The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, May 17, 1978, Image 1
The Battalion Vol. 71 No. 155 6 Pages Wednesday, May 17, 1978 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 Inside Wednesday A short story about good ol’ boys and politics — page 2. Warnings about the deadly assassin bug — page 4. Aggie track team has a heyday in Austin — page 6. Hill crime task force said working illegally By United Press International AUSTIN — Gov. Dolph Briscoe’s Crim inal Justice Division said Tuesday that Attorney General John Hill’s Organized Crime Task Force is operating illegally. The 55-page report from an audit re quested by the governor said Hill’s task force members have operated illegally as peace officers, performed undercover police work, participated in gun-point ar rest and engaged illegally in intelligence activities. “Until and unless the Legislature acts to grant such powers to the attorney general any exercise of police power, which is granted by law only to ‘peace officers,’ must be viewed as an illegal activity,’ the report said. A Hill spokesman termed the report ridiculous and said the allegations of illegal activity are “sour grapes from a lame duck.” “There are going to be a lot of mad people in law enforcement when they read this report,” Tim James, task force direc tor, said. “The way they read the law no body but the Department of Public Safety is authorized to maintain any intelligence files. They’re saying cities, counties, and everybody else can’t keep files. It’s amaz ing to me that they would put out a report like this. Briscoe asked his staff to look into ac tivities of Hill’s task force and to audit the federal grants totaling $1.7 million that the governor’s criminal justice division had awarded the organized crime unit in the past five years. The audit report was released late Tuesday after Hill and Briscoe left Austin for Washington for a series of separate meetings with President Carter and con gressional leaders. Robert C. Flowers, head of Briscoe’s criminal justice division, said copies of the report were delivered to the governor and attorney general. The xeport says Hill circumvented the Legislature’s expressed intent in refusing to certify his task force members as peace officers and obtaining certificates for them to carry guns through a district attorney. In addition to questioning arrangements under which the task force members re ceived authorization to carry guns, the governor’s group criticized Hill’s unit for assigning three members of the task force to work with state and local law enforce ment agencies. Flowers also said auditors found poor and inaccurate records, incomplete em ployee activity and time reports, and a lack of, or weakness in, controls over expendi tures. The audit report questioned 19 financial records and cited a “net overstatement in allowable expenditures of $3,728.” James said the $3,728 involved “pid dling” bookkeeping matters. The task force director denied the unit has operated illegally and said the group’s surveillance and undercover work is au thorized under state law. “Certainly we do surveillance work, undercover police work, general police work — how else can we combat organized crime. We do it and we re proud of it. We re certainly authorized to do it,” James said. James questioned the timing of the report’s release—10 days after Hill de feated Briscoe in the Democratic primary. Safety agency levies fines related to grain explosion The pause that refreshes Curtis Dickey takes a minute to relax after win ning the 100-meter dash during Saturday’s 63rd annual Southwest Conference track and field meet. Dickey finished with a time of 10.05, just Battalion photo by Pat O’Malley ahead of Texas’ Johnny “Lam” Jones. Texas A&M won the meet with 126 points, the first conference victory for the Aggies since 1970. See related story, page 6. By United Press International DALLAS — The federal government today recommended that Continental Grain Co. be fined more than $47,000 for willful and serious health and safety violations at a Westwego, La., grain plant that exploded last December killing 36 persons. The fines were recommended by the Labor Department’s Occupational, Safety and Health Administration’s regional of fice in Dallas. “The OSHA’s actions follow the agen cy’s investigation of the explosion at a Con tinental Grain elevator in the Louisiana town Dec. 22, 1977, ” an OS HA spokes man said. “The penalties proposed were $40,000 for eight alleged willful violations, $7,300 for 10 serious violations and $100 for one of three violations in other or non- serious categories.” An OS HA official said Continental had 15 days to appeal or pay the fines. The “willful” violations listed by OSHA included allegations Continental failed to exercise proper safety precautions in using compressed air to blow dust from around machines on the top floor of the grain company’s headhouse. The explosion that killed 36 workers was centered at the 250-foot headhouse, lo cated along the Mississippi River five miles above New Orleans. OSHA also alleged that Continental vio lated safety regulations by failing to provide “adequate means for removal of static electricity from the conveyor belts.” Grain dust is highly explosive. Some in vestigators have said they thought the blast may have been set off by sparks from one of the conveyor belts used to shuttle grain from ships along the Mississippi River to the plant. “Among the 10 alleged serious violations, four were cited under the Na tional Electric Code,” said an OSHA spokesman. “(They included) not provid ing proper current-breaking contacts; im proper fittings and boxes where dust could enter; using unapproved electric spark- producing