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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 1984)
Page 6/The Battalion/Monday, January 23, 1984 Accused killer reportedly family man, churchgoer United Press International SHERMAN — A Dallas che- nical salesman, charged with capital murder in the Oct. 8, 1983, shooting deaths of four nen including a deputy sheriff, ,vas described as a family man md a practising Baptist whose lobby was building ultralight lircraft. Lester Leroy Bower Jr., 36, a ialesman for Thompson- Hayward Chemical Co., was irrested without incident Friday light at his home in the Dallas iuburb of Arlington, and was icing held Sunday in Grayson bounty jail in lieu of bonds total- ng $400,000. No motive in the slayings have ieen established and authorities Sunday refused to discuss the ase. Bower was charged in the deaths of Grayson County De puty Phillip Good, 29, former Sherman policeman Ronald Mayes, 37, Bob Tate, 51, a ranch owner, and Jerry Brown, 51, a paint contractor. Their bodies were found in a makeshift han gar on a ranch owned by Tate. Good had been with the sheriffs department only eight days prior to his death. Three of the victims were flying enthusiasts and apparent ly had gone to the ranch to meet someone about the sale of an ultralight, a motorized glider, authorities said. At the time of the discovery of the bodies, an ultralight plane was reported missing from the hangar. Bower’s arrest capped an in tense investigation led by county authorities, FBI, the Texas De partment of Public Safety, and Arlington police. Jerry Buckner, Bower’s lawyer, said the accused was building an ultralight in his gar age when he was arrested. He said Bower had answered an advertisement for an ultra light placed by one of the vic tims. “My client called that phone number and the investigators apparently traced back every one who answered that ad,” Buckner said. Sheriff L.E. “Jack” Driscoll told a news conference Saturday his office was confident “we have the right man” in the slayings. He said officers col lected some three to four dozen items of evidence from Bower’s home in addition to hair samples taken from Bower. But the sheriff refused to de scribe the items. He said telephone records of the four victims played a key role in the case and that Bower be came a suspect early this month. FBI officials said they were looking into any violations of in terstate commerce laws and pos sible federal charges against Bower. Bower, married and father of two daughters, was raised in Tulsa, Okla., and worked in Fort Collins, Colo., before being transferred to the Dallas area in July. He became a member of the Fielder Road Baptist Church in Arlington. Buckner told the Dallas Morning News, “He’s is a family man, a church man. He’s not the criminal type at all . He’s the coach of his daughter’s soccer team. Gayle Baucum, a Baptist pas tor and a relative of Bower’s wife, said Bower laughed when he first heard that authorities wanted to question him. “I remember when they first talked to him, he kind of laughed” Baucum sa4d. “He never dreamed it would go this far.” Baucum said, “I don’t think he’s guilty. I don’t believe it. I won’t until it is proven and even then. I’ll back him.” The pastor said Bower and his family aliened church Oct. 9, the day after the slayings. Get Your Xerox Copies Serving Luncheon Buffet Sandwich and Soup Bar Mezzanine Floor Sunday through Friday 11 a.m. to i :30 p.m. at Northgate Above Farmer's Market Delicious Food Beautiful View Open to the Public ^ “Quality First” ^ r New, lower rates for large numbers of copies per origin al. We now offer both high-quality Xerox® copying and offset printing! Also: Self-service copying, typing, reductions and enlargements, binding, resume writing, editing, business cards, wedding invitations, stationery and many other services. One stop service for reports and dissertations. ON THE DOUBLE 331 University 846-3755 , ’u*j'*«'•- ** ./»• jL-»»K■ ■■ - V:...> , * > • ._ ^ HOURS: Mon-Fri 7a.m.-10p.m. Sat. 9a.m.-6p.m. Thursday Feb.23 8:00 pm G. Rollie White Coliseum Tickets $8.50, $8.00, $7.00 MSC Box Office 845-1234 Option Pass Jan. 16-20 General Sales Jan. 23 MSCTOW1VWAT.T,. 