TERRY LEE "TJ" LIPFORD Jr - 14 yo - North Wilkesboro (W of Winston-Salem) NC

One local mother anxiously awaits the return of her
14-year-old son, who she says disappeared moments before he was scheduled to
arrive at a group home in Wilkes County last week.
Terry Lee Lipford Jr., also known as 'T.J,' traveled to
Wilkes County Thursday evening Aug. 19 to 'sign in' at the Rainbow Center.
A division of Barium Springs Home for Children, the Rainbow
Center is a non-profit agency that offers residential care and child
development services for children and families, the organization's Website stated.



Lipford's mother, Lisa Eastride of Creston, said that he
left the group home's property within five minutes of arriving and has not been heard from since.
"He never made it inside," Eastridge said. Lipford allegedly
walked to the edge of the group home's property before breaking into a run and
disappearing from sight.
A police report, filed by Officer Jonathan Hayes of the
North Wilkesboro Police Department, confirms Eastridge's statement that her son
did not want to stay at the center and left. The report also states that
Lipford may be staying with a Matt Osborne of Wilkes County.
Lipford was ordered by a court to live at the center for a
probation violation that stemmed from him not attending school, his mother
said. Eastridge said that Lipford had not been living with her for some time
and had previously stayed at a residence on Graybeal Hollow Road in Creston.
Detective Ann Williams of the NWPD said that she has spoke
with officials with the Ashe County Department of Social Services and her
department is currently following up on any leads it receives in reference to
Lipford's whereabouts.
Sarah Gray, Director of Marketing and Development for Barium
Springs, said that due to privacy concerns and safety issues, the agency would
not verify if Lipford was supposed to be a resident at the center or if a
resident did in fact run away from the center last week. The NWPD report
confirms a runaway from the Rainbow Center took place on Thursday, Aug. 19.
Lipford is described as four feet tall, with blondish brown
hair, blue eyes, and has two fingers on his left hand that are disfigured. If
anyone sees Lipford, they are encouraged to contact the North Wilkesboro Police
Department at (336) 838-3158, the Wilkes County Sheriff's Department at (336)
838-9111 or the Ashe County Sheriff's Office at (336) 846-5600.
For more information on the Rainbow Center or Barium Springs
Home for Children, click to www.rainbowcenterforchildren.org.

Wilkes County authorities continue their search for a
missing Ashe County teen, who they said disappeared moments before he was
scheduled to arrive at a group home in North Wilkesboro two weeks ago.


Terry Lee Lipord, Jr., 14, traveled to Wilkes County on
Thursday, Aug. 19 to 'sign-in' at the Rainbow Center, a division of Barium Springs
Home for Children, but never made it inside. According to his mother, Lisa
Eastridge, and a North Wilkesboro Police Department [NWPD] incident report,
Lipford said he did not want to stay at the group home and instead left.
Lipford, Eastridge explained, was ordered by a judge to stay at the center for
a probation violation that stemmed from excessive absences from school.


What has remained to be answered by local authorities is who
accompanied Lipford to the group home and who was ultimately responsible for
his wellbeing at the time of his disappearance.


Wilkes County authorities said Lipford was not accompanied
by a police officer and Eastridge stated that he was with a probation officer
when he disappeared. Court officials could not release whose custody Lipford
was under at the time of his disappearance stating state laws protect the
privacy of juvenile offenders. Messages for the supervisor of the Wilkes County
and Ashe County probation offices were not returned.


Detective Ann Williams of the NWPD said that authorities are
continuing to follow any leads that come into the office in regards to
Lipford's case. An anonymous telephone call to the Ashe Mountain Times Thursday evening informed the staff that
Lipford was "ok and was eating" but did not reveal any information concerning
his whereabouts.


Sarah Gray, a spokesperson for Barium Springs and the
Rainbow Center said that due to privacy concerns and safety issues, the agency
could not verify if Lipford was to be a resident of the group home or if a
runaway even took place. A NWPD incident report confirms Lipford's
disappearance from the center.


In a flyer from Eastridge, Lipford is described as being
four feet tall, with blondish brown hair, blue eyes, and has two fingers on his
left hand that are disfigured. If anyone sees T.J., they are encouraged to
contact the North Wilkesboro Police Department at (336) 838-3158, the Wilkes
County Sheriff's Department at (336) 838-9111 or the Ashe County Sheriff's
Office at (336) 846-5600.

