ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 21, 1995 TAG: 9512210056
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN
Montgomery County Circuit Court
Dec. 19
Madison Allen Linkous, 66, will be on conditional release after being found not guilty by reason of insanity last year of the malicious wounding of one Blacksburg police officer and the attempted malicious wounding of another.
Linkous' car struck an officer's car as police tried to stop him at the end of an eight-mile chase.
The five-minute pursuit started on South Main Street, when a Montgomery County deputy noticed a speeding car and began to follow it.
The pursuit continued into Merrimac and ended on Prices Fork Road near Virginia Tech, with five dented cars and an injured police officer.
At a preliminary hearing in December 1993, Linkous blamed his actions on a reaction to his medication.
Officers testified Linkous told them he just wanted to go fast.
But as the case meandered through Circuit Court, Linkous, who previously received mental treatment for nerves and was on medication for schizophrenia, said the events that got him in trouble with the law started as he returned from a trip to the store to get some matches. He said he began to see a maroon devil, both under his vehicle and on the sun.
Montgomery County Circuit Judge Ray Grubbs agreed with a mental health evaluation that said Linkous did not require hospitalization at a mental facility. But Linkous will have to be under the care of the New River Valley Community Services Board and progress reports must be made to the court every six months.
Misdemeanor charges of four hit-and-run accidents, reckless driving and fail to stop for police were covered by the ruling.
Linkous ran a stop sign at Merrimac and Prices Fork Roads, then swerved near a Blacksburg police cruiser driven by Lt. Kim Crannis. Crannis said Linkous attempted to ram her police car but she backed out of the way. Linkous then drove between two lanes of traffic and struck four cars that were stopped for a traffic light.
Sgt. Harrison Vaughn of the Blacksburg Police Department was parked in a left turn lane near the Tech Anaerobe Laboratory when his vehicle was struck by the speeding car. Vaughan sustained neck and back injuries, but was saved from serious injury by the air bag in his cruiser.
Linkous was found not guilty by reason of insanity in November 1994, but he was not admitted for testing at Central State Hospital until September.
In October, evaluators said Linkous was a meek man who had lived without any problem at his home since bonding out of jail. His doctor says his psychotic illness is in remission.
Montgomery County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court
Dec. 14
An unlawful wounding charge against a Montgomery County man, accused of shooting a 15-year-old who was riding a dirt bike, has been certified to the grand jury.
Jed Michael McCracken, 34, of Thomas Lane, also was found guilty of brandishing a firearm. He was ordered to pay a $200 fine and was given a suspended 10-day jail sentence. But McCracken has appealed that conviction, meaning both charges likely will be heard at the same time in Circuit Court.
McCracken originally was charged with malicious wounding.
Michael Cook and three others were riding bikes off Thomas Lane near McCracken's home on Aug. 12 when Cook was struck in the back by pellets from a 20-gauge shotgun. He was treated at Montgomery Regional Hospital and released.
Shortly after the incident, Cook's brother, Daniel Cook, said the shot was fired about an hour after McCracken pointed a gun at the group.
Daniel Cook said McCracken's father-in-law had given the riders permission to be on the property.
Deputy M.M. Wilburn said the shooting apparently stemmed from a disagreement over trespassing. Wilburn said McCracken denied pointing the weapon and said he didn't aim for Michael Cook.
Pulaski County Circuit Court
Dec. 12
Commonwealth's Attorney Everett Shockley issued news releases on the following three sentencings on Dec. 12.
Gary Lee White, 32, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted of sodomy with a minor and two counts of aggravated sexual battery.
After serving the prison sentences, White will be on supervised probation for 30 years.
Shockley said the charges were placed as a result of incidents that happened about 2 1/2 years ago with a child who was 10 years old at the time.
Barron Leon Wilson, 32, was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of burglary and grand larceny. Shockley said Wilson broke into the home of a Pulaski man on Dec. 18, 1994, and stole an assortment of items. While Wilson pleaded guilty, he told authorities that he had bought the stolen property from a man he knew only as Tom, Shockley said.
Francis Allen Ferrell Jr., 49, of Dublin, was sentenced to one year in prison for two counts of statutory rape. He will be on supervised probation for three years after serving the time.
Shockley said Ferrell became "romantically involved with a [14]-year-old girl with whom he had frequent contact."
Ferrell pleaded guilty in June and had been free on bond while awaiting sentencing.
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