[7E-Danville-Chase]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=chu]
[TAPE#=98-81 1:07:22]
[GRAPHIC=Murder Investigation]
[****ANCHOR TAG*****]
A murder, a high speed chase, and a suicide.
It sounds like the stuff of fiction, but Danville police think its a story that played out in their city.
Christy Hubley reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The victim with the]
[SUPER=03-Danville/Last Night; :00]
[SUPER=03-Danville/Last Sunday; :17]
[SUPER=01-T. Neal Morris/Danville Police Chief; :33]
[SUPER=@Christy2; :40]
[RUNS=1:19]
[OUT Q=News 7, Danville.]
((The victim with a self-inflicted gunshot wound is Kenneth Thomas Bailey the Second.
Police say they had three warrents out for his arrest, including one for escaping from a Danville mental hospital.
But more recently, police were looking at Bailey in connection with a murder that happened last weekend.
The body of Anthony Broadnax was discovered Sunday morning in a Walker Street backyard.
Someone killed him with a single gunshot to the head.
Police believe the murderer then stole a car belonging to the victim's mother.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:17:08-:18]
[IN Q=We found that car]
((CHIEF MORRIS: WE FOUND THAT CAR IN THE COUNTY AND HAD THAT UNDER SURVEILANCE. THE INDIVIDUAL GOT IN THE CAR TOOK OFF BEFORE THEY COULD STOP HIM AND HE FLED INTO THE CITY WITH DEPUTIES IN PURSUIT.))
[RUNS :10]
[OUT Q=deputies in pursuit.]
The pursuit ended when the suspect ran a red light at the intersection of Piney Forest Road and the Franklin Turnpike and crashed head on into another vehicle, injuring the driver.
Police say the suspect got out of the stolen, now smashed car and took off running.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:17:26-:34]
[IN Q=When he was approached]
((CHIEF MORRIS: WHEN HE WAS APPROACHED BY AN OFF DUTY DEPUTY WHO THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A SIMPLE HIT AND RUN ACCIDENT, HE PUT THE GUN TO HIS HEAD AND SHOT HIMSELF.))
[RUNS :08]
[OUT Q=shot himself.]
This turn of events does not close the murder investigation.
Instead, it opens a whole new probe into the chase, the accident, and the suicide.
Christy Hubley, News 7, Danville.
(-------------)))
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=none]
The driver injured in the car accident is Katherine Tosh.
She has been discharged from Danville Regional Medical Center.
[7E-Bedford-Death]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-6 16:04]
[GRAPHIC=Bedford Baby Death]
A babysitter is charged with manslaughter, one year after a toddler died in her home.
But that may not be the extent of the charges against the Bedford County woman.
Steve Smallshaw has the story.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The day it ]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Lt. Ricky Gardner/Bedford Co. Sheriff's Dept.; :13]
[SUPER=01-Colton Edmonds/Neighbor; :37]
[SUPER=@ssm1; ]
[RUNS=1:02]
[OUT Q=Smallshaw, News7.]
(( The day it happened.. February 12th, 1998.. Sonja Hickson told police the little girl had fallen over backwards in her chair and struck her head on the floor.
But the severity of the girl's injuries made authorities suspicious..
(////SOT/////)
[SOT 13:51:02]
((LT. RICKY GARDNER/BEDFORD CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.: TALKING TO DIFFERENT EXPERTS IN THE FIELD OF CHILD INJURIES AND JUST PUTTING TOGETHER THE CASE, WHICH CULMINATED EARLY THIS MORNING WITH MS. HICKSON'S ARREST.))
[RUNS 14]
[OUT Q=Hickson's arrest.]
Police say Hickson made a living taking care of other people's children in her home on Old Station Loop in Hardy.
Neighbor Colton Edmonds used to play there.. he and his mother were shocked to hear of Hickson's arrest.
