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Show The Salt Lake Tribune UTAH Wednesday, July 26, 2000 Pinder Changed Before Deaths, Agent Says Witnessdetails rancher’s apparent paranoia, alleged drug addiction BY KARL CATES THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE HEBER CITY — A U.S. Customs agent who supervised John Pinder’s workas a federal drug informantin the early ‘90s testified Monday that the Duchesne County rancher had lapsed into apparent paranoia shortly before the deaths of June Flood and Rex Tanner. Pinder is charged with killing the two ranch hands and blowing uptheir bodies in October 1998. Histrial is in its third week. Tom DeLeone, a customs agent in - Salt LakeCity, testified Monday that he urged Pinderto seek counseling earlier that year for what had apparently attorney RonYengichas part ofan effort to portray Pinder as an eccentric but rancher. The state has rested its case against Pinder, and Yengich will continue his become a methamphetamine addiction. “I saw his personality change,” DeLeonesaid, after recounting how Pinder had been a valuable informant from 1991 to 1993 and that he was paid $50,000 for helping break up a multistate drugtrafficking ring. But when Pinder visited DeLeone at his downtown Salt Lake City office in 1998, he had become a different person, Joseph Andrews, another former Pinder ranchworker,offered testimony challenging the credibility of David Brunyer, whotestified against Pinder and whom Andrewssaid boasted of expecting a $25,000 payout from federal investigators in return for his der was the trigger man. Michael Sweat, a Vernal resident, testimony. Andrews, however, conceded under cross-examinationthat Pinder once expressed desire to kill Tanner. Joe Wallen of Park City, who was Pinder’s bookkeeper, testified that shortly before the killings Valenchia Ruiz had told him abouta disturbing said that Valenchia Ruiz once threatened to kill him as well as his wife, chil- “He said he was afraid they were go- ing to plant drugs on hisranch —he was deathly afraid of getting his ranch seized,” DeLeone testified. “I said, dren, dogs and chickens if he confessed to police that he had obtained a cache of methamphetamine from Valenchia Ruiz. Bud Court of Salt Lake City said in 1998 that Valenchia Ruiz told him he had killed people before. He also suspects Valenchia Ruiz ofshooting his two ‘John, you've got to get some help [for your drug problem].’” DeLeone’s potentially damagingtestimony was surprising, given that he was called to the stand by defense Road Rage Over Legacy Pinder’s ranch. And Court told jurors of how Valenae Ruiz, during 0.J. Simpson's murder trial, talked about the best way to destroy murderevidence: “Hesaid that Brit blow them up,to get rid ofthe On Tuesday, Yengich summoned eight witnesses, many offering testimony to support Yengich’s contention that Filomeno Valenchia Ruiz, the state's star witness, is the more likely killer. Valenchia Ruiz has confessed to being presentat the time Flood and Tanner were shotbuthas insisted that Pin- ‘im. DeLeonesaid Pindertold him he believed FBI agents had wired the door jambs ofhis ranch house with listening devices and had removed thefiring pins from an assortmentof Pinder’s guns. nightmare. “He had dreamed the night before he hadkilled three people — he said his dreams cometrue.” MORGAN Utah poet Joel Long will read from his works on Saturday at 8 p.m. in the amphitheater at East CanyonState Park. Theeventis co-sponsoredby the Utah Arts Council. East Canyon State Park is located 12 miles southeast ofMorgan onstate Route 66. For more information,please call 801-829-6866. Q the visitor center auditorium, fol- THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, lowed by telescope viewingof the moon, globular clusters, galaxies and nebt RIVERTON — The proposed Legacy Highway throughthe western edgeofthe Salt Lake Valleyis not funded,there are no designs drawn and,if it is built at night, although no campfires, digging or wood collecting will be all, construction probably won't begin for15 years. permitted. BY JOHN KEAHEY Butthatdid not stop a standing-room-only crowdof west Riverton residents from packingthe City Council meeting Tuesday to demandthat the freeway’s proposed corridor not cut throughtheir back yards. Theestimated 100 residents of the Foothills subdivision along 4800 West between 13400 South and 14400 South began the meeting angry at whatthey perceived was a decisionto placethe future highwayalong their subdivision’s eastern edge. They walked out an hour later happy that the council, including Mayor Sandra Lloyd, pledged support and agreed to back the residents’ demands. “We need to know youare on ourside,”lifelong resident Richard Clayton told the council, reminding membersWilliam Sylvester and Steve Brooksthat he has knownthemsince childhood. “We are on yourside,” responded Sylvester. “We have no desire to put that road next to your subdivision.” But the biggest relief came whenresidents discov- ered thata final decision on the corridor had not been made. Many thought the matter was settled as long as three years ago. Consultantsheldtheirfirst local public hearing last Camping will -be allowed that Dogs must be on leashes. More information is available Milf Counties Voting Today's Headlines Richfield is cracking down on ye ; Oni Beea =Kristen Moulton Q discussions about will include American Indian rock art, the people whocreated it, the time pe- DAVIS riods andpossible meanings of the Antelope Island State Park will host “An Oasis of Salt: Exploring the Ecology ofthe Great Salt Lake” on Aug. 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This hands-on workshop, which includesdiscussions with ecologists aboutthe lake and Antelope Island, is sponsored by the Ecological Society of America. Activities will begin with anin- artwork. Kathy Kankainen of the Utah Museum of Natural History and A.J. Martine, a resident of Boulder, will conductthe discussions. The group will carpool to selected rock art sites in the park. Followingthe tour,abarbecue will be held at the park. Thecostis $30 per person or $50 troduction to the lake’s ecosystem per couple. For more information, by John Mull ofWeber State Uni- please call 435-425-3265. versity, followed by Nancy Huntly of Idaho State University. At 9:30 a.m., participants will visit field violations related to noncompli- ance with city ordinances. The city has received complaints about businesses operating without: a city license; abuse of and parking of recreational, business anddisabled vehicles on Main Streetthat exceed the 72-hour limit. —Hal Edwards Q g r Wasatch County has received a stations to study topics including GRAND troubled youngpeople. The Grand County Council is holding a public hearing Aug. 7 on proposed changes to the county's from state and federal agencies and will be administered through the Utah State University Extension Service. The program called “Youth and Families With Promise” is in- project is envisioned to parallel Interstate 15, beginningin Box Elder County north of Ogden and running for nearly 120 miles south to Nephi. Thefirst segment, a 12-mile section across Great Salt Lake wetlands through south Davis County, awaits federal approval. Through mostof the Salt Lake Valley, the proposed day workshop. Registration is required and spaceis limited. To register, please call 801-721-9569. the number of council members from seventofive. In 1992, Grand County became The corridor veers sharply to the east toward 4800 West whereit would eventually meander through Ri verton andBluffdale and sweep past Herriman. ton proposed to residents that thecity create a special committee, including neighborhood members, to help build a case for an alignmentfavorable to the residents’ position. GARFIELD Thethird “Rock Art for Novices”tour, sponsored by the Entrada Institute,is scheduled for Saturday at the Anasazi State Park in Boulder. The event begins at 11 a.m. and tended to improve academic per- formance and people skills, and Another proposal would reduce Q Legacy route generallyfollows 5600 West from Inter- state 80 west of Salt Lake City International Airport. The moneyfor the grant comes council seats at-large. thefirst in the state to change from a three-member commission to a council form of government. There is some disagreement between the county andstate electionofficials if the County Council has the authority to put the measures on the strengthen family bonds. Children can be recommended for the program by parents,religious organizations or juvenile court authorities. The five-year-old program has been implemented in several Utah counties. It has shown success in reducing and preventing juvenile delinquency,officials say. —Wasatch County Courier General Counsel to 7 LDSPresidents, Kirton, Dies at 78 From McKayto Hinckley, Kirton & McConkie founder provided churchlegalinsight Wilford W. “Bill” Kirton Jr. — founderof the Salt Lake City law firm Kirton & McConkieand general counsel to seven presidents of the LDS Church died Sundayof cancer. He was78. “A giant has been taken from thele- gal profession,” said Kirton’'s friend and law partner, ( McConkie. “Bill Kirtonwasav le lawyer, but more than that, he was a thoroughly good man theperfect lawyer to represent a churchorganization.” According to a statement from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the church benefited from Kirton's “discerning insight and wise counsel in dealing with the increasing complexities of a growing worldwide organization. Bill's constant labors aging the legalaffairs of the Deseret s, Deseret Book, Beneficial Devel- significantly aided the progress of the Lord's work.” opment, Zions Security Corp. and the Deseret Gym. Kirton began his own law practice in 1948, gaining a reputation in the area of real estate. In 1964, then-church President David 0. McKayasked Kirton to be general’ counsel, overseeing Several of Kirton’s cases ended up before the U.S. Supreme Court. Most notable, perhaps, was the case of a Deseret Gym custodian whosued after he wasfired for not living according to the doctrinesof the church.In a 9-0 ruling, the church'slegalaffairs. Kirton suggested the church would be better served by an independent, outside firm, McConkie said, and McKay agreed. Kirton started the firm, which McConkie joined three years later. McConkiesaid thefirm tries to spend about half of its time on nonchurch cases a tactic that keeps the firm's 62 attorneys up to date on new issues that may arise in matters involving the church. As general counsel, Kirton served McKayand the next six church presidents, including current President Gordon B, Hinckley, meeting frequently with churchleaders and supervising the church'slegal matters worldwide. In Utah, Kirton’s duties included the high court said the church could discriminate in their hiring and firing practices on matters involving church standards, McConkiesaid. “It was a major case,” McConkierecalled. “It made very important church andstate law.” Born in Salt Lake City, Kirton graduated from the University of Utah law school, where he had formed athreeperson study group with Richard Howe, currently the chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court, and James E. Faust, a formerpresidentof the Utah State Bar and currently a counselor to, church president Hinckley. “Not a bad threesome,” noted McConkieof the formerlaw students. During World War II, Kirton was an Air Force pilot and bombardier, reaching the rank of captain while flying 31 missions over Europe. He was decorated with three Oak Leaf clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He remained active in the Utah National Guard before retiring as a lieutenant colonel. His service in the LDS Churchincluded serving as high councilor, bish- op, stake president, regional representative, sealer in the Salt Lake Temple and patriarch for the Salt Lake Ensign Stake. He was married in 1943 to Arlene Tadje Sonntag. She died in 1992.In 1994, he married Lois Brewster Aste. Kirton is survived by five children andfive stepchildren, Funeral services will be held at noon today at the Ensign Ist Ward, 589 18th Ave. Intermentat the Salt Lake Cemetery will follow. Attorney Jones Appointed to Fill Judge Vacancy in 2nd District Court Attorney Ernest W. Jones has been appointed as a new judge for the 2nd District Court, and court administrators are now accepting applications for an opening on the 5th District Juvenile Court. Jones, 50, has been a Salt Lake County prosecutor since 1980, Before that he worked at the Weber County , Attorney's Office for six years, “Ernest Jones has an excellent reputation in Utah's jegal community and has prosecuted some of Utah's mostdifficult criminal cases,” said Gov. Mike Leavitt, “tb announcing the appointment, “His vast trial experience hys prepared a well for the bench.” The Royresidentfills a vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Michael Glasmann, wholeft the bench in Mayfollowing allegationsof sexual advances toward women, The 2nd District includes Davis, Morgan and Webercounties. In 1974, Jones received his law degree from the University of Utah College of Law. In 1982 and 1983, Jones was lead prosecutor during the trials of Marc and Frances Schreuder, charged with the murder of Franklin Bradshaw. Frances Schreuder had her son Marc kill Bradshaw, who was her father. Two books and twotelevision movies based on the murder were 3,600 tonsper year and benzeneby 400 tonsper year. In Utah, BP Amoco emits about983 tons ofsulfur, or about 20 percentofall industrial sulfur emissions in Salt Lake County.It also emits 514 tons of nitrogen (7 percentofall industrial sources in the county) and 876 tons of VOCs(27 percent) each year. Upon BP Amoco’s completion of the terms, the EPA will grant the companya “clean slate”for past viola- tionsof the Clean Air Act. largest of its kind in Environmental Protection Agency enforcementhistory,is the first action taken the wood products industry andelectricutilities. West Valley Enlightened By Crime-Fighting Fete homeoccupation business permits; grant: for nearly $33,000 to help form of goverriment. The proposals would abolish term limits and recall votes, hold partisan elections and make all Amoco will pay a $10 million fine and Kochwill pay a $4.5 millionfine. Together, BP Amoco and Koch — whichaccountfor about15 percentofthe nation’s oil-refinirig capacity — will reduce nitrogen and sulfur emissions by about 49,000 tons by 2004 andan additional 6,000 tons by 2008 with technology upgrades. Improved leak detection and repair practices are expected to reduce VOCs by forcementofanti-pollution laws, the EPA has targeted geochemical cycling. Experts from the universities, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and Utah State Parks and Recreation will conduct the half- “This is the perfect time for youto be here,” council member MarkEastontold the residents. During the next two decades, the overall Legacy “Wewill be making somereductions in the future but we don’t know whatthey'll be... . . Our feeling is that we’ve made good strides already,” said Derek Regal, spokesman for the Salt Lake City refinery. The Utah facility was recently honored by Utah Division of Air Quality forits pollution reductionefforts. in therefinery sector. In previous years, under an executive order from President Clinton to step up en- roadway through the Salt Lake Valleyis due next year. brine shrimp, wildlife and bio- contribute to the Wasatch Front’s smog and particuJate pollution. the enforcementof city laws that month and moreare planned thisfall to gather land- owneropinions. A report outlining options for the The “agreementin principle” announced Tuesday comes after several months of negotiations between BP Amoco and the U.S. Justice Department, which was threatening to take action against the company for violations ofthe Clean Air Act. It is unclear what the agreement, which a court mustapprove, will mean for Salt LakeCity’s air quality. BP Amoco’s northern Salt Lake City refinery, one of the nine refineries covered by the agreement, is a major source of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Those emissions pre Ruuten ence MayorKay Kimball told the City Council that police officers have been instructed to start enforcing WASATCH —Hal Edwards on pollution control atits U. S. refineries, including onein Salt Lake City. The $500 million agreement with BP Amoco,the SEVIER through the historical site, by call- ny, has agreed to spend an unprecedented $500 million In addition to making technology upgrades, BP —The Times Independent a The Golden Spike National His- toric Site and the Thiokol Astronomy Club are planninga free Star Party at the site 32 miles west of Brigham City on Aug.4. The party will begin at 9:30 p.m. with an astronomical program in THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Toavoid possible prosecution for past misdeeds, BP Amoco, the nation’s second-largest petroleum compa- similar deal with the Wichita, Kan.-based Koch Petroleum Group,which will invest $80 million in pollution controlat three refineries. Noneis in Utah. ballot. BOX ELDER BY BRENT ISRAELSON The BP Amoco agreement was announced with a STATE OF THE STATE Rivertonresidents vent anger, until they tealize highway routeisn’t set in stone OnPollution Reduction dogs while Court was an employee at rebuttal today. the agent said, describing how Pinder talked about the FBI plotting to destroy Amoco to Spend $500M later produced. The Administrative Office of the Courts is accepting applications for the 5th District Juvenile Court vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Joseph Jackson. The 5th District includes Beaver, Lron and nashington counties and the position is based in St. Applicants can send requests for forms and instructionsto Marilyn Smith at the Administrative Office of the Courts, To inquire by mail, write to 450 8. State Street, P.O, Box 140241, Salt Lake City, 84114. Requests can also be sent via fax: 801-578-3968. THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE WESTVALLEY CITY — Residents here gathered as onebig neighborhood Tuesdaynight to mark the third annual Light the Nightcelebration, an event designed to empower community members in the fight against crime. “This is how we can turn police force of 175 into a departmentof 110,175,” said West Valley City police Chief Alan Kerstein. “We are showing the community thatif they join together they can have real impact againstcrime.” About500 residents flocked to Centennial Park for an eveningof music, hot dogs and police demonstrations. The event served as a citywide version of next week’s Night Out Against Crime, an Aug.1 festival in which neighborhoods nationwide will gather to develop crime-fighting strategies. At Tuesday’s event, a crowdofeager children offered generousapplause asa team of police-dog trainers ran their animals through series ofdrills. “] don't like that doggy. He is too rough,” said 2year-old Joshua Christensenafter watching a canine named Gomoperform a suspect apprehension technique onofficer Chad Ziegenhorn. Other children seemed to relish the event, which gave them a chance tointeract with police officers. “Tt is great,” said Tanya Felkner, 14, who entertained the crowd as part of the Sunshine Generation song and dance group. “It builds up awareness of crime and what you can do aboutit.” Macenzie Jones, 5, said her favorite part of the party was sitting in a police helicopter. And the event convinced 7-year-old Dakota Braithwaite that he wantsto be a police officer when he growsup. “T wantto drive oneofthose cars,”he said. To Ingrid Burwell, event organizer and WestValley City community specialist, that just convinces her that the party was a success. “Wejust wanted to get neighbors excited and