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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 24, 1992)
State COUPON ursday, September 24,1992 The Battalion Page 9 een-ager receives life sentence Attorneys plan to appeal verdict of man convicted of killing Kingwood resident ■the associated press IHOUSTON — Defense attor- ifeys say they plan to appeal the ife sentence jurors have given a 19-year-old man convicted of cap- Hmurder in the death of a dis- sfeled Kingwood man found shot lldeath along with his dog. lijurors in State District Judge ^iihn Ackerman's court needed IBy 45 minutes Tuesday to con- JltDanny Eugene Reagan of ■■v Caney in the shooting death l|Karl D. Nowlin, 44. jProsecutors did not seek the lleath penalty, so Ackerman im mediately sentenced Reagan to the only other punishment avail able — life in prison. Reagan must serve at least 35 years of the sen tence, meaning he will not become eligible for parole until 2027. Defense attorneys Kurt Wentz and Katherine Scardino said they would appeal the verdict. They had hoped to convince ju rors their client was guilty only of voluntary manslaughter because they contended Nowlin had raped Reagan, a claim prosecutors called ludicrous. Nowlin was shot twice in the head in his home April 9. His Shar-pei dog. Missy, was found dead beside him, also shot in the head.Police ultimately learned that Reagan had led a team of eight other teen-agers on a com mando-style raid of Nowlin's home that the young men hoped would net them $1,000 each. But the group ultimately left the home with only $53 stolen from Nowlin, who had tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and was crippled by a stroke. Nowlin formerly had been a benefactor of Reagan, who worked for him as a $100-a-day maid. ommission finds energy company nles unviolated in tank explosion THE ASSOCIATED PRESS m [DALLAS — An energy company did not violate ■ulations by having an unlocked hatch on an oil ■k that exploded, killing one teen-ager and injur- ■ four others, the Texas Railroad Commission said Bdnesday. [Li/nKButialthree people remained hospitalized, with one in this fill condition, following the blast early Tuesday el RauJ Chevron U.S.A. Inc. tank battery near Sherman. Vt was triggered when one teen opened a tank Rch and lit a cigarette lighter during a beer party, careers os 1 l horities said ' t T A Grayson County sheriff's officer said Jeff Hen- e son, 18, of Pottsboro died instantly in the blast that 3ut a | 0l( Mkened residents and rattled windows miles away. ’ Morri ■ ^ ee Miller, 19, of Sherman remained in criti- ■rs arencB condition Wednesday afternoon in Wilson N. Ja ehto» es ^ emor i a ^ Hospital's intensive care unit with °Uiiultipl e trauma and burns, said hospital spokes- ' 1 woman Judy Gharis. She said Jeff Thompson of Pottsboro and Matt Penton of Sherman, both 19, r ere in stable condition at the hospital. J Another victim, 18-year-old Che Henderson of attentic Pottsboro, was treated and released Tuesday, wboys'uf Tank batteries, which hold crude oil from nearby has casUwells, are a familiar sight in rural Texas, papers ait! But energy companies, which periodically pump arefarinput oil from the tanks for refining, are not required to ing whattence or lock them up, the railroad commission said. Aggies),’; "Nothing in our rules dictate requirements for a -0 andD ’ix-foot fence around A 6il leases or anything like like even obody w imes. Iff the most, rad a mee 'oncernin; that,” said Brian Schaible, a commission spokesman in Austin. "There is "no requirement that you have to have a gate or lock,” he said. He said a commission's field inspector made a routine visit to Chevron's L. Jeanes Tank Battery af- "It was not any kind of activity by the company that was a problem. Fire consumed all the oil in the tank, so there was no pollution problem from the oil" -Brian Schaible, Commission spokesman ter the explosion, but found no violations. The commission regulates the Texas petroleum in dustry, including the thousands of tank batteries lo cated at producing leases. "After talking with an assistant fire chief from Sherman and other authorities, the inspector was told about the activities of the juveniles, one of whom lit a lighter over the opened hatch in the tank,"Schaible said. "It was not any kind of activity by the company that was a problem. Fire consumed all the oil in the tank, so there was no pollution problem from the oil.” oseg ike some- ie said. : Grange ; or one in d playini 2n nob(d ( 2 win ov« matter; ; awyer defends record of hiring minorities THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DALLAS — Dallas County District Attorney ohn Vance has defended his record of hiring and promoting minorities but said he planned to work with commissioners on more aggressive practices. I would be very happy to sit down with any- me and talk to them about this/' Vance said Tues- lay. "We are very conscious of the fact that 65 per- ent of the people we try are racial minority, and we want more minority lawyers.” Lee Jackson, county judge, and commissioners ohn Wiley Price and Nancy Judy said Tuesday hey want to develop a plan with Vance for hiring md promoting more prosecutors and investiga- ors. Vance acknowledged that most of his depart- nent's employees are white, but said only a small lercentage of lawyers in Dallas and across Texas are minorities. Only about 1 percent of his job applicants usual ly are minorities, he said. But the district attorney's office does not try to keep the few minority lawyers it does hire, accord ing to the head of a black lawyers' group. "I have watched the number of black prosecu tors dwindle in the DA's office,” said Rick Jordan, president of the J.L. Turner Legal Association and a former prosecutor. He said many blacks believe the county office's