08:25-01

7Blevins

ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=tal
TAPE#96-16
GRAPHIC=Blevins

A Caroll County judge last night convicted a mother of child neglect in connection with the death of her toddler.
In handing down the sentence the judge said LaDonna Blevins' failure to check on her two-and-a-half year- old son for 24 hours showed a reckless disregard for his life.
Tracy Altizer reports.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=LaDonna Blevins left
SUPER=03-Hillsville/Yesterday; :00
SUPER=01-Greg Goad/Carroll Co. Prosecutor; :30
SUPER=01-Dwight Compton/Blevins' Lawyer; :39
SUPER=@Tracy1; 1:19
RUNS=1:27
OUT Q=News 7 Hillsville

(( LaDonna Blevins left for work at five p-m last August 26th, and went out partying when her shift ended at midnight.
It was dawn the next morning by the time she went to bed.
Blevins says she and her live-in boyfriend Steven "Bones" Cole slept most of the day, getting up twice to care for her infant daughter.
But it was after four p-m when she checked on two year-old Joshua, who was lying dead in his bed with a fractured skull.
The medical examiner says Josh could've survived the injury if he'd gotten medical treatment within a few hours. ((GREG GOAD/CARROLL CO. PROSECUTOR: THE EVIDENCE WAS THAT SHE HAD NOT CHECKED ON THE CHILD FOR 24 HOURS AND HAD MULTIPLE CHANCES TO DO SO BUT FAILED TO DO SO, AND THAT CONSTITUTES THE OFFENSE. )) ((DWIGHT COMPTON/BLEVINS' LAWYER: IN THE PAST THE CHILD WOULD GET HIMSELF UP OUT OF BED AND MAKE NOISES OR COME IN AND WAKE HER, AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT SHE WAS ACCUSTOMED TO DOING. ))
Blevins testified she twice considered checking on Josh. But she says Cole, who had babysat the children the night before, told her to let him sleep.
Cole told police he was high on drugs and shoved Josh while Blevins was at work. He said Josh hit his head and he couldn't revive him, so he just put him in bed.
But on the witness stand, he testified it happened AFTER Blevins got home, that he told her what happened and it was SHE who put Josh to bed. ((I THINK MR. COLE WILL SAY ANYTHING HE THINKS WILL SAVE HIS HIDE. ))
Blevins faces one to five years in prison when she's sentenced in April. Cole is expected to be tried for murder sometime this summer. Tracy Altizer, NEws 7 Hillsville.))

7Love


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=tho
TAPE#96-7
GRAPHIC=None

Murder charges may be filed against the man who led police on a high speed chase into Roanoke last week.
Shawn Michael Love, is accused of shooting his ex-girlfriend--Sayanora McLaughlin--in Prince George County.
McLaughlin died at the Medical College of Virginia Sunday.
Authorities say they may now upgrade the original charge against Love, ATTEMPTED murder, to MURDER.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke/Last Week;

Love was arrested last week when he smashed into another car on Orange Avenue--ending a multi-county chase.
In Roanoke--the 22-year-old is charged with attempted malicious wounding, reckless driving, and failing to stop for a police car.
The Prince George County Police Department hopes to make a decision on the murder charge later today.
Meantime, Love is being held in the Roanoke City Jail without bond.
(----------------)


7Howerton


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=THa
TAPE#96-18
GRAPHIC=NONE

A teenager in Danville is being charged with murder after admitting he killed his classmate more than a month ago.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Danville/January 28;

Authorities say Lawrence Donal (DON-ELL) Howerton, Junior turned himself in yesterday.
He's charged with killing 16- year old Tony Spraggins.
Police say the teen was shot twice on Winslow Street, January 28th.
Witnesses say the two had been involved in a fight at school several days earlier.
Both were students at George Washington High School.
(----------------)

7Billy-Mitchell


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=tal
TAPE#NONE
GRAPHIC=Mitchell

Carroll County is without a county administrator this morning.
The board of supervisors fired administrator Billy Mitchell following a special meeting Friday night.
The move came three days after the board asked state police to investigate possible missing funds.
The board first placed Mitchell on administrative leave WITH pay on March second, after auditors informed the board of discrepancies they uncovered during the regular county audit.

7Weather


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=

Taking a look now at the forecast -
Another sunny is in store for us today.
Highs are going to be in the lower 50s.
For tonight, it's going to be cold, with lows in the 20s.

55Lawrence-Howerton


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=THa
TAPE#96-18
GRAPHIC=NONE

A Danville teen is in police custody this morning for allegedly killing a classmate.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Danville/January 28;

Sixteen-year-old Lawrence Donal (DON-ELL) Howerton Junior turned himself in yesterday.
He's charged with killing 16- year old Tony Spraggins.
Police say the teen was shot twice on Winslow Street, January 28th.
Witnesses say the two had been involved in a fight at school several days earlier.
Both were students at George Washington High School.
(----------------)

55General-Assembly


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=equ
TAPE#96-15
GRAPHIC=Session 96

The longest General Assembly session in history has ended, and Virginia lawmakers are heading home.
The session ended last night with the passing of a 35- billion dollar two year budget.
Ellen Qualls reports.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=It was the
SUPER=03-Richmond/Yesterday; :00
SUPER=@Putney; :13
SUPER=@Allen; :24
SUPER=@Cranwell; :38
SUPER=01-Sen. Dick Saslaw/(D) Springfield; :54
SUPER=@Beyer; 1:10
SUPER=@Ellen1; 1:24
RUNS=1:33
OUT Q=Qualls, News 7, Richmond.

(( It was the education session.
It was the time to crack down on juvenile crime.
But most of all, it was the year the Governor put down the gloves to work with the legislature, and Republicans finally had a seat at the table.
sot 13:48:16 BUDGET INTERVIEWS ONE
((DEL. LACEY PUTNEY: HAVING BEEN HERE 35 YEARS COUNTING THIS YEAR YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT A TREMENDOUS DEPARTURE IT IS FOR ME TO EXPERIENCE.))
runs=:10


SOT 18:06:59
((GOV. GEORGE ALLEN: I THINK WHETHER IT'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, TRUE EDUCATION REFORM, OR PUBLIC SAFETY AND JUVENILE JUSTICE, IT'S BEEN AN OUTSTANDING YEAR, A VERY PRODUCTIVE SESSION. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF GOOD BI-PARTISAN COOPERATION WITH IT. A GOOD CONSENSUS ON MANY ISSUES.))
RUNS=:15


sot 18:23:22
((DEL. DICK CRANWELL: I AM PLEASED THAT THERE WAS A SMILE ON THE FACE THIS YEAR RATHER THAN A FIST IN THE FACE THIS YEAR.))
runs=:08


SOT 18:08:19
((GOV. GEORGE ALLEN: IN EDUCATION, THE DEMOCRATS AND MYSELF AND THE REPUBLICANS AGREED THERE NEEDED TO BE MORE OF AN INVESTMENT.))
RUNS=:07


sot 18:20:56
((SEN. DICK SASLAW/SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER: YOU ASK HIGHER EDUCATION WHICH PARTY LOOKS OUT FOR THEM AND THEY'LL TELL YOU IT'S BEEN OUR PARTY.))
runs=:05

Well they mostly shared the credit.
The Democrats put the emphasis on preventing teen crime in the Governor's juvenile justice package.
The Governor put the accountability of testing behind the new dollars for education.
sot 18:29:28
((LT. GOV. DON BEYER: IT IS WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER THAT WE'RE ABLE TO MOVE THE WHOLE COMMONWEALTH. WHEN WE GO OFF IN SOME SPLINTER DIRECTION WITH A FRINGE IDEA WE'RE UNSUCCESSFUL HERE.))
runs=:09


sot 01:01:34
((HOUSE SPEAKER TOM MOSS: AS MANY AS FAVOR THE MOTION WILL SAY AYE, OPPOSED NO. THE AYES HAVE IT. THE HOUSE ADJOURNS SINE DIE.))
runs=:05

That means they'll be back for one day in April to see what the Governor's done to their bills -- and if the warm fuzzies still prevail.
Ellen Qualls, News 7, Richmond.))

55Cranwell


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE# edit of tape #95-114 (cranwell) GRAPHIC=cranwell

Meantime, the state's largest health insurer paid Delegate Dick Cranwell's law firm 385-thousand-dollars last year.
The "Richmond Times-Dispatch" based today's report
SS=trigon
on Trigon's filings at the State Corporation Commission earlier this month.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=@File;

Trigon retained the law firm of the House Majority Leader for help in its bid to become a for-profit company.
Cranwell stepped down from representing Trigon in January after the newspaper reported the health insurer paid his firm 179-thousand-dollars in 1994.
Public interest groups and some Republicans said it was a conflict of interest for the Roanoke County Democrat to represent the insurer.
(---------------)

55Mitchell


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=tal
TAPE#NONE
GRAPHIC=Mitchell

Carroll County's administrator is out of a job.
The county's board of supervisors fired Billy Mitchell, following a special meeting Friday night.
It also comes three days after the board asked state police to investigate possible missing funds.
The board first placed Mitchell on administrative leave WITH pay on March second, after auditors informed the board of discrepancies they uncovered during the regular county audit.

