Thursday, July 14, 2011

GUILTY Verdict For Epps

EASTVILLE -- The man who chased and repeatedly stabbed Sharone White Bailey last year in a horrific daylight slaying has been found guilty.


Derrick Demond Epps, 37, of Exmore pleaded guilty Tuesday to first-degree murder and two other charges in last July's killing of White, a business owner and counselor who just weeks before had been named the Eastern Shore Citizen of the Year.


Epps, who declined a trial by jury in a last-minute decision, could face life in prison when sentenced later this year.


Epps was the victim's neighbor and attacked Bailey on the afternoon of July 9, 2010, after seeing her return home from work at lunchtime.


Northampton County Commonwealth's Attorney Bruce Jones said Epps, who had been a counseling client of the victim's, had developed the mistaken idea that Bailey's family owed his family money.


Epps' attorney, Garrett Dunham, said the defendant had been previously diagnosed by multiple doctors as a paranoid schizophrenic and the condition played a significant role in the day's events.


Dunham said on the day of the attack, Epps was suffering from a schizophrenic episode and when the "command voices" became stronger, Epps armed himself with a large kitchen knife and confronted Bailey to ask for the money.

"Mrs. Bailey saw the knife and screamed. The defendant grabbed her and stabbed her," Jones said.
Bailey fell, recovered and ran to a neighbor's house for help. Seriously wounded, she left a blood trail visible in photos presented as evidence, Jones said.


Bailey was stabbed again before entering the home of elderly neighbors, where she collapsed. The neighbors called 911.


Epps went back to his house, but returned to the neighbors' residence because "a voice told him she was not dead," according to Northampton County Sheriff's Office Investigator Terry Thomas in a previous testimony.


Jones said Epps kicked through the neighbor's front door during the call and drove the knife into Bailey's chest, driving it down eight and a half inches. Officials said such a massive injury would have caused death within seconds.


Epps then returned a second time to his home, where police arrived shortly after receiving the 911 call. He fled to the woods, where he disposed of the knife, which was never recovered.

Epps was apprehended and taken to the Northampton County Sheriff's Office to await an interview. While in custody there, he told Deputy William Smith he needed to use the restroom.

"He took advantage of that opportunity not to use the restroom, but to knock Deputy Smith out of the way and flee the scene," Jones said.


Epps was taken back into custody after being shot with a Taser.


In addition to first-degree murder, Epps pleaded guilty to charges of entering a dwelling with a deadly weapon with the intent to commit murder and assault and battery of a police officer.

Norfolk Circuit Court Judge John C. Morrison found Epps guilty of all charges, including first-degree murder.

"The evidence certainly justifies his pleas," Morrison said.

Source;  http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20110714/NEWS01/107140376/Guilty-verdict-slaying

R.I.P. Sharone White Bailey

TIME MACHINE PREVIEW



***************************************************************************

It's 1879 and Pocomoke City's attention is on the trial of Miss Lillie Duer, a young woman indicted for the fatal shooting of her 17-year-old "dearest friend" Miss Ella Hearn.

Look for a facinating original newspaper account in postings beginning this Sunday and continuing throughout next week on the Pocomoke Public Eye!

**************************************************************************

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Teen Still Missing

UPDATE: As of earlier this evening- Kirsten is home and is safe.

This teen was thought to have been in Ocean City a couple of weeks ago.  She's still missing.

Ocean City Police Searching For Missing Teen

WMDT

OCEAN CITY, Md. - Ocean City Police are asking for the public's help in locating a missing teen.
Police say 15-year-old Tabitha Williams was reported missing to the Ocean City Police Department on June 28.   Williams lives in California, but police say she was in Ocean City for a vacation. Williams was reported missing by her foster mother. Police say she may be attempting to travel back to California. Anyone with information should call police at 410-520-5349.


Derrick Epps Pleads Guilty To 2010 Murder

WBOC
EXMORE, Va. - A man could face life in prison for the fatal stabbing of a community leader in Accomack County.