advancement practices are too slow. Price has used his "standing objection” to protest new hir ings and promotions that the district attorney's of fice presents to the commissioners' court for ap proval every week. The commissioner contends that the district attorney's office lags behind other county departments in affirmative action. Other commissioners, who control Vance's bud get, have not supported Price in his opposition of proposed hirings and promotions. they , revok payf 1 ' 1 realty e y do; jdvertis- The pie - rompa - - them- luling i A# :ch. produ c ' Reagan's defense lawyers por trayed their client as an abused and neglected teen who turned to Nowlin for support and was be trayed when Nowlin forced him to submit to anal intercourse in the weeks before the killing. They contended Reagan shot Nowlin in a fit of blind rage be cause Nowlin denied he had mo lested him. Reagan's friends characterized the teen-ager, who had bounced from foster home to foster home, as the ultimate "throwaway" child. His parents legally have severed their ties to the man. Police action at convention gets attention THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HOUSTON— A majority of Houston City Council members are questioning an investigation into a confrontation between po lice and AIDS activists during the GOP convention, while Hous ton's mayor and police chief stand by the probe. Ten council members polled by the Houston Chronicle Tuesday said they fault as one-sided Po lice Chief Sam Nuchia's investi gation into a violent clash be tween police and demonstrators outside the Astrodome Aug. 17. But Nuchia, Mayor Bob Lanier and two of Houston's 15 City Council members defended the report, saying they saw little need for further investigation. Two council members could not be reached to include in the survey. The police report relied on videotaped accounts and po lice statements and commended the officers for the way they han dled the incident. -1 ; 5 ; Some demonstrators have said they were brutalized by police. Nuchia explained that he saw no reason to interview marchers at the parade because videotaped versions indicated no excessive use of force. While many marchers have complained of being assaulted with billy clubs and trampled by police horses, Nuchia said that does not appear to be the case. "Whether someone had to be struck with a baton in the course of handcuffing that person or ar resting that person ... I don't know if there was or not," Nuchia said. "But I can tell you from the videotapes and the ob servations that there were no beatings.” Lanier also defended the re port to some 25 activists during a . public hearing Tuesday. He said officers responded ap propriately because marchers were throwing plastic water bot tles, trying to spook horses and burning barricades. 32 On Routine Cleaning, X-Rays and Exam (Regularly $71, With Coupon $39) Payment must be. made at time of service BRYAN COLLEGE STATION Jim Arents, DDS Dan Lawson, DDs Karen Arents, DDS Paul Haines, DDS 1103 Villa Maria Texas Ave. at SW Pkwy. 268-1407 696-9578 CarePlusv^fft DENTAL CENTERS I EXP. 9-30-92 - — —I Plasma Donor & Earn Westgate Plasma Center 4223 Wellborn, Bryan M-TH 9-6 846-8855 F 9-4 If You Have Something To Sell Remember: Classified Can Do It Ca// 845-0569 The Battalion LADIES AND LORDS We sell the finest Bridal Gowns for less, EVERYDAY! 807 Texas Ave. • 764-8289 *Now taking orders for February brides MSC Barber Shop Serving All Aggies! Cuts and Styles Reg. haircuts starting at $6. 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Albert Bustamante says federal pestigators offered special treat- iHent to a longtime friend indicted 0 n bank fraud charges if he would i^ear a wiretap to a meeting with ^ congressman. [Bustamante, D-San Antonio, lid FBI agents made the offer to Ichitect John Franklin Williams 1st week after Williams was ar- sted. Williams confirmed he as asked to wear a wiretap, but iclined to identify the target, the in Antonio Light reported ednesday. "I was told that I would not Uve any time in prison if I plead- i guilty and helped them with ;y investigation they may have,” illiams said. He said Assistant U.S. Attorney argaret Embrey made the offer. U.S. Attorney Ronald Ederer Ipiied his office asked Williams entrap Bustamante. ■ He acknowledged his staff dis- Issed a possible plea bargain rith Williams and asked him to become a government witness, which Ederer said "is routine in many of these cases." Williams, Gary Ted Ballard, Ed ward B. Matthews and Charles S. Lowrey have been indicted on charges of conspiracy, money laundering and defrauding the Federal Home Loan Bank Board and the Texas Savings and Loan Association. An unidentified source told The Light the congressman has known Williams for more than 20 years. The source said Williams did architectural work for the county when Bustamante was Bexar County judge, that Williams once contributed money to a Busta mante campaign and that the two men's wives are friends. Bustamante told The Light that FBI agents reportedly told Williams: "If you agree to be wired, and we set up a meeting with Albert Bustamante, we'll tell you what to ask, and we'll make you a real good deal.” Ederer has denied his office is involved in that investigation. HOMMAGE A BALANCHINE featuring PRINCIPAL DANCERS of the NEWYORK CITY BALLET Company of 17 Handpicked from one of the world's foremost dance companies, the Principal Dancers of the New York City Ballet pay tribute to the most celebrated choreographer of the 20th century - George Balanchine. OCTOBER 13 & 14, 1992 • 8:00 PM RUDDER AUDITORIUM Tickets may be purchased by calling the MSC Box fice located in Rudder Tower. 845-1234 pffi Rudder Auditorium is accessible to persons with disabilities. For additional information, call the MSC 0PAS at 845-1661.