Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 7, 1994 TAG: 9401070035
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHICAGO LENGTH: Short
Jeffrey David "Donovan" Powell, 43, told reporters before appearing in court that he was unrepentant about his actions in the Weather Underground.
"I am proud to have fought for my country against the criminal government of Richard Nixon. And I am glad not to be at war against my country now," he said.
Powell's lawyer, Jeffery Haas, said his client had spent much of his time since 1969 in Colorado, working under an alias as an activist and lobbyist on children's issues.
"He's testified before congressional committees and before state legislatures, including the Illinois General Assembly, on behalf of programs for children," Haas told Cook County Circuit Court Judge Fred G. Suria Jr.
In return for Powell's guilty plea on the mob action count, Suria agreed to drop a more serious charge of aggravated battery.
Both charges stemmed from an incident in downtown Chicago on Oct. 11, 1969, in which police Lt. Joseph Healy was struck in the head with a lead pipe.
Because Healy was seriously injured, Assistant State's Attorney Joseph J. McNerney asked Suria to sentence Powell to six months in jail, two years' probation and a large fine.
The judge decided on probation plus a $500 fine and $210 in court costs.
by CNB