to be opened minded enough and to satisfy Christine’s family’s insistence of looking into information provided by the seers. But that is something that will be for a later chapter of the Odor on Nictitate tale.

We all can speculate as to what happened to Christine and come up with a determination however that doesn’t mean that it’s the truth. Only those who witnessed the happenings of what went on the evening of November 12th and the day of November 13th, know the real story.

Sources tell us that three days later a Worcester County Sheriff is seen going through the neighborhood surrounding the farm armed with pictures of a young man and woman practicing tongue exercises together. They are asking folks if they have seen the young woman because she is missing.

One eyewitness tells us that it was a Sunday afternoon when they were stopped while on Byrd Road and asked about the pictures. The Deputy who asked them was off duty and they joked and teased with him about his dedication to his job.

Within a couple of days following, Worcester County Sheriff’s arrive on the Byrd Road Farm to search for the missing woman. Several units are dispatched to aide in this effort. The occupants of the farm house are not at home.

Scuttle butt is that LE found the door to the farm house ajar and checked it out for a possible breaking and entering. Upon entering the house, pets within were found in physically bad shape and the proper authorities were called to remove them from their environment.

When LE left the premises, they stopped and showed the neighbors the pictures and asked about the missing woman. The neighbors tell OE that they did not recognize the woman in the picture but learned her name and that she had been reported missing. LE also asked and was given pictures from a security camera on their property.

Okay, Time Out….... Now I don’t know about the rest of you but…… from what I understand, in Maryland, people who want to file a missing persons report should contact the law agency within the county that they are living or where the missing person was living, not where they went missing from. The next step is to file a written report with that agency and provide LE with as many details about the missing person as they can. Remember that PCPD told the family to contact the Delaware State Police? The Delaware police then told the family that they needed to contact local authorities where the person went missing from. Since the family didn’t know where the farm was located, they contacted the Pocomoke Volunteer Fire Department and were given the correct address of the farm. Is it too far of a stretch of one’s imagination to think that the family was told by PCPD what the procedure is? Nothing more nothing less?

Rationality dose - In less than two days time the police take a statement concerning Christine missing. What can be clearly seen here is “special” treatment if you take into consideration all of the legal procedures for a person to be considered missing and for LE to step in.

We are now into over a week since Christine went missing. There is no indication of foul play behind her disappearance but LE is still looking for her. If everyone is to believe the early stories, Christine was portrayed as someone who had a habit of disappearing. It’s been said that she had been known to drop her two youngest children off with their father Levi Hall and then pull a vanishing act. At the time that Christine went to Pocomoke for an extended visit, Levi was leaving messages on My Space looking for her.

Police investigations deal in facts. There is a reason for that and it’s called the law. The law is there to protect people’s rights and LE can’t just go around accusing people of things without hard proof. A family’s say so is not hard proof of anything except their loyalty to a family member.

It’s reasonable to think that by the end of November 2007, LE had heard so many stories from many sources that they were going to have to start sifting through all of the statements and try to figure out if indeed there had been foul play surrounding Christine’s disappearance.

Sources tell OE that in early December, LE visited the Byrd Road property again at night time. JR and Tia had been evicted and Christine’s case had been turned over to the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation.

Eyewitnesses to this visit say that WCBI investigators notified them that they would be on the property and not to be alarmed if they observed lights coming from the now empty farm house. At this time, the neighbors were still using the services of a private security firm and LE didn’t want to cause any unnecessary concern over their presence.

During this same month, December 2007, LE along with Flatland Search and Rescue conducted a search of the entire Byrd Road Area.

What did WCBI find on their visit to the farm house in early December? If you listen to the ranting of the cop bashers - nothing.

Time Out…….here comes another dose of rationality………. It’s highly doubtful that LE would discuss anything about what they did or didn’t find at the farm during their visits. What we do know is that they continued to look for Christine.

What we are told is that at some point during this time frame Christine’s mother had a conversation with Mike McDermott, Mayor of Pocomoke City and a detective with WCBI. Evidently some heated words were exchanged and as the story goes Mr. McDermott made some type of disparaging comment about Christine being a sponge on society. That comment has recently been repeated by a local blog owner who has said that it’s true because Mr. McDermott made the same comment about Christine to them.

