[7-E-Munsey-Car]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=00-06 2:49]
[GRAPHIC=Munsey]
Sources tell NEWS 7 that authorities investigating the murder of Tara Rose Munsey, at least for now, are concentrating on one person.
This week, investigators secured search warrants in the case.
(--------------)
[vo-nat]
[super=03-Pulaski Co.]
A judge has sealed the documents but sources close to the investigation say... they've impounded the man's car... this gold Nissan.
Investigators have also taken blood samples from him.
(---------------)
[ANCHOR=Mel]
[SS=Hold]
Investigators have also searched a residence in FLOYD County looking for a weapon.
All of the evidence retrieved has been sent to the state crime lab in Roanoke.
Sources confirm that Munsey was shot in the head and -- though she was NOT sexually assaulted -- her shirt was found nearby.
[7-E-Murder-Munsey]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=00-01 39:47]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]
Authorities received their first clues in the case last week when a Giles County man found Tara Munsey's body.
Marya Jones has that story.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Greg LaFon used to]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Greg LaFon/Found Tara Munsey's Body; :07 QUICK!]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski Co./Last Thursday; :39]
[SUPER=10-Jim Davis/Pulaski Co. Sheriff/Last Week; :55 VERY QUICK!]
[super=@Marya1]
[RUNS=1:24]
[OUT Q=MJN7.]
(( Greg LaFon used to walk in these woods for recreation. But from now on, he'll be haunted by what he found here last Thursday.
[SOT 3:05:27 - :31]
((GREG LAFON: I WAS EITHER IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME OR THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME, ONE OF THE TWO.))
[RUNS:04]
Out taking a walk near the New River, the Vietnam veteran found himself thinking about Tara Munsey. She'd been missing for two and a half weeks. And was the daughter of an old friend, Billy Munsey.
That's when he spotted something about 50 yards away in a ravine. At first he didn't think much of it.
[SOT 3:05:09 - :23]
((AS I WAS WALKING AWAY, I FELT LIKE I OWED IT TO HER FATHER TO GO BACK AND SOMETHING JUST TOLD ME I NEEDED TO GO BACK AND LOOK AND, OF COURSE, THERE WAS SOMETHING.))
[RUNS:14]
It was Tara Munsey, shot several times in the head and dumped in the ravine.
Authorities say evidence indicates she was shot at the scene.
And sources say she was found with the shirt from her Taco Bell uniform lying beside her in the ditch.
LaFon's discovery confirmed a community's worst fears and gave authorities their first big break in the case.
[SOT 6:20 - :23]
((JIM DAVIS: NOW HAVING A CRIME SCENE WILL PROVIDE CLUES.))
[RUNS:03]
[SOT 3:04:16 - :28]
((AT THE TIME IT DIDN'T ENTER MY MIND BUT LATER ON, I WAS GLAD. YOU HAVE FEELINGS OF HELPLESSNESS AT TIMES ABOUT NOT BEING THERE WHEN IT WOULD HAVE COUNTED.))
[RUNS:12]
[SU]
((MARYA JONES/NEWS7: PULASKI COUNTY AUTHORITIES SAY THEY'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE WAY LAFON HELPED MOVE THE CASE FORWARD, BUT THEY'RE KEEPING A TIGHT LID ON THE INVESTIGATION. THEY URGE ANYONE WITH INFORMATION TO CONTACT THEM. MARYA JONES, NEWS 7.))
[RUNS:10]))
[7-E-Pedestrian]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=99-60 1:04:47]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A man walking on a Roanoke street was hit by a car last night.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke/Last Night]
Police say 72-year old Everett C. Carter, Junior, was crossing Rutgers Street Northwest near Crossroads Mall just after 7 yesterday evening when he was hit by a Cadillac.
He was taken to the hospital with head injuries.
No word on the extent of those injuries.
(------------)
[7Weather]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Here's a look at your Thursday forecast.
Mostly sunny and windy today with highs in the upper 40s.
Tonight, a winter storm watch is in effect with sleet and freezing rain across the area.
Lows in the upper 20s.
The extended forecast...
