ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, May 24, 1996 TAG: 9605240047
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: LISA GARCIA STAFF WRITER
Two teen-agers were found guilty Tuesday of burning a 4-foot-tall cross in the yard of and throwing a rock through a window of a black family's home two months ago.
A pre-sentence report on the 17-year-old boys from Radford and Pulaski will be prepared before a sentencing hearing is held in June on the felony convictions. The pair will remain free on bond until then.
Juvenile and Domestic Relations Judge John Buck dismissed two other charges of conspiring to burn a cross and of entering private property with intent to cause damage.
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Mike Constanzo, who prosecuted the case, said the last charge is essentially a trespassing charge but is a misdemeanor. A 1994 amendment adds a six-month jail penalty of which about five months could be suspended. If the youngsters had been convicted on that charge, they would have had to serve at least 30 days.
Capt. Mike Alderman of the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office, who testified at the hearing, said the boys claimed they did not know the yard where they lighted the cross belonged to a black family, but that they knew a black family lived in the area.
George and Chanie Truehart's family is the only black family living on the street, he said. They testified to seeing the flames outside their home about 8 p.m. March 23 and hearing the sound of the rock thrown through one of their windows. Chanie Truehart called the Sheriff's Office while her husband put out the fire.
She said she had not known either of the boys.
Alderman said the boys apologized to the family and offered to pay for the damage to the window. The boys said no one encouraged them to burn the cross they were just "out to have some fun."
This is not the first time the boys have been in trouble with the law, Alderman said.
Staff writer Paul Dellinger contributed information to this story.
LENGTH: Short : 44 linesby CNB