Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 2, 1993 TAG: 9310020268
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KAREN BARNES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD LENGTH: Medium
Jerald Lowry was found guilty Friday of breaking and entering the Big Island home of his former girlfriend, Diane Thompson, in June.
Since November, Lowry had been under a restraining order not to contact Thompson. She had filed assault charges against him after suffering a broken finger. "It was an abusive relationship," she testified.
But the stormy nine-year relationship continued despite the court order. "We kept the relationship going after the restriction," Lowry testified.
Lowry, out of state on a job, returned to Virginia in December and suffered a nervous breakdown as a result of their relationship, he said.
After a monthlong hospital stay and floating from city to city, he hitchhiked from Washington, D.C., to Big Island, arriving late in the evening June 2.
Although he had telephoned Thompson in early May, he decided to sleep behind a storage shed near her home. He testified that he was dirty and embarrassed for anyone to see him.
But shortly after Thompson and her children left the house, Lowry said, he got inside and helped himself to a beer and some chips he found in the kitchen. He then hid in the attic so no one would see him.
"I wanted to tell her that I'd ended up in an institution, and my life had turned upside down, and the price of loving her was too much," he testified when asked what his intentions were on entering the house.
According to testimony at the trial, the scene unfolded as follows:
Thompson returned to her house with Robert Harris, a mutual friend who had agreed to install a ceiling fan for her. When Lowry recognized Harris' voice, he thought his best friend and his girlfriend were involved in an affair. He burst out of the attic.
Thompson screamed, and Harris rushed down the hall. Lowry threatened to kill them both, although he had no weapon on him at the time. While Thompson ran to her neighbor's house to call the police, Harris tried to explain to Lowry that he and Thompson were not having an affair.
After the two men scuffled, Lowry ran outside and grabbed an iron pipe. Meanwhile, Harris locked him out of the house. Harris later escaped unharmed.
Deputy Steve Brooks arrived shortly after noon. When Lowry ran toward him brandishing the pipe, Brooks unfastened his gun holster and ordered Lowry to drop the weapon. Lowry dropped the pipe and was taken into custody.
Judge William Sweeney sentenced him to one year in jail and three years' probation. Although Sweeney waived four years of a possible sentence, he remarked that Lowry's criminal record, including an assault conviction in 1979 and an unlawful-wounding conviction the next year, influenced his decision. In addition, Lowry is forbidden to have any contact with either Thompson or Harris.
by CNB