What’s obvious is that there is bad blood between the Mayor of Pocomoke City, Christine’s family, and the owners of the local blog. Anyone can see that as soon as you read the many episodes of negative comments on the blog concerning the Mayor of our fair city.

Somehow in all of the controversy over the Mayor, Christine’s family members and the blog owners joined forces for a common cause. Get the Mayor/Detective. This is where the lines get real fuzzy and it’s a take no prisoner war. It’s apparent to bloggers that you are either with them are you’re not. There is not any middle ground and you can’t be interested in helping to find Christine unless you are also interested in bashing Mr. McDermott.

What gets real confusing is how the battle with the Mayor equates to slip shod police work in looking for Christine. Yes, I know, I’m kind of jumping around here on subjects but honestly if you’ve been a witness to any of the shenanigans, this is how it goes. You can’t talk or think about one without the other. If Mayor McDermott made such a disparaging comment about Christine, then he needs to man up, own it, and correct the problem!

Unfortunately for all of the many fine men and woman of LE who have been in any way involved in Christine’s case are now the targets of the bad mouthing. Sources who have observed the work of LE tell OE that the police have made many efforts to find Christine. One source tells us that Christine’s family knows that LE is progressing in the case and at this time they are waiting on crucial evidence.

Many sources tell OE that they have witnessed LE efforts in finding Christine. One witness tells OE “I have seen many times where detectives involved in Christine’s case have been out searching on their day off”. So now you have it folks. Did LE drop the ball? OE says NO. For all of the thankless ingrates OE is stepping up in their place and says “thank you” to LE for all of your efforts in trying to find Christine!

OE thinks it would be an intelligent decision for the cop bashers to stop their shenanigans. To lay blame on LE is ridiculous and disrespectful of their efforts. Nictitates tale is just that, a tale filled with nonsense and maliciousness. The seer’s society needs to cut the crap. The word charlatan comes to mind.

Up next……… Odor on Nictitate, Chapter 4: The Search is on for Christine.

Note: For those of you who want to highjack writings from OE – DON’T. Any writings contributed by Odor Eliminator belong to The Pocomoke Public Eye exclusively and all rights are reserved. You may not copy and paste, dissect, snip, or use any of OE’s writings in any part or its entirety without prior written consent.

Somerset deputy who lost job feels 'robbed' (update)

Board found officer guilty of leaking info;

Former Somerset Sheriff's deputy James "Troy" Durham knew he wanted to be a cop since he was 5 years old.

When the Pocomoke City native's parents would take him to fairs and carnivals, he didn't spend a lot of time playing games and riding rides like the other children. He would spend his time talking to police officers, and playing with the lights and sirens in their cruisers, he said.

"I think God planted that seed in my heart all my life," he said.

Durham, 41, said he spent most of his adult life working toward his dream job, which materialized when he joined the Princess Anne Police Department in 1992. Six years later, he made his way to the Somerset County Sheriff's Office -- the same place where his dream career came to an abrupt end.

"I want to go back because I feel like I was robbed and it was taken from me," Durham said referring to his job. "I want to go back and serve my community."

Durham alleges that he was fired from the Sheriff's Office out of retaliation after he refused to omit information from an incident report, one in which he indicated he used force to subdue a suspect who resisted arrest.

However, according to Somerset County Sheriff Bobby Jones, Durham was terminated because he released information regarding the report.

"Our policy is not to disseminate information, and he did," Jones said. "And he's still doing it."

Durham filed a civil lawsuit against the Sheriff's Office and Somerset County Commissioners in April. The six-page complaint details the incident of the changed report and alleges misconduct within his former place of employment, stating the commissioners and Sheriff's Office violated state laws, including the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights. Copies of the complaint and other documents were faxed to public officials, government agencies and other law enforcement departments across the state.

The grievance

Continued @
DelmarvaNow.com

Somerset deputy fired after complaint

Officer claims he was ordered to alter, omit info in arrest report

James "Troy" Durham was nervous when he heard that Worcester County sheriff's deputies were knocking on his door Friday afternoon

It wasn't so long ago that the 41-year-old former Somerset County Sheriff's deputy was in the law enforcement brotherhood.

But he was kicked out of the family after working more than two decades as an officer when Somerset Sheriff Bobby Jones terminated him last week. Durham had been placed on administrative leave in September 2008, where he remained and continued to be paid by the county for a year.