Nearly three weeks have passed since an Ashe County teen disappeared from a Wilkes County group home and local authorities remain silent on who was responsible for his well being that day.
Terry Lee Lipford, Jr., 14, traveled to Wilkes County on Thursday, Aug. 19 to 'sign-in' at the Rainbow Center, a division of Barium Springs Home for Children, but never made it inside.
According to his mother, Lisa Eastridge, and a North Wilkesboro Police Department [NWPD] incident report, Lipford said he did not want to stay at the group home and instead left. Lipford, Eastridge explained, was ordered by a judge to stay at the center for a probation violation that stemmed from excessive absences from school.
Messages to contact juvenile court officials were not returned by press time and court officials can not release any information concerning who Lipford was in custody of at the time of disappearance, citing the privacy of juvenile offenders.
According to North Carolina General Statute 7B-2513, "the chief court counselor shall have the responsibility for transporting the juvenile to the youth development center designated by the department. "
The statute further cites, "commitment of the juvenile to the department for placement in a youth development center does not terminate the court's continuing jurisdiction over the juvenile and the juvenile's parent, guardian, or custodian. Commitment of a juvenile to the department for placement in a youth development center transfers only physical custody of the juvenile. Legal custody remains with the parent, guardian, custodian, agency, or institution in whom it was vested."
In a flyer from Eastridge, Lipford is described as being four feet tall, with blondish brown hair, blue eyes, and has two fingers on his left hand that are disfigured. If anyone sees T.J., they are encouraged to contact the North Wilkesboro Police Department at (336) 838-3158, the Wilkes County Sheriff's Department at (336) 838-9111 or the Ashe County Sheriff's Office at (336) 846-5600.

The Search for T.J. Lipford: Day 21

Published: 12:43 AM, 09/15/2010

Last updated: 12:50 AM, 09/15/2010

by Jesse Campbell
Conflicting reports between authorities and family membershave surfaced concerning the sequence of events that led up to thedisappearance of an Ashe County teen.
According to a North Wilkesboro Police Department report,Terry Lee Lipford, Jr., 14 of Creston ran away from the Rainbow Center onThursday, Aug. 19. The boy's mother, Lisa Eastridge, said that Lipford wasordered to stay at a group home by a judge for a probation violation thatstemmed from excessive absences from school.
Although the police report states that the runaway tookplace at the Rainbow Center, Eastridge now says that this untrue and that itwas actually at a group home where Lipford told her that he did not want tostay. Eastridge went on to explain that Lipford had rode down to the RainbowCenter [to sign paper work] from Ashe County with a female probation officerand that she rode in a separate car with her mother.
State law prohibits the transport of male juvenile offendersby female probation officers. According to North Carolina General Statute7B-2513 on the commitment of delinquent juveniles, "the chief court counselorshall have the responsibility for transporting the juvenile to the youthdevelopment center designated by the department. The juvenile shall beaccompanied to the youth development center by a person of the same sex."
Court officials have been unable to verify Eastridge's claimas they are prohibited from releasing information concerning juvenile offendersdue to state privacy laws.
Once at the Rainbow Center, Eastridge explained, Lipford,"got into my car and wouldn't get out. We had to get the sheriff's departmentto come and put him in her [the probation officer's] car."
Eastridge also claims that the probation officer allowed herto ride in the same vehicle with her and Lipford to the group home from theRainbow Center. At that point, Lipford was said to have left the group home'sproperty and has not been heard from since.
"We were afraid to do anything because we thought he was intheir custody at that time," Eastridge said. "A man from the group home wasthere when he ran away," she claims.
Eastridge said that she has not heard anything from Lipfordsince the day of his disappearance.
Lipford is described as being five feet tall, with blondishbrown hair, blue eyes and has two fingers on his left hand that are disfigured.If anyone sees Lipford, they are encouraged to contact the North WilkesboroPolice Department at (336) 838-3158, the Wilkes County Sheriff's Department at(336) 838-9111 or the Ashe County Sheriff's Office at (336) 846-5600.http://www2.mountaintimes.com/ashe_weekly/The_Search_for_T.J._Lipford%3A_Day_21_id_002153

Nothing new found 5-10-12