March 20, 2002
Page A2
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Former Radical Gets Life for
Slaying Deputy in Shootout
Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin
(A P ) — R e je c tin g th e
prosecu tio n ’s call for a death
sentence, a ju ry in A tlanta, Ga.
sentenced the form er ’60s radi
cal known as H. Rap Brown to
life in prison for killing a sheriff” s
deputy in a shootout tw o years
ago.
The jury deliberated for about
five hours March 13 before decid
ing to spare the life o f the Muslim
cleric now called Jamil Abdullah
Al-Amin. He will not have a chance
at parole.
A l-A m in, w earing the robes
and hat o f a cleric, showed no
em otion when the sentence was
read.
Al-Amin was convicted ofkill-
ing Deputy Ricky Kinchen as
the officer tried to serve him
with an arrest warrant. A nother
deputy was w ounded, but sur
vived and identified Al-Amin as
the gunman.
A l-A m in leads one o f the
nation’s largest black Muslim
groups, the National Ummah. The
movement, which has formed 36
mosques around the nation, is
credited with revitalizing poverty-
stricken pockets such as Atlanta’s
West End, where he owned a gro
cery store.
Defense attorneys had pleaded
with the jury to spare Al-Amin,
who was described by character
witnesses as a peaceful religious
leader.
P rosecutors portrayed Al-
Amin as a deliberate killer who
deprived a family o f a husband,
son and father.
Arrests Follow Bank Robbery
(A P) — Three men were
arrested last week after an at
tempted armed bank robbery
turned into a four-hour stand
off in downtown Portland.
The standoff ended March
12 w hen police arrested an
armed suspect who had barri
caded him self inside a 24-story
apartment complex.
A su sp e c te d a cco m p lice
was arrested ju st inside the
apartm ent building shortly after
the alleged heist, police said. A
third man, who was in the eighth-
floor apartm ent with the armed
su sp ect, also surrendered to
police.
Tw o 9-mm rounds were fired
during the robbery at a W ells
Fargo bank on Portland’s busy
Fifth A venue, but no one was
injured. Police said no hostages
were involved in the standoff.
The incident began at 2:15
p.m., when the gunman w ear
ing a ski m ask entered the
bank, told everyone to stand
behind the teller’s counter and
demanded money, said Beth
A nne Steele, spokesw om an
for the FBI in Portland.
T h e g u n m a n fire d tw o
shots after seeing m ovem ent
near the door, she said, but
nobody was hurt.
Downtown Murder Suspect
Arrested in California
(A P) - A fter a day on the
loose, a suspect in the shoot
ing death o f a man on a dow n
town street was arrested in
N orthern California.
R obert E. H einz, 34, o f
B eaverton, was captured at
about 6:30 p.m. M arch 12
follow ing a chase, said Sgt.
Brian Schm autz, a Portland
police spokesman.
H einz had w recked his car
and was found nearby in the
bushes, according to Hum bolt
C ounty sh eriff’s Sgt. M ichael
Thom as. The suspect held a
gun to his head and threatened
to shoot him self, but deputies
persuaded him to surrender,
he said.
The w arrant for H einz had
been issued earlier in the day.
It alleged that he shot Richard
Ballantine at close range and
casually w alked aw ay before
being chased by a crow d near
Pioneer C ourthouse Square
ju st before noon on M arch 11.
B a lla n tin e , 42, died at a
h o sp ita l a fte r te llin g w it
nesses that he knew the su s
pect, and the su sp ect w anted
X anax, a tra n q u iliz e r used
for a n x ie ty d isorders.
Robert E. Heinz
Marine Drive Rape Suspect Wanted
Portland police are looking
for a man accused o f raping a
w om an in a secluded area near
N o rth e a st 125th and M arine
Drive.
The alleged crim e occurred
Feb. 27 at about 8 p.m.
The 28-year-old victim appar
ently was driving in the area o f
N ortheast 122nd and Inverness
when her car stalled. As she was
attem pting to restart the vehicle,
a male opened the unlocked pas
senger door and arm ed with a
knife ordered her to drive to the
secluded area w here a robbery
and sexual assault occurred,
police said.
The suspect is described as
an unkem pt w hite m ale in his
late 30s or early 40s, 5 foot 9
inches tall, w ith a thin build,
w aist length brow n stringy hair,
with a cut or infected sore on the
left side o f his upper lip.
The knife used in the attack is
described as a survival type
weapon with a silver blade. D e
tectives believe the suspect
may be a transient w ho fre
quented the area o f the MAX
station at 122nd and Burnside.
Anyone with inform ation in
this investigation is asked to
call either D etective W ayne
Svilarat 503-823-0873 orCriine
Stoppers at 503-823-HELP.
Crime Stoppers is offering
a cash reward o f $1,000 for
A composite drawing shows
the suspect in a rape at
Northeast 12 5 th and Marine
Drive.
y
information reported to Crime .
Stoppers that leads to an arrest
in this case or any unsolved
felony crime, and callers can
remain totally anonymous.
Portland Auto Theft Tasky
Force Hunts Suspect
/
The Portland Police Bureau’s
Auto Theft Task Force, in coop
eration with Crime Stoppers, is
asking for your help in locating
and a p p re h e n d in g G a b rie l
“Gabe” Bogdan.
A felony warrant charges
Bogdan with unauthorized use
o f a motor vehicle. In addition,
detectives w ant to question
Bogdan in connection with a
number o f stolen vehicles.
Bogdan is a 25-year-old white
male with a date ofbirth o f April
1,1976. He is 5 foot 8 inches tall
and weighs 145 pounds, with
brown hair, brown eyes, and
glasses.
Police say he has friends and
associates throughout Portland
and Vancouver and is believed
to be in the area.
Crime Stoppers is offering
a cash reward o f up to $1,000
Gabe Bogdan
for information, reported to
Crime Stoppers, which leads to
an arrest in this case, or any
unsolved felony crime, and you
need not give your name. Call
Crime Stoppers at 503-823-
HELP.
Woman Jailed After Meth
Falls Out of Pocket in Court
If someone you know is playing out of control, call the Problem Gambling Help Line:
1-877-2-STOP-NOW
Licensed treatment providers are there to listen, help and make
referrals to local treatment centers 24 hours a day.
on to www.oregonlotteryhelp.org for:
■ Warning Signs
■ Treatment Centers
■ How to Get Help
■ Reaching Out
TREATM ENT
IS
F R E E , C O N F ID E N T IA L
AND
IT
W ORKS.
(AP) — A woman who was
trying to keep her boyfriend out
o f jail wound up in the slammer
after a packet o f methamphet
amine fell out o f her pocket, of
ficials said.
The episode occurred March
12 during a hearing in Clark
C o u n ty S u p e rio r C o u rt in
Vancouver for Randy Lee Baker,
33, accused o f failing to pay
court fines.
Lisa Marie Brecht, 31, o f
Longview, stepped forward to
tell Judge James E. Rulli that she
mailed in a payment for Baker
last week.
“She was gesturing with her
hands, which had been in her
pockets, and when she took them
out the baggie flew out,” court clerk
Julie Brown said. “The poor defen
dant, he just covered his face with
his hands and shook his head.”
As Brecht bent down to pick
up the baggie, custody officer
Albin Boyse told her to put it on
the table.
“The judge said to the defen
dant, ' I thought you were clean
and doing well, ’ and he said,' I am,
and I thought she was, too,” ’
Brown said.
Brecht already was wanted for
failing to pay court fines for third-
degree theft and driving with a
suspended license. She wasjailed
without bail pending a court ap
pearance that could come as early
as Wednesday.
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