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Winston-Salem Ch
THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 1994
rower c oncedes nothing without a struggle." ? Frederick Douglass
Three Charged With Murder
- c 3
in Cop Killing
? Alleged gunman names two accomplices in weekend holdup
By RICHARD L. W1LUAMS
Chronicle Executive Editor
The Winston-Salem Police
Department's around-the-clock
investigation into the shooting death
of rookie Officer Robert Buitrago
? the fourth death of one of their
own in less than two years ? has
led to the arrests of three suspects,
all of whom have been charged with
- murder, police said.
One of the arrests came Tues
day evening ? shortly after hun
dreds of police officers filled Cente
nary United Methodist Church to
pay respects to their fallen comradfe.
Alexander Bamett Hooper, 57,
of 720 Mock St., was arrested about
12:30 a.m. Wednesday, and Kaye
Autery Bonner, 44, of 1641-P
Northwest Blvd., was arrested about
6:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said.
Both were named as accomplices by
Thomas Michael Larry, who police
say shot Buitrago.
All are being held at Forsyth
County Jail without privilege of
bail.
"The investigation is still not
complete," said police Lt. Larry
? Suspects' photos, A3
Reavis, who heads the'Criminal
Investigation Di^jsion. "There's a
lot more to do in the investigation.
Bfct as far as the persons who were
flirectly involved, we feel we got all
ofthero. 1
"In a case like this ... we go
back and reinterview witnesses over
and over," he said. "We got more
lineups to show. But mostly it's just
a lot of tying up lose ends form this
point on."
?Shot at Close Range
Buitrago, 23, was fatally shot
about 9:38 p.m. Saturday after he
chased a robber from the Food Lion
ai Southpark Shopping Center at
Peters Creek Parkway and Clem
monsville Road, police said.
Buitrago was waiting at a check-out
counter when he noticed a man rob
bing a clerk in the office area ofthe
store, police said. Once outside,
Buitrago chased the suspect and
broke^ a wine bottle over his head.
The suspect turned and shot the off
duty officer at close range with a
handgun, police said. Buitrago, who
did not have his service revolver
see THREE A3
Robert Buitrago
In the Line op-Duty "
Robert Buitrago is the
fourth city police officer killed
in less than two years. The oth
ers: ' _ . ^
? Lt. A.G. Tise was killed In
June 1992 when he and his
patrol car were crushed fcy
stolen road grader. qM
? Senior Officer Michael Ray
Jennings died Jan. 30, 1993,
when his squad car was
involved in a one-car wreck.
* Senior Officer Bobby F.
Beane was shot and killed Aprit
23, 1993, while on a drug raid.
4 1 * ' , . ? , ? ' I , '
Legendary Track Coach VirgiTG. Simpson Remembered
A He founded Roadrunners Track Club 20 years ago
By RICHARD L. WTLLIA&S
Chronicle Executive Hdiior
Virgil G. Simpson, the legendary track coach to
countless African-American youths, was remembered
as a demanding teachc^^ father figure and best friend
to many who came under his tutelage during. the 20
' years he directed the Roadrunners Track Club.
Simpson, who was 59 when he died earlier this
month, once said: "I wanted our kids to have ... aw
opportunity to cash in on running."
And under his watchful and demanding eye, many
did just that. That is why he is so fondly remembered
by many area residents following his Jan. 8 death after a
short illness.
"He was a very unusual coach," said Alfred
? Simpson obituary, B9
Adams, a former all-American hurdler at Winston
Salem State University. "He was* like a father figure
and a best friend, and he would just tell you like it is.
He expected a lot out of you."
Adams said Simpson often traveled with him to
various competitions, and Adams would occasionally
help out with the Roadrunners Track Club, a group thai
Simpson found in 1972.
"I was so successful a lot because of him," said
Adams, area transportation supervisor with the Win
ston Salem/Forsyth County school system. "When I
couldn't, he always said I could. I had a lot of respect
for him."
Hundreds packed St. Paul United Methodist
Church on Dellabrook Road last week to pay their lasV
respects the man who gained local and later statewide
see LEGENDARY A3
Virgil Simpson (seated) was honored at a cookout last summer for the success of the Roadrunners Track Club,
Forsyth County Child- Abuse Cases Up 35 Percent in 1993
A Expert attributes many societal problems to neglect and abuse of children early on
DAVID L DILLARD
Chronicle Suff Wnicr
Violence, drugs, crime and other vices
that plague communities are likely the long
term effects ofchildren being abused and
neglected at home.
npf^f^--RryaTV-l^-^xfyntivp dirty [pr nf
SCAN, or Stop Child Abuse Now,said that
child abuse is the " root-cause' '?of many soci
etal problems facing Forsyth County.