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Mostly Sunny/Winds N 10-15/45-49/Winter Storm Watch/Sleet-Freezing Rain/25-29;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[45-E-Vinton-Police]
[ANCHOR=Mel]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-59 29:42]
[GRAPHIC=Vinton PD Investigation]
A judge may decide today to release the findings of a special grand jury probe of the Vinton police department.
At four this afternoon she will decide whether to make the report public.
But she'll do it without input from Vinton residents.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Vinton;]
Tuesday night, the public spoke out to town council-- after learning that a grand jury would not reccomend charges against former Police Chief Ricky Foutz and his Lieutenant, Bill Brown.
At the meeting, town attorney Buck Heartwell stated -- Judge Diane Strickland would hear from the town and from attorneys for Foutz and the town before deciding whether or not to make the grand jury report public.
Heartwell says he didn't mean the public could make statements.. but that HE would be speaking on BEHALF of the town.
Strickland says she will NOT hear from the public.
Instead-- she will listen to attorneys and make her decision today at four.
(------------)
[45-E-Police-Shooting]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=00-03]
[GRAPHIC=Police Shooting]
The Roanoke police Department has cleared one of its officers of any wrong doing in connection with the shooting of an unarmed suspect.
That decision has outraged the Roanoke N-double-A-C-P.
Kate Weidaw has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=as far as]
[SUPER=01-Joe Gaskins/Roanoke Police Chief; :02]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :10]
[SUPER=01-Martin Jeffrey/Roanoke NAACP; :23]
[SUPER=04-December 31, 1999; :37]
[SUPER=@Kate1; 1:18]
[RUNS=1:29]
[OUT Q=kw news 7]
(([SOT 9:06:39]
[INQ=]
((JOE GASKINS/ROANOKE POLICE CHIEF: AS FAR AS THE SHOOTING ITSELF GOES, I BELIEVE OFFICER BOUCHER ACTED REASONABLY UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 6]
After an internal investigation Officer W.G. Boucher is back on duty after being placed on administrative leave for shooting 38 year old Wilbert Lewis.
Martin Jeffrey with the NAACP is outraged by the announcement.
[SOT 10:46:50]
[INQ=]
((MARTIN JEFFREY/NAACP: THIS POLICE DEPARTMENT IS TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL THERE IS NO ACCOUNTABILITY AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS THUMBING THEIR NOSES UP AT THE REST OF US THE WHOLE COMMUNITY WHITE AND BLACK SAYING WE WILL DO WHATEVER WE WANT TO DO.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 12]
[99-56 22;24]
This all comes after Boucher attempted to pull Lewis over in December because his lights were not on . Police say Lewis sped off and drove through a residential neighborhood at a high rate of speed before he stopped his car on Patton Avenue. Authorities say Lewis got out of his car, but reached back in and would not show his hands. That's when Boucher shot Lewis once in the abdomen.
Martin Jeffrey says that's not the whole story.
[SOT 10:51:52]
[INQ=]
((MARTIN JEFFREY/NAACP: WHAT THEY DON'T TALK ABOUT IS THAT HE GOT OUT OF THE CAR WITH THE DOG, MR. LEWIS SAID THE DOG CAME AT HIM AND THAT'S WHY HE JUMPED AND TRIED TO GET BACK INTO THE CAR, WHEN THE OFFICER ORDERED HIM OUT OF THE CAR THAT'S WHEN HE SHOT HIM.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 15]
[STANDUP]
[INQ=]
((KATE WEIDAW/REPORTING; BUT THE CHIEF OF POLICE SAYS
BOUCHER USED SOUND LAW ENFORCEMENT PRACTICES AND ACTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROCEDURES.
MARTIN JEFFREY SAYS THE LEWIS FAMILY IS PLANNING TO FILE A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE DEPARTMENT. KATE WEIDAW NEWS 7.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS= 10]))
[45Weather]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Taking a break from the news, let's check the forecast.
Mostly sunny and cooler today, with highs in the upper 40s.
A Winter storm watch goes into effect tonight for sleet or freezing rain, which will likely develop after midnight.
Lows in the upper 20s.