According to court documents, Derrick Epps, 37, pleaded guilty Tuesday to first degree murder of mental health worker Sharone Bailey, among other charges. A bench trial had been scheduled for the July 2010 crime.

Commonwealth attorney Bruce Jones says Epps had been evaluated by mental professionals to stand trial. Jones explains Epps had "developed an idea that the Baileys owed them cash," and confronted Bailey during her lunch break at her Exmore home.

A sentencing hearing has not yet been set on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

CARS 2 Event At the MarVa

Movie at the MarVa Theater  presented by Midway Chevrolet and State Farm Insurance.
Don't miss out on the fun!
DOOR PRIZES
GIVEAWAYS

Coast Guard Medivacs Ailing Fisherman

The Coast Guard assisted with a medevac of a man who was reported as being unconscious aboard a fishing vessel approximately 3 miles east of Wachapreague, Va., Tuesday.


A crewmember aboard the fishing vessel John S. Dempster Jr. called Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads watchstanders at approximately 5 a.m., stating that a crewmember had passed out during breakfast.


Crewmembers from Coast Guard Station Wachapreague, Va., launched with local EMS aboard and transferred the man aboard to transport him to waiting EMS at the station.


The man was transported from station Wachapreague to Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital in Nassawadox, Va.

Source;  shoredailynews.com

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

From the office of Delegate Mike McDermott



Press Release

07-11-2011

This is a reminder to all of those who wish to be heard on the proposed 300% increase in the Bay Bridge Toll (from $2.50 to $8.00) that the Public Hearing, being conducted by the Maryland Transit Authority, is this Thursday evening from 5:30-8pm at the Stephen Decatur Middle School in Berlin. The school is located adjacent to Stephen Decatur High School.

This is an issue for the entire shore to address and will impact folks in Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. Commercial truck traffic now paying $15.00 will pay $60.00. This cost will be past onto the consumer. Our brethren on the middle and upper shore who commute daily will pay hundreds more of their discretionary income to the state.

The increased revenue will go toward funding the ICC project, the expansion of I-95, along with other metro projects such as the Red Line and the Purple Line. While the MTA is willing to raid the pocket books of those on the shore, they refuse to consider a toll increase for the ICC so that the users would pay the tab.

Please show up and stand up to this outrageous money grab. Marylander’s…take back your state!


Public Hearing: July 14, 2011
Stephen Decatur Middle School
9815 Seahawk Rd., Berlin, MD

IT'S HOT !! ~Take Care Of Your Pets


REMEMBER:  IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE IN THE HEAT YOUR PET DOESN'T EITHER!

Be sure your  outside pets have plenty of shade and FRESH water.......

This might mean you have to go outside into the heat to take care of them.........if you needed them they'd be there.........PLEASE CONSIDER THEIR NEEDS -

CAR WASH On Saturday

Show your support for these young men and women in training to be part of the wonderful fire department Pocomoke is proud of.
Have the cleanest vehicle in town!!!
The Cadets of The Pocomoke City Vol. Fire Co. will have a CAR WASH on
Saturday, July 16 from 10 til 2
at the fire station.....1410 Market St.
Money raised from the car wash will buy equipment for the Cadet Program of the Pocomoke City Vol. Fire Co.
Thank you for your support!!

New Regulations Regarding Wild Horses On Assateague

BERLIN--Assateague Island National Seashore officials announced two new regulations to reduce harmful interactions between the public and the park’s wild horses.

One new rule prohibits park visitors from getting within 10 feet of any wild horse. The second regulation requires campers to secure any unattended food in hard sided, lockable storage (such as a vehicle) when not being used.

“We’re really hoping that visitors will take this issue seriously and help us reduce the frequency of inappropriate interactions with the horses,” Park Superintendent Trish Kicklighter said.

Officials say the new initiatives are designed to keep the park’s visitors--some of whom are bitten or kicked by its horses each year-- and its horses--who have been hit by cars as they stand by roads looking for handouts--safe.

