ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, August 23, 1996 TAG: 9608230093
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
Baby sitter pleads guilty to molesting
WILLIAMSBURG - A former church baby sitter accused of molesting three children pleaded guilty Thursday to six felony charges, prosecutors said.
Richard Weaverling, 19, had been scheduled to go to trial next month. Instead, he pleaded guilty to rape, forcible sodomy and four counts of aggravated sexual battery, Commonwealth's Attorney Jeff Fairbanks said.
Sentencing was set for Oct. 3 in Williamsburg-James City Circuit Court. Weaverling could face a maximum sentence of two life terms plus 80 years, and a $400,000 fine, Fairbanks said.
Weaverling already is serving seven years in prison for sexually molesting a child in a related case.
Weaverling was accused of molesting children in his home and at Bruton Parish Church, where he and his mother baby-sat from January 1993 until September 1994.
- Associated Press
2nd man in custody in airman's killing
NEWPORT NEWS - A second person has been arrested in the slaying of an airman stationed at Langley Air Force Base.
William A. Jones was arrested Thursday at the King James Hotel, where he had a room, said Newport News police Officer Peter Edgette.
Jones was taken to the York County Jail.
Another man, Daryl R. Atkins, was arrested Wednesday in York County based on tips from the public, according to York County authorities.
A motorist found the body of Airman 1st Class Eric Michael Nesbitt in a remote area west of Yorktown on Saturday. He had been shot eight times in the arms, stomach and back.
Police recovered Nesbitt's stolen pickup Wednesday at a motel in Newport News.
Nesbitt last was seen by co-workers late Friday, leaving his part-time job at an auto parts store.
Nesbitt, 21, of Gilbertsville, N.Y., was a transportation specialist at Langley.
- Associated Press
Navy diver finds boy, 5, dead in lake
NORFOLK - The body of a 5-year-old boy was found in a lake Thursday, 24 hours after he was reported missing, police said.
After an extensive search by police, a Navy SEAL diver spotted the body of Alex Harris floating in Pretty Lake, said Norfolk police Officer Larry Hill.
The cause of death was undetermined, pending an autopsy by the medical examiner's office.
Alex, who had Down syndrome, was last seen alive Wednesday at a park near the lake, police said.
- Associated Press
Lottery tickets were nearly 2-time winners
WINDSOR - Lady Luck caught a break.
On finding 950 winning instant lottery tickets in a trash bin, a Windsor resident called police instead of heading for the nearest lottery outlet to cash in.
Police say the tickets apparently were thrown away by employees of a nearby convenience store. Customers already had redeemed the tickets, but the tickets had not been invalidated.
``They could have been redeemed again,'' lottery spokeswoman Paula Otto said. She would not say what store was involved.
Retailers are told to deface winning tickets in some manner, such as punching a hole in them or marking them with an X, so they cannot be cashed a second time, Otto said.
Capt. Riddle Hines of the Isle of Wight Sheriff's Office said the resident, whom he declined to identify, found the tickets Tuesday in a trash bin. He said the tickets were worth at least $1,000.
``We are working with the store to determine what happened, what went wrong, and how they wound up in a Dumpster without being invalidated,'' Otto said.
- Associated Press
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