Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 29, 1990                   TAG: 9004270476
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-4   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: By NEAL THOMPSON NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                  LENGTH: Medium

CRIME VICTIM'S BENEFACTOR OPENS PULASKI COUNTY PROGRAM

Philalas-Copus met the three in the halls outside the Pulaski County General District courtroom. She stuffed blue-and-white pamphlets into their hands and asked if they had any questions.

Actually, they were Philalas-Copus' first clients since she became coordinator of Pulaski County's new Victim Assistance Project last month.

The project was unveiled in January, after the county received a federal grant through the state Department of Criminal Justice. The whole thing got off the ground in late March when Philalas-Copus was hired.

"It's still kind of unfolding . . . But I like it a lot. It feels good," said Philalas-Copus, 24, who was graduated from Harvard University with a sociology degree. "It's a program Pulaski has been waiting for for a while. And the people are pretty receptive to it."

In a nutshell, the project is designed to give victims of felony crimes information on how the courts work and where to get help if they've been hurt or financial reimbursement if they've been ripped off. The service is free.

Before Philalas-Copus came on board, victims could get some of this information from the county commonwealth's attorney's office. But it often was an extra burden for that office, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Douglas Shroder said.

"This [project] helps because on Mondays in General District Court, I'm running around doing three or four different things and sometimes I don't have the time to explain things to them," Shroder said. "I'd try to explain in 30 seconds what was going on, which would hold up court, or I wouldn't explain it at all."

Both Philalas-Copus and Shroder say its too early to tell how well the project is working, but they are excited and say it has potential.

The project began when Pulaski was chosen by the Criminal Justice Department to receive federal grant money designed to help victims of crimes in rural areas.

Philalas-Copus will refer victims of sexual crimes to the New River Valley Women's Resource Center in Radford. Others will be directed to assistance programs at New River Community Sentencing Inc. in Christiansburg.

She also will serve as liaison between victims and police if the person is trying to retrieve stolen property. And if someone has been seriously hurt, she helps them fill out an application for reimbursement from the state.

But so far, she mainly has just answered questions, she said.

"I like working with people. And Pulaski is an interesting place," she said in the office she shares in Christiansburg with New River Community Sentencing.

She'll have office hours at the Pulaski Library on Thursdays between 1 and 4 p.m.

Philalas-Copus said she'll work just in the district court for a while, but eventually will serve the county's Circuit Court as well.

She also hopes the project will someday better serve Floyd and Giles counties. Victims in those counties can get counseling from Philalas-Copus, but they must contact her because she does not contact them as she does in Pulaski.

For more information about the program, Philalas-Copus can be reached at her office at 205 W. Main St. in Christiansburg or by calling 382-0802.