Source;  http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20110711/NEWS01/110711013/ASSATEAGUE-New-regulations-regarding-wild-horses

Five Indicted In Northampton Circuit Court

The following indictments occurred at Northampton County Circuit Court on Monday, July 11:


Amanda Danielle Budenos, 25 of Eastville, for three counts of uttering.


Jonathan Edwin Cox, 49 of Hampton, for four counts of forging a public document, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, trespassing, giving false indentification to a police officer, killing a deer during closed season and hunting without a license.


Austin Preston Leigh, 20 of Capeville, for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm while in possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana.

Akeem Rogers, 20 of Exmore, for 2 counts of possessi with the intent to distribute more than 1/2 but less than 5 pounds of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute of cocaine.

Christopher Daniel Tunnell, 23 of Nassawadox, for auto theft and driving on a suspended license.

Source;  shoredailynews.com,

Monday, July 11, 2011

HOW TO START A FIGHT



One year, I decided to buy my mother-in-law a cemetery plot as
A Christmas gift...

The next year, I didn't buy her a gift.

When she asked me why, I replied,

"Well, you still haven't used the gift I bought you last year!"

And that's how the fight started.....

________________________________


My wife and I were watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while
We were in bed.

I turned to her and said, 'Do you want to have Sex?'

'No,' she answered. I then said,

'Is that your final answer?'

She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying, 'Yes..'

So I said, "Then I'd like to phone a friend."

And that's when the fight started...

________________________________


I took my wife to a restaurant.

The waiter, for some reason, took my order first.

"I'll have the rump steak, rare, please."

He said, "Aren't you worried about the mad cow?"

"Nah, she can order for herself."

And that's when the fight started.....

_______________________________


My wife and I were sitting at a table at her high school
Reunion, and she kept staring at a drunken man swigging his
Drink as he sat alone at a nearby table.

I asked her, "Do you know him?"

"Yes", she sighed,

"He's my old boyfriend. I understand he took to drinking
Right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear he
Hasn't been sober since."

"My God!" I said, "Who would think a person could go on
Celebrating that long?"

And then the fight started...

________________________________


When our lawn mower broke and wouldn't run, my wife kept
Hinting
To me that I should get it fixed. But, somehow I always had
Something else to take care of first, the shed, the boat,
Making beer.. Always something more important to me. Finally she
Thought of a clever way to make her point.

When I arrived home one day, I found her seated in the tall
Grass, busily snipping away with a tiny pair of sewing
Scissors. I watched silently for a short time and then went into
The house. I was gone only a minute, and when I came out again
I handed her a toothbrush. I said, "When you finish cutting the
Grass, you might as well sweep the driveway."

The doctors say I will walk again, but I will always have a
Limp.

______________________________


My wife sat down next to me as I was flipping channels.

She asked, "What's on TV?"

I said, "Dust."

And then the fight started...

________________________________


Saturday morning I got up early, quietly dressed, made my
Lunch, and slipped quietly into the garage. I hooked up the
Boat up to the van and proceeded to back out into a torrential
Downpour. The wind was blowing 50mph, so I pulled back into the
Garage, turned on the radio, and discovered that the weather
Would be bad all day.

I went back into the house, quietly undressed, and slipped
Back
Into bed. I cuddled up to my wife's back; now with a different
Anticipation, and whispered, "The weather out there is
Terrible."

My loving wife of 5 years replied, "And, can you believe my
Stupid husband is out fishing in that?"

And that's how the fight started...

_______________________________


My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming
Anniversary.

She said, "I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 150 in
about 3 seconds."

I bought her a bathroom scale.

And then the fight started......

______________________________


After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply
for Social Security.

The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver's License
to
verify my age.

I looked in my pockets and realized I had left my wallet at
home. I told the woman that I was very sorry, but I would have
to go home and come back later.

The woman said, 'Unbutton your shirt'.

So I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair.

She said, 'That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for
me' and she processed my Social Security application.

When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience
at
the Social Security office. She said, 'You should have dropped
your pants. You might have gotten disability too.'

