Jesse Alan Lockamy Bolivia-Jesse Alan Lockamy, 16, of 1209 Green-Lewis Road, died Wednesday, November 17,1999. The funeral will be conducted at 2:00 pm Saturday at Anioch Baptist Church, where he was a member, with Rev.Tim Spencer officating, in- terment will follow in the Bowling Cementery. Jesse was born April 18,1983 in Wilmington, son of James Edward Lockamy and Janet Cochran Elliott and was a freshman at South Brunswick High School. Survivors include his mother and step-father, Janet and Jimmy Elliott of Southport; father and step-mother James and April Lockamy of the home;2 sisters, Kelly Lockamy of Southport and Karissa Lockamy of Bolivia; grandparents, Jimmy and Sandra Cochran of Southport and Buddy and Ethel Lockamy of Bolivia; great-grandmother, Cassie Cochran of Southport and special cousins, Jason Rhodes of Bolivia. The family will receive friends at the home of his mother and step- father,3760 Herron Circle,South- port,NC. Memorial contributions may be made to Mother Against Drunk Driv- ing, 511 East John Carpenter Free- way, Suite 700, Irving, Texas 75062. Peacock-Newnam Funeral Home, Southport.

Jesse Alan Lockamy, 16, of Bolivia Jesse Alan Lockamy,16, of Bolivia died Wednesday, November 17,1999. The funeral was conducted Saturday at Antioch Baptist Church, where he was a member, with the Rev. Tim spencer officiating. Interment followed in Bowling Cemetery. Serving as active pallbearers were Matthew Caudill, Doug Lewis,Travis Hewett, Tim Carter, Jimmy Creech and Nick Reynolds. Honorary pallbearers were Danny Cochran, Jimmy Minett, Jamie Cochran, Jason Bakan, Matthew Cochran, Royce Potter and Jason Rhodes. Lockamy was born April 18,1983, in Wilmington, son of James Edward Lockamy and Janet Cochran Elliott, and was a freshman at South Brunswick High School. Survivors include his mother and step-father, Janet and Jimmy Elliott of Southport; father and step-mother, James and April Lockamy of the home;two sis- ters, Kelly Lockamy of Southport and Karissa Lockamy of Bolivia;step-brother, Matthew Caudill of Bolivia;grandparents Jimmy and Sandra Cochran of Southport and Buddy and Ethel Lockamy of Bolivia; great-grandmother,Cassie Cochran of Southport;cousin, Jason Rhodes of Bolivia. Memorial contributions may be made to Mothers Against Drunk Driving,511 East John Carpenter Freeway, Suite 700, Irving, TX 75062. A Peacock-Newnam service.

Morning Star News, Thursday,November 25,1999 Counting Their Blessings Family still gives thanks in the face of tragedy By:Tommy Perkins Southport-At a time when American families gather together to give thanks for bless- ings they have received, a Brunswick County family is struggling to cope with one mem- ber's absence and finding reasons to be thankful. When Jesse Alan Lockamy, 16, a student at South Brunswick High School, lost his life to a man charged with driving drunk Nov. 17,lives connected to his were darkened on the eve of the holiday season. "We don't know how easy it's going to be, "said his mother, Janet Elliott. "We will be looking for him. Family members say Jesse, stubbornly individualistic and at times disruptive, mellowed dur- ing the past three months after his second baptism at Antioch Baptist Church in Bolivia. "Over the last couple of months, nothing seemed to bother Jesse," Ms. Elliott said. "It was like he was finally able to see the big picture." Jesse's parents said he was like many teen-age boys--trying to be different and the center of at- tention. He didn't play sports, they said, because too many kids already did that. He played sev- eral instruments, including the piano, the clarinet and the saxo- phone. He liked to draw old- style cars and trucks. He was very par- ticular about his clothes and was given to dye his hair several col- ors. "Jesse was one of them young'uns who'd get on your last nerve," Ms.Elliott said. "He could be hard- headed, but we loved him to death." His parents split up when he was 3 years old, and Jesse spent recent years living with his father in Bolivia to re-establish their re- lationship. "He always wanted his daddy to be perfect" Ms.Elliott said," and to spend more time with him. If he'd have had his way, his dad wouldn't have had to work." On the afternoon of Nov.17,1999, Jesse was with his father, James Lockamy, painting his bicycle, a prized posses- sion. Jesse had three bikes with which he constantly tinkered, and he planned to show off his newly painted bike to his friends at church. " Just before 6 p.m. he called his mother to check on his sister Kelly," "That conversation was short," Ms.Elliott said, "because Jesse had a habit of being on phone restriction" Minutes later, Jesse was pedaling down Green-Lewis Road, a few blocks from his fathers house, to meet his friend, Tim Carter. Both boys were talking back and forth acroos the road when Thomas Ed- ward "Eddie" Swain, a family friend, steered his 1994 GMC truck into the left lane to pass a car. He hit Jesse, instantly killing the young man. Kelly Lockamy said their father, James, called the Elliott's at 6:09 p.m. to convey the news. "James told me he had been hit by a car," Ms.Elliott said. "I didn't im- mediately assume he was dead.I asked, "Where is he?" James said "He's in the ditch and I can't get him out." I appreciated that