ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, November 1, 1996               TAG: 9611010062
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: B3   EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

CONVICTS OUTPACE POLICE TO NAB CAR THEFT SUSPECT

THE 2 INMATES expect to take a ribbing, but say they think their fellow convicts would have done as they did.

Two criminals gave police a lesson on how to catch a thief by chasing down a car theft suspect near an elementary school where they had been cutting grass.

``It happened so fast, you really don't know what to think,'' said Chris Aufang, who has about a year to serve on a five-year drug sentence.

``I was concerned about the elementary school kids,'' Brian Hockaday, who has two months to serve for probation violation, said of Tuesday's chase near Greenwood Elementary School and a connecting high school.

Aufang, 29, Hockaday, 27, and their supervisor, Olin Taylor, 22, cornered the 16-year-old suspect in the woods near the high school, where police were waiting to arrest three students suspected of stealing three cars.

Taylor first noticed two police officers running toward three youths, guns drawn, then saw the third run away. Aufang and Hockaday chased the suspect through the woods, grabbing at the teen until Taylor tackled him.

``I saw him with his hand in his back pocket and I thought he might have a gun,'' Aufang said. But he kept chasing the youth anyway, finally getting close enough to notice the teen's hand was merely holding up his baggy pants.

Newport News police said Thursday that they were pleased with the inmates' actions.

``We solicit all the assistance we can get,'' spokesman Peter Edgette said. ``We would hope that anyone - including people in correctional facilities - would assist police in helping chase a known felon.''

Although they're convicted criminals, ``they chose to help police, not the guys running from them,'' he said.

``They're in to get rehabilitated, and that comments on the degree of rehabilitation to some extent,'' he said.

Aufang expects a little ribbing from the inmates at Newport News City Farm, but said he doesn't care.

``I'm sure any of them in our position would have done the same thing,'' he said.

LENGTH: Medium:   51 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:   AP Newport News City Farm inmates Brian Hockaday 
          (left), Chris Aufang (center) and city employee Olin Taylor helped 
          police apprehend a suspect Tuesday.