ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, December 22, 1995 TAG: 9512220040
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
MEMO: ***CORRECTION***
Published correction ran on December 23, 1995.
The 16-year-old Roanoke County boy charged with drunken driving and
aggravated involuntary manslaughter in the death of Bonnie Kitts on Dec.
14 is president-elect of the National Honor Society at Glenvar High
School. His position was incorrectly described in a story Friday. His
name is not being used because he is a juvenile.
From the back row of the courtroom, Gary Kitts stared at the 16-year-old accused in his wife's death.
He shook his head, cried and fixed his gaze on the floor. He did not want the teen-ager freed from juvenile detention for the holidays.
But for a judge to refuse the teen-ager bond, the prosecution would have had to prove he was a continuing threat to the community. And the judge found no evidence of that.
The teen-ager is a straight-A student at Glenvar High School and president of its National Honor Society chapter. He played football and tennis; he ran on the track team.
He had never been in trouble with the law.
But last week, just blocks from his house, the boy was arrested. He was charged with drunken driving and aggravated involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Bonnie Kitts, 45, who was run down as she went for a walk with her husband.
The teen's blood-alcohol level was above .08 percent, the legal limit for an adult, according to his attorney, Charles Phillips.
Thursday, Juvenile and Domestic Relations Judge Beverly Bower released the teen on $20,000 bond with several conditions. The boy is under house arrest and can leave his home only when accompanied by his parents or a responsible adult. He cannot drive or drink alcohol and must attend counseling for substance abuse.
Bower also told him to have no contact with the Kitts family. That will be an issue when the boy returns to school, because the 16-year-old shares a homeroom with one of Bonnie Kitts' sons.
This week, Glenvar High School students, who know the boy and the Kittses, wore white ribbons to show their concern for all involved. Bonnie Kitts was a teacher of homebound students for the school.
The incident has stunned the school and the community on the outskirts of Salem, where the accident occurred.
The night of Dec. 14, Gary and Bonnie Kitts had stepped out for a walk around the block. As they rounded the corner of Queensmill Drive about 8:15 p.m., the couple was hit by a car driven by the boy, police said.
Bonnie Kitts died soon afterwards from injuries to her head and chest.
After his arrest, the boy told police he had been drinking beer and vodka that night - and that he had been drinking on a regular basis since the summer, according to court testimony.
"I am lost for how he could drink this much and us not know it," the boy's father testified Thursday.
Because of the seriousness of the crime, Roanoke County Commonwealth's Attorney Skip Burkart has requested that the case be transferred to Circuit Court, where the boy would be tried as an adult. A transfer hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 3.
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