he called so soon, but I kept asking"Why did you leave my young'un in the ditch?" Then I understood." After the call came in, Kelly called her boyfriend and the two prayed for 10 minutes. Both had the same feel- ing that Jesse was gone. Although Ms. Elliott was not al lowed to see her son until Friday, she said within 30 minutes of the accident she was able to talk about him in the past tense. Mr. Swain's truck overturned a few hundred yards down the road in a neighbor's yard. He was charged with murder and driving while im- paired. Mr.Swain has a conviction for driving while impaired in 1989. He was also charged with driving while impaired in 1993, but that charge was dismissed. Ms. Elliott said she could face Mr. Swain, an old schoolmate and brother of Sam Swain, one of Jesse's stepfa- thers coworkers at Carolina Power and Light. "I told Sam I didn't have bad feel- ings toward Eddie," she said. "I could face Eddie, I don't feelo like he's the one who took my son away from me. But I don't believe in driving drunk." Ms. Elliott said her family would rebound from the loss through faith and fond memories even though these days are difficult without her son. "I'm thankful to have the rest of my family around me." she said."We now have our own guardian angel. Most importantly, I'm thankful to have faith in God. Mr. Elliott, the stepfather, agreed "Faith will ease the pain," he said. "It won't take it away, but it makes it easier.

Finding some peace Family, schoolmates struggle with loss of 16 year old killed by a drunk driver By Diane D`Abruzzo Staff Writer Wed. Nov. 24, 1999 Friends and family of Jesse Lockamy are quick to tell you that the 16 year old was never happier than when he was on his bicycle, riding to Wednesday night youth services at Antioch Baptist Church. He loved being outdoors on his bike. And he loved his church, where he was baptized just a few months ago. But Jesse`s ride ended in his death last Wednesday, when a passing truck hit him head on as he peddled down Green Lewis Road on his way to church. The driver, 34 year old Thomas Edward Swain of Bolivia, was charged with driving while impaired and murder. So while students at South Brunswick High School mourn for there classmate, a young man many say had turned his life around and was on the road to success, they also are dealing with the anger of knowing Jesse`s life may have been taken by a man who was driving drunk. Algebra teacher Beth Allred said her classroom was filled with talk about Jesse Thursday when the students and teachers got word of his death. "We got into talking about drinking and driving," Allred said "It was a very surreal discussion with his empty desk right there, it made a huge point. I pleaded with them to remember how this pain felt so they never drink and drive. We talked about how everything happens for a reason and how we should walk away from this having learned something," Jesse`s death brought a blanket of grief to South Brunswick High School last week, as students tried to deal with the loss. Members of the Brunswick County Crisis Response team were brought in to counsel students, and hundreds took advantage of the help. "It`s important for the students to talk about their feelings and let them deal with what they saw and felt," said Marrianne Furey, crisis team coordinator. "They couldn`t belive it," said Ilene Palmer, a counselor at South Brunswick Middle School and a member of the crisis team. "It was like , "This is a bad dream and I`m going to wake up and see him, or "I just saw him he can`t be gone". Many teachers, like Allred, used their class on thursday as an open discussion to give students the chance to talk about what they were feeling. "Everyone was thinking about Jesse," Allred said, "I can feel with the students. He will definitley be missed. You can just feel it, he was a cared for person." By Friday, student grief turned to anger about the DWI arrest, and that anger turned into action, dozens of "In Memory" posters were taped to the walls as a reminder, how Jesse died, and dozens walked around the school collecting donations for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. On Saturday, that anger was put aside as students came out en masse to Jesse`s funeral at Antioch Baptist Church. Young men & women clutched hands and wept in each others arms. A few of Jesse`s closest friends, named pallbearers for the funeral, wore red roses on their shirt collars and embraced each other as they prepared for the funeral. Hunderds packed the tiny sanctuary and many stood outside the church. Most of those in attendance, the family said, were students of South Brunswick High School and friends of Jesse. "He touched a lot of hearts and didn`t even realize he was doing it," one women said following the service. Jesse Alan Lockamy was your typical teenager. He liked his clothes baggy, he spoke his mind and he prided himself being "different," his family said. "His main goal in life was to be different" said Kelly Lockamy, Jesse`s older sister. If you asked him why he was dying his hair purple, he`d tell you, "to be different" Kelly said. And a typical teenager, Jesse had his share of trouble in school and trouble at home. Then he found Antioch Baptist Church and the Rev. Tim Spencer. Jesse started attending Sunday services and Wednesday nite youth group meetings with his best friend Tim Carter, earlier this year, said Spencer. This summer, Jesse and Tim traveled to Wilmington with the youth group to see the play "Heavens Gates and Hells Flames," which showed the good about Heaven and the worst about Hell, "at the end of the play they gave an alter call, and Jesse went up and made a profession of faith," Spencer said. "The next Sunday, Jesse told me he wanted to join the church. He was very sincere about the commitment he made." A few months later, he was baptized. At Jesse`s funeral service, Spencer spoke with humor about the baptism, how the heater was broken and the water was ice cold, but how Jesse was determined to go through with it, despite having to fully immerse himself in water, "Jesse said, Let`s go for it," His Dad and Grandmother were there, he wanted them to see him baptized, Spencer said. Though Jesse had been baptized at eight years old at Southport Baptist Church, the second time was more of a declaration of his renewed faith, said Jesse`s Mom Janet Elliott, "I think he wanted to be baptized to show his friends he was making a big change in his life, and he wanted them to know it was because of the Lord," Elliott said, and the change he made in his life was visable to everyone. I had my share of battles with him, "he brought out the worst in me at times. but he also brought out the best in me," said Ashley Bahen, Jesse`s Earth Science teacher. "But he was doing better, he was making changes in his life at the time of his death, and I hope his family can find some peace in that." His father, James Lockamy, and his Grandmother, Ethel Lockamy, said they noticed the positive changes Jesse was making in his life and give the credit to "The Lord." "He loved going to church," Ethel said. Everytime the church doors were open, Jesse was there." "We want to thank the pastor for the good job he did with Jesse," James said, "He was more than a pastor to him he was a friend." In recent years, Jesse lived with his father and stepmother, April Lockamy, in there home on Green Lewis Rd. near Bolivia. Father and son loved to drag race together, James will run Jesse`s race car for the last time at Harrells Raceway near Clinton on December 5 in memory of his son. Jesse loved taking apart car engines, he had a collection of motors and pistons and other car parts in his room, James said. One of Bahens memories of Jesse was when he showed off pieces of an engine he had stuffed into his backpack and brought to class, "Class was never boring with him in it," said Bahen, "he kept me on my toes." Jesse also enjoyed camping and being outdoors, his father said and he loved bike riding. On the night of his death, Jesse told his dad he wanted to paint his bike, He couldn`t find the black paint, but James pulled out his red paint can, and the two worked on his bike. Jesse put on a new chain, rode his bike around a bit in the yard and then took off to meet Tim. It was youth group nite, and the two were going to meet and go together, it was only about 2 1/2 miles to Antioch Baptist Church. "Before he left he said I Love You All I`m going to church," James said he always let us know where he was going. Minutes later, around 6pm., James and April heard the roar of trucks traveling down Green Lewis Road, saw the headlights and heard the stomach turning crash that took Jesse`s life. According to the preliminary accident report, Swain was driving his 1994 GMC truck north on Green Lewis Road, where the speed is 55 mph, and went into the south bound lane to pass another truck, That`s when he hit Jesse, who was traveling in the south bound lane on his bike, the report said. The impact of the crash threw Jesse more than 200 ft. off his bike. Swain`s vehicle went off the shoulder of the road, traveling nearly 700 hundred feet before coming to rest in a yard, the report said. The preliminary report states that the 2 trucks were involved in a "willfull speed competition at the time the collision occured." Repeated attempts to contact the investigating trooper have been unsuccessful. Swain was charged with DWI and murder and is being held in the Brunswick County jail under no bond, a hearing is set for December 13,1999. Swain had been charged with DWI 2 other times in the past 10 years, but both charges were dropped. The April 1989 charge was dismissed due to insufficient evidence. he regestered 0.04 on the breathalyzer, and the October 1999 charge was dismissed at the request of the trooper. Knowing that Jesse`s life was taken by a man charged with driving while impaired has angered the Lockamy Family, James is requesting that if there is a Mothers Against Drunk Drivers group in the area that members contact him. "It`s tough when a person has died from a disease, but when it`s this tragic it becomes very difficult to keep the family from being angry," the Rev. Spencer said. "We`re in the healing process now." Across the road from the Lockamy home is a flower arrangement and a white wooden cross marking the spot where Jesse was struck and killed. The family hopes they will be a reminder of the dangers of drinking and driving. "I hope Jesse didn`t have to die for nothing," Ethel Lockamy said.

