DATE: Friday, August 8, 1997                TAG: 9708080621

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B6   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Briefs 

                                            LENGTH:   87 lines

VIRGINIA [BRIEFS]

Motorcyclist eludes

state police after

high-speed chase

RICHMOND - A motorcyclist who led state police on a chase that reached speeds of 127 mph finally crashed his unregistered Kawasaki into a police cruiser, then escaped on foot, state police said Thursday.

The motorcyclist was clocked going 98 mph on U.S. Route 360 in Amelia County on Wednesday night by a state trooper traveling in the opposite direction, state police Lt. Len Terry said.

The trooper turned around and pulled the motorcycle over around 8:30 p.m. When the trooper got out of his car and ordered the driver to turn the bike off, the driver instead took off, Terry said.

The trooper gave chase. Sgt. Dane Wyatt said he told the trooper to slow down after the vehicles reached 127 mph as they approached Chesterfield on U.S. Route 60. The motorcycle slowed too, and the chase continued on back roads.

The motorcycle went onto the shoulder of Sycamore Village Drive at about 30 mph, the cruiser pulled alongside and the vehicles bumped, causing the motorcycle to flip. The driver was thrown over the handlebars, but was still able to flee the scene, officials said.

Cranwell chided for not

supporting Gilmore plan

RICHMOND - Republican legislators Thursday chastised House Majority Leader C. Richard Cranwell for saying he would not even consider GOP gubernatorial candidate James S. Gilmore III's tax-cut plan.

Cranwell, D-Roanoke County, chairs the powerful House Finance Committee. Few tax proposals are approved without his blessing.

Gilmore has proposed virtually eliminating the local personal property tax on cars and trucks. His Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Donald S. Beyer Jr., is pushing a less expensive plan to give car owners a state income tax credit of up to $250.

Cranwell said July 25 that Gilmore's plan would be dead on arrival in the legislature, and Beyer's plan is more feasible.

``To commit the entire General Assembly well in advance of its next session to torpedoing Jim Gilmore's plan to abolish the personal property tax on cars and trucks goes beyond intemperance. It is an affront to the constituents and taxpayers,'' Republican leaders wrote in a letter to Cranwell.

SOUTHWEST

Woman faces 50 years for

driving drunk with kids

LYNCHBURG - A woman who lost control of her car while driving drunk with five children as passengers has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol and five counts of child abuse and neglect.

Kathleen Theresa Hunt, 40, of Lynchburg, will face more than 50 years in prison at her sentencing Oct. 10.

Circuit Judge Richard Miller found Hunt guilty on Thursday of the misdemeanor DUI charge. Miller also ruled that sufficient evidence existed for a guilty finding on the felony abuse charges but withheld a conviction until a presentence report is completed.

Hunt, who had taken the children to a movie and a fast-food restaurant, struck a guardrail and then rammed another car April 19 on the Lynchburg Expressway. Her car overturned, but none of the youngsters was hurt.

Two of the children in the car are Hunt's. The other three live in her neighborhood, according to defense attorney Sharon Eimer.

Northern

George Mason University

fights computer viruses

FAIRFAX - Computer hackers have invaded the databanks at George Mason University, destroying student and faculty files and sending derogatory messages about a school official.

Since April, police and the university have investigated 11 incidents of computer hacking, which mostly affected the School of Information Technology and Engineering.

Last month, Fairfax County police arrested two George Mason students in several hacking incidents. University officials said they believe more students could be responsible.

The hackings have caused students and professors to lose working files, and the university was forced to repair damaged hardware.

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