[SOT 00:10:26]
[IN Q=me and my]
((COLTON EDMONDS/NEIGHBOR; ME AND MY LITTLE BROTHER WOULD GO UP THERE AND EAT LUNCH WITH THEM SOMETIMES, PLAY AROUND AND WATCH THE KIDS OUT THERE RIDING BIKES, NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS OUT OF ANY OF THEM OR HER))
[RUNS 12]
[OUT Q=or her]
[Standup]
((Sonja Hickson remains free after posting a ten- thousand dollar bond. But authorities say it's possible the charge against her could be upgraded to something more serious.. from voluntary manslaughter to murder. Steve Smallshaw, News7.))
[RUNS 12]
[OUT Q=Smallshaw, News7.]))
[7WEATHER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE #=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Taking a look now at your Thursday forecast..
A cloudy day ahead, with the possibility for some more showers. Look for highs in the low- to mid-50s.
Clouds stick around tonight, with some light winds from the north. Lows will drop off to around 40 degrees.
The extended forecast...
[CK/WX PRO=]
MAPS
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Cloudy, with/Occasional Rain/52-56/Mostly Cloudy/Light NE Winds/38-42;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[7BIRTHDAYS!] 2/19/99
Friday:
[SUPER=130-6/Colleen French/New Castle]
[SUPER=130-70/Willie Gearheart/Pilot]
[SUPER=130-8/Jonathan Anderson/Roanoke]
[SUPER=130-12/Travis Smith/Hiwassee]
[SUPER=130-5/Jacob Whiting/Hiwassee]
[SUPER=130-13/Daniel Horton/Ridgeway]
[SUPER=130-80/Christine Taylor/Hardy]
[SUPER=130-6/Asa Dunnavant/Lexington]
[SUPER=130-68/Eunice Thorne/Narrows]
[SUPER=130-3/Kimber Butler/Roanoke]
No Pictures:
Anniversary:
[SUPER=131-/Jack & Henrietta Cooper/Snow Creek]
Anniversary:
[SUPER=131-/Richard & Sue Thompson/Snow Creek]
[SUPER=131-/Wilma Brown/Roanoke]
[SUPER=131-/Marcus Holley/Bassett]
[cutopen]
[SUPER=19-Melanie/Moon;]
[45E-Food-Tax]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=99-5 18:01]
[GRAPHIC=Food Tax]
The House and Senate have passed a plan to reduce the food tax, and the bill is on its way to Governor Gilmore.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=@File;]
The House of Delegates voted 99 to nothing yesterday to cut the first "half cent" of the four-and-a-half cent tax in January.
Two cents would be fully phased out by April 2003.
(------------)
[TALENT=Melanie]
[SS=None]
When fully implemented, the tax cut will save Virginians 248 million dollars a year.
[45E-Rockbridge-Arson]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=sta]
[TAPE#=98-77]
[GRAPHIC=None]
New charges have been filed against some Fairfield firefighters.
Officials with the Rockbridge County Sheriff's Department have charged two firefighters with a misdemeanor following an incident during a fundraising drive last year.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 11.26.21 - 11.26.30]
[IN Q=Some of the firemen]
((ROY DAY/ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY SHERIFF: SOME OF THE FIREMEN WENT TO THE GUY'S HOUSE ASKING HIM FOR A DONATION AND HE TURNED THEM DOWN AND THEY STARTED TRASHING THE GUY'S YARD. AND, THERE'S NO EXCUSE FOR THAT--NONE WHAT SO EVER.))
[SUPER=01-Roy Day/Rockbridge Co. Sheriff;]
[RUNS=09]
[OUT Q=none what so ever.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-March 19;]
Last Friday, the fire chief's son Matt Wilmer and another juvenile were also charged with setting fire to (Ur-lean) Erline Ritche's barn last year.
The charges come about a year after Wilmer was convicted of burning down another barn in the area.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=none]
If convicted the two could receive up to one year in jail.
Fairfield Fire Chief Stephen Wilmer could not be reached for comment.
[45E-Elton-Watch]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=99-]
[GRAPHIC=Elton John]
The stage is set for one of the biggest entertainers ever to visit the Roanoke Valley.
Elton John and his piano take center stage tomorrow night at the Civic Center.
Eric Earnhart takes us behind the scenes.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It looks like the international]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=@Eric1; :52]
[RUNS=1:44]
[OUT Q=EE, News 7]
((It looks something like the international space station, waiting on the pad... but this network of steel, wires and computerized parts only has to rise 30 feet to launch the Rocket Man into orbit at the Roanoke civic center.
