Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 75, No. 268, Ed. 1 Tuesday, June 13, 1978 Page: 1 of 20
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The Tuesday---------------’----------------—---------—
Th 7 Dallas, x 75)5
DENTON RECORD-CHRONICLE
75TH YEAR OF DAILY SERVICE — NO. 288
DENTON. TEXAS, TUESDAY AFTERNOON. JUNE 13, 1978
28 Pages in 2 Section*
15 Cents
McCrory charged in rape-slaying
John William McCrory
By NITA THURMAN
Regional Editor
John William McCrory, 27, was
arraigned yesterday in 158th District
Court on a charge of capital murder for
the rape-slaying of 17-year-old Jeana
Melissa Walker.
Judge Bob Scofield called a halt at
3:15 p.m. to jury selection for the
capital murder trial of Gregory Arthur
Ott and arraigned McCrory, who was
brought into court by Sheriff Kenneth
George, Capt. Dwight Crawford and
Texas Ranger Ralph Wadsworth.
Scofield did not set bail for the
defendant, because of the capital
murder charge, he said, but would
leave that question open to to a possible
bond bearing later.
“I’m not denying bail at this point,
I’m just not setting it,” the judge said.
McCrory, a resident of Argyle, has
been questioned by investigators since
last Tuesday, Sheriff George said, and
was formally placed under arrest
yesterday.
McCrory’s mother voluntarily
notified officers that her son had
stopped at Miss Walker’s car, where it
had been abandoned on FM 407 the
night of the young woman’s death,
George said. Officers have impounded
a blue 1966 Cadillac the defendant
allegedly was driving that night.
Miss Walker’s partially nude body
was found at about 1 a m. June 3 off the
farm road just inside Highland Village
city limits. She had been raped and
strangled, medical examiner reports
ruled.
The girl’s car reportedly had
overheated and stalled, and several
witnesses told Highland Village police
they had seen another car and up to as
many as three men beside the parked
vehicle.
George said no other arrests are
anticipated at this point, but in-
vestigation in the case is continuing.
The defendant, wearing blue jeans
and a faded blue T-shirt, stood before
the judge’s bench — in a courtroom
Testimony
UV
begins today
" We juSiS)
By * ^ of Nor wash
Forces and on Fetreiving a
in Ott trial
KAWKAB
Twelve persons were sworn in as
jurors this morning in the capital
murder trial of Gregory Arthur Ott,
and testimony was scheduled to begin
at 1 p.m.
The 12th and final juror was selected
at 7'10 p.m. last night following a
lengthy day in court as the judge and
attorneys attempted to not only round
out the final jury panel, but to fill up one
vacancy created early in the day.
Ott, 27, is charged with capital
murder in the fatal shooting Feb. 20 of
Texas Ranger Bob Doherty
Norman R. Lowe, 54, of Rt 1,
Roanoke, was accepted by attorneys as
the 12th juror to wind up eight days in
which more than 90 prospective jurors
have been interviewed in court.
Earlier in the evening, attorneys
accepted James Roy Vandever, 35, of
Sanger, as the 11th juror chosen.
The juror count moved back to 10
yesterday morning, after presiding
Judge Bob Scofield, following an
agreement by defense and prosecution,
approved a request by Joe Larry
Wimmer excusing him from jury duty
Wimmer was selected to the panel
last Wednesday and had been
sequestered at the Holiday Inn until he
was excused by the court
Vandever is a machine shop em-
ployee at Bell Helicopter and is
married and the father of three
children
Lowe, self-employed, operates a mail
order firm. Cassettes Unlimited, that
distributes educational cassettes, he
told the court
Ott, a honors graduate of North Texas
State University, has been held in the
county jail without bail since his arrest
Feb 20.
Doherty was shot and fatally
wounded, apparently as he kicked in a
door to Ott’s residence in Argyle during
a drug raid involving county and state
officers, according to accounts of the
incident.
A state undercover agent testified in
preliminary hearings that he had made
a purchase of marijuana from the
defendant and there was an exchange
of gunfire as officers outside began
moving to the house.
To uphold the capital charge —
which, upon conviction, calls for a
mandatory penalty of life in prison or
death — prosecutors must prove that
the defendant fired the fatal shot,
knowing the victim was a peace officer
acting in performance of his duty.