"It was an effort to intimidate me and keep me quiet," Durham said of the visit from the Worcester officers. "I am in fear of my well-being."

Durham says this all began with a single arrest report. He assisted the Maryland State Police during an arrest. Per normal routine, he filed a report shortly after. Durham says he was asked to change his report and omit certain pieces of information. When he refused, he claims he was told to make the change or turn in his badge and gun.

He made the change.

But he kept the original report. And with it he filed a grievance.

That grievance, Durham maintains, is why he was placed on leave, why he was fired, why he became the target of an investigation and why he now fears for his safety.

For filing his grievance, Durham said, he found himself under investigation for "leaking internal documents."

His grievance has since become the foundation for a civil lawsuit against the Somerset County Sheriff's Office and Somerset County Commissioners.

It details the incident of the changed report and alleged misconduct within his former place of employment.

Errant faxes
According to Durham, the house call by Worcester deputies was triggered by faxes that contained court documents related to the lawsuit.

The six-page complaint, filed in April, alleges the commissioners and Sheriff's Office violated state laws, including the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights.

Why Durham's lawsuit was faxed to various law enforcement agencies is unclear and has sparked an investigation at the request of Wicomico County State's Attorney Davis Ruark.

The deputies were sent to check on Durham on Friday simply to make sure he was OK, according to Sgt. Ed Schreier, a spokesman for the Worcester County Sheriff's Office.



"The officers were sent there because a lot of faxes were being sent out," he said. "They went down there to check his status."

Schreier later changed his story, saying he didn't know the exact reason the deputies were checking on Durham and he could not confirm the dispatch was directly related to the faxes.

Copies of documents related to the lawsuit were sent by fax to law enforcement departments, public officials within the state and other agencies, according to Ruark.

The phone number at the top of the fax, which indicates the number the document was sent from, is a number associated with the Wicomico County State's Attorney's Office. But Ruark said the documents were not sent from his office.

"The fraudulent originating fax number at the top is inexcusable and was done with an intention to mislead those receiving the faxes," Ruark said.

The State's Attorney's Office was bombarded with phone calls and complaints after the first round of faxes were sent out about six months ago, according to Ruark. And as a result, the office took extra security precautions and changed the locks on its office doors. However, more documents were sent out this week, again claiming to have originated from the Wicomico County State's Attorney's Office.

Memos to other government agencies were also distributed to inform them that the faxed lawsuit documents were not from the Wicomico state's attorney.

Now, the legal documents that allege misconduct and violations by the Somerset County Sheriff's Office and Somerset County Commissioners have passed through many hands across the state, and Durham says he still wonders how he became the subject of an investigation and ultimately lost his career.

According to Durham, the threads of his 20-year law enforcement career started to unravel when he filed that grievance in September 2008.

sboykin@dmg.gannett.com

VIA delmarvanow.com

Threatening Email; OK, Here it is, The Post you all have been waiting for.

This is where I stand folks, this is what I get after exposing lie after lie.
It's pretty obvious that we at PPE have struck a nerve and this is only one example of what I deal with behind the scenes of an opinion blog.

Being the fact that you folks will not stand for embellishments, plagiarism, and a host of other implications and conspiracy theories that our good people and our fine City has recently been accused of, this is their only recourse of action. Intimidation. I can assure I WILL NOT be bullied into backing down when it comes to exposing the truth.

Below you will read an email that I received from the owner of the website 'Blinkoncrime" Shannon Stoy... her motive is to quiet us, more like silence us, but let me say that if that website embellishes as it has on numerous occasions we will not stand by and watch it happen.

The Blinkoncrime.com owner can threaten me all she wants and if they at blinkoncrime.com had consistently uncovered the truth this would not be an issue. Yet this is no issue on my part, I WILL NOT, now, or ever stand idly by and watch anyone drag our VFD and/or LE through the mud.

Our LE has gone to every length they could muster up a resolve to this case, they have gone well above and beyond their duty, even listening on their phone to someone with a wee-jee board trying to direct the officer to a body.

If one cannot support that, well there's no hope for them. Read the email below, and discuss. Keep it respectful please!!

