Monday, December 9,1985/The Battalion/Page 7
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Photo by JON P. KARP
Tree Of Lights
The MSC Hospitality Committee kicked off a week of holiday festi-
idth the lighting of a Christmas tree Sunday night in tne Me-
Student Center Main Lounge.
vities with
morial
DA urges investigations
of police brutality cases
Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO —The Bexar
County district attorney says his
office should routinely investi
gate cases alleging excessive force
by police as a check on the de
partment’s internal affairs inquir
ies.
Police have documented nu
merous incidents of officers using
excessive force against city resi
dents in recent years, but criminal
charges were rarely filed against
officers involved in those cases,
the San Antonio Light reported.
The department instead has
handled the cases within its own
system, doling out administrative
suspensions or reprimands
through the internal affairs divi
sion to officers who assault civil
ians, according to the newspaper.
District Attorney Sam MillSap
said he believes his office should
routinely investigate such cases.
Police Chief Charles Rodriguez
said his department must become
more diligent in its handling of
brutality complaints against his
officers.
A review of 27 brutality cases
over the past three years shows
that only two cases were referred
to the district attorney for consid
eration of charges, the Light re
ported.
The other 25 assaults — which
had been investigated and found
valid by the department's own in
ternal affairs office — resulted
only in suspensions of the guilty
officers.
“My assumption has been until
recently that in every situation
these (assaults) are brought to
me,” said Millsap. “Now, I’m
finding out that there are a lot we
don’t hear about.”
Millsap said one case not sent
to his office involved a citizen
rushing to a hospital who was re
portedly forced off the road and
punched by an officer after he
tried to signal the policeman for
help.
Another case involved a
woman who was handcuffed near
a downtown lounge and allegedly
thrown around, spat upon and
struck several times on the breasts
by an officer on his way to a dis
turbance call, the Light reported.
In neither case was the victim
charged with a crime.
Rodriguez said some police
brutality cases that should have
been sent to the district attorney
were not. But the police chief also
said some citizens who file com
plaints with internal affairs later
change their minds and are not
willing to follow up with the dis
trict attorney.
Millsap said police and other
public officials must be held to
“higher standards than the gen
eral public.
“The police department ought
to be even Quicker to send that
case to the district attorney’s of
fice,” he said.
He said he had discussed the
problem with Rodriguez.
“It’s so basic — you don’t grade
your own papers,” Millsap said.
“I’ve indicated on any number of
occasions to ranking police offi
cers. including the chief and dep
uty chiefs, that the worst thing in
the world for the department to
do is investigate these incidents
themselves and then stop there.
“It makes the
to charges that they are guilty
Lover-up and of protecting tn
own,” he said.
of
teir
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PIZZA
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Prisonner-activist Ruiz
plans to appeal case
Associated Press
AUSTIN — A defense attorney
says he is prepared to appeal a life
sentence nanded David Ruiz, the
former Texas prison inmate whose
lawsuit sparked court-ordered re
forms in the state penitentiary sys
tem.
A. state district court jury took
only 50 minutes Saturday to decide
the sentence for Ruiz, who was con
victed of aggravated robbery.
Court officials said Ruiz, 43,
would be eligible for parole in 20
years, minus any credit for good
conduct given him by prison offi
cials.
“You’ve got a man here who wants
to rob, rob, rob and he’ll do it again
and again if he gets out,” Assistant
District Attorney Ferry Keel told the
jury Saturday in asking for the maxi
mum sentence.
Defense attorney Bob Looney
begged jurors not to take Ruiz “away
from his wife, Rose, and their chil
dren for too long.”
Afterwards, Looney said he was
a motion for a new trial
and was ready to appeal if the mo
tion was denied,
“I think my lawyers did a good job
and I want the sentence appealed,”
said Ruiz, who remained impassive
when the jury’s verdict was read.
State District Judge C.C. “Kit”
Cooke, a visiting juclge from Cle
burne, immediately sentenced Ruiz,
who was found guilty Friday.
Ruiz is on parole from a 25-year
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prison sentence meted out in 19bS,
when he was convicted on three
counts of aggravated robbery. He
also was convicted of robbery in
1960. In 1982, he was given another
25-year sentence for aggravated per
jury. The case is now on appeal.
After the prison reform suit, Ruiz
was moved to the federal prison at
Bastrop after he claimed his life was
in danger in the Texas prison system
because of his activism.
Ruiz said Friday he was being per
secuted because of his prison ref orm
efforts.
“They’re trying to get me anyway
they can, and if that is not biased and
prejudiced, I don't know what is,” he
said Friday, moments after the guilty
verdict.
Prosecution witnesses identified
Ruiz as one oi four robbers who in
vaded a North Austin apartment
Sept. 15, 1984. Jewelry and money
were taken from three men and a
woman. A 22-year-old woman was
raped and sodomized, according to
prosecution testimony.