And then the fight started...

________________________________


My wife was standing nude, looking in the bedroom mirror.

She was not happy with what she saw and said to me,

"I feel horrible; I look old, fat and ugly. I really need you
to pay me a compliment.'

I replied, "Your eyesight's damn near perfect."

And then the fight started........

________________________________


I rear-ended a car this morning...the start of a REALLY bad day!

The driver got out of the other car, and he was a DWARF!!

He looked up at me and said 'I am NOT Happy!'

So I said, 'Well, which one ARE you then?'

That's how the fight started.

Trial Set For Fatal Stabbing Of Sharone White Bailey

EASTVILLE -- The murder trial of an Exmore man charged with the fatal stabbing of the 2010 Eastern Shore Citizen of the Year Sharone White Bailey will begin with jury selection Tuesday.

Derrick Demond Epps, 36, is charged with first-degree murder.

Epps allegedly saw Bailey, his neighbor, return home from work at lunchtime on July 9, 2010. He then allegedly went to his kitchen to retrieve a knife and repeatedly stabbed her, according to testimony at a September hearing.

After Bailey ran to a neighbor's house for help, Epps allegedly broke through the door and continued stabbing her while the neighbor called 911. Epps allegedly said he broke into the house because "a voice told him she was not dead," according to Northampton County Sheriff's Office Investigator Terry Thomas.

Bailey was found fatally wounded by police responding to the call. Epps was apprehended shortly after officers arrived at the scene.

While in custody, Epps attempted to escape while using the restroom -- allegedly shoving Northampton Sheriff's Office Deputy William Smith into a wall and running out the door before he was shot with a Taser and taken back into custody.

In addition to facing a first-degree murder charge, Epps is charged with entering a dwelling with a deadly weapon with the intent to commit murder and assault and battery of a police officer. He is being held at the Eastern Shore Regional Jail until the trial.

General District Court Judge Gordon Vincent certified the murder charge against Epps to a grand jury during a September hearing.

Epps "made no bones about what he did," Thomas said. "He said it was not a robbery, that her people owed his people."

The slaying of Bailey, 57, who had been named the 2010 Eastern Shore Citizen of the Year at a gala event just before her death, shocked the community.

Bailey was co-owner and clinical director of Therapeutic Interventions, a Belle Haven-based community mental health provider. She was also secretary of the Eastern Shore Rural Health Board of Directors, helping to spearhead efforts to raise funds for the new Onley Community Health Center and served on the Northampton Joint Industrial Development Authority, as president of Habitat for Humanity and as a board member of the Eastern Shore Coalition against Domestic Violence.

Bailey was a U.S. Army veteran, a choir member and secretary of the Trustee Board at the Macedonia AME Church in Accomac and had worked for Accomack County Social Services and the Eastern Shore Community Services Board.

TIME MACHINE

August, 1908

(The Washington Post)

Amid a mass and jam of fully 15,000 people the third day of the Pocomoke Fair passed off without the slightest hitch to mar the pleasure of those who attended. Twenty-three carloads of visitors were hauled from the eastern shore of Virginia, and several thousand came from Delaware, in addition to the Maryland contribution. The races, while not divided up as much as in previous days, were close in every heat, and down the stretch it was a battle royal for honors.


November, 1914

(The Denton Journal)

The gaps in the State Road between Delmar and Berlin and between Snow Hill and Pocomoke City have been completed, and it is now possible to make the run in an automobile from Delmar to Princess Anne and Pocomoke City, Snow Hill, Berlin and back to Delmar by way of Parsonsburg and Pittsville without getting off stone roads, a distance of 85 miles.


May, 1917

The Worcester County Medical Society, meeting in Pocomoke City, passed a resolution regarding county physicians who were called to serve on the war front. The resolution stated that if a Worcester County physician was called to the front to serve his country, another society member designated by him would take over his practice and give a third of the fees collected to the military physician's family. The physician's former practice would be restored to him upon his return.

