Banner Graphic, Volume 10, Number 132, Greencastle, Putnam County, 7 February 1980 — Page 7

Pinto trial judges says mistakes may lead to appeal

WINAMAC, Ind. ( AP) The judge in the reckless homicide trial against Ford Motor Co. says he may have already made errors in the unprecedented case that will lead to its appeal. “I don’t presume to know how to try this case,” Pulaski County Judge Harold R. Staffeldt said Wednesday out of the presence of the jury. “We already have evidence admitted that probably should not have been admitted and might be a basis for reversible error.” Staffeldt made the comment to state and Ford lawyers after dismissing the jury to allow the at-

Hostage phones Hoosier father FRANCESVILLE, Ind. (AP) has sent a ripple all the way to Indiana. Arthur Kupke received a call from his son, Frederick L. Kupke, one of the 50 Americans held hostage in the U S. Em bassy in Tehran. “He told me they elected a new president, were having a big deal about it and that he could call home if he wanted,” the senior Kupke said Wednesday. The Monday night call was a complete surprise, said Kupke, who was alone because his wife, Eleanor, was attending a State Department briefing in Washington. He quoted his son: “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. We’re getting treated real well. You can now send me mail, and I’ll get it. You can send me something to eat, like cookies and peanuts, and you can send something to read, some books.” Kupke said his son “was in very good health. He said he does his laundry in a sink once a week, gets a shower once a week, and they’re getting fed well. They’re taking him out for exercise once a week.” Rick Kupke, 33, a State Department communications expert, was on temporary assignment in Tehran when the embassy was seized Nov. 4. “I was sitting by myself watching the television when the phone rang,” the father, a retired farmer, said. “I was expecting anybody but him. I could hardly believe it. Here we couldn’t get much mail from him, and now he was calling on the phone. “He just gabbed around like you would on a telephone. He really sounded good considering everything, just like the old Rick. He gave me some messages to call some peole in the states and asked about relatives. ” Kupke said he received letters from his son Saturday and Monday, both sent in mid January, but they contained little that was new. “He just has a few things he can say.”

Robber victim of gang's bullet?

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A bank robbery suspect who died of a gunshot wound may have been shot accidentally by one of his gang as they fled after a $15,000 holdup, police say. The suspect, Aaron Resnover, 26, Indianapolis, died Wednesday after refusing blood transfusions because of religious beliefs, officials said. They said Resnover probably died of massive bleeding after undergoing surgery at Wishard Memorial Hospital. An autopsy was scheduled today to determine whether his refusal to accept blood contributed to the death and to recover the bullet.

Mid-size worker for sale. New M Series Kubota Tractors Diesel Power & Economy for big jobs on your

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER Purchase by May 31 st and get SIOOO off list on M Series SSOO off list on M Series 4 Wheel Drive 2 Wheel Drive M4SOODT, MSSOODT, M7SOODT M4OOO, M 4500 Look at these STANDARD features: 16 forward speeds/4 reverse give you wide range for matching speed to job. From creep speed of 1/4 mph to transport speed of 14-16.5 mph • Independent PTO • Differential Lock W Z XZ lOOfollQ for WOll<. • Power Steering ■ MB ■ . iiiiDiiin • 3-pomt Hitch w/ Position & Draft Control ||J| |H ■■ ■ HUB

HUMPHREY'S WHEEL HORSE St. Rd. 43 N., Greencastle 653-3019

tomeys to argue admissibility of evidence. Staffeldt allowed testimony about crash tests on other than 1973 Pintos Wednesday, one day after ruling those tests could not be admitted. However, he upheld objections from Ford attorneys and did not allow crash tests on a modified 1973 Pinto and a 1971 Pinto sedan. Ford is charged with three counts of reckless homicide in the August 1978 deaths of three young women whose 1973 Pinto sedan exploded when hit from behind on a northern Indiana highway. The state contends Ford recklessly designed the fuel

Police said ballistics tests will show whether Resnover was hit by one of two bullets fired by Michael 0. Sweeney, 37, a special Marion County sheriff’s deputy who was a customer in the American Fletcher National Bank branch at the time of the holdup. The other three robbers remain at large. None of the money has been recovered, police said. Four men wearing stocking caps pulled low over their foreheads and carrying handguns entered the branch Wednesday and ordered eight employees and five customers not to move. One gunman fired two shots

