Law doesn’t stop child ‘stalkers’
INIJKPENDKNCE (Al’)
The man first saw Crystal
Peterson up close when she
was sovcn. ns she wont
door-to-door for a charity
Later canto the letters in
forming the girl ho wanted to marry her and run
away with her.
"They said things like. If I can't have her, no
body can have her.' and We're going to lx- in
heaven some day,' ” said Crystal's lather, Chris
The girl, now 11. and hor parents would like
never to see Robert Coker again Hut they fear
they will when he's released from prison.
In Portland, a 12-year-old girl was hounded by
a man who sent her letters and audio tapes, say
ing they would marry and she would give him
"all the money in the world.”
Such "stalkers" can't lx; stopped legally under
current Oregon low, said Rep Kevin Mannix, I)
Salem.
"The crime of menacing requires a threat of
bodily harm." he said. "Just scaring someone is
not enough."
Mark Hoslinga, a deputy Polk County district
attorney who has dealt with Coker's case, said .1
law is needed to deal with harassing behavior
"that has gone beyond the point of tolerance ”
Crystal’s father said Coker sent 30 to 30 letters
to his daughter over a six-month period in 1091
The family at first didn't know who was sending
them, but it was obvious the stalker lived nearby
"He knew everything, when we went to work.
when we came home, Peterson said He said
onffl he didn't like Crystal playing with the boy
up the street
Peterson said his wile. Ucbbie. eventually spot
ted Coker at night leaving a letter .it their house
Coker lived across the street
Police couldn't help until Coker was arrested
for burglarizing the Peterson house while the fam
ily was on vacation Authorities said he railed the
girl’s grandmother from the house and told her lie
and Crystal would be together in heaven
Coker admitted the crime In signing a diversion
agreement that kept him out of Jail il he made no
contact with the girl He violated the agreement
by writing a letter to her. and he was sent to pris
on for 1(> months
Coker is due to he released from Oregon State
Correctional Institution in Salem Jan U Peterson
assumes Coker will return to Independence
He said It took Crystal months to cope with her
fright over the situation.
"The firs! lew months she was really scared
about going to bed. then it lapered off." he said
"She's not so scared now. hut it keeps coming
ba< k at times kids at school throw it Kick m her
face sometimes
And he said the family feels helpless
When the Legislature convenes in January,
Munnix said, he hopes lo win approval of a mees
ure dealing < learlv and strongly with such harass
merit.
Police: Victims of hate
crimes need anonymity
SALEM (AP) Many hale crime* against homosexuals
aren't reported because victims fear IniIiik publicly identified,
Portland Police Chief Tom Potter told .1 legislative panel
Monday
Potter said he might ask the Oregon Legislature to exempt
victims' names from public: records laws to encourage more
crime reporting
The Senate Interim Judiciary Committee heard from polic e
authorities on trends in incidents of hate crimes Those are
generally c rimes motivated by prejudice liased tin race, color,
national origin, religion or sexual orientation
Potter told lawmakers when his agency set up a
"homophobic hoi line" bv which people could informally
give reports about crimes against homosexual*, the line re
reived more calls than regular police lines
People reporting sexual orientation crimes (eur being vic
timized twice bv possibly losing a job or other repercussions
if they are identified as being gay. in1 said
"I think you would sec' reports skyrocket" il victims were
assured their names couldn't I*- publicly disc losed. Poller
said
Potter and other police official* told the committee the
Measure U anil homosexual proposition on next Tuesday's
general election ballot has raised anxiety levels
"It bus created a real climate of leat in our community." he
said "I have really felt a tremendous increase in tension
Ron Louie, Hillsboro pollcre chief, said polite agenc ies ior
several years have predicted more crime liased on rac ial and
ethnic prejudice as non w hite imputations inc rease
Bush officials won’t
testify on Iraq aid
WASHINGTON
(Al’J - Bush offi
national
^ I clals are declin
ing to testify tx?
foro Congress on the politi
cally charged issue of U S.
technology exports to Iraq lx;
fore the Gulf War
National Security Advisor
Brent Soowcroft and former
Commerce Secretary Robert
Mosbacher have ignored invi
tations from the Senate Bank
ing Committee to appear as
witnesses at a hearing Tues
day.