equipment, and no grounding for exposed non-current carrying metal parts.” an airmails himself out of Saudi Arabia Gas well still but reported burning stable \ By United Press International [HOUSTON — A Texas businessman red from leaving Saudi Arabia because [a contract dispute with local Saudi of- aals says he escaped by air-freighting iself from the Arab country in a packing i“It was quite a hair-raising experience were glad it’s over,” Mrs. John L. fcDonald said. Mrs. McDonald had been 'ing to arrange alternate escapes for her iusband, such as using a false passport. McDonald, 47, president of Heritage lilding Systems International, said he itracted with the Saudis to supply con- housing forms. But he said the iudis claimed the $400,000 deal included 11aliation of the forms and erection of msing. ■On Nov. 19, the Saudi government seized McDonald’s passport. Although he was free to roam the country, he said he :came convinced he would not be ai red to leave for years, if ever. “Our contracts were solid. They (the iudis) didn’t say anything about erecting ie building until we got there and then they took my passport,” McDonald said. He charged the Saudis later tried to trick him into signing a statement that he had been treated fairly by presenting him one document in English and a different one in Arabic. “I can read Arabic and they weren’t the same as the English documents they wanted me to sign. I told them I would die before I would sign their documents. They told me that could be arranged,” he said. “I prepared the escape for six weeks. I didn’t tell anyone but my confederate,” McDonald said. That included his wife, Pat, who was waiting in Houston. McDonald built a box four feet high, two-and-one-half feet wide and two-and- one-half feet deep with small air holes drilled among crating nails so as not to at tract attention. It also had a trap door in the bottom. He tested it for livability. Then, on May 7, McDonald placed a bag of cement approximating his weight inside the box and had it delivered to the Dhahran airport for clearance through cus toms. After customs clearance, McDonald went to the airport and slipped inside through the trap door while guards weren’t looking. When the box was unloaded at a European airport, he climbed out and declared himself. He arrived in Houston May 8. McDonald said he lost 158 days work time and probably $82,000 the Saudi gov ernment owes him. He said he will con tinue business with other Middle East countries but not Saudi Arabia. He blamed the Saudi government and official American passiveness. “There are hundreds of Americans locked up unjustly in Saudi Arabia every year and nothing is done,” McDonald said. “It goes all the way back to Washing ton. They’re anxious to prove they’re nice guys.” He said he has turned the matter over to a law firm for possible legal action but was not optimistic because “they don’t have any civil courts over there,” McDonald declined to identify the people who helped him, the European city where he emerged from the box or the air route he flew from Saudi Arabia. “I’m not saying what city or what airport because that might affect some other people,” he said. By United Press International WALTON, Tex. — A leaking natural gas well that has forced three evacuations in the past six days was reported Tuesday as “uncapped but stable” and burning with a 30-foot flame. About 110 families who live in the rol ling hills surrounding the East Texas well remained barred from their homes, which they had to leave last Thursday, because of the threat of poisonous hydrogen sulfide gas. A spokesman for the Department of Public Safety in nearby Tyler said capping activity at the well site was at a standstill while workers awaited new strategy and new equipment from Houston. Ronald Hengen, a spokesman for the N.F.C. Petroleum Corp., owners of the well, said the evacuation was ordered only as a “precaution.” “It is emphasized that at no time has there been any evidence of the escape of hydrogen sulfide beyond the wellsite,” he said. “As previously reported, Red Adair is continuing measures to control the well that blew out when a valve above the drill ing platform failed. Heavy duty equip ment is being moved to the wellsite and a relief well will be spudded as a further precaution as soon as a rig has been moved on location,” he said. The well first erupted early last week. It blew out again Monday. County deputies, DPS patrolmen and local police quickly evacuated residents living as far as seven miles from the well. By late evening, the evacuation line was reduced to only two miles. ^Billy Carter to talk at graduation in small Colorado farming town By United Press International ARAPAHOE, Colo. — This tiny eastern Colorado farming town has a population of 15 and ne graduating high school Seniors. Commencement exercises are ex acted to draw up to 5,000. The reason is — Billy Carter is coming I to town. “I’m not really sure, but I think we ll have anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 here. Some people have been talking about 15,000, but I doubt that,” Dr. Harold Tut tle, superintendent of Arapahoe District R-3, said. Carter, the loquacious brother of the j president, has agreed to speak to the nine - graduating seniors of Arapahoe High M School Wednesday night. Although he jjl lormally charges a fee, this time Carter Jill has agreed to speak for free. |jj| Arapahoe, which has no motels, no cafes ; | md only one gasoline station, is preparing 1 as well as it can for the huge number of iP visitors. The ceremonies will be held in f the football field west of the main school building, the only place that can be found ^ to hold all the people. “If it rains or the wind