Looney tried to prove the wit
nesses were vulnerable to pressure
from police to testify against Ruiz
because of their involvement in drug
deals.
Much of the long defense final ar
gument was taken up by a court
room skit staged by Looney. He said
his script was called “Let’s pin it on
David Ruiz.”
Prosecutors rejected the claim.
“None of this was backed up by
testimony,” Keel said.
Judge overturns verdict,
acquits accused woman
Associated Press
CORPUS CHRISTI — A judge
who dismissed a jury’s guilty verdict
handed down against a woman ac
cused of arranging the shooting of
her former lover said he had no
choice but to acquit her.
But prosecutors said they plan to
file a grievance against State District
Judge Mike Westergren.
Westergren said prosecutors
failed to produce sufficient corrobo
rative evidence to support the testi
mony of the state’s key witness
against Margaret Covington.
“If we are Subjected to prosecu
tion because of what someone said
about us, there would be no end to
what abuses could take place,” West
ergren said Saturday.
District Attorney Grant Jones said
Saturday he will file a grievance with
the State Commission on Judicial
Conduct complaihing of Wester-
gren’s treatment of prosecutors.
Jones said his office would begirt
Monday compiling documentation
that would Show a series of cases in
which Westergren has allegedly
treated prosecutors unfairly.
“We have major litigation pen
ding in his court and we will not sit
idly by and let it be business as
usual, jones said.
On Friday, Westergren over
turned the jury’s verdict and dis
missed charges of burglary with in
tent to commit aggravated assault
against Covington. Members of the
jury, who deliberated 17 hours over
two days before returning the vedict,
were surprised by the decision, one
juror said.
“We all are shocked that this could
happen,” saidjury foreman J.C. Sex
ton. “We worked so hard to render
this verdict ahd then to have it over
turned. I certainly don’t think justice
was served.”
Assistant District Attorney Bill
May said Westergren Should resign.
A psychologist and lawyer now liv
ing in Sweetwater, Covington was ac
cused of hiring Ferry Michael Noah
to injure Corpus Christi attorney
Cage Wavell in November 1981.
Wavell was shot four days af ter he
refused to sign an affidavit that
would have acknowledged he was
the father of her child.
WdStergren, minutes after jurors
returned their verdict, granted Cov
ington an instructed verdict of ac
quittal without allowing prosecutors
to respond to the defense motion.
The judge had denied the request
on at leaSt four earlier Occasions in
_ the trial.
Man in Salvation Army canister
scares people making deposits
Associated Press
WICHITA FALLS — A transient
turned a Salvation Army donation
canister into a jack-in-the-box, much
to the fright of people tryirtg to de
posit clothing and other contribu
tions, police said.
Officers arrested the man, de
scribed in his mid-46s, after he fell
asleep in the box Saturday night.
Police said the man would jump
up and scare people when they at
tempted to drop items in the box.
The prankster was turned in by one
of his victims, police said.
Several officers went to the dona
tion box at about 6:30 p.m. and
found the man had fallen asleep in
side the box. He was revived ana ar
rested, said Delbert Grogg of the
Salvation Army.
Salvation Army officials had to
open the box with a key to get to the
man, said Grogg, who added he
wasn’t sure how the man got inside.
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ness)?
Study of 5 day dura
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required.
Volunteers interested in participating in investigative drug studies
will be paid for their time and cooperation.
G&S Studies, inc. 846-5933
STUDY I
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One-dose (4 hours)
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Why Settle For Less?
Of Lou Pays More For
Used Books.
LOUPOT’S
BOOKSTORE
FREE PARKING IN REAR FOR CUSTOMERS
TAMU
Summer
Study
Abroad
College of Liberal Arts
Come find out about
all opportunities offered
Summer 1986
December 10,7:30 p.m.
Rudder Rm 301
Study Abroad Office
101 Academic Bldg.
845-0544
College of Liberal Arts
Ms. Ann Todd Baum
Rm. 802 Harrington
845-5143
PRE-HOLIDAY
SALE
20% to 40% off
ON MOST JEWELRY ITEMS
Sterling Silver Jewelry included
Christmas layaway invited
fleweCete,
College Station
Culpepper Plaza
693-0677
Bryan
212 N. Main
822-3119
STUFF
FOR STOCKINGS!
Cal or dog. larfih or lion,
these floppy, bean-hag
friends need a home!
Sfvtt) and $ U.UO.
Couple of the year. Rodney
and Rhonda Reindeer.
Sniffed toys in three sizes,
priced from only S.L95!
Cuddly toys waiting to be
stuffed! f ill their fabric
pouches with candy, coins
or little gifts! Sh.’>.
Knit stockings for kids of all
ages. Sr?0 and Sh.sO.
Kids will love this design
your-own sticker mug
featuring comical Rodney
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mug. only Si bi!
STARSHIP
SHOPS
Manor East Mall, Bryan 822-2032
Cullpepper Plaza, College Station 293-3002