"There's a lot of talk about violence in
the sirccis . . . and when you look at u many
of these kids have been mistreated," Bryan
said. "It keeps coming up. By the time they
reach juvenile delinquency, they have a his
tory of abuse and neglect as kids."
Last year, over 59,000 children were
reported abused and neglected in North Car
olina, according to the state Department of
Human Resources. Forsyth County ranked
-eleventh in the state with 1,436 reported
cases ? up 35 percent, or 1,063 reported
cases, over 1992. Guilford County reported
2,404 eases last year and Wake County had
2,957 reported cases of child abuse and
neglect.
Brenda Rapley, social work supervisor
with Forsyth County Child Protective Ser
vices, said child abuse is usually a result of
family problems.
"Generally there is a lot of stress in the
home situation," she said. "We're also see
ing a rise in drug and alcohol abuse and eco
nomic status plays a part."
R^f4fty-^aki-ihp rise in eases reported
shows more people are becoming aware of
child abuse and neglect, but also shows the
severity of the -problem., .
"The numbers being reported arc
higher, which shows that more people are
taking responsibility to report it," Rapley
said. "It's good that people arc calling in, but
it lets us know a lot is going on. It keeps us
busy." -?>
In cases of physical and sexual abuse,
police often investigate
Winston-Salem Police Lt. Larry Revis
said that all cases arc referred to the child
protection services, but there are some
abuse cases where police do get involved.
see CHILD A3
Reported Cases of Child Abuse
(1993)
j * ? ? . J)
Wake County 2,957
Guilford County 2.404
Forsyth County
Source: N.C. Dept. of Human Resources
The Gold Rush
. The National Weather Service issued these safety
rules as guidelines for dealing with the severe cold:
17 Cover as much exposed flesh as possible.
When temperatures are from zero to 10 below, frost
bite can easly occur. If it does occur, have it taken
care of right away.
2. Use a good winter hat. Most of your body heat
is lost through your head.
3. Layered clothing is better than one heavy coat
4. Use insulated gloves. Mittens are even better.
5. If you are going to warm yourself in front of a
fire after coming in from the cold, stand with your
back to the fire. If you first place your hands and feet
toward the fire, this could send a rush of cold blood
into your system.
6. Check your food supply.
7. Bring pets indoors.
8. Turn off water going to outside faucets^On
pipes that run along an outside wall, let a small stream
a water run.
9. Top off your car's fuel tank before the cold
comes.
10. Make as few trips outside as possible.
Gaines Takes Part In Prostate
Cancer Study
From Staff Reports
Clarence "Bighouse" Gaines, the leg
endary basketball coach who retired last
year from Winston-Salem State Univer
sity, will participate in a prostate cancer
prevention study under way at the Bow
man Gray/Baptist Hospital Medical
Center.
Gaines said that a family history of
cancer and a desire to help others
prompted him to enroll in the seven-year
study, the largest cancer-prevention trial
ever among men in the United States.
North Carolina has the highest
prostate-cancer death rate among
African-American men in the United
States. About 165,000 .men wilt be diag
nosed with prostate cancer this year in the
United States; about 35,000 men will die
of the disease. Included in Ihose figures
are an estimated 5,200 cases and 1,000
deaths in North Carolina.
"When you go back and look at fam
ily history, my father died of prostate
canccr," said Gaines, who in his 47-year
career at WSSU won mbre basketball
games than any other active college
coach.
"Everyone, on either side of my fam
ily, has some kind of cancer.
"Men 55 and older, both black and
white, should take advantage of the study
here at Bowman Gray," Gaines added. .
. I hope, all my friends will enter into this
The trial, which began on Oct. 13,
tests ihe ability of the drug finasteride to
prevent prostate, canccr. The research is
being conducted in North Carolina at
Bowman Gray and clinical
sites of the
Southeast Cancer Control Consortium,
including Forsyth Memorial Hospital.
Those who pass initial screening
tests and who have no j
signs of pro$w*te cancer"
will cither receive daily 1
doses of finasteride or a
piacebo pill for seven
years.
Finasteride is used
to treat more than half a
million men in 25 coun
tries who have benigri
enlargement of the
prostate, or -H PH. -The ?
dnig controls abnormal
prostate growth by
blocking the activity of
an enzyme thai converts the male hor
mone testosterone to dihydrotestosterone.
see BIGHOUSEAJ
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