Tie vote on banking measure INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The chairman of the House Public Policy and Veterans Affairs Committee says he’s not sure if another vote will be taken on a bill to allow Indiana bank holding companies to own banks in more than one county. The Senate-passed measure, sponsored in the House by Rep. William L. Long, R-Lafayette, failed in Rep. Thomas E. Fruechtenicht’s committee Wednesday when the vote ended in a 6-6 tie. But failing for lack of a majority isn’t the same as being defeaeb. The Fort Wayne Republican noted that in this case, another vote could be held, but he added he’s not sure if or when one would be. Elsewhere in the Legislature, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved 7-3 a bill to spell out the right of school administrators to search student lockers. The House version was amended to to allow students to be present during the searches. No floor sessions were held in either house.

into the ceiling as the gang removed money from the vault and cash drawers. Sweeney followed as the robbers fled and when they started to scale a seven-foot wooden slat fence at the edge of a parking lot, he ordered them to halt. Police quoted witnesses as saying Resnover turned and fired once at Sweeney, who fired twice in return. Police said they found two bullet holes in the fence, indicating Sweeney might have missed. They say the fatal bullet may have come from another gang member’s gun which discharged as they scrambled over the barrier.

tanks, did nothing to correct the defects and failed to warn the public. Ford is the first corporation indicted on a criminal charge. The prosecution had no explanation for Staffeldt’s rulings. “They (1971 and 1972 crash tests) probably just got in before Neal could object,” John Ulmer, deputy prosecutor, said in a telephone interview. Key prosecution witness Harley Copp, a former Ford exxecutive, testified crash tests were conducted on a 1971 Pinto which had extra rear-end

St. Rd. 240 East, Greencastle Greencastle Shopping Center OPEN DAILY 9 A.M. TO 9 P.M. SUNDAYS 10 A.M. TO 6 P.M. PRICES IN EFFECT THRU SUNDAT OR WHILE QUANTITIES LAST USE OUR CONVENIENT LAYAWAY PLAN SHOP EARLY, QUANTITIES LIMITED ON SOME ITEMS.

Schultz's Refund and Exchange Policy What it means to yov our customer it at anytime you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, return it tor a complete refund or excnanye

SOFT V PRETTY BATHROOM TISSUE A IL > packs O LIMIT 4 N —\ HUGGIES 1 ijr-f rtH disposable diapers Daytime 18's Toddler 12's YOURCHOICE J 2|j s s oc it|Q|E SCOTCH BRAND 111 HO TRANSPARENT TAPE . Value Pack tM**p*enl Tape rl—rr . O ROLL $1 00 hwmuu \mminm f PACK I GE standard yj BI?LBS I 1 111 40-60-75-100 watt U o sqoo r \ p k s s - ° REYNOLD'S WRAP /Mft foil q sioo ▼TySgr O rolls

support later incorporated in the 1973 model. “The test indicates the (1971 Pinto) car could meet a 20 mile an hour rear impact test, hardly more than that,” Copp said. Meanwhile chief prosecutor Michael Cosentino, who threatened Wednesday he might seek a mistrial because of unfavorable rulings by Staffeldt, had changed his mind by Wednesday evening. Cosentino complained Staffeldt’s rulings were severly limiting the state’s case. But deputy prosecutor Terry Shewmaker said Wednesday night, “We will go on with the case and put

DOLLAR DAYS

I J >. I vjg/

I-jrnrr™ KITCHEN ■ :> rm HELPER (201 71 tri P ec * Terry or fj/l u "" essT ° w <* Jj I 2 Pak Terry Ribbed Utility }|T h c,oths H ■ 3 Pak Waffle Weave Dish Cloths \ P°k Terry Wash Cloth Vc y&SAmrii your SIOO I B B choice I IPULL ON SLACKS Polyester in assorted colored patterns. Sizes $ AOO 10/18 Sizes SCOO 32/38 PLASTICWART SPECIALS YOUR CHOICE f$ ] 00 Choose from 15 qt. dish pan, 11 qt. utility pail, 1 bu. laundry basket, 8 ql. wastebasket, 11 qt. wastebasket, utility tray, cutlery tray. MEN f DE-IN YOUR JEANS Just bring in an old pair of jeans, and we'll s 3 oooff0 off any pair of jeans priced over $ 10°° hn\/o in

February 7, 1960, The Putnam County BannerGraptafe

whatever documents in we can.” In testimony Wednesday, Copp said an internal Ford document about proposed federal guidelines relating to rear impact said the Pinto was “the smallest car in the line, and we (Ford) would have difficulty completing compliance” with those standards. The proposed guidelines, which never were adopted, would have required cars to withstand rear impact of 20 mph by Jan. 1,1972, and 30 mph by Jan I, 1973.

VALENTINE HEART BOXED CHOCOLATES

S4OO 2-lb.

A7