Sioux City Journal from Sioux City, Iowa • 5

The Sioux City Journal, Monday, December 21 1981 A 5 War hero's reported suicide puzzles family By Associated Press The apparent suicide of Cecil Elwood Harris, a Navy war hero tram South Dakota, In a surburban Virginia Jail earlier this month has left relatives puzzled about the circumstances of his death. The death also prompted an FBI Investigation Into police treatment of the Faulkton native, according to a Knlght-Rldder news story. Police found Harris, a retired Navy pilot credited with downing 24 enemy planes In World War II, dead In a Fairfax County, Va Jail Dec. 2, six hours after his arrest on a drunk driving charge. He was hanging from a jail bar by a sweater wrapped around his neck.

It was his 65th birthday. Robert E. Manuel, lawyer for Harris' wife, said the arrest and death are hard to understand since family members say Harris gave up alcohol two years ago and was looking forward to a new career as a horse breeder. "It was certainly out of character for him," Manuel said. "He was perfectly happy." Family members have also questioned whether police used excessive force In arresting Harris after he was stopped about 6: IS p.m.

on a northern Virginia highway Dec. 2. An internal investigation by Fairfax County police discounted the possi bility that Harris was beaten, but publicity about the case has prompted the FBI to conduct Its own investigation, which is not yet completed. Fairfax police spokesman Warren Carmichael said police administered a balloon test to Harris because his breath smelled of liquor and he appeared unsteady on his feet. When the test showed Harris was probably drunk, police tried to arrest him.

But Carmichael said Harris resisted arrest and appeared to pass out. At a nearby police station, Harris apparently came to and continued to be "vociferous and uncooperative," Carmichael said. A breath test at the police station showed a .16 blood alcohol level, far above the .10 level of Intoxication. When Harris refused to sign a form which would allow him to be released at his own recognizance, police decided to jail him. Four hours later, when one of Harris' sons came to the police station, police found Harris dead In his cell.

Although jail cells are monitored by television cmeras, Carmichael said all parts of the cells aren't visible. "From our perspective, it was a very unfortunate suicide, but It was a suicide we find there was no feasible way of preventing," Carmichael said. But Manuel questioned whether Harris was drunk. Although he was arrested four times on drunk driving charges between 1975 and 1977, Harris quit drinking two years ago, Manuel said. In addition, Harris left home the morning of his death with just $5.

When he was arrested, Harris had $3.14. "If he had been drinking, we don't know where it was or what he used to buy It with," Manuel said. Harris' children also searched his pickup truck and the horse stable he was cleaning prior to his arrest, and found no evidence of alcohol, Manuel said. Harris was on his way home from the horse stable to his house when he was arrested by police. By chance, one of Harris' daughters drove past the arrest scene and saw police attempting to put Harris in the police cruiser.

The daughter believes police might have used excessive force during the arrest, Manuel said. Chief Fairfax Magistrate Milton Alexander said magistrates often release people jailed on drunk driving charges within an hour after arraignment, but he said the decision is up to the magistrate. "He was pretty belligerent and we felt he should stay there a little bit longer," Alexander said. "If they're still drunk there's no sense in letting them walk out onto the street and stepping out In front of a car and getting killed." Lauridscn openings will go to union members Indian programs face steep cuts ham-canning plant to be filled with members of Local P31 of the United Food and Commercial Workers, though company officials say none of the replacement workers will be fired to make room. The contract affects 194 union members and about 200 non-union workers now at the plant.

Company officials say there are no openings at the plant now, but expect some in January BRITT, Iowa (AP) The president of the union local representing workers at the Laurldsen Foods plant In Britt says he hopes all union members will be back on the Job by spring in the wake of a bitter nine-month strike at the plant, A four-year contract at the plant was ratified last week. When the strike took place in March, company officials hired replacement workers to keep the plant operating. The contract calls for openings at the LOWER BRULE, S.D. (AP) The Bureau of Indian Affairs budget could be cut $62 million nationally for the rest of the current budget year. Jerry Jaeger, BIA area director in Aberdeen, said programs like law and order probably won't be reduced any further.