Neither Scowcroft nor
Mosbacher has responded to
the banking committee s re
quest, a committee aide said
Monday afternoon. Although
the two have not formally re
plied. their associates have
told the commltttx) they al
most certainly will not ap
pear, said the aide, speaking
on condition of anonymity.
In a related development
Monday. Attorney General
William Biirr named I Wll
limn Roberts, a federal prose
cutor in Illinois, to head a
task force helping investigate
S5 billion in illegal loans to
Iraq made by the Atlanta of
fice of an Italian bank.
And in Atlanta, the
[intrude trading company was
fined SI million Monday af
ter pleading guilty to giving
kickbacks to the Atlanta
branch manager in return for
gi'tting business with Iraq
"As a matter of long-stand
ing precedent, the national
security adviser does not tes
tify on (Capitol) Mill." Scow
croft spokesman Walter
Kanstcinor said Monday
He said Scowcroft cannot
appear because he Is a per
sonal adviser to [’resident
[lush The administration In
voked this executive privi
lege argument earlier this
year when it turned down si
milar requests from the
House Banking and Judiciary
committees for Scowcroft to
testify.
Losses force GM chairman to resign
DETROIT (AIM Kobort
Siempel resigned under pres
sure as General Motors Gorp
chairman Monday, ending a
two-year-old command that
failed to stop record limux ini
(deeding at the world's largest
automaker.
Stempel's departure makes
his tenure the shortest of any of
the 11 men who have chaired
CM. once one of the most prof
liable and admired American
businesses
Mis job future bad looked in
creasingly bleak in recent
weeks, contributing to a sense
of disarray and anxiety among
many of CM's workers and
managers.
Published reports quoting
unidentified CM board sources
said he would l*e asked to re
sign because lie was moving
tcxi slowly in culling costs to
stop devastating financial loss
es
"I could not in good con
science continue to watch the
effects of rumors and specula
tion that have undermined and
slowed ihe efforts of General
Motors people to make this a
stronger, more efficient, effet
live organization." Stompel
said In a statement
The 59-year-old automotive
The question of
executive
leadership is a
primary concern.'
John Smale,
GM chairman ot board's
executive committee
engineer had kept .1 low profile
miiii' Wednesday. when hii an
grily denied the board was try
ing to dvicI him from tin1 com
pany ho joined m 1 o.SH
But a statement Thursday
from John Srnulo. < hairman of
the board's executive commit
tea, amounted to a no-confi
dence vote Smale said no man
agement changes had been
made. but. "The question of ex
ecutive leadership is a primary
concern "
Smale. t>5. former < hairman
of Procter It (•amble Co , is ex
peeled to be named interim
( hairman when the (»M board
meets Nov. 2 in New York
Smale said in a statement
Monday the Ixiard had accept
od Stempel's resignation and
asked Stem|«d to continue as
chairman until a successor is
named Slempel said ho would
comply
(IM slot k closed hI $.14 12
III. up 02 1/2 rents
Wall Street analysis weren't
surprised S11-in pel resigned
rather than wail In lie fired llul
no one interviewed fell a new
i hnirman would make much
difference In the 84-year-old
automaker's iillempls lo regain
the compeiiiive edge
UMs core auto business In
North America has been ham
mered during the recession,
which begun about the lime
Stompol kin reeded Chairman
Roger Smith in August ltttto.
"I sympathize with the lock
of patience of the board of di
rer tors," said Mike l-’lynn, usso
elute director of the Office for
the Study of Automotive Trans
portation at the University of
Michigan "But I'm not sure
they're right A lot of (iM's
problems are traceable to the
e e o n o m v I don't think
Stampers had a whole lot of
time "
Under (IM'k highly publi
cized plan to shrink, the com
pany will close 21 plants and
cut 74,000 jolts by 1005 Ana
lysts said that strategy must re
main on tr.ii k regardless what
happens in the Itoarriroom
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