According to Sheriff Mark Gober, the Drew County Sheriff’s Department was contacted by the Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children division on January 27, after being advised by the Crisis Hotline of a reported rape of a 5-year-old female by a 30-year-old male that occurred sometime between January 25 and 26.

Drew County and State Police investigators interviewed the parents and the child regarding the circumstances around the rape.

After lengthy interviews and evidence gathered, Drew County Sheriff’s Department arrested and placed into custody Thomas Allen Adams.  Adams is being held in the Drew County Detention Facility and has been formally charged by the prosecuting attorney on February 2 with one count of rape.

Adams’ bond was set at $50,000.

Editor’s note:    There will be a reception held in honor of the Noble family, Sunday, June 21st,  from 7pm – 9pm, at the BCM on the UAM campus.   All friends are invited to attend this come and go style reception. 
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Next month brings big change for one Monticello family. The Nobles, Jeff, Carolyn and their children Sam and Adelyn, will be moving to Blacksburg, Virginia where Jeff will become pastor of Northstar Church.  

The family has called Monticello home for 15 years, beginning in 1995 after graduating from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  His role began his influence in the community when he began serving as a campus minister at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at UAM. In 2003, after 8 years, Jeff resigned from his position and embarked on a new calling as pastor and church planter. He started Journey Church which has continued to grow. As a bivocational church planter, he also started a business, Noble Design and then in 2006 this website, MonticelloLive.com.

Over the years, he has preached in many churches throughout southeast Arkansas. He has also demonstrated a passion for missions, traveling around the world, including China, the Dominican Republic, Canada, Maine, Colorado and Poland. But of equal importance to Jeff and Carolyn is their deep involvement in the lives of others right here in their own community. He, along with Carolyn, is committed to personal discipling, each helping others on their own faith journey.

Jeff, Carolyn, Sam, and Adelyn will be greatly missed by many as they leave Monticello. As a community that has experienced life with the Nobles, we hate to see them go, yet are excited with them as they settle into this new life adventure 824 miles east. You can keep up with their journey by reading Jeff’s blog, Notes from the Trail, at www.journeyguy.com

Jeff said, “We are so grateful for the time we’ve been able to share with the people of Monticello. We were truly blessed to live and minister here. Our deepest hope is that our lives have been a testimony to the love and joy of following Christ.” 

By former MonticelloLive writer Kristy Hales

It was meant to be a reunion of sorts. Jeff and Carolyn Noble, with their children Sam and Adelyn flew to Alaska on March 19 to visit former Monticello residents Mike and Kristy Hales and children Abby and Lilly. The Hales are members of Journey Church, where Jeff is lead pastor, having moved to Alaska in 2007 to serve at a Christian radio ministry as volunteers. 

However, the Nobles’week-long stay was protracted by several days as Redoubt volcano began to erupt and spread ash over the Kenai peninsula and Anchorage airport. As of Sunday night, the Nobles were still in Alaska, having had more than six flights canceled.

In a week’s span, Redoubt erupted more than 17 times, spewing ash and steam at times more than 50,000 feet into the atmosphere. Thin layers of ash coated cars and snow even in Wasilla where the Hales live.

Eight local girls auditioned and were selected for the Arkansas Ballet’s 2008 performance of the Nutcracker at Robinson Center Music Hall this weekend. From left to right, back row: Summer Chase, Madison Chase, Adelyn Noble, Anna Dixon, Katherine Dixon; front: Caroline Atwell, Mary Beth Wigley, and Anna Beth Atwell. This is the second year in the performance for Adelyn Noble.

Tickets may be purchased online at the Arkansas Ballet website.

Jeff is the founding pastor at Journey Church and is also the founder of MonticelloLive.com and owner of Noble Design. He writes a blog called Notes from the Trail.

The book has an unusual story behind it, involving online connections between people around the world who have never met each other.

Drew McLellan, who heads an advertising agency in Des Moines, writes a blog online. Drew’s Marketing Minute is among the 25 most-read marketing blogs, and a regular reader is Gavin Heaton, who works for global software giant SAP in Sydney, Australia. Heaton writes a blog called Servant of Chaos.

Nearly two years ago through a chance online conversation, McLellan and Heaton decided to invite fellow bloggers to participate in writing a book about conversation and how it impacts us in marketing, in business and in life in general. “Blogging, after all, is about conversation,” McLellan said.

More than 100 bloggers from the U.S. and eight countries responded by contributing essays on conversation. The book, published in the summer of 2007, earned $15,000, all of which was donated to the international childrens charity Variety.

“Gavin and I were overwhelmed with the response,” said McLellan “Almost as soon as the first book was published, we heard from bloggers asking when the next book would be published so they could contribute essays.”

