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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 1997)
New evidence found for The Fugitive' case CLEVELAND (AP) — PNA tests on blood taken from the home of Dr. Sam Sheppard sup port his famous alibi — that a bushy-haired intruder beat his pregnant wife to death more than 40 years ago, a lawyer hired by Sheppard’s son said Tuesday. The findings are the strongest indication yet that Sheppard, whose sensational story inspired “The Fugitive,” was telling the truth, said Terry Gilbert, who represents Sheppard’s son, Sam Reese Sheppard. The test results are “entirely consistent with Sam Sheppard’s story, that he came upon an intruder and there was a strug gle,” Gilbert said. The findings were presented Tuesday to Cuyahoga County offi cials and a team working for Sheppard’s son, who has worked for years to clear his father’s name. The initial investigation assumed all blood found at the scene was Mrs. Sheppard’s, since there was no evidence that Sam Sheppard was cut. His DNA could not be test ed, either, because Gilbert said attempts to obtain a sample of Sheppard’s DNA from the back of a stamp on a 1943 letter were unsuccessful. Forensic DNA specialist Dr. Mohammad Tahir, who con ducted the tests for free, said he tested two bloodstained items — a wood chip and a swatch of Sheppard’s pants — preserved from the crime scene, as well as two vaginal smears taken during Mrs. Sheppard’s autopsy. The tests showed the blood could not be hers, but the find ings did not exclude a convicted murderer who once washed win dows at the Sheppard home and was briefly suspected of her slay ing, Gilbert and Tahir said. The scientists said the DNA could belong to inmate Richard Eberling, although they gave no statistics on that likelihood. “The dominant type I found was consistent with Mr. Eberling,” Tahir said. The dried blood could also have been a mixture of two other peo ple’s blood, or possibly one per son’s blood that became contami nated over die years, Tahir said. Petition Continued from Page 1 Carl Baggett, student body president and a senior account ing major, said the student gov ernment association has tried to remain fair throughout the peti tioning process. “We’re trying to give everyone who wants to have input in the process every means to do so,” Baggett said. Referendums initiated by the Senate must be held 15 days prior to a filing deadline for can didates, but since this was stu dent-initiated, the referendum has no clear deadline to apply to this year’s elections. If a majority of the student body votes in favor of it, the next general election will include yell leader run-offs. Pagt Wednesday • February5,1 Fire officials give students safety tip Marshal says most fires can be avoided Fire PfGVBIItiOn By Benjamin Cheng The Battalion In the wake of a fire at Kensington Place Apartments, fire officials are giving Texas A&M students fire safety tips to prevent future incidents. Paul L. Meloeny, a sophomore electrical engineering major from Seabrook, Texas, was killed and Alexander Clinton, a sophomore environmental design major, was hospitalized in the Jan. 18 blaze. Mike Ruesink, College Station Fire Prevention and Education officer, emphasized the responsi bility of inhabitants to prevent fires. “What they do inside those walls,” Ruesink said, “is what’s going to make the apartment safe to live there.” John Mies, College Station Fire Marshal, said 90 to 95 percent of fires can be avoided if precautions are taken. “It’s either an act or an omission,” Mies said. “Somebody did something or didn’t do something that caused the fire.” The College Station Fire Department issues a handout listing 10 fire safety tips. Mies and Ruesink said these tips are essen tial in preventing fires, especially for those who live in apartments. Install and Maintain Smoke Detectors “Have a smoke detector,” Mies said. “A working smoke detector.” The tenant or landlord is responsible for providing the renter with an operating smoke detector. The maintenance of batteries for a battery-operated smoke detector is usually the responsibility of the renter. The smoke detector in Meloeny’s apart ment was found operating in the closet. This resulted in the smoke detector being delayed in sounding an alarm, Mies said. Ruesink said Meloeny chances of surviving the fire would have been greater if the smoke detector had been placed properly. “He would have had a better chance of get ting out alive,” Ruesink said. “The earlier the warning, the more time you have to get out.” Ruesink and Mies said apartment dwellers should have a battery-operated smoke detec tor in each sleeping area. Smoke detectors cost $6 to $25. Smokers Need Watchers