Bolivia Man On Trial For Murder For Hitting Teenager On Bicycle By Eric Carlson Testimony began Tuesday in the trial of a Bolivia man who police say was driving under the influence of alcohol at more than 100 mph when his pickup truck struck and killed a teenage boy riding his bicycle to church. Thomas Edward Swain, 34, of George ll Highway is charged with second degree murder in the November 1999 death of 16 year old Jesse Lockamy of green Lewis Rd.. If convicted , Swain could be sentenced to 20 years in prison. According to investigating NC State Trooper Roy Murray, Swain was traveling north on Green Lewis Road when he pulled out to pass another north bound pickup truck and ran into Lockamy, who was riding his bike on the shoulder of the south bound lane. After the impact, Swain reportedly lost control of his truck, which left the pavement, tore through a ditch, hit a pine tree and overturned before coming to rest nearly 700 hundred feet away. Police said Lockamy just left his father`s home en route to services at the Antioch Bapist Church on Midway Road when the incident occured. He had only ridden about 150 feet when Swain's truck hit him at an estimated speed of more than 100 miles per hour. Witnesses reportedly told police that swain appeared to be racing with a 1997 pickup truck when the fatal collision occurred, Murray said. Swain was charged with second-degree murder and driving while impaired and jailed with out bond in the Brunswick County Dentention Center. After further investigation, with assistance from the NC State Bureau of Investigation, Trooper Murray also charged Swain with spontaneous racing. The alleged driver of the other pickup, 27 year old Robert Lester Edwards, of Bolivia, was also charged with spontaneous racing. A medical examiner who testified in Swain`s trial Tuesday said Lockamy died of multiple traumatic injuries that included a broken neck, a fractured skull, numerous other broken bones, and a severed leg, according to Assistant District Attorney Phillip Hayes, who is prosecuting the case. Swain is represented by Shalotte Attorney Steve Yount. Swains trial in Brunswick County Superior court was scheduled to resume Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m. Prosecutors testimony was expected to continue throughout the day. Just 2 minutes after Jesse Lockamy walked out of his home, his father saw the headlights, then heard a collision, metal against metal, then saw something like a ball of fire before him. "I knew what it was," James Lockamy solemnly told the jurors Tuesday morning in Brunswick County Superior Court. When assistant district attorney Chris Hayes brought the mangled frame of Jesse`s orange bike into the courtroom, family members gasped and wiped tears from their eyes. It was the bike Jesse rode to services every Wednesday evening at Antioch Baptist Church, just down the road from his home. He was a student at South Brunswick High School when he was struck head on and killed at the age of 16. Prosecutors are seeking a conviction of second-degree murder against Thomas Edward Swain, who also was charged with driving while impaired following the November 17, 1999, collision that killed Jesse along Green Lewis Road south of Bolivia. Swain`s truck struck some culverts, hit a pine tree and over turned after it collided with Jesse`s bike. Prosecutors expect to present evidence through Thursday morning, Hayes told superior Court Judge Steve Balog late Tuesday. Defense attorney Steve Yount of Southport will then present Swain's defense to a jury of seven women and five men chosen Monday. James Lockamy has known Eddie Swain all his life, he testified Tuesday. It is a case with levels of uneasiness as neighbors and aquaintances are called to testify about what they saw the night of the tragedy. Lockamy testified Tuesday he told State Highway Patrol trooper Ron Murray that he witnessed Swain driving "well over the speed limit" just before the impact. That statement was backed by neighbor James Brown Jr., who indicated he saw two trucks speeding past his home just before the accident occurred. "I was sitting there and I heard these automobiles" said Brown, "I saw these two trucks go by, and I saw a blue one moving past the first one. I knew they were traveling at a high rate of speed. Prosecutors called to stand one of the passengers in the other pickup truck, John Alan maggard said Robert Edwards was driving the