Tawes Crab and Clam Bake - Tickets May Still Be Available

Hosted by the Crisfield Chamber of Commerce
1-800-782-3913 410-968-2500 -fax: 410-968-0524
www.crisfieldchamber.com
email: info@crisfieldchamber.com

Wed.,July 20, 2011
12:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Somers Cove Marina – 7
Crisfield, Md. 21817
Steamed Crabs –
Fresh Fried Fish
Steamed Clam
Fried Clams & Raw Bar
French Fries
 Corn on the Cob
Onion Rings
Watermelon

Beverages include soda, beer and bottled water

Tickets $40.00 Donation

Includes free mug & mallet, for as long as they last!
Due to tremendous response, tickets are
limited to 6,000.
With a purchase of 30 tickets or more, we can provide an organization/business
with a hospitality space, for a fee. Spaces are limited, call for information.
Co-Chairmen – Scott Tawes & Danny Thompson


All-u-can-eat Menu

35th Annual Tawes Crab & Clam Bake

The Slurpee Birthday

By
Bruce Horovitz
USA Today

Free Slurpees come with a twist: They may cost you.

The slurp's on them. But the goof may be on you.

Today 7-Eleven, the nation's largest convenience store chain, expects to give away 5 million 7.11-ounce Slurpees on the chain's unofficial birthday: 7/11. That's roughly 1,000 freebie Slurpees per store.
No coupons. No catches. No questions asked.

Those 7-Eleven folks sure must be dumb — as foxes. When they handed out 4.5 million Slurpee's last July 11, a funny thing happened: Slurpee sales for the day rocketed 38%, says Nancy Smith, vice president of marketing.

That's right: Folks bought more Slurpees, even though they could grab as many free tiny ones as they wanted. "You get a taste of it," says Slurpee senior brand director Laura Gordon, "and you choose to have more."

Perhaps. But many folks seem to be so enamored of the word "free" that they'll spend whatever it takes to cash in. In many cases, customers will spend more on gasoline just to get to 7-Eleven and wait in line for a free Slurpee than the estimated $1 retail value of the corn-syrup-laden drink that has virtually no nutritional value.

"Slurpee drinkers are some of the most loyal fans we have," Smith says. "They come here to have fun." And while they're in the store, Smith says, many buy other stuff, too.

What is it that drives consumers to chase after — even spend more to get — freebies? Denny's has seen record crowds when it's given away breakfasts. Ditto for free chicken wings at KFC and free doughnuts at Dunkin' Donuts. "Free is magic," says Barry Schwartz, professor of psychology at Swarthmore College. "If you offer something for free, people will gladly spend money to get it."

It gets sillier: People who go to Slurpee.com can download tiny hats and confetti to celebrate, photograph themselves, then post the picture on the Slurpee Facebook page for prizes.

Schwartz isn't buying — so to speak. "Economists are wrong about almost everything," he says. "But they're right about one thing: There is no free lunch — or in this case, free Slurpee."


Sunday, July 10, 2011

Crime Reports for the Month of June

As with last month nothing has been reported to www.crimereports.com to date.

Sledgehammer-wielding anti-speed camera nutjob shuts down Maryland freeway



If you're in the Maryland/D.C. area and curious about why traffic along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (Maryland 295) is so backed up it might be the crazy anti-speed camera nut with a shotgun and sledgehammer roaming the woods. Police are on the scene trying to find him.
A white male in his 50s was spotted by multiple witnesses approaching the white Jeep Liberty camera truck and smashing the crap out of it with a sledgehammer — including the contractor sitting inside of it. After the damage was done the man, also possibly armed with a shotgun, slipped into woods.
Police shut down the freeway as they looked for the individual but recently reopened it. No word yet on whether or not they found the suspect.

VIA: JALOPNIK

NASA's Wallops Flight Facility

The rocket launch from NASA's  Wallops Flight Facility was a SUCCESS this morning!



Photo by JMS Photography


The second set of launches for this mission will be launches no earlier than Tuesday July 12. Window 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m EDT