blows we ll be in trouble,” Tuttle said. “We’ll have to move into the school gymnasium, which can hold about 1,600. But we don’t have any place for anyone to stay or to eat. “There’s a couple of motels down at Cheyenne Wells (nine miles away) and som^ over at Burlington (45 miles), or they can go to Sharon Springs in Kansas.” Tuttle said the school had persuaded the 75-piece band from Limon High School to perform at the exercises because Arapahoe’s band only has six musicians. The entire school system, which covers 450 square miles, only has 70 students in grades kindergarten through 12. Service today for graduate math assistant Graveside services for John Bennet Voo- rhees, a graduate teaching assistant in the Mathematics department at Texas A&M University will be held at 2 p. m. Voorhees, 25, died Saturday. The Dallas native, a resident of College Station for the past seven years, received a bachelor’s degree in physics from Texas A&M in 1976. Outcome of pari-mutuel vote uncertain By United Press International AUSTIN — The canvass of votes in . the Democratic and Republican primary elections Tuesday showed Attorney General John Hill and Bill Clements as winners of the nomina tions for governor, but left consider able doubt concerning the outcome of a referendum on pari-mutuel bet ting. The State Democratic Executive Committee took no action concern ing the pari-mutuel vote, and the State Republican Executive Com mittee canvass reversed the earlier apparent outcome favoring the legalized horse race betting. The SREC tally showed the issue was defeated by GOP voters 74,281 to 69,638. Unofficial returns com piled by the Texas Election Bureau had indicated Republicans approved the issue by a slight margin. SDEC chairman Calvin Guest , said Tuesday there were more than 30 counties which still had not re ported the outcome of the parimutuel vote to the party head quarters, and said the results will be announced by a June 13 SDEC meeting (see related story, this page). The vote canvass Tuesday showed Hill received 51.43 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, compiling 932,338 votes to 753,305 for Gov. Dolph Briscoe, 14,785 for Donald R. Beagle, 20,274 for Ray Allen Mayo and 92,088 for former Gov. Preston Smith. The tally also showed Rep. Bob Krueger, D-Texas, the winner of the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate with 853,460 votes to Christie’s 707,738; Warren G. Harding won the Democratic nomi nation for state treasurer with 816,334 votes to 491,615 for Harry Ledbetter and 208,012 for Charles R. Sanderson; and showed Jerry Sa dler and John Poerner in a runoff for the nomination to a Railroad Com mission seat. The final count gave Sadler 656,069 to Poerner’s 408,283, Jake Johnson’s 213,051 and Ray Lem mon’s 164,121. Reagan Brown was officially declared the Democratic nominee for agriculture commis sioner, compiling 741,213 votes to Joe Hubenak’s 414,161 and Don G. Sewell’s 256,490. Comptroller Bob Bullock, who was unopposed in the primary, was the top Democratic vote getter with 1,141,032. The SREC certified Clements as the easy winner over former legis lator Ray Hutchison and Clarence G. Thompson of Fort Worth in the GOP governor’s race. Clements re ceived 114,535 votes to 37,737 for Hutchison and 4,707 for Thompson. The 156,979 Republican turnout was the second largest in GOP his tory in Texas, and the largest ever in a non presidential election year. Backers of pari-mutuel gambling want to delay referendum results By United Press International AUSTIN — Backers of a move to legalize pari-mutuel horse race gambling in Texas said Tuesday they will take legal action to delay an nouncement of the outcome of the referendum in the Democratic pri mary because of allegations of vote irregularities. Al Poujol of Houston, past chair man of the Texas Horseracing As sociation, and Tom Russell, execu tive secretary of the Texas Thoroughbred Breeders Associa tion, said they have reason to be lieve there were frequent transposi tions in reporting of results on the pari-mutuel referendum. He said one concerned higher interest rates on small loans and that ineligible voters were allowed to vote in the election in some counties. The Texas Election Bureau re ported the referendum had been soundly defeated, but the State Democratic Executive Committee Tuesday did not consider the vote because of incomplete; returns. The State Republican Executive Com mittee certified results showing GOP voters had defeated the re ferendum rather than approving it as originally indicated by the TEB. Poujol said backers of the pari mutuel issue had attempted to in dependently tabulate returns from each of the state’s 254 counties. “The last tally we had showed us with a 20,000 vote majority, but there are some counties we haven t even counted,” he said. “Were in the process of attempting to get a temporary restraining order that would allow us to go county by county and box by box to find the truth. “I can tell you there s no 60-40 margin. We think we won it,” Poujol said. The referendum is nonbinding, but was considered an indication to the 1979 legislator of voters’ senti ments concerning the gambling is sue. Poujol said his group has dicov- ered errors in reporting of votes that resulted in switching of more than 30,000 votes, but conceded there is little chance for an accurate recount of votes on a statewide b^sis. “I don’t think the results will ever be known, but it’ll be real close, he said. He said the pari-mutuel was listed as proposition No. 1 on the ballot in some areas, but as proposi tion No. 2 in others. Compilation of the votes often confused the horse race issue with a vote on higher interest rates for small loans, he said.