Noble contributed an essay titled “Listening Is An Action,” which urges Christians to stop, take time, and truly listen to what others are saying. Noble says in the essay, “There has been far too much yelling and too little dialogue from people of faith in our age, regardless of their age. “

“Blogging has become a new way for professional to share and discuss ideas,” Jeff said. Collaborating on a book about conversation is a perfect way to share among ourselves and among others who don’t read blogs. And we have the added incentive of helping a charity that does important work around the world. I am thrilled to be a part of this project.”

The Age of Conversation 2 will be available as a downloadable e-book beginning October 28, at a cost of $12.50, of which $10 will be contributed to Variety. Beginning on the same date, orders will be taken for a limited number of printed books in hardcover ($29.95, with $6.04 to charity) and softcover ($19.95, with $8.02 donated to charity).

Purchases can be made online at http://stores.lulu.com/ageofconversation. More information can be seen online at www.ageofconversation.com.

The program is outlined in the article below.

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The story below posted on August 16, 2008.

During the 2008-2009 school year, teachers at Vera Lloyd Presbyterian Home have a lofty goal-to show the community, state, and even the nation that their students are great kids and positive contributors to society. Many time, by no fault of their own and negative circumstances, these youth are placed in our program. When this happens, these youth often feel somewhat inferior to other youth. It is our desire that our on-campus school will build self-worth, as well as to provide a quality education.

Every week for the entire school year, Vera Lloyd Presbyterian Home Alternative School will host a variety of speakers. These speakers will include a variety of city and state leaders, professionals, motivational speakers, and pastors of local churches. This will not only expose our youth to a variety of professions and individuals, but also give our speakers an opportunity to meet our youth and allow them to see first hand how special our youth are.

In addition to our speakers, the youth will volunteer within the community, performing “good deeds” for various individuals such as the elderly, shut-ins, and the needy. We will attempt to prove to our youth that they are needed in the world around them and can make positive contributions to our society.

If anyone within the community is interested in speaking to our youth and providing additional assistance, please contact Amy Booker at 367-9035.

The lockdown comes just a week after an incident at Drew Central Schools was determined to be a “childish prank.” Last month, a University of Arkansas at Monticello employee was arrested after making threatening comments and spitting on law enforcement officials.

The high school office related that everyone is “ok,” and that after a thorough search of the school, no weapons had been found. The students who reported seeing the individual were interviewed thoroughly and assisted officials by providing a description of the individual.

While police did find an individual meeting that description, no weapons were found, and the lockdown was lifted before school was dismissed. Officials will continue looking into the incident to ensure the safety of the students.

According to Assistant Superintendant Tommy Tyler, the principals of the schools had just completed a revision of the district’s crisis plan last week, and it allowed all officials to proceed smoothly through today’s incident.

“We were not going to take it lightly. The police responded great. We’re thankful,” said Tyler.

There were no reported enjuries, even the family dog whose location was unknown until over an hour after the fire was extinguished escaped without a scratch. Nothing remained for the homeowner, David Bawcom and daughter Brittany but a few charred remnants of what used to be their home. David and Brittany plan to stay with family until plans can be made to replace their home.

A few of the many things that must be replaced: bed sheets, pillows, mattresses, furniture, linens, clothes, and basics such as paper towels, toiletries, cleaning supplies, vacuum cleaner, etc.

If you would like to help this family by donating any of these items, or if you would prefer to make a monetary contribution you may do so by clicking the button below:

or your contribution can be left with David’s grandparents, Billy and Merle Hickam, in the Greenhill community, or if more convenient, you may also leave any contribution with Chris McCall at 147 S. Chester St (directly behind the Court House) in Monticello. McCall can be reached at 870-367-1313.

This swarm of bees was seen Sunday morning in the North Park shopping center, on a shrub just outside Alltel Telephone.

According to a recent USA Today report, crystal meth use has been on the decrease in recent years, and dealers and manufacturers have had to resort to new tactics in order to market the drug. Because methamphetamine is commonly white or brownish and bitter-tasting, the pink color and sweet taste make it more appealing to younger children, authorities say. Meth cooks have also been known to manufacture the drug in flavors such as cola and chocolate.

In a report aired on San Francisco television earlier this year, Dr. Alex Stalcup, a drug counseling expert, warns about a newer and more alarming danger associated with the drug. Whereas long-term addiction has been the biggest problem for meth users in the past, the new danger posed by flavored meth is overdose. Since dealers will often claim that it is a milder form of the drug, or not even meth at all, new users are prone to ingest potentially fatal doses.

According to an item from a Missouri TV news report, it hasnÂ’t taken long for this latest threat to spread to this part of the country. Parents and teachers are urged to educate themselves and talk to their children about the dangers associated with drugs.