THE BATTALION
THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 1981
Page 7
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United Press International
GALVESTON — A grand jury
returning murder indictments
against a Texas City nursing home
in the deaths of eight patients
Wednesday issued a report blast
ing some authorities regulating
the home and investigating the
"horror story.”
The panel worked off and on for
two years to return 23 indictments
at midnight Tuesday against the
Autumn Hills Convalescent Cen
ter. Four of the center’s adminis
trators also were indicted, a dis
trict attorney said.
In its report, the 12-member
grand jury said Texas’ laws were
not severe enough against those
who neglect the elderly.
Also in that report, Galveston
County District Attorney James
Hury was accused of “throwing up
obstacles” to the investigation,
and the Texas Health Department
was cited as needing a “complete
investigation from the administra
tor in Austin to the low man on the
totem pole.”
The nursing facility is one of 17
Autumn Hills Convalescent Cen
ter Inc. homes within 100 miles of
Houston. The company and the
indicted employees were charged
with abuse and neglect leading to
murder by omission of seven
women and one man during 1978
and 1979.
Assistant District Attorney
David Marks said 21 more indict
ments were expected to be re
turned after a new grand jury is
impaneled Monday.
The grand jury indicated it be
lieved doctors were aware of the
neglect, and that those doctors
should be “investigated and se
verely penalized for their actions
(or lack of actions) in this horror
story.”
Autumn Hills chain owner
Robert E. Gay of Houston said he
did not understand the indict
ments.
“I was just talking with one of
the ladies who was indicted and
she said she has talked to no one in
the case for two years,” he said.
“The grand jury built this case as
they went along. We absolutely
don’t know what to think about it.
We’re puzzled.”
The names of the individual
defendants were withheld pend
ing notification.
Gay said Autumn Hills had
been operating for 18 years and
had the highest rating of any nurs
ing home chain in the state.
“Out of the 17 centers, 80 per
cent of them are rated superior,
the highest rating. No one else
gets close to that,” he said.
The grand jury questioned
some 200 witnesses and checked
the records of every patient in the
Texas City nursing home from
September 1977 through August
1979.
Autumn Hills lawyer Carol
Vance said the investigation was
triggered by a “disgruntled former
employee,” Betty Korndorffer,
who went to work for the state
Health Department as a nursing
home inspector after leaving a
position as nursing supervisor at
Autumn Hills’ Friendswood cen
ter.
Mrs. Korndorffer is the wife of
Galveston County Medical Ex
aminer William Korndorffer.
The eight Autumn Hills pa
tients who prosecutors allege died
of neglect were: Edna Mae Witt,
Oct. 16, 1978; Betty Cappony,
March 7, 1978; Elnora B. Breed,
Nov. 20, 1978; Freddie Mae
Larsen, July 14, 1978; Francisco
Coss, Nov. 16, 1978; Alberta Wel
come, April 5, 1979; Fannue
Bums, May 9, 1978, and Laura
Bell Johnson, April 23, 1978.
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McAllen vote fraud inquiry underway
United Press International
* McALLEN — A Hidalgo Coun-
i ty grand jury Wednesday investi-
| gated allegations of voter fraud in
McAllen involving Mexican na-
", § tionals, duplicate registrations
and votes cast by deceased voters,
| city officials said.
McAllen City Attorney Ted
Calisi said more than 450 voters
are being checked by the grand
jury after Mayor Othal Brand
complained of possible voter
fraud.
“I spoke with the grand jury
yesterday (Tuesday) and I believe
the panel is still convening today
(Wednesday),” Calisi said. “I re
viewed the allegations, and irre
gularities appeared, if not outright
fraud.”
Calisi said Brand employed
computers to cross-check names
and addresses of registered voters
in McAllen and found enough
questionable voters to “change
the election results in two
seconds.”
Brand was unavailable for im
mediate comment.
Among irregularities cited by
Calisi were:
—Registered voters whose
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Funds issued for prison
United Press International
AUSTIN — Comptroller Bob
i Bullock said Tuesday he was
[issuing $6.7 million in checks to
alow the Texas Department of
Corrections to complete its purch
ase of about 5,900 acres of Grimes
I County land for a new prison near
Navasota.
to release the funds for the prison prison is part of the plan to relieve
land acquisition after legal advice that overcrowding.
The comptroller said he decided
from the attorney general’s office
and a request from prison director
W.J. Estelle Tr.
