Reporter-News Archives Friday, May 23, 1997 Area news digest Man run over on I-20 was intoxicated COLORADO CITY - The Odessa man killed when he reportedly fell from a moving vehicle on Interstate 20 on May 1 was highly intoxicated. An autopsy showed Doug Vernon Sr., 55, had a blood alcohol level of .31 percent at the time of his death, more than three times the level at which a person is presumed intoxicated in Texas, Mitchell County Sheriff Patrick Toombs said. "That's extremely high. We don't run across many who have that high of a level of alcohol in their systems," the sheriff said, adding that a reading of .40 percent indicates a comatose condition. Under Texas law, a person with a reading of .10 percent is presumed intoxicated. A Mitchell County deputy sheriff found Vernon's body on I-20 near Loraine about 10:30 p.m. on May 1. Toombs said he was responding to a 911 call from a Loraine resident who overhead truckers talking about a body on the road. Toombs said the man may have been struck by a vehicle or vehicles. Foul play was suspected after two men were arrested in Abilene, driving a vehicle belonging to Vernon, about 12 hours later. The men said Vernon had been riding in the back of the pickup and they didn't miss him until later and didn't know what had happened to him. One of the men was intoxicated when the pair was arrested, and Toombs said all three might have been drunk on the night of Vernon's death. The case remains under investigation, Toombs said, but indicated the victim's blood alcohol level will be a factor in deciding whether to charge his traveling companions with negligent homicide. Vernon, who worked as a welder in Odessa, was a 1960 graduate of Snyder High School and formerly worked in Abilene. Intoxication was also a factor in an April incident in which a New Mexico woman fell from a moving 18-wheeler and was crushed by its trailer. That accident also occurred on I-20, in Nolan County. The truck driver, the victim's husband of only a few weeks, was detained briefly, but was not charged following the investigation. A third, similar incident is still under investigation in Brown County. A Granbury woman died after she reportedly jumped from a pickup driven by her husband at Early. Man pleads guilty in church arson case EASTLAND - Before the jury was brought into 91st District Court Thursday morning, Gregory James Howard entered a guilty plea to setting fire to Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Howard, 24, told District Judge Steven R. Herod he understood what he was doing and that he had not been offered a plea-bargain arrangement. "Because of overwhelming evidence the state has against him, Howard entered a plea," said District Attorney Mike Siebert. Siebert told jurors they would hear testimony to set Howard's punishment. The defendant can get from two to 20 years and can be fined, Siebert said. Eastland police officers Frank Saylors and Guy Busk testified that Howard gave them a cigarette lighter he used to start the church fire on Dec. 29, 1996, and several young men testified that Howard admitted to them he caused the blaze. Testimony in the punishment phase will resume at 9 a.m. today. Fog, mist blamed for head-on collision ALBANY - Low visibility caused by dense fog and mist is being blamed for a Thursday morning head-on collision involving an Albany DPS trooper and an Albany woman. The accident occurred 13 miles southwest of Albany on state Highway 351 at 7:50 a.m. Neither driver was seriously injured. Trooper Xavier Perez was northeast bound in his 1994 Chevrolet Caprice Department of Public Safety unit, said Trooper Bob Skelton of Albany. Sarah Oden Freeman, 21, was driving her 1987 Buick Skylark southwest, passing another vehicle. Perez is credited with swerving to the right in an effort to avoid the crash. However, the cars collided in the northeast bound lane. Freeman was treated at Hendrick Medical Center for facial cuts and bruises and was released. Perez was not injured. Both drivers were wearing seatbelts. "Both vehicles wee severely damaged, probably totaled," Skelton said. He credited the seatbelts with preventing more serious injury. The accident is being investigated by Tim Bundick, a DPS trooper from Breckenridge, with Skelton assisting. Special grand jury indicts Roby man ROBY - A special session of the Fisher County grand jury has indicted a Roby man for the alleged rape of a 3-year-old girl. Lance Green, 30, was indicted for aggravated sexual assault and two counts of indecency with a child, Fisher County Sheriff Gene Pack said. Green was released on $5,000 bond. Pack said the complaint was initially made to the Jones County sheriff by Green's former wife, then forwarded to Fisher County after the child had been examined at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene. Fisher County District Attorney Mark Edwards asked for the special session of the grand jury to determine if there is sufficient evidence against Green to warrant a trial. Pack said it was the first special session of a grand jury he can recall. Merkel school board hires teachers MERKEL - The Merkel school board has hired three Merkel High School graduates to return home as teachers this fall. Marissa Jones, a 1980 graduate, will teach at Merkel Elementary. She has seven years of experience in Merkel and Snyder and is the daughter of Barbara Sandusky, who is in her 30th year as a Merkel educator. Krista Toombs Pursley, a 1988 graduate who has five years of experience in Lubbock, Temple, and Tulsa, Okla., will teach in Tye. Lillian Leach Jones, a 1992 graduate, will be a first-year teacher at Merkel Middle School. Also hired Tuesday was Dana Rideout of Blackwell, who has 13 years of experience in Wylie and Blackwell. Trustees approved an elective course in computer maintenance and repair for the high school. Jacky Reynolds was elected as new board president. Other new officers are Steve Teaff, vice president, and Greg Henderson, secretary. Grand jury to look at hunting death COMANCHE - Comanche County Chief Investigator Vernon Gaines has completed his investigation into the May 3 death of a turkey hunter near Proctor. Joshua Scott King, 18, a high school senior at Richardson, was hunting with his uncle near the Roach community when he crossed a fence onto another party's hunting lease. Gaines said the student was crouched below an overhang of tree limbs sounding a turkey call when he was fatally shot in the head with a 30-30 rifle by another hunter. Three hunters from the Metroplex said they were unaware King was on their hunting lese, and one mistook him for a turkey. District Attorney B.J. Shepherd said he has not completed studying Gaines' report but anticipates that he will take the matter to the next Comanche County grand jury which will be empaneled in July. Shepherd said the grand jury could rule the shooting accidental, or it could recommend that some sort of charges, such as negligent homicide, be filed. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below: texnews.com Reporter OnLine Local Sports Texas Sports Copyright ©1997, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications