Show Utah Standard-Examine- r LocalMetro Classifieds Obituaries Saturday Sept 17 1988 Taylor named district judge By MARK PETERSON Standard Examiner sta'f OGDEN — Second Circuit Court Judge Stanton M Taylor has been named to replace retired 2nd District Court Judge John F Wahlquist the governor’s office announced Friday afternoon Taylor who has been on the Circuit Court bench since its inception in 1978 still must be confirmed by the Utah Senate before the appointment is official The governor’s office hopes to have the confirmation made as soon as possible said Francine Giani spokesman for Gov Norman Bangerter Wahlquist 65 retired at the end of June His courtroom has been vacant since then though retired Juvenile Court Judge Robert E Newey was called in from time to time to handle cases on the busy court docket Taylor described his judicial philosophy as “basically conservative” He said he did not foresee radical departure from the course steered by Wahlquist who was also conservative Gary ClarkStanaard-Examine- r from a Perry Lynn Yates of the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office sorts through boxes while taking inventory home where drugs were found after a police raid on Thursday Raided lab called ‘major 5 if-- is really Michael L Green 51 who is wanted in Los Angeles d on charges and in By MARK PETERSON A Federal Drug Enforcement Administration agent drug-relate- said ofa an illegal laboratory in Perry was a major operation that could have produced up to 1000 pounds of speed The agent also said the man arrested at the home gave a false name and is believed to be a fugitive from Southern California with outstanding arrest warrants on drug and gun charThursday's raid “P-2-- garage-base- d ges “That amount (of was an extremely large phenyl-2-propa-none- )” said Steve Lough agent Box Elder County law officers found about $600000 worth of a chemical used in making “speed” Thursday County Sheriff Robert Limb Lough said Green fled from Southern California in 1986 and officers believe he may have come directly to Utah The DEA cooperated with the Drug Strike Force in Box Elder County in a 4 operation keeping the home at 15 E 1750 South under surveillance The Drug Strike Force is comprised of officers from the Box Elder Cache and Rich county sheriff’s offices and Brigham City Tremonton and Logan police departments “They’ve done a fantastic job” Lough said of officers “We just helped out during the operation” was created at the The raw chemicals from laboratory It can be further refined into methamphetamine or speed P-2- -P Tri-Coun- ty Lough said was About 600 pints of found at the site enough to creP-2- -P ate about 1000 pounds of Tri-Coun- ty in charge of the DEA in Salt Lake City “It was a very very sophisticated operation” Law enforcement officers arrested a man who gave his name as James Douglas but Lough said he believes Douglas speed Drug Strike Force Coordinator Kim Hall estimatat ed the value of the about $600000 Law officers said the lab might have been set up in that Tri-Coun- ty P-2- -P Tri-Coun- ty mjxy J5?'1 i M ‘1 -- i? V I'' ' ffvflt 1 Pp i: i i x t if-- ' oW'W ' - i i a ¥-1- 1 VY ¥ V s ' — M w - X x ' s - ' is W X fV 'V 4 Gary CiarkStanoard-txamine- He must be confirmed by Utah Senate before the appointment is official Taylor 50 was one of three names sent to Bangerter as potential District Court replacements following an interview process by a 2nd District Court Nominating Committee headed by Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Gordon R Hall Also on the list were fellow 2nd Circuit Court Judge W Brent West and Salt Lake City attorney M Karlynn Hinman District Court handles all felony criminal cases and civil cases involving more than $10000 The 2nd District covers Weber Davis and Morgan counties tax Interstate-1- 5 area because it’s quiet and secluded The home the lab was set up in was off the road and surrounded by orchards so it couldn't easily be surveyed Lough added one more reason why Utah might be chosen for such a lab: chemicals needed to can be legalmanufacture ly purchased here while they cannot in most other western states such as California and Nevada The agent said lobbying efforts have gone on at the Utah Legislature to make it illegal to See BUST on 2C P-2- -P of vehicles during winter By PHIL JENSEN els from the crunch Standard Examiner particularly staff SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah League of Cities and Towns passed several tax resolutions Friday including one asking the State Legislature for authority to raise taxes to ease interstate congestion along the Wasatch Front The Interstate-1- 5 Corridor resolution passed with little opposition as the league representing 227 communities ended its three-da- y annual convention at the Salt Lake Hilton Hotel It asks the Legislature to grant local entities authority to raise gasoline taxes to modernize the 5 parking lot” Dave Spatafore executive director of the league said it is up to the Legislature to decide which if any local governments would be allowed to impose the optional gasoline tax But Spatafore predicted that the taxing authority would go beyond Salt Lake Count“1-1- y- months is alarming “During certain times each day the congestion along reaches intolerable levels” the resolution says “Engineers’ projections show that this will only worsen in time this creates a powerful disincentive for businesses investigating relocation to Utah” The resolution also urges Utah’s congressional delegation to push for federal dollars to help rebuild the interstate corridor A second resolution asking for blanket authority in which any county in Utah could impose a local option gasoline tax raise was withdrawn But another resolution passed on a voice vote without opposition asks state lawmakers to allow