Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 10, 1994 TAG: 9402100109
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Joseph R. White Jr., 27, was sentenced to 60 days in jail by Roanoke Circuit Judge Roy Willett.
White had faced a felony charge of abduction, but the charge was reduced to a misdemeanor because there was no evidence the worker was taken anywhere against her will, according to Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Greg Phillips.
The Nov. 23 incident happened when Susie Bishop, a 19-year employee of the Social Services Department, was making a court-ordered visit to determine if White's two stepchildren should be returned to his Elm Avenue home.
Police have said earlier that Bishop noticed there were mattresses on the floor of the apartment in violation of a court directive.
White reportedly became increasingly upset during the visit. Authorities said he locked Bishop inside the one-room apartment, cursed her, hit the door she was standing next to, and told her she was not leaving until the children were returned.
Bishop was later allowed to leave.
"She was emotionally shaken" but otherwise unharmed, Phillips said.
It was the second attack on a Roanoke social worker in less than three months.
In January, a Roanoke jury convicted Lloyd Dudding of the malicious wounding of Marty Harmon, who went to Dudding's home Sept. 2 to investigate allegations that his elderly mother had been abused.
The jury set a sentence of 10 years in prison for Dudding, who was accused of punching Harmon in the face and dragging her across the room by her hair.
Following the two incidents, the Social Services Department began to offer self-defense training to employees through a course at the Police Academy.
by CNB