9 killed, 20 injured in bus-truck collision United Press International KALISPELL, Mont. — Nine people died and 20 were injured in the firey crash of a tanker truck and a bus car rying a high school wrestling team along an icy highway at the edge of Glacier National Park. Pathologists Sunday tried to identify the victims. Another accident Saturday killed a University of Oregon wrestler and injured eight others, including the son of author Ken Kesey, near Pomeroy, Wash. The truck driver told police from his hospital bed that the empty fuel truck “just slipped away” from him and jackknifed on U.S. highway 2. The bus, carrying Whitefish High School wrestlers and others home from a wrestling match in nearby Browning, crashed head-on into the rig. Officers said the accident in the northwest section of the state was the worst in Monta na’s history. Harold Belcher, 63, of Cut Bank, Mont., driver of the tanker truck, was being tre ated for undetermined in juries. Corky Derby, Flathead County Sheriffs’ Office spokeswonjan, said both vehi cles burst into flames on im pact. The front of the bus was reduced to ashes, officers at the scene said. Pathologists were trying to identify the victims, and an in quest was expected. In addi tion to the bus driver, the fata lities apparently included two team coaches, the wife and son of one of the coaches and two cheerleaders. None of the injured, who were being treated at hospitals in Whitefish and Kalispell, was reported critically hurt. The accident occurred ab out 50 miles east of Kalispel. At least five buses carrying high school wrestling teams were traveling Highway 2 at the time after matches in near by Browning. In a tragically similar acci dent, a member of the Univer sity of Oregon wrestling team was killed and eight othersin- jured Saturday in thecrashof a team van that went out of control on an icy road near Pomeroy, Wash., pitchedovet a guard rail and down an embankment. Four of the injured, includ ing the son ol author Ken Kesey, were critically hurt in the accident in a remote area of southeastern Washington. All were thrown from the van, police said. They said the van rolled 185 feet downs . steep slope, conning to restH against a barbed wire fence. Lorenzo West, 20, of Pott- land. Ore., was killed. Kesey, of Pleasant Hill, Ore., sus- : tained severe head injuries, officers said. The van was taking lOvar- . L sity wrestlers and two assistant f : coaches to a scheduled match with Washington State Uni versity in Pullman. It was i driven by assistant coach Dean 1 Dixon, who suffered minoi i injuries. -Ji:! Prof not running again New members called by CHRISTINE MALLON Staff writer Texas A&M professor Bruce Robeck announced Friday he will not seek re-election to the College Station Independent School Board in the April elec tion. Robeck has been a member of the board for nine years and is currently serving as president. “Many people have urged me to run again,” Robeck said. “They have argued that my ex perience would provide vital continuity for the board. But I believe the board must be re freshed, from time to time, with new members.” Robeck also announced he will not run for Congress as he said he would last fall. “I decided I would be begin ning my campaign (for Con- 7 believe the board must be refreshed, from time to time, with new members.’ — Bruce Robeck, CS school board presi dent. gress) about two months too late,” he said. “There wasn’t Attend the 1984 Career Fair Banquet Wednesday, February 1 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. MSC Ballroom Reserve a seat with the cotnpezny of your choice. Tickets are on sale this week in the Blocker (AirA) foyer from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. really enough time to raisciili^ necessary f unds.” /Kj Robeck, who has been pre| M dent of the CSISD board siE®^ mid 1982, said he wants to#|:j}. K vote mote tune to his tamihr: to his job as an associate prof6| r sor ot poluu.d science at Teuj u A&M. 01 th Bi Robeck said his decision m to run again has nothingtoi with the reported ruino; around the community th there is conflict betweent% board and the superintendelf! of the district. He also dewiF Mi 20 tic Pe such a conflict exists. 73 aliens detectec in truck United Press International o, RICHMOND — Authona Sunday found 73 illegal afe including “babies on up tod men” crammed into the bad: a rental truck stopped for routine traffic viotation. “They were wall-to-w said the Texas DepartmenU Public Safety trooper whosl« ped the truck after he detecteii speeding. I Investigators reported noil juries among those stuffedicj the rear of the truck. I Authorities said the 73afe| padlocked inside the trucker®! partment and three more rid®! in the cab were arrested taken to the Fort BendCoufl jail in nearby Richmond. Immigration and Natural®! tion officials then took cusiO M of the aliens and wereschedd to transport them back lot Mexican border, officials!