Carelessly discarded cigarettes are the No. I cause of fire deaths in the United States. Lit cigarettes near combustible materials are a fire hazard. “Never smoke in bed,” Ruesink said. The majority of smoking related fatal fires in residences start in bedrooms, Mies said. He said the Kensington fire was most likely smoking related. “We can’t say for sure that a cigarette caused it,” Mies said. “But we’ve more or less ruled everything else out.” College Station has had two fatal fires in the last 20 years and both were smoking related. Mies said both could have been pre vented if a working smoke detector had been properly located. Know Two Ways Out Every sleeping area in College Station must have a door and a window. “That window is your second means of escape,” Mies said. Mies advises people in a fire to crawl on the floor and feel the door before opening it. If the door is hot, he said, find another means of escape. “If there’s a fire outside of your room and you open that door,” Mies said, “you could be breathing in air and smoke and gases in excess of 800 degrees.” Mies said people should leave immediately and not gather their belongings. Use Electricity Safety Ruesink said misuse of extension cords and overloaded electrical sockets are fire hazards. “Extension cords are not meant to be used on a permanent basis," Ruesink said. Ruesink also advises against stapling elec trical cords or placing them under rugs. Be Careful While Cooking The majority of fires in residences start in / Install and a smoke detecul Watch for lit or smoldering cigarettes _ . Takeprecai when coi Use electricity Keep matches and away from children t|Pp|Kf SOURCE: NationaH Protection Ageneyf lames Vineyard, TheBatJ a Iross the street hurch. kitchens, Mies said. “If you’ve got something on thestoveM e f u t ure s jt e 0 leave the kitchen,” Ruesink said. “I don'tc you’re boiling water or frying fish.” College Station averages 30 to 40 fires each year. Renter’s Insurance Mies said renters should have rei insurance to protect against fire damage “It protects your belongings and dot Mies said. “Most people do not have it.” Basic renter’s insurance costs $75 tt per year. Questions about fire safety shoultl directed to the College Station I Department at 764-3705. By Mai The I Take a Free Test Drive If you took the test today, how would you score? Come Find Out Call today to reserve your seat! Feb 8 & 9 (call for locations and times) Statue Continued from Page 1 Joe Moore, Class of ’38, initi ated and underwrote the pur chase of the monument after viewing the casting at Goodnight’s studio in Santa Fe. Dr. Robert Walker, the vice pres ident for Development at A&M, is directing a fund raiser for the pur chase of the monument. Tim Donathen, assistant vice-chancellor for Facilities, Planning and Construction, vis ited the monument in Stone Mountain Park. “It’s a very large piece of sculpture,” Donathen said. “It’s going to fit in very well.” The monument weighs seven tons and is 12 feet high, 18 feet wide and 30 feet long. It will reside in a plaza outside the Presidential Library. The monument will be moved to the Bush Library dur ing the summer, Donathen said. Goodnight said the Bush Library was the most appropri ate place for the monument because of her recognition of Bush’s diplomatic skills in end ing the Cold War. “He was one of the best international diplomats we’ve had,” she said. The monument is the second of two castings done by Goodnight. The first casting is currently on loan to the city of Denver. In the future, this casting will be moved and displayed in Berlin, Germany, Students exp as a gilt from the American; p ar j n g i oss v j s German people. Leech imped . Goodnight has another: dllring the fifth displayed at lexas A&M lenge, an event t sculpted the dog in the n Individuals with ment, ARCH 401, outsit A&M University. Architecture building. The] Participants ument was commissionW S mearedwith pe Joe and Betty Moore in ren[ u [ate vision imp brance of their late son Step: cpmmunicate v Anyone interested in marshmallows t tributing funds to the purcf||p e( jj ment of the Berlin Wall monumlEight tables e should contact Ur. Bob W3li liabilities from at 845-8161. taring loss, wei agroom from 1 The event we - |epartment of S Students with forks, a studen CHARLES C. SCHROEPPEL, O.D., PC. Doctor of Optometry 505 University Dr. East., Suite 101 College Station, Texas 77840 Most Insurance Plans Accepted Serving The Brazos Valley For Over 19 Years CALL 846-0377 FOR APPOINTMENT MONDAY THRU SATURDAY We Have VERY COMPETITIVE PRICES On All Types Of Contact Lenses -- Tinted, Opaque Colors, Disposable, Toric, Gas Permeable, Etc. 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