From the Rocky Mount Telegram, Sept. 1

Antwan Maurice Pittman has a long history of trouble with the law, including a conviction of sexually assaulting a 2-year-old. He hasn’t been convicted yet of anything related to a string of homicides in Western Edgecombe County. But his arrest comes as welcome news, nonetheless, to a community that has spent much of the past five years in anguish over the disappearances and deaths of at least six women.

If he is found guilty in the homicide of Taraha Shenice Nicholson, whom he is accused of strangling, the sentencing that follows should be severe enough to remove him from the public for the rest of his life — however long or short that may be.

That will be of small consolation to the families of Nicholson or any of the other women whose bodies have been found in the Edgecombe County countryside. But it may bring some peace of mind to the rest of the community.

There are many lessons to be learned from the Edgecombe case. The deaths were horrible ends for a group of women whose lifestyles included substance abuse and prostitution. Some people think those habits — plus the fact that the victims were African-American — kept the murders from receiving the attention they warranted from police and the media.

They raise an important point. It’s hard to understand why Edgecombe County Sheriff James L. Knight kept information about the possibility of a serial killer under wraps for so long. Only after reporters began asking questions about the homicides did Knight link the cases publicly. Wouldn’t the community have been better served if Knight had shared his suspicions before the beginning of summer?

Even now, with Pittman in jail, authorities have been tightlipped about the case. They held a brief press conference Sept. 1 to announce the charges, but they did not answer questions about the other five murders.

If they believe Pittman’s arrest clears those mysteries, Knight and other authorities should say so. If they don’t believe Pittman is connected to the other deaths, they should indicate that, as well. The last thing Eastern Rocky Mount needs is a false sense of security as the result of a single arrest.

Despite those troubling questions, here’s hoping Knight and other law enforcement authorities have captured the right person. The end of this nightmare would be welcome news, indeed, for all of North Carolina.