(natsot?)
Roadies hit town a day early because this is a new arena for them... and this is a new SHOW... They say Elton has only performed in this intimate piano-only setting once before... and he liked it, so he decided to try it again here.
A glittering semi-circle of lights hovers over the spot where that piano will stand... IT's not here... the roadies say Elton carries it with him...
[SOT 01:46:08]
[IN Q=you always travel]
((ROADIE; YOU ALWAYS TRAVEL WITH YOUR OWN, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO YOU ARE, ANY MUSICIAN YOU TRAVEL WITH YOUR OWN HORN, YOUR OWN DRUM... ))
[RUNS 08]
[OUT Q=your own drum]
(concert natsot)
(02:09:00
standup)
So since it's a one man, one piano show, you may be wondering what happens if disaster strikes, and something goes wrong with the piano? Well just like Jeff Gordon would never travel without a spare race car, Elton John has a spare piano, it's stored in an undisclosed location, and in the event of an extreme emergency , it will be airlifted to Roanoke.
But even in the best of circumstances, this concert presents a challenge... how do you transform a hockey arena, into an intimate evening with Elton?
The key is in the lighting....
[SOT 02:04:04]
[IN Q=a lot of our]
((LIGHT DESIGNER; A LOT OF OUR INTERPRETATIONS OF WHAT THE MUSIC SOUNDS LIKE, WE TRY TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE THAT SOUND, AND A LOT OF TIMES WE'LL ACTUALLY TAKE IT LITERALLY, IF THE LYRIC SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT BLUE, ALL OF A SUDDEN THINGS WILL GO A LITTLE BIT BLUE AND GIVE YOU THAT SENSATION.))
[RUNS 21]
[OUT Q=that sensation]
Another important rule he says... the lights should NEVER outshine the star.... though, there's not much danger of THAT happening in this show.
In Roanoke, Eric Earnhart, News 7 ))
[45WEATHER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE #=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Turning now to the Thursday forecast---
Occasional showers this morning, otherwise cloudy today.
Highs in the mid 50s.
Staying mostly cloudy overnight, with lows around 40.
Looking ahead-- A big storm system heading out of the plains will bring us more rain tomorrow, possibly mixing with snow in the higher elevations.
Snow is a possibility through Saturday, with highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s and 30s.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Cloudy, with/Occasional Rain/52-56/Mostly Cloudy/Light NE Winds/38-42;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[cutopen]
[SUPER=19-Melanie/Moon;]
[8E-Bedford-Death]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-6 16:04]
[GRAPHIC=Bedford Baby Death]
A Bedford county babysitter charged with manslaughter could face more serious charges, a year after a toddler died while in her care.
Steve Smallshaw reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The day it ]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Lt. Ricky Gardner/Bedford Co. Sheriff's Dept.; :13]
[SUPER=01-Colton Edmonds/Neighbor; :37]
[SUPER=@ssm1; ]
[RUNS=1:02]
[OUT Q=Smallshaw, News7.]
(( The day it happened.. February 12th, 1998.. Sonja Hickson told police the little girl had fallen over backwards in her chair and struck her head on the floor.
But the severity of the girl's injuries made authorities suspicious..
(////SOT/////)
[SOT 13:51:02]
((LT. RICKY GARDNER/BEDFORD CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.: TALKING TO DIFFERENT EXPERTS IN THE FIELD OF CHILD INJURIES AND JUST PUTTING TOGETHER THE CASE, WHICH CULMINATED EARLY THIS MORNING WITH MS. HICKSON'S ARREST.))
[RUNS 14]
[OUT Q=Hickson's arrest.]
Police say Hickson made a living taking care of other people's children in her home on Old Station Loop in Hardy.
Neighbor Colton Edmonds used to play there.. he and his mother were shocked to hear of Hickson's arrest.
