THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 9, 1996 TAG: 9608090518
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS LENGTH: 41 lines
A Newport News detective trying to track down a bank robbery suspect helped Chesapeake police nab a murder suspect instead.
Detective J.T. Williams called Pittsburgh police on Wednesday to seek help in locating Scott James Brinegar, a man charged with robbing a local bank Monday morning.
Williams told Pittsburgh police that Brinegar might be on a bus from Washington. The bus was due to arrive in Pittsburgh at 10:45 p.m.
Williams suspected Brinegar had hopped a bus because detectives had information that he was seen near the Greyhound station in Hampton.
``We just put 2 and 2 together, thinking he was going to his mother's house,'' Williams said. The suspect's mother lives in Illinois.
Pittsburgh police waited at the bus terminal.
``Evidently when the bus got there, they saw a man get off who resembled our suspect,'' Williams said.
The man was carrying a pistol, and in one of his bags authorities found a sawed-off shotgun, Williams said. The surprised passenger also was carrying $3,800, all in $100 bills.
``They called me and said they were pretty sure they caught my guy, but he gave a different name,'' Williams said.
Pittsburgh police took the man's fingerprints and, comparing them to ones on file for Brinegar, found they didn't match.
After further investigation of the man's identification, Pittsburgh police learned the passenger was wanted in the death of a man in Chesapeake last week.
``I told him Chesapeake is a half-hour away from here,'' Williams said.
Two Chesapeake detectives left Thursday for Pittsburgh to question David Lee Patterson, 23. Patterson is charged with murder in the death of Ronald Wayne Rigdon, 41. Rigdon's body was found near an intersection on Aug. 2, Chesapeake police spokeswoman Elizabeth Jones said.
Meanwhile, Newport News police continued to hunt for Brinegar.
KEYWORDS: MURDER by CNB