BTW: I want all our readers to know that I sent a return email and gave this person 24 hours to provide me with proof of their copyright to this email.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

September 21, 2009
Mr. XXXXXX XXXXX
XXX XXXXXX XX
Pocomoke City, MD 21851

VIA EMAIL AND CERTIFIED MAIL


Dear Mr. XXXXX;
I am in receipt of some entries contained in your blog, “The Pocomoke Public Eye” that are alarming, harassing, and in some instances, blatant lies. It contains requests and threats for others to openly and with malice, embarrass, harass and contact my professional contacts as well as family members. At no time have I ever publicly placed my name, professional affiliations, or personal statistics on the web.
Your blog has a moderation feature available to you. If it is your choice to post repeated anonymous vitriol, the responsibility of that content rests solely with you at this level. This applies to posts, comments; any all content published by you, whether written by you personally or submitted by named or unnamed contributor. I have addressed the copyright infringements with a notification complaint in accordance with the Digital Millenium Copyright Act through the ISP of your “blog”, separately.
To say this is a gross invasion of my privacy and is causing severe distress and concern for me, my family, and in some cases professional colleagues, is an understatement.
I note that there are a few posts about defamation and the like; Let me assure you the following laws, including, but not limited to: cyber bullying, cyber stalking and harassment make no provision for defamatory or libelous acts when they are exacted in this manner.
The state of Maryland, where you are located, provides for statutes of cyber bullying and cyber stalking under Maryland Statute 555C.
Harassment:
Harassment

Md. Criminal Law Code Ann. § 3-803. Harassment. Amended 2002.

(a) Prohibited. -- A person may not follow another in or about a public place or maliciously engage in a course of conduct that alarms or seriously annoys the other:

(1) with the intent to harass, alarm, or annoy the other;

(2) after receiving a reasonable warning or request to stop by or on behalf of the other; and

(3) without a legal purpose.

(b) Exception. -- This section does not apply to a peaceable activity intended to express a political view or provide information to others.

(c) Penalty. -- A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to imprisonment not exceeding 90 days or a fine not exceeding $ 500 or both.
Under NJ law, where I am located, this activity is clearly covered in harassment statutes, located here. It is distinct in that it is prosecutable whether the offense originates in this state, yours, or possibly the posters itself, as you can discern from the Stalking statues below.




New Jersey Stalking Law
1[1. N.J.S.2C:33-4 is amended to read as follows:
2C:33-4. Harassment.
Except as provided in subsections d. and e., a person commits a petty disorderly persons offense if, with purpose to harass another, he:
a. Makes, or causes to be made, a communication or communications anonymously or at extremely inconvenient hours, or in offensively coarse language, or any other manner likely to cause annoyance or alarm;
b. Subjects another to striking, kicking, shoving, or other offensive touching, or threatens to do so; or
c. Engages in any other course of alarming conduct or of repeatedly committed acts with purpose to alarm or seriously annoy such other person. A communication under subsection a. may be deemed to have been made either at the place where it originated or at the place where it was received. A communication under subsection a. includes but is not limited to a communication made by means of an electronic communication device. "Electronic communication device" includes, but is not limited to, a telephone, cellular phone, computer, video recorder, fax machine, or pager.
d. A person commits a crime of the fourth degree if in committing an offense under this section, he acted with a purpose to intimidate an individual or group of individuals because of race, color, religion, gender, handicap, sexual orientation or ethnicity.
e. A person commits a crime of the fourth degree if, in committing an offense under this section, he was serving a term of imprisonment or was on parole or probation as the result of a conviction of any indictable offense under the laws of this State, any other state or the United States. (cf: P.L.1998, c.17, s.4)]1
11. N.J.S. 2C:1-14 is amended to read as follows:
2C:1-14. In this code, unless a different meaning plainly is required:
a. "Statute" includes the Constitution and a local law or ordinance of a political subdivision of the State;
b. "Act" or "action" means a bodily movement whether voluntary or involuntary;
c. "Omission" means a failure to act;



A copy of Blogger Terms of Service violations is here
Please consider this my good faith attempt to request you remove objectionable content immediately.
Sincerely,

Shannon Stoy
Editor In Chief
Blinkoncrime.com

Cc: Janet Fries, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
1500 K Street, NW
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005 202.842.8800 (main) 202.842.8465 (fax)

George S. Kounoupis, Hahalis & Kounoupis
20 East Broad Street
Bethlehem, PA 18018
Telephone: (610) 865-2608
Facsimile: (610) 691-8418

Sean Henady, 3 View Search Services
Mandy Albritton, 3 View Search Services

NOTE: If you have received a similar email and would like it posted please send it in, I will be glad to post it for discussion.