Texas is under federal court
order to relieve overcrowding con
ditions that currently force about
2,400 inmates to sleep on cell
floors, and the new Grimes County
The 3rd Court of Civil Appeals
last week dissolved an injunction
preventing the state from proceed
ing with the purchase, although
Grimes County residents who ini
tially filed the suit indicated at that
time they would appeal the deci
sion to the Texas Supreme Court.
iamond Room 707
GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION
THROUGH APRIL 3rd.
..... v-.. - - i, j j
COME IN AND REGISTER FOR A
BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED LADIES
NINE DIAMOND AND TWELVE SAPPHIRE
RING TO BE GIVEN AWAY ON APRIL 3.
VALUED AT 32,500.
FOUR 325 GIFT CERTIFICATES FOR
GOLD ADD-A-BEADS WILL ALSO BE
GIVEN AWAY.
COME IN AND REGISTER AND
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR
GRAND OPENING SALE.
707 TEXAS AVE. SOOTH
COLLEGE STATION, TX.
713-693-7444
Free — 8 gallons of one of your favorite
summer beverages for each apartment leased
for summer or full year.
Beautiful pool-and-sun area,
complete tennis facilities and party room
top-off your summer fun.
Get ail your friends together
for a super summer
.* at Barcelona
High Times
Low Rents
Extra large, luxurious apartments.
Ideal location complimented with
beautifully landscaped grounds.
Close to campus with
ample shuttle bus service
Summer rents are now reduced to 33%
Never have they been available
at these great savings.
EET
VIAL
VILL
Barcelona
700 Dominik
693-0261
addresses are vacant lots.
—Mexican nationals from
Reynosa, Mexico, with valid voter
registration.
—Voters registered two or
three times in different districts
with one-letter changes in spelling
of names or one-day changes on
birthdates.
—Deceased individuals regis
tered to vote in the Saturday elec
tion.
— Registered voters casting
more than one ballot in absentee
polling.
“It’s possible that these are all
different people but not likely,”
Calisi said, adding that 450 ques
tioned registrations were turned
over to the grand jury in Edin
burg, Texas, and as many as 1,000
voters may be involved.
More than $400,000 in civil
claims against the McAllen police
department awarded in brutality
lawsuits and economic issues have
stirred the McAllen mayoral con
test this year.
Opposing Brand for the top ex
ecutive post in the Saturday elec
tion are Dr. Ramiro Casso, a local
physician, and city commissioner
Michael Frost.
CORNERSTONE
FREE WILL RAPTIST CHURCH
Temporarily meeting in the Old College Station City Hall at
the comer of Wellborn and Church Street, one block from
the Northwest comer of the main campus.
WEEKLY SERVICES
Sunday School 9:45 A.M.
Sunday Worship 11:00 A.M.
Sunday Evening 7:00 P.M.
Wednesday Bible Study 7:00 P.M.
We are growing and serving. Come and Worship with us.
Pastor - Rev. Wesley Bigelow
Phone 846-3811
Tfe
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wVTwnrE:
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Prescriptions Filled
Glasses Repaired
216 N. MAIN
BRYAN
Mon.-Fri.
Sat.
822-6105
8 a.m.-5 p.m.
8 a.m.-l p.m.
ALLEN
Olds mobile
Cadillac
Honda
SALES - SERVICE
“Where satisfaction is
standard equipment"
2401 Texas Ave.
779-3516
iamond Room 707
GRAND OPENING SALE
THROUGH APRIL 4th
A BEAUTIFUL SELECTION OF DIAMOND AND
GEMSTONE JEWELRY — VALUES FROM
#100 TO #4500
25% OFF
A TREMENDOUS ASSORTMENT OF
14K YELLOW GOLD CHAINS
30% OFF
A LARGE SELECTION OF ADD-A-BEADS. GOLD
MALACHITE, AMYTHEST, ONYX, JADE, PEARL.
30% OFF
COME IN AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
THESE TERRIFIC SALE PRICES.
AND DONT FORGET TO REGISTER FOR
THE #2,500 SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND RING.
707 TEXAS AVE. SOUTH
COLLEGE STATION, TX.
713-693-7444
ZTA ■ KKr ■ KA© • APA ■ AATT ■ AAA
i
fPcmAe/Zenic
rush forum
>
e
JNJ
lues., April 7, 7 p.m.
for
freshmen & sophomores
interested in joining a
SORORITY
NEXT FALL...
meet representatives from
10 Texas A&M sororities
RAMADA INN BALLROOM
CD
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