A
Two officers testified in those
preliminary hearings that they called
out "police officers" immediately prior
to the gunfire
One witness, who was inside the
house at the time, initially testified that
he heard the undercover agent identify
himself as a police officer before any
shooting occurred, but later, in an
unsworn tape recording, changed that
account, claiming he was coerced into
the testimony. On the tape, the witness
said no identification was given until
after two shots were fired, and that
there was a third shot
The jury includes, in addition to those
named yesterday, Renata Luise Stagg.
Denton; James Earl Fenton.
Lewisville; Richard Norton, Argyle,
Pamela Edwards, Lewisville; Gary D.
Heemphill, Lewisville; Marcus Wood
Hight, Denton; Barbara Wilson,
Lewisville: Janis Jordon, CaroUton.
Tad L Beighle, Carrollton; and
Herbert L. Harwell, Denton.
Israeli troops to withdraw
A rightist soldier stands in front of a message written in
English and Arabic on the wall of a house in the
Christian stronghold of Marjayoun, Lebanon. The
- writing underscores opposition to the presence of U.N.
UPI Telephoto
troops and the scheduled completion today of the Israeli
troop pullback from the territory Fighting broke out as
the troop withdrawal began See story. Page 2A.
good afternoon
Today's tip
Index
Amusements
Classified
.. Comics
Cathy Word of the Erick Hawkins Dance Company of New York City
will perform at 8 tonight in the University Theater of North Texas State
University. A former NTSU dance student and a native of Fort Worth
Miss Word will appear with the Dance Theater of the Southwest the
resident dance company at NTSU
Crossword
Editorials
Helen Bottel
Horoscope
Lifestyle
Notepod
Panorama
Seek & Find
Sports
already crowded with an audience
watching jury selection in Ott’s trial —
to hear the traditional warnings given
by the judge.
On McCrory’s admission that he
could not afford an attorney, Scofield
appointed Bill Wood as defense counsel,
and McCrory talked briefly with Wood
before he was escorted by officers to
the county jail.
McCrory has been employed on the
docks for a trucking firm in Grand
Prairie, George said.
Soviets
apprehend
U.S. worker
MOSCOW (AP) — The Soviet
government arrested an American
businessman in Moscow a few hours
after it charged a woman CIA agent
formerly attached to the American
Embassy with espionage and com-
plicity in murder-by-poison.
An embassy spokesman said P. Jay
Crawford, a Moscow representative of
International Harvester, was arrested
by police Monday night while driving in
downtown Moscow with his American
fiancee, a member of the embassy
staff. It was not known where he was
being held.
“Our embassy immediately raised
the subject with the militia and the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs," the
spokesman said.
“We have made several rep-
resentations to the Foreign Ministry on
this subject and will continue to do so
until we receive a satisfactory answer,
which we have not received as yet.”
A well-informed Soviet source said he
believed Crawford had been detained
on suspicion of currency violations. He
said it would be stretching a point to
connect the arrest with the report
earlier Monday in Izvestia, the
government newspaper, that Martha D.
Peterson, a Vietnam war widow who
was the embassy’s third secretary, was
expelled last July for espionage
Cooler
8-9A DENTON A N D
5-9B VICINITY - Cooler
today and warmer
tomorrow. A slight
9A chance of showers High
4A today 89; low tonight 68
to 75.
7A WEATHER REPORT
10A Low today 70
7A High yesterday 97
3A Low yesterday 75
High last year 91
Low last year 69
The sun sets today at
8:40, it rises tomorrow
at 6:23.
RAINFALL
Last 24 hours 0
Total for month a
Total for year 19.17
Normal for month 2.03
Last year to date 16.70
10A L ,
9A Weather Outlook
’■4B Wednesday Warmer
Schmitz-Floyd-Hamlett Funeral Thursday Fair
Home Phones 382-2214 and 387 Friday Fair
6300. Saturday Fair
73-94
75-95
75-96
75-98
Carter seeks
no relaxation
of restraints
By JIM ADAMS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON
A House
study concludes that despite President
Carter's complaint that Congress has
tied his hands on foreign policy, neither
the president nor the State Department
has requested repeal of any
congressional restraints
The report was made to Speaker
Thomas P O'Neill, who had asked Rep
Clement J Zablocki, D-Wis . chairman
of the House International Relations
Committee, for a study of Carter's
complaint An ad hoc group appointed
by Zablocki made its report in a memo-
randum to O'Neill on Friday
At the same time. Zablocki and senior
members of his committee told Carter
In a letter that "we need considerable
clarification.''