Blink; you've been blogged

Pocomoke leaves positions open to absorb state cuts

The Pocomoke mayor and Council voted Monday night to approve a cut of more than one-quarter of a million dollars in the 2009-2010 budget to absorb the effects of revenue reductions from the state.

City Manager Russell W. Blake reported that the state was cutting $221,522, mostly in highway user revenues, from the funds that would normally have been sent to Pocomoke City. The balance was cut from aid for police protection. Blake said that this was the largest cut the state, which is slashing its own budget as tax revenues fall short, had ever imposed on Pocomoke City.

Blake said that there were also items not included in the budget, such as the $10,000 reward for the arrests of the arsonists in the Public Works fire, $20,000 in costs related to a well project, and $12,000 for the purchase of the Fleming lot on Market Street.

To meet this shortfall, he proposed savings of $262,277 in unspent capital outlay and in not filling employment positions. There would be no layoffs or furloughs of personnel already working for the city.

The budget would also continue to include funds for a part-time downtown coordinator and the pigging of the water lines in the Pocomoke Heights area.

Treatment plant proposals
The council reviewed a proposal for contract administration for the sewage treatment plant ENR upgrade project. The only one that was submitted was from George, Miles and Buhr. Blake suggested that the council proceed to negotiate with the firm, a move that was given the okay by the council.

Proposed policies
The state of Maryland had asked the council to submit a policy giving guidelines for borrowing by the town. Blake said that this is not a problem for Pocomoke City, since the town had incurred very little debt. The policy, which was passed by the council, calls for the debt not to exceed 3 percent of the operating fund or one percent of the assessed valuation of property in the city limits.

The state is also requiring revisions in the stormwater management ordinance. The council is expecting to hear a recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission at a future meeting. The deadline for a draft ordinance is Nov. 11.

In a hearing concerning a repair or demolish order for the former truck stop property on Route 13 south, William Hudson, one of the property owners, appeared to comment about the order. He said that the building had been closed, but he questioned the short amount of time to demolish the building if that action was needed.

Mayor Michael A. McDermott said even though the building might have been secured, it was "obviously an abandoned building."

Hudson said he would need more time, about six months, if the building had to be demolished. He added that he would take care of covering up the graffiti that is presently on the building.

The town decided to give him 60 days to remove the graffiti and secure the building and would review the matter in six months concerning any other actions.

Ron Sawyer, a Pocomoke resident, appeared before the council to discuss the policy on removal of abandoned cars. He had received a notice about a vehicle on his property and had removed it. He thought the policy was a good one, but that it was not being handled fairly. He has seen a number of other abandoned vehicles throughout the town.

McDermott said that a lot of the action in this area was complaint-driven. He also requested Sawyer's help in reporting any vehicles he has seen.

Under other business, the council passed an ordinance declaring a number of items, mostly cars, as surplus so they could be disposed of and they approved the Fair Board's plan to reimburse horse owners who had come to this year's races at the fair. The races were rained out.

via delmarvanow.com

Police say one shooting hit target, other hit bystander

POCOMOKE CITY -- Police are searching for a suspect they believe is responsible for shooting two local men

On Monday, Sept. 14, a 20-year-old Pocomoke City resident was shot in the calf near the intersection of Bonneville Avenue and Second Street just after 9 p.m. The victim was transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. The man would not give any information to police about the shooter.

In a similar incident on the morning of Sept. 16, a 25-year-old man, also of Pocomoke City, was shot in the ankle near Sixth and Bank streets. The man was treated and released from Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin.

Pocomoke City Police officials believe that events are related and that one person is responsible for both shootings.

"It appears to be something that may have been borne out of a fight that happened some where outside of Pocomoke," said Pocomoke City Mayor Michael McDermott who added that the shootings targeted one individual, the man shot Wednesday morning. "It seems that there is some type of retaliation involved."