burgandy truck and that they all had just left Boiling Springs Lakes with a 12 pack of beer that Swain had purchased at a convience store. The three men had worked together at Oak Island on a roofing job that day, loaded up a trailer with old shingles and parked swains truck at Antioch Baptist Church while they went to county landfill to dump the load. Next, the three men drove to Boiling Springs Lakes to leave the trailer at a job site for the following day. That`s when a bottle of Crown Royay liquor to mix several drinks, said maggard, that Maggard and Edwards drank. He testified Swain drank three to four beers before they took him back to his truck at Antioch Church. Swain got out of the truck with what was left of his 12 pack and with a beer in his hand, Maggard said. Maggard said he and Edwards were traveling home along Green Lewis Road, going approximately 60 miles per hour, when Edwards told maggard, "Here he comes!" to indicate Swain was approaching from behind. The headlights appeared. It was just beggining to get dark. "He just whipped out to go around us," said Maggard, whose sister had once been married to Swain. "That`s when he hit Jesse." Maggard said he saw something fly up, like Swain`s truck had hit a trash can. He said Swain`s blue pickup then hit the ditch and flew through the air for some distance, it hit a pine tree and began to overturn. He estimated Swain was traveling 80 to 85 miles per hour. Swain was able to get out of his overturned vehicle on his own while neighbors began running to the sceneto see what happened. Several hundred feet beyond the truck lay the mangled bike and Jesse`s body in a ditch. A medical examiner from Jacksonville testified Tuesday that an autopsy showed Jesse died instantly from massive head injuries and a broken neck. He had cuts about his head and chin, a broken jaw and collarbone, abrasions on his hips, thighs, back, and shoulders. His left leg had been severed at the scene and his right leg was broken in two places. Under cross examination by Yount, Maggard admitted he had been released from prison in October, 1996, after serving more than 5 years for conviction os accessory to second degree murder. He also admitted to giving contradictory statements to officers about where the beer was purchased and about how much Crown Royal he had consumed that afternoon. Maggard said there was a 12 gauge shotgun in Edwards truck, When they stopped and parked at the accident scene, Maggard said Swain came up to them and began to cry. "He said, "Somebody, please shoot me!" said Maggard. Karin Folding was one of the neighbor`s who rushed to the scene to offer help. She was one of the first persons to speak to Swain after the accident. At first, the neighbors thought the driver was thrown from the truck, first, they began to look for someone in the dark. The three men were seen standing next to Edwards truck. That is when Ms. Folding asked who the driver was and if he was hurt. "I belive he said that he was going to pass the vehicle that he was standing next to and saw a bicycle, and that was all he remembered," said Ms. Folding. That is when they heard some other people screaming from down the road. "A neighbor stopped us in the middle of the road," said Ms. Folding, "At that point, I walked in the direction that she pointed and saw a body in the ditch." Marty Folding, her husband and an auxiliary deputy with Brunswick County Sheriff`s Department, arrived at the scene about the same time. Hayes called to the stand late Tuesday a paramedic who treated and transported Swain to Dosher Memorial Hospital after the mishap and two medical technicians at the hospital monitor equipment and draw blood samples for testing. Holly Sears, the para medic, testified she noticed Swains pupils reacted slowly. When asked if he had anything to drink, she said Swain told her he had consumed two beers. Swain had complained of pain to the side of his head. Hospital employees Paula Dudley and Matthew Carver testified as to the accuracy of equipment used to conduct blood - alcohol tests at Dosher. Under direct questioning by Judge Balog, following an objection by Yount, Carvertold the judge he remembers being asked by the state trooper to draw a blood sample from Swain for a blood - Alcohol test but that the defendant refused. Testimony continued at 9 a.m. today (Wednesday) while Hayes is expected to wrap up the states case by noon Thursday.