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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 2004)
Llii NATION THE BATTALION 11A Thursday, January 22, 2004 1 Georgia authorities defend police response in slayings, abduction case By Harry R. Weber THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ATLANTA — Authorities said Wednesday they could not have I saved four people killed in rural Georgia even though 911 calls reveal police knew of a possible slaying 7 1/2 hours before entering the victims’ homes. On Jan. 7, Melissa Peeler repeatedly told dispatchers in Gordon and Floyd counties that suspect Jerry William Jones had called her and said he killed her family and kidnapped her three daughters. After an initial call at 3:30 p.m., police checked the outside of the two homes where the killings occurred, then left after mistakenly concluding that nothing was wrong. In one phone call at 9:39 p.m.. Peeler reiterated that Jones had told her what he had done and bragged about it: “Looks like I have custody now,” Peeler said Jones told her. It wasn’t until 11 p.m., following yet another call from Peeler, that police entered the homes in the tiny town of Ranger, about 55 miles north of Atlanta. Jones is accused of fatally shooting Peeler’s parents, Tom and Nola Blaylock, and strangling Peeler’s sister, Georgia Bradley, and Peeler’s 10-month-old daughter by Jones, Jerri “Harley” Jones. 10; IK. k 0 - •rot:* hfw i\r, . Search begins for cause of fire at retirement home By Duncan Mansfield THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MARYVILLE, Tenn. —A fire that swept through la rural retirement home without sprinklers or access to a hydrant left three elderly residents dead and six [hospitalized Wednesday. The privately owned Home Away from Home was not ■ required to have a sprinkler system under state rules. A I former employee said there had been problems with resi- Idents smoking inside the home, but investigators were ■ withholding comment about what started the blaze. “Nothing is ruled out,” said Bob Pollard, a special ■agent with the state fire marshal’s office. Fifteen residents, a caregiver and a guest were in Ithe ranch-style, brick building when it caught fire [late Tuesday. Neighbor Jack Wilson said residents were wheeled jdown a narrow two-lane country road on stretchers to be [loaded into ambulances that couldn’t drive all the way to Ithe facility 15 miles south of Knoxville. A dozen ambu- jlances jammed the road leading to the home. “It was chaotic,” he said. “I don’t think it should be lere, and that proved it last night.” With no fire hydrant available, firefighters fashioned makeshift pool by dumping truckloads of water into a jlow spot on the ground and using that to supply the loses. Temperatures in the mid-20s forced firefighters |to put salt in the water to keep it from freezing. Authorities identified two of the dead as residents mcille Law, 87, and Molly Wright, 84. The third vic tim’s identity was not released. One of them was (trapped in the building, said sheriff’s spokeswoman larian O'Briant. In all, 13 people were treated for smoke inhalation md burns, and one victim suffered a hip fracture. Six jemained hospitalized, three in critical condition. State law exempts older retirement homes from having Sprinklers if they have not been renovated since 1994. State licensing records list Home Away from lome’s administrator as Curtis Sorrells, who refused to lalk to reporters Wednesday. Brach’s moving corporate headquarters to Dallas DALLAS (AP) — Brach’s Confections Inc., maker of the nation’s top-selling jelly bean and candy com brands, is moving its corporate headquar ters from Chicago to Dallas. Brach’s, purchased in September by Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut, is the seventh- largest U.S. candy maker, with sales last year of $340 million. Terry O’Brien, Brach’s president and CEO, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the com pany chose Dallas over several other locations. O’Brien said Dallas was chosen because it provides a new start with Brach’s parent company and offers prox imity to its other operations. “We think with our new facility and our new parent company that Brach’s has a new start and new competitive advantages we didn’t have before," O’Brien said. “It was a very difficult decision leaving Chicago, which has been a great home for the company. We’re looking forward to coming to We're looking forward to coming to Dallas. — Terry O'Brien Brach's president and CEO Dallas.” The move will be completed Monday, O’Brien said. Brach’s employs about 1,600 peo ple, with about 50 in its corporate headquarters. Thirty-eight people will be transferred from the corporate office in Chicago, and about 14 will be hired locally, the company said. The relocation will help consolidate corpo rate operations, which had been split between Chicago and Chattanooga, Tenn., where Brach’s pur chased another candy company several years ago, officials said. “We’re excited," said O’Brien, who spent 14 years in Dallas with Frito-Lay and Dean Foods Co. before joining Brach’s in August. “We opened up a state-of-the-art plant just over the bor der in Mexico. This puts us much clos er to that facility, which is an important part of our future and makes us com petitive again." NEWS IN BRIEF First lady to honor San Angelo museum for excellence in art education SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) — First lady Laura Bush on Thursday will pres ent a national award to the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts for its contribu tion to the sparsely populated West Texas region it serves. The 2003 National Award for Museum and Library Service and a $10,000 check goes to the museum that began in a fort and strives to educate about art in a 14-county area far from big-city cultural centers. The first lady, who is from West Texas, will also honor two other museums and three libraries across the country during the East Room ceremony. Aggie Dance Team JUI ■ Try-Outs May&th G. Rollie White Coliseum Prep Classes April 24th & May 1st 690-1813 Jennifer Hart Aggie Pance Team Director www.agg ieath let ic e.co m j h a rt(^>at h let Ic 9. ta m u ,ed u SAS IRADIING COMPANY JEWELRY, HANDBAGS & MORE Necklaces 500 styles Necklace Sets 500 styles Earrings 1,000 styles Purses 500 styles Artwork 250 pieces Sterling Jewelry 1000 styles Hair Jewelry Toe Jewelry Bracelets Body Jewelry Rings Belts Watches Mens Items Pearls Bridal Prom Toe Rings 5*500 Square Feet oS Shopping Heaven 1707 Texas Ave. S., Culpepper Plaza, College Station 695-0400 ww.sastradingcompany.com The Battalion IN PRINT •ONLINE* ON AIR News Sports Opinion Aggielife Photo/Graphics Comics Mailcall Classifieds www.thebattalion.net 4 For annual checkups, birth control, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing and testing & treatment for sexually transmitted infections. 4112 E. 29th, Bryan, TX 77802 1.800.230.PLAN www.pphouston.org D Planned Parenthood® of Houston and Southeast Texas, Inc. Jones was captured a day after the killings during a police chase that ended in East Ridge, Tenn. The three girls were released unharmed. On Wednesday, Jones waived extradition to Georgia, where he faces murder, kidnapping and weapons possession charges. Jones, who shot himself in the face as the chase ended, is recovering in a hospital. John Bankhead, a spokesman for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, insisted it would have made no difference when police found the bodies. But Peeler’s sister Kathy O’Donnell said blood was visible on the front door of her parents’ home and police should have known something was wrong. “I can’t help but think that just maybe had they gone in at that time, maybe my sister might have been breathing,” she said. Peeler’s 911 calls contradict law enforcemertt officials’ earlier contention that they didn’t leam about the deaths until about 10:45 p.m. on Jan. 7. “That’s what the sheriff told us,” Bankhead said. “1 don’t think he knew. You’ll have to ask him.” Gordon County Sheriff Jerry Davis and County Attorney Suzanne Hutchinson did not return repeated phones calls Wednesday from The Associated Press. Peeler’s lawyer, Brent Erwin, said her client would have no comment. 4980 Dilly Shaw-Rip Rd. Bryan TX, 77808 1-800-364-7232 From computer parts to complete systems... We’ve got you covered. BEYOND Athleticism Semester-long ATHLETIC workout! Yes...it’s probably going to hurt. Spring Break/Summer Body! 2-3 Certified Trainers per session. 5 workouts each week! V. XtREMeC CONDITIONING.* 1*00 fl « r\ \%illa % Hi Thursday, January 22nd M:10am-2:25pni. Harrington 204 A History on Psrspoctlvss of "Rac»" Lsctun by Dr. Sh—ta Athreya Raviaw of tha earliest scientilic studies of "race' and division based on race IT.IOanv 12:25pm. Blockar 160 Cultural Relativism Lecture by Dr. Cynthia Werner Cultural beliefs can only be judged from within the culture in which they exist. t1:30am-1pm, Rudder Fountain MSC Literary Arts Committee: The World's Longest Poem Students will offer reflections on their own experiences with diversity through poetry n*r More ImUm malUiit. < oi»i«« i Ihr htl|»: tlrra 12pm-1pm, Rudder Fountain MSC Town Hell: Lunch Box Concert Free live musk concert showcasing student and community talent 12:45pm-2pm, O&M Building 210 "Surviving the Middle Passage" Lecture by Dr. Tom Green Explores the survival of elements of African culture in Western Hemisphere 5pm, Association of Former Students Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference Registration 7pm. MSC 201 MSC CIA: American Voices Stretches the issue of diversity to examine American lifestyles UM at *4S ISIS * Iruu »*M I nix r.ilv m.liimii.rdit Why bother with parking when you can walk to TAMU? - Huge 1 bedroom floor plans - Only 2 blocks from TAMU - Now preleasing for spring! 3t£asa Del Sol 696-3455 aggie.inn@verizon.net Texas A&M Nagle St Univers Church ry Dr St JO n ET 5’ Sol Stasney © Cross St Casa Del r a/ rvsr m 7) Friday. January 23 Campus with a Dream Night 9:00 pm -1:01) am SBSLC Variety Show - 7:00 pm in Rudder Auditorium School of Rock at 7:00 & 9:45 pm in Rudder Theater $1 w/ TAMU ID in Collaboration w/ MSC Film Society Volunteer Service Day Projects in MSC Hallways at 9:00 pm In Collaboration w/ MSC LEAD, FISH, ALOT, and Hospitality Hip Hop Freestyle Contest in the MSC Flagroom at 10:00pm In Collaboration w/ MSC Town Hall free activities in the MSC Basement: pool, arts & crafts, bowling, and DDR in Collaboration with Cepheid Variable FREE FOOD and Drinks!!! Free door prizes at 11:10 PN in NSC Flagroom* Hust be present te win) * / 979.845.1515 aggienights.tamu.edu A- For special needs, please contact us three days prior to the event at 845-1515.