Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 7 February 2002 — Page 3

The Muncie Times, February 7, 2002, page 3

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Write: Indiana should pass beer keg track law

This past summer, a tragic car crash occurred in the greater Lafayette, Ind, community. Jay Painter, a husband and father, was killed in a head-on car crash caused by a drunk underage driver. The young driver drove after becoming intoxicated at a party, where alcohol was served to minors. Although no single magic bullet will solve all of the issues surrounding Mr. Painter’s death, one initiative might address the serious problem of high-risk and underage drinking in our state. The Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking supports tracking as a policy initiative. In feet, this policy is being authored and presented to the Indiana General Assembly by Sen. Beverly Gard of

Greenfield. By joining the 17 other regions or states, including Ohio, that have already passed a keg tracking law, Indiana can help ensure that those who purchase the 700,000 kegs sold in Indiana each year do not provide beer to underage drinkers and are held accountable if they do. And in our community, the excise officers report that kegs are present at almost every underage drinking party they visit Keg tracking works like this: The seller records the keg purchaser’s information at the time of purchase. If the police confiscate the keg from a location where underage drinking is occurring, or if a person leaves a party after drinking from a keg and

commits a tragic act, the keg purchaser will be held accountable for his or her role in

the crime.

During the trial over Mr. Painter’s death, the prosecutor asked the driver a 20-year-old, six-pack-a-day drinker for the names of his alcohol suppliers. The driver said he couldn’t remember, which isn’t too surprising. Police officers often

report that partygoers develop an instant case of amnesia when a keg is discovered at a party where underage drinking is occurring. It seems they almost always forget who supplied them with their

alcohol.

Kegs are popular with underage drinkers because the alcohol is cheap. One keg serves dozens of people and it only

takes one person over the age of 21 to purchase the keg. One large keg equals nearly seven cases of beer and costs about half the price. If keg tracking becomes law within this state, it probably won’t immediately affect behavior. But a lew publicized arrests for supplying kegs to underage drinkers, or for the role ofa keg purchaser played in a drunk-driving crash may bring about necessary changes. Again, it won’t address every issue, but it is an important piece to the puzzle to stopping high-risk and underage drinking. Sen. James Merritt of Indianapolis heads the Government and Regulatory Affairs Committee at the Statehouse and has the

ultimate responsibility whether the keg tracking policy will be heard in that committee. Tb let him know what you think, contact him at sSKshiorg or 1-800382-9467. For more information about keg tracking and other underage drinking policies, contact toe Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking at 317-873-3900 or email icrud2@indynet. Sincerely

Tamara Loeiv

Member, Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage

Drinking

Contact Information: 1826 Student Health Center, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1826 765496-6780 (phone), tfloeut§purdue.edu (e-mail)

NEWS BRIEFS

Compiled iw Andre’ Scott Md. woman, dubbed‘black widow,’ faces 2 murder charges ROCKVILLE, Md.~ Josephine Gray had a different style of cooking, one that involved a collection of powders, roots, and teas she kept hidden in her bedroom. After some people ate her concoctions, acquaintances say, Gray gained so much power over them that they would do her bidding; perhaps even kill for her. “She’s an evil witch-doer. She has a long history of witchcraft,” said Lenron Goode Jr. His brother, Clarance Goode, a boyfriend of Gray’s, was found shot and stuffed in a trunk Authorities allege Gray enticed lovers to kill Goode and two husbands to collect thousands of dollars in insurance money and used threats of voodoo to keep witnesses quiet Gray, 55, was charged Jan. 4 with two counts of first-degree murder in Montgomery County, where prosecutors dubbed her a “black widow,” after toe female version of toe venomous spider that kills its mates. Balitmore police are investigating toe third

deato

Gray’s attorneys say toe new cases just dredge up old charges dropped long ago. She is not a “black widow” they say. “It is unfortunate that sensationalized lables like that are being distributed to the potential jury pod,” said federal public defender Daniel Stiller. Previous charges had been dropped against Gray in two of toe deaths after key witnesses disappeared According to court documents, Gray enlisted the help of each successive husband and boyfriends to commit murder on her behalf, first in 1974, then in 1990 and 1996. The second and third victims were suspected of killing the husbands who came before

them.

Gray is in jail awaiting a

federal trial on earlier charges of fraud for allegedly masterminding toe three deaths to collect insurance money. She has pleaded innocent. Last month, U.S. District Judge Deborah Chasanow denied bail on the fraud charges, saying evidence that Gray took part in three killings and tried to intimidate family members made her a potential threat, if

released before trial j

Voodoo dolls of her dead lovers, festooned with needles, were found by authorities, prosecutors said. A police wiretap of Gray recorded her allegedly casting spells on investigators. Witnesses, who refused to testify each time Gray was given bail in toe previous cases, say they were scared by a history of threats and voodoo spells leveled at anyone she - thought might cross her. “Fear permeated this case,” said Thomas Tamm, a former Montgomery prosecutor who tried to bring Gray to trial in

1991.

“There is manipulation and fear by her and if you don’t heed it, your life is in jeopardy” said the ex-wife of Gray’s son, Bernard Stribbling. She asked not to be identified by name, because she fear’s for her children’s safety. On March 4, 1974, Gray’s first husband, Norman Stribbling, was shot to death. Gray allocated $16,000 from his life insurance policy She and her then-boyfriend, Wiliam Robert Gray, were charged with murder. Those charges were dropped after witnesses failed to testify. The two eventually

William Gray was found dead on Nov. 8, 1990, shortly after an accidental death policy was issued in his name. Police charged Josephine Gray and her boyfriend, Clarance Goode, with murder. But toe charges were again dropped because key witnesses tod not testify, (fray received $50,000 in insurance payments from his death Goode was killed on June 21, 1996, in Balitmore and Gray received $95,000 from his insurance policy. According to court documents, Stribblings children asked detectives in August 1990 to reopen the investigation, saying they believed their mother was responsible for their father’s death and that she was planning on murdering their stepfather. William Gray himself told police in October 1990 that he believed his wife was planning to kill him, court documents said. His body was found in his home

a month later.

Montgomery County State’s Attorney Douglas Gansier said he decided to press murder charges this month, after several witnesses agreed to testify when they learned Gray would remain in jail pending her federal trial.

Goode’s current boyfriend, Andre Savoy, whom prosecutors said was at risk if (fray was released before her trial But prosecutors may run into trouble if they put those witnesses on the stand, said Thmm. Most gave statements to police only to' recant later, shedding doubt on their aedflaKtyhesaid. “Any defense attorney would cross-examine a witness about saying one thing at one time and a different thing at another time,” he said. That worries some people who know and fear Gray, including Bernard Stribbling’s ex-wife. “Ifshe ever gets out, there are a lot of people who are going to tum up dead,” she said NAACP gives Fs to majority of Congress members on civil rights More than half of the members of toe US. Senate and House of Representatives received a grade of F on the NAACPs dvil limits report card, recently issued in Washington, DC.

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