55Weather


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=

Taking a look now at the forecast -
Another sunny is in store for us today.
Highs are going to be tin the lower 50s.
For tonight, expect clear conditions to remain, with more cold temperatures.
Lows will be near 20 degrees.
More sun tomorrow, with warmer temperatures - highs will be near 60 degrees.

8LaDonna-Blevins


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=tal
TAPE#96-16
GRAPHIC=Blevins

A Carroll County mother is convicted of felony child neglect.
Last night, a judge ruled LaDonna Blevins' failure to check on her two-and-a-half year- old son for 24 hours showed reckless disregard.
By the time Blevins did look in on the boy, he had been dead for hours.
Tracy Altizer has the story.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=LaDonna Blevins left
SUPER=03-Hillsville/Yesterday; :00
SUPER=01-Greg Goad/Carroll Co. Prosecutor; :30
SUPER=01-Dwight Compton/Blevins' Lawyer; :39
SUPER=@Tracy1; 1:19
RUNS=1:27
OUT Q=News 7 Hillsville

(( LaDonna Blevins left for work at five p-m last August 26th, and went out partying when her shift ended at midnight.
It was dawn the next morning by the time she went to bed.
Blevins says she and her live-in boyfriend Steven "Bones" Cole slept most of the day, getting up twice to care for her infant daughter.
But it was after four p-m when she checked on two year-old Joshua, who was lying dead in his bed with a fractured skull.
The medical examiner says Josh could've survived the injury if he'd gotten medical treatment within a few hours. ((GREG GOAD/CARROLL CO. PROSECUTOR: THE EVIDENCE WAS THAT SHE HAD NOT CHECKED ON THE CHILD FOR 24 HOURS AND HAD MULTIPLE CHANCES TO DO SO BUT FAILED TO DO SO, AND THAT CONSTITUTES THE OFFENSE. )) ((DWIGHT COMPTON/BLEVINS' LAWYER: IN THE PAST THE CHILD WOULD GET HIMSELF UP OUT OF BED AND MAKE NOISES OR COME IN AND WAKE HER, AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT SHE WAS ACCUSTOMED TO DOING. ))
Blevins testified she twice considered checking on Josh. But she says Cole, who had babysat the children the night before, told her to let him sleep.
Cole told police he was high on drugs and shoved Josh while Blevins was at work. He said Josh hit his head and he couldn't revive him, so he just put him in bed.
But on the witness stand, he testified it happened AFTER Blevins got home, that he told her what happened and it was SHE who put Josh to bed. ((I THINK MR. COLE WILL SAY ANYTHING HE THINKS WILL SAVE HIS HIDE. ))
Blevins faces one to five years in prison when she's sentenced in April. Cole is expected to be tried for murder sometime this summer. Tracy Altizer, NEws 7 Hillsville.))

8Lawrence-Howerton


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=THa
TAPE#96-18
GRAPHIC=NONE

A 16-year-old boy has turned himself in to Danville police for the death of another teen-ager.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Danville/January 28;

Authorities say Lawrence Donal (DON-ELL) Howerton Junior surrendered at the city police station yesterday.
Police had been looking for him since January 28th.
That's when witnesses said he shot 16-year-old Anthony Spraggins twice from a car.
Both were students at George Washington High School.
Howerton's being held without bond.
(----------------)

8Love


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=tho
TAPE#96-7
GRAPHIC=None

The man who led police on a high speed chase into Roanoke last week may now be looking at murder charges today. Shawn Michael Love is accused of shooting his ex-girlfriend Sayanora McLaughlin-- in Prince George County.
McLaughlin died at the Medical College of Virginia over the weekend.
Authorities in Prince George County will determine today whether to upgrade the original ATTEMPTED murder charge to MURDER.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Roanoke/Last Week;

Love was arrested last week when he smashed into another car on Orange Avenue--ending a multi-county chase.
In Roanoke--the 22-year-old is charged with attempted malicious wounding, reckless driving, and failing to stop for a police car.
Love is being held in the Roanoke City Jail without bond.
(----------------)


8Sketch


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=mel
TAPE#none
GRAPHIC=none

Authorities are compiling a psychological sketch of a man they believe may have abducted a woman along U-S 29 in Culpeper.
Alicia Reynolds has been missing since March 2nd.
More than 20 other women have contacted state police to say they encountered a man on U-S 29 between Manassas and Charlottesville who tried to get them to stop their cars.

8Weather


ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=

Taking a look now at the forecast -
Another sunny day is in store for us today.
Highs are going to be in the lower 50s.
For tonight, it's going to be cold, with lows in the 20s. degrees. More sun tomorrow, with warmer temperatures - highs will be near 60
by SS