The extended forecast calls for the wintry precipitation to change to all rain by tomorrow afternoon.
The weekend looks dry and a bit warmer.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Mostly Sunny/Winds N 10-15/45-49/Winter Storm Watch/Sleet-Freezing Rain/25-29;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[8-Tobacco-Settlement]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=Tobacco Settlement]
Tobacco farmers will see this year's share of tobacco settlement money by June first.
The total represents about 80 percent of this year's money at the disposal of the state Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission.
The remaining 20 percent will go to community revitalization projects.
The split approved yesterday goes against the recommendation of Governor Gilmore, who wanted all of this year's money to go to tobacco farmers.
The panel also balked at Gilmore's call to spend tobacco money on college capital projects and tourism projects in tobacco-growing areas -- but will take up those proposals again later.
[8-E-City-Council]
[ANCHOR=Mel]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=99-50 1:52:16]
[GRAPHIC=Campaign 2000]
A former Roanoke City Councilman hopes to return to public service later this year as mayor.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
Mac McCadden gathered family and friends outside the Roanoke Public Library for yesterday's announcement.
Though it's now a four-way race, McCadden believes he has the message and the public profile to run a competitive Independent campaign.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 01:06:32]
[IN Q=I think people know]
((I THINK PEOPLE KNOW THAT I'M A PERSON OF ACTION. IF I SAY I'M GOING TO TRY TO DO SOMETHING, I'M DEFINITELY GOING TO TRY. THEY KNOW I'M A LISTENER. I LIKE LISTENING TO IDEAS AND OPINIONS AND APPROACHING THINGS FROM DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW. AND I BELIEVE THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THIS ELECTION.))
[SUPER=01-Mac McCadden/(I) City Council Candidate]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=in this election.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]
In addition to McCadden, Democratic Incumbent David Bowers, Republican Ralph Smith, and Independent E. Duane Howard are running for mayor.
[8-E-Adams]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-52 1:22:30]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]
And in Lynchburg, a former mayor says he's now ready to return to politics as a city councilman.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]
Car dealer Julian Adams announced yesterday he's seeking the Ward One seat on Lynchburg city council.
Adams spent ten years in City Hall, two of them as mayor.. but says that may not help his campaign.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 22:13:24]
[IN Q=It could be]
((JULIAN ADAMS/I- LYNCHBURG COUNCIL CANDIDATE: IT COULD BE A PLUS, IT COULD BE A MINUS. IF FOLKS DIDN'T LIKE WHAT I DID BEFORE THEN IT WOULD MAKE IT REAL EASY FOR THEM TO VOTE `NO' THIS TIME. I THINK THE EXPERIENCE IS WORTHWHILE. LIKE MOST OF THE OTHER THINGS I'VE DONE IN LIFE, I'VE LEARNED BY THE THINGS I DID ON COUNCIL AND AS MAYOR.))
[SUPER=01-Julian Adams/(I) Lynchburg Council Candidate]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=and as mayor.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Adams describes himself as a free-spirited, fiscal conservative who's concerned about quality of life issues in the city.
Current Ward One councilman Pete Warren is "not" running for re-election.
(------------)
[8-5-SML-Condos]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=599-]
[GRAPHIC=SML]
A new and controversial condominium complex is coming to Smith Mountain Lake now that a developer has won permission to build there.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co.;]
Ed Waters got final approval from Franklin County supervisors Tuesday night to build 96 condominium units and a restaurant next to Bridgewater Plaza on Route 616.
Last year Smith Mountain Lake residents sued county supervisors for approving these plans illegally.
Now that his second application has succeeded -- Waters plans to start building this fall.
(------------)
[8Weather]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Let's take one more look at the forecast..
Mostly sunny today with highs in the upper 40s.
Expect sleet or freezing rain to develop late tonight.
A winter storm watch will be in effect, as lows fall into the 20s.
The extended forecast calls for the wintry precipitation to change to all rain by tomorrow afternoon.
The weekend looks dry and a bit warmer.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Mostly Sunny/Winds N 10-15/45-49/Winter Storm Watch/Sleet-Freezing Rain/25-29;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
by SS