But programs like job training and education will be another story, he said. How the overall federal appropriation will be doled out to regional offices hasn't been decided yet. tribal council member, said South Dakota Indian reservations will feel the sting of federal budget cuts more than other areas In the state because reservations are heavily dependent on government for Jobs. A few months ago the Lower Brule tribe estimated the tribe would lose 43 jobs, more than 14 percent of all the Jobs existing in the community this year. The tribe also figured spending cuts would boost unemployment from 41.5 percent to 50 percent.

"We're operating in a state of chaos right now because we don't know where we're going," Jaeger said. "We don't know which programs are going to be substantially cut, and we don't know which programs will be fully funded." If President Reagan signs a pending spending measure, which he Is expected to do, it will mean another 4 percent cut In the bureau's overall budget on top of an earlier 8 percent reduction. Mike Jandreau, Lower Brule Sioux DIAMOND EARRING SPECIAL Omaha bank heist surge worries police Amen. type of thing and OMAHA, Neb. (AP) president of security Others from $19.88 to $3400 savings and loan employees are less likely to get hurt because there Is less i JrHi-liTk SiiKr I'HHI Amen has been in the banking business for more than 20 years.

"We used to have guards with submachine (guns) waiting behind the tellers," he said. "But they've done away with that rightfully so, I think." Some banking officials in Omaha are beginning to hire more security guards, however, to combat the current bank robbery boom. George Wurtz, vice We know ho hard it to mike wdi mi and you're concerned about the high con ol danturii Our office Is now offering quality, affordable denture services for you who are living on Social Security or died income. for commercial reaer-al Savings Loan, said he was hiring more uniformed guards. He declined to say how many.

"Let's Just say we're using more guard services on location." effort to resist. "The risk of someone being shot up is a lot less now than before," said Nebraska State Banking Director Paul DR. JOHN E. ANDERSON 101 Will 28lh SUM PHONE 258 6169 SOUIHfRN HILLS MALI. litf)4th DOWNTOWN ar 1.

v- WfiWui I 'vYK 2 ass IS i v. fr' 1 Is Omaha an easy mark for bank robbers? Police and bank officials are beginning to wonder. In a year when on the average, a bank a week was knocked off somewhere in Nebraska and Iowa, half of the heists were pulled In the metropolitan Omaha area. "It's a real problem," said Omaha Police Lt. Charles Circo.

"To say anything else would be putting our heads in the sand." Twenty-four of 53 robberies in Iowa and Nebraska have been in the Omaha area, including one in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and one in Papillion. Last year, Omaha tariled five bank robberies. Iowa has also experienced an Increase In bank robberies, from 15 for all of last year to 26 so-far this year. Des Moines has had six robberies so far. In Nebraska there have been four bank robberies outside Omaha this year, the same number as during 1980.

Local law enforcement and banking officials aren't sure why more banks are being robbed. They believe, however, that the state of the economy and the Increasing number of small bank and savings and loan offices could befactors. "I wish I knew for sure why this was happening," Circo said. "It would help us put a stop to lt." On a more positive note, no one has been hurt in a bank robbery so far this year. been real fortunate," said Charles Kempf, the special FBI agent who coordinates bank robbery investigations In Nebraska and Iowa.

"With all the robberies, It's surprising someone didn't get shot, even accidentally." Even though there are more robberies, officials say bank and Solid Oak Counts out the hour Wind Chimes s149s Oak Cabinet Westminster Chimes KEG. $189.50 The best Anniversary Clock money can buy. REG. $115 Key Striking Clock $9995 95 95 149 149 8995 NOW rl A Jolin Vacuum New Used service on all makes 1 Buy Trade 203-4thSt. iff I OB Cuckoo Clocks from the Black Forests of Germany.

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