local residents to impose higher sales taxes on themselves to pay for capital improvements “Other states have found sucn cess in the use of sales taxes” the resolution says A third tax resolution asks lawmakers for a periodic review of exemptions to sales and use taxes “and to repeal unjustifiable sales and use tax exemptions on a local-optio- “The resolution is very general but my guess is it would be from Utah to Weber County inclusive” Spatafore said The resolution points out that in Salt Lake County not only is crowded but that pollution lev basis” case-by-ca- Johnson guilty of murder attempt '£ stZ t ? ryim -- - San Diego on gun charges He is being held in the Box Elder County Jail in lieu of $100000 bond said Box Elder Taylor resolution passes V Suspect may be fugitive Standard Examiner staff Stanton r Peggy Braegger Johnson of Willard sits next to her husband Danny Johnson at the Brigham City Courthouse during a break in her trial By CHARLES F TRENTELMAN Standard Examiner staff BRIGHAM CITY — A crying Peggy Braegger Johnson held her head in her hands Friday night as a jury pronounced her guilty of three counts of trying to murder her husband and one count of distributing marijuana Her husband Danny Johnson sat in the audience tears welling his eyes as the v erdict was read One of his daughters lay in his arms crying loudly Around him sat other relatives and friends all cither crying or looking grimly at the front of the courtroom Several women in the jury were seen drying their eyes The verdict was reached after five hours of deliberations capping a week-lon- g trial in 1st District Court Johnson arrested Jan 30 was found atguilty of three counts of tempted criminal homicide and one first-degr- count of distribution of a controlled substance The jury agreed that she fed her husband heroin and oxalic acid disguised as antibiotics and bought “crank” — methamphetamine — in a final murder attempt when the other substances request The verdict indicated that the jury did not believe Johnson's version of events leading up to her arrest Johnson’s story which Baron criticized as completely ridiculous was that she bought the “crank” in an effort to help Cindy Orozco an Ogden drug user Johnson had bailed out of jail get enough money to stop using drugs and start a new life Johnson said she talked about wanting to kill her husband during meetings with Orozco from Jan 27 to Jan 30 as part of the plot to help Orozco It was all play acting she said to make the deal believable to Orozco’s husband and her other drug associates Cindy Orozco an admitted drug user and convicted felon told police on Jan 27 that Johnson had approached her to e buy heroin and “crank” to kill her JOHNSON on 3C failed Each count of attempted criminal homicide carries a possible sentence of five years to life in prison and the marijuana distribution charge carries a possible sentence Johnson's attorney Quinn Hunsaker asked for a report and a was set for which sentencing hearing Oct 26 He also asked the court to reject a motion by Deputy Box Elder County Attorney Roger Baron to raise Johnson’s bail from $25000 to $50000 Hunsaker said Johnson has cooperated so far and could not raise the extra bail on a Friday night Judge Gordon Low granted Hunsaker's hus-Se- Woman learns computers to aid school NORTH OGDEN — Nicki Thomas thought she was too old to learn something new But the last five years at Bates Elementary School in North Ogden have taught her otherwise Thomas a retired secretary from Hill Air Force Base said she relaxed for two years after her retirement before she got tired of doing nothing “I didn't do anything but sit around and I finally got tired of that” She called the elementary school asked if volunteers were needed and was quickly and happily put to work Now she has her husband Art involved The couple has spent close to four weeks computerizing the school's library of o 000 books Art Thomas places bar code stamps on the books while his wife records the number of the stamp the title of the book the author and the call number on the computer Carol Torgcrson the school’s media aide said it would have taken her a year or more to do the I Vie Salute By Amy Joi Bryson S'?rV!i fijxmers' work herself “The work they’ve done is amazing — and they always do it with a smile They sit for hours on end without interruption without hardly moving Sometimes they don’t even want to take a break to go to lunch” Although computers can be intimidating Torger-so- n said Nicki Thomas was excited about learning to use the computer Thomas agreed “I thought I was through being able to learn new things but then you learn you're not too old to learn new things” The volunteer has been learning new things at the school for the last five years while her husband supplies help when big jobs come up “It’s definitely not boring time goes by fast and I can’t see sitting around doing nothing” he said The Thomases had been used to an active life prior to their retirement so it’s no surprise they still keep busy Art Thomas a World War II veteran worked for years as an electronic technician in the Air Force — a job that took the couple to places like France Newfoundland the Philippines and Greenland In addition to his “hobby” of volunteering Art Thomas spends time building model railroads and ships and monitoring his ham radio “That and the yard work is enough" he said The volunteer work not only gives them something to do but brightens their lives in other ways “The children call us grandma and grandpa and that’s fine with us" said Nicki Thomas “We have three grandchildren: two in New York and one in California We feel like surrogate grandparents here" niwiww j' f It i - - -- T I - - 41 a1 — ” J i Juoy Owens btdnoarO-tdrTHn©- f Thomas and her husband Art at Bates Elementary School Nicki |