Parents: Child’s death will make a difference

Published 12:00 am Sunday, January 21, 2001

Tuesday morning James and Kay Warnock will relive the tragic events of the morning of Jan 9 several times – and they hope it will do some good.

The Warnocks will likely remember Casey Schrock, Kay’s daughter, as they go through their morning ritual. They’ll remember her laugh and her smile. They’ll remember her hopes and dreams and the silly secrets only families know about one another.

As they get in their car and head down Morgantown road, they’ll probably get a lump in their throats as they pass the spot where the 19-year-old was killed while she directed school traffic.

Email newsletter signup

After passing through the section of the county road that triggers painful memories, the Warnocks will turn north and head to Jackson to tell their story to strangers.

Both the Warnocks and a few other residents from Adams County are expected to speak at the state Capitol Tuesday in support of a new bill that would give Mississippi sheriff deputies the right to use radar to control speeders.

Reliving the events of Jan. 9, won’t be easy, but Mr. Warnock says the experience will be worth it&160;- if something good will come out of it.

&uot;It’s ridiculous that (investigators) say speed wasn’t a factor (in the accident that claimed Casey’s life),&uot; Mr. Warnock said. &uot;They can say speed wasn’t a factor if they want to, but I know different.&uot;

&uot;We don’t hold any grudges or have anything bad to say about (the teenager whose care struck Schrock),&uot; Mr. Warnock said. &uot;We want her to know that we love her and support her.&uot;

Speeding on Morgantown Road has been a problem for years, the Warnocks said. They say they have, in fact, been before the Adams County Board of Supervisors to discuss the matter on previous occasions.

&uot;We’ve been telling the supervisors this for years,&uot; Mr. Warnock said.

The county lowered the speed limit on that section of Morgantown Road a few days after the accident, Mr. Warnock said. However speed limits alone are not enough, he said.

&uot;I’d like to see the sheriff’s department get off their tails and start patrolling this area,&uot; he said. &uot;I grew up with most of (the sheriff deputies), and they aren’t bad people, but they say ‘without radar we’ve got nothing to prove people are speeding.’&uot;

Mr. Warnock says the end of Morgantown Road which is regularly patrolled by the Natchez Police Department – which is allowed under state law to use radar – is calm and motorists drive slowly since they know they can easily be ticketed.

But he compares the county’s end of the road to the &uot;Indianapolis 500.&uot;

Several different bills to give county sheriffs the ability to use radar are pending before the Legislature. In past years similar bills have failed to be approved and become law.

Mr. Warnock is hoping that by telling his family’s painful story Tuesday that this year the radar bills might have a chance.

&uot;This community can’t afford to lose another child. That’s exactly why we’re going to Jackson. We’re going to try our best to make Casey’s death have some good come out of it.&uot;

Kevin Cooper is managing editor of The Democrat. He can be reached at (601) 445-3541 or by e-mail at kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.