[SOT 00:10:26]
[IN Q=me and my]
((COLTON EDMONDS/NEIGHBOR; ME AND MY LITTLE BROTHER WOULD GO UP THERE AND EAT LUNCH WITH THEM SOMETIMES, PLAY AROUND AND WATCH THE KIDS OUT THERE RIDING BIKES, NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS OUT OF ANY OF THEM OR HER))
[RUNS 12]
[OUT Q=or her]
[Standup]
((Sonja Hickson remains free after posting a ten- thousand dollar bond. But authorities say it's possible the charge against her could be upgraded to something more serious.. from voluntary manslaughter to murder. Steve Smallshaw, News7.))
[RUNS 12]
[OUT Q=Smallshaw, News7.]))
[8E-Hugh-Finn]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=equ]
[TAPE#=98-74]
[GRAPHIC=Right to Die]
The right-to-die issue resulted in EIGHT lost court hearings AND a loss in the state senate for Governor Jim Gilmore
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Richmond;]
But yesterday, a party line vote in a House committee killed a bill that would have reimbursed Hugh Finn's family for their legal expenses.
All eight Republicans sided with the Governor for his failed court fight to keep Hugh Finn on feeding tubes after a three and a half year coma.
The Governor says he did NOT pressure the lawmakers.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=No I just]
((GOV. JIM GILMORE: NO I JUST THINK THOSE EIGHT MEMBERS WERE DOING THEIR DUTY. THEY'RE DOING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO.))
[SOT ]
(( MICHELE FINN/HUGH FINN'S WIDOW: I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY -- I FEEL LIKE HE HAS NO COMPASSION AT ALL FOR WHAT THIS FAMILY IS GOING THROUGH. HE COULD HAVE GRACEFULLY BEEN ABLE TO BE DONE WITH THIS.))
[SUPER=@Gilmore; :00]
[SUPER=01-Michele Finn/Hugh Finn's Widow; :08]
[RUNS=:18]
[OUT Q=done with this.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Yesterday's vote is the first truly partisan split on the issues around dying-- The Finn case has made the issue a focal point for this year's General Assembly.
(------------)
[8E-Star-City]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=99-8 12:33]
[GRAPHIC=Star City Reopens]
Health inspectors have given the okay for the Star City Diner to re- open for business.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
The restaurant was closed Friday after inspectors found roaches, rotten food and other problems.
While the latest inspection revealed some minor concerns, health officials say the restaurant has corrected the most serious violations.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 26:54]
[IN Q=All the food is in good condition]
((KAREN CHAPLES/ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SUPERVISOR: ALL THE FOOD IS IN GOOD CONDITION. THE TEMPERATURES ARE GOOD. ALL THE CRITICAL VIOLATIONS ARE UNDER CONTROL. WE WILL LET THEM REOPEN.))
[SUPER=01-Karen Chaples/Environmental Health Supervisor;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=let them reopen.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Restaurant employees have worked hard to bring the restaurant into compliance, and they're hopeful they can address the health inspectors' concerns on a continuing basis.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 30:40]
[IN Q=Not only to keep it open]
((LAURA BRUBAKER/RESTAURANT MANAGER: NOT ONLY TO KEEP IT OPEN, BUT TAKE IT TO A HIGHER LEVEL WHERE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FOR A LONG TIME. WE PLAN ON TAKING IT THERE, KEEPING IT THERE, BUILDING OUR BUSINESS AND JUST GETTING THINGS WHERE THEY NEED TO BE.))
[SUPER=01-Laura Brubaker/Restaurant Manager;]
[RUNS=:15]
[OUT Q=getting things where they need to be.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[GRAPHIC=hold!!!]
The Health Department is promising UN-ANNOUNCED inspections to insure that the restaurant remains in compliance, and officials are moving forward with a hearing in mid-march that could still revoke the restaurant's food permit.
[8WEATHER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=kmc]
[TAPE #=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Time again to look at today's forecast--
Occasional rain this morning, with clouds lingering through tonight.
Highs in the mid 50s, lows dropping to around 40.
In the extended outlook....a big storm approaching from the west will likely bring rain to the region tomorrow, with snow a possibility for the weekend.
Highs in the 40s....lows in the 20s and 30s.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[SUPER=314-Cloudy, with/Occasional Rain/52-56/Mostly Cloudy/Light NE Winds/38-42;]
by SS