Shootings are not common in Pocomoke City, said Police Chief J.D. Ervin, and when they do happen, they tend not to be random.

"This is the first one we've had in four or five years," Ervin said. "They are very seldom and unfortunately these things normally don't start in Pocomoke -- they start outside of Pocomoke and come into town."

Police have identified a suspect they think is responsible for both shootings and are optimistic he will soon be in custody. In the meantime, Ervin said, residents should not be worried about their safety.

"Nobody wants any shootings or incidents like this in their community, but unfortunately theses types of things aren't always preventable," Ervin said. "But there shouldn't be any concern."

Anyone with information is asked to call 410-957-1600.

jhopkinson@dmg.gannett.com

VIA DELMARVANOW.COM

Wicomico mother charged with child's murder

SALISBURY — A 29-year-old mother of six was taken into custody by police on Thursday, after a grand jury indicted her on murder and manslaughter charges, according to the state's attorney office.



Debra Sanches is accused of leaving her 8-month- and 18-month-old children unattended in the bathtub. When she returned, the 8-month-old child was floating in the water and unresponsive, according to county officials.

As a result, Sanches was indicted on second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges earlier this week.


See continuing coverage in The Daily Times on Friday.

VIA DELMARVANOW.COM

How Does The Public Eye Feel?

Well, let me tell you.

From the beginning I was not even aware that Pocomoke had a missing person. I found that information on another blog a few months after the person went missing. At that point I asked questions, did some searching. I did alot of searching and I found so much bumbled-up info out there that Sherlock Holmes could not string it together.

Now, in the beginning I do believe that LE "dropped the ball". But I also believe they must have had a reason not to jump on this right away. We do have an outstanding Sheriffs Department so the question to why the wait in the very beginning we may never know.

But the people of Pocomoke worked diligently. They talked to friends, neighbors, searched the internet, asked questions. They even blogged tirelessly trying to help. Eventually, they even personally volunteered their personal time and bodies on multiple occasions.

Then things quiet down again for a while. Yet the folks of Pocomoke, the ones that were in it from the start, kept pecking the keyboards finding bits and pieces and providing that info for whomever needed to know.

Still, no sight nor sound about what is actually happening to find this missing person. All the while the family is losing hope by the day. But the Pocomoke community has not forgotten them. Slowed down? Maybe. It's the same information over and over but we still work on tirelessly. We said we would, and by-golly we won't quit!

Fast forward: Something happened. What? We don't know......nothing new......Is anyone working on this? Then BANG!! New evidence! Yeeehaw! Just as we thought LE was not working on this. They prove that they are on the case with new findings.

Now shhhhhhh!! No one say anything about this "new"find. Ok. So we wait and wait. What's going on we wonder but we are told to "Shhhhh". So mums the word because we are a community of integrity and few want to be on the end of "so-n-so told me", "he said/she said" you know the small town "chatter".

Now once again it quiets down for awhile, and once again we wonder. Ok. Times up! Let's do this thing again......... Blogs are alive, people talking about who, what, when, why and how. We go to new places, do new searches, contact new people. We put a fire under their ass once again but each time we come up with less or I should more of the same. Of course we do. There is only so much info available and we have seen it all before.

Fast forward again. Someone finds a website that deals in missing persons that decides they want to help. Yeeehaw!! The city is ecstatic that this new person is willing to jump in and help. We probably bombarded them with emails. I know I did. I even sent them embarrassing emails of things I personally question and am skeptical about. But I figured what the heck.....leave nothing that could possibly help out of the picture.

Enters---- the "new hope" for the Sheddy family. At first we all stuck fast to our computers. We just could not wait to get home and fire up the PC, read and contribute VIA comments about what we knew and how we knew it. The "new hope" seemed vigilant and progressive.

But wait!! Something's not quite right. Some things we have said are taken way out of context. We are told there is no mishandling by the first appointed. I was even told by this "new hope" that she would personally campaign to help the first working on the case, to seek a higher office that the first in control of the case was seeking. (scratching head) Yeah, I know. That's a rough one.

Now off to blogging we go. Oh boy! We are going to get somewhere now! But wait! That's not right. Tha'ts not what was said. Now I have some questions. I ask those questions. But instead of an answer I get blamed. Me? Ok must be a mistake.

I/we keep plugging away and asking questions but I find now I and others are being blamed. What's going on here?

I start looking for the truth. Then I started posting my findings of the truth and BOOM!! I'm suddenly the bad guy. I'm the blogger that's trying to stir up trouble........I'm now the bad-guy, a target.

Oh boy! Now I'm going to be sued.
More and more people jump aboard the truth all the while others are now being accused of being me and I of being others. Why this diversion? Why the division? All the while the PCVFD is being implicated in a cover-up and conspiracy. We read about fires in Parsonsburg. There's a deputy Fire Marshall shot in the leg and the thefts at the Wicomico county landfill plus an eleven year old RICO case? Yet, I have to ask.........Where is Christine?

It looks as if the "new hope" has changed directions and is looking into some kind of government conspiracy that simply does not exist. A complete 180 degree turn from what they stated they would do from the beginning. The "new hope" demanded "proof to back-up" "accusations" from others but now the "new hope" is making accusations with NO proof. Anyone that can read can go back and see that for themselves.

What happened? Did the "new hope" hit a road block and needs some kind of juicy story for their readers, even if it's an embellishment? Did the PPE's throw a wrench into their spokes? Or did the outright lies just catch up to them.

Not much has happened since the "new hope: accused our VFD of deleting information from their website and insinuating that our VFD is involved in a conspiracy.

So, is this the end? What exactly is next? It has become hush-hush once again. Will the police come a-knocking at your door?

Nah!! It's just getting started!

Hold on to your hats!!!!!!!!

Man guilty of assaulting girl, 9, in Pocomoke

An Ohio man was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old relative while staying with friends in Pocomoke City.

After about an hour of deliberation, the jury issued a guilty verdict to Rodney P. Morton, 34, on the charges of third-degree sexual assault and second-degree assault stemming from the May 22 incident.

Morton will be sentenced later this year after a pre-sentencing investigation is completed. He is currently released on $50,000 bond.

According to testimony in Worcester County Circuit Court, on the night of the incident, Morton carried his sleeping daughter from his room and put her to bed in the next room over.

But before leaving the room, he "put his hands down her shorts," said Assistant State's Attorney Diane Cuilhe, causing injury to her genitals.

Morton's daughter, who was awake at the time but with her eyes closed, testified that she watched her father leave the room. About five seconds later, she started crying, soon drawing the attention of other people in the Walnut Street house.

"I don't know why he did it," the 9-year-old said in court, describing her father as having sharp fingernails. "I don't know if he meant to do it, but he did it ... It really hurt. I didn't know what to do."

Morton, who has had full custody of his child for the last several years, claimed it never happened. After carrying his daughter to bed, he said he adjusted her shorts, which had shifted up her body, tucked her in and left the room.

"As far as I'm aware, I didn't come anywhere close to that area," Morton said.

The 9-year-old told her mother, who lives in Tennessee, the following morning. She drove up to collect her daughter and took her to Atlantic General Hospital, where a nurse found the injury. The girl now lives with her mother.

Charges were filed against Morton on May 24.

"I was quite shocked," Morton said. "It does bother me that my daughter would accuse me of doing this."

jhopkinson@dmg. gannett.com

DELMARVANOW.COM

Man Found Shot to Death

Accomack County Man Found Shot To Death
An Accomack County man was found shot to death Saturday in an incident that was initially reported as a traffic accident.

Special Agent Robert Wessells of the Virginia State Police said the incident was called into the 911 Center at about 11 a.m. August 29 by some citizens” he would not identify.

He said the body of Malcolm Palmer, 43, of New Church was found in a 2004 Nissan Altima. As soon as Trooper Bryan Lewis arrived at the scene at the 7000 block of Dream Road in the Wattsville area,he knew that the victim had not died “in a fatal accident," Wessells said.

Kathy Hox of the medical examiner’s office in Norfolk said an autopsy was done Monday. The cause of death was a “gunshot wound to the head,” she said.

Sgt Michele Cotten of the state police said the original report told of a single vehicle accident in which a driver ran off the road. She said it was “later determined that the victim was killed before being put in the vehicle.”

Wessells said Palmer worked odd jobs for Ray’s Shanty, a local restaurant. There have been no arrests in connection with the incident. The Accomack Sheriff’s department is assisting the state police in the investigation, the agent said.