"While Congress is being accused of
imposing restrictions,” the letter said,
"there has not been any specific
request from the executive branch to
repeal or modify any provisions "
Presidential press secretary Jody Prime minister arrives
Powell said Monday the White House r Ferree ftt an
UPI Telephoto
was arranging meetings in the next few India's Prime Minister Morarji Desai arrives at Andrews Air Force Base
weeks between administration officials outside Washington, DC yesterday and is greeted by Secretary of State
- possibly including Carter - and Cyrus Vance On the ramp behind the visiting prime minister is Edith
members of Congress on Carter’s “Kit" Dobelle, U.S. Chief of Protocol Desai is here for talks with President
foreign policy. Carter.
Council to consider
water rate hike tonight
By ROY APPLETON III
City Editor
The City Council tonight may in-
crease water and sewer rates and boost
the city’s electric system debt in moves
to fund utility improvements
The council will receive rate and
management studies of the water and
sewer department and consider rate
hikes proposed by Touche Ross, Inc ,
consulting engineers who compiled the
study
The proposed issuance of up to
$500 000 in certificates of obligation also
will be considered, as the council moves
toward electric system improvements
and financial security for a fledgling
electric power project in Grimes
County
Gathering at City Hall at 7 p m . the
council will:
sConsider a request by the Denton
Chamber of Commerce to step up ef-
forts to purchase right-of-way for a
northern extension of Loop 288.
sConsider authorizing the city staff to
advertise for proposals for cable
television operations in the city
sConsider bids on city sidewalk
construction
sConsider a resolution by the city’s
Research and Economic Development
Board, calling for a re-emphasis on
efforts to attract "clean, light in-
dustry" to the city
With the proposed water and sewer
rate increase, the council will be
considering s long pending move that
many city officials believe is essential
to the financial well being and con-
tinued expansion of the system
Present water and sewer rates do not
generate sufficient revenue to enable
the city to sell bonds, officials say A
bond sale is needed to obtain money to
upgrade water and sewer lines and
match a federal grant to expand the
city's sewage treatment plant, they
add
As proposed by Touche Ross, n
residential water rates would increase
from $5.20 to $6.60 for 5,000 gallons of
usage Ten thousand gallons of water
would cost the residential customer
$11 10. compared to the present rate of
80 45 For less than 2.000 gallons per
month, the cost would DECREASE
91 -15 with the proposed rate change
The council tonight may approve,
reject or defer action on the proposed
changes
Proceeds from the certificates of
obligation issue are earmarked for a
$270,000 addition to the city’s electric
substation on Locust Street in south
central Denton. $100,000 worth of im-
provements to power transmission
lines circling the city and a $130,000
water treatment system for the city’s
power plant
The new debt may not be outstanding
for long if a proposed financing plan by
Denton and its partner cities in the
Texas Municipal Power Agency comes
to pass
While TMPA is mired in a legal fight
with Grimes County taxpayers, a
situation that has precluded the sale of
agency bonds the agency as facing
bankruptcy and the loss of its proposed
$730 million power project in Grimes
County
As proposed, but not spproved by the
cities. Denton would issue some $242
million in "special facilities" bonds to
finance continued development of the
project The four cities would join in
securing portions of the debt, with
Denton being responsible for 2D percent
of the issue, according to the proposal
The proposed certificates of
obligation play a major role in the
financing plan, which has drawn in-
tense citizen opposition in Denton and
other TMPA cities
The “special facilities" bonds, 1977
enabling legislat ion stipulates, can only
be issued to refund an existing debt
And the plan calls for the $500,000 issue
to be that existing debt, one that will be
refunded (retired) with proceeds from
the proposed $242 million bond issue.
With TMPA reportedly near a set-
tlement of its court fight, prospects are
increasing for a resumption of the
agency’s financing activities
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Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 75, No. 268, Ed. 1 Tuesday, June 13, 1978, newspaper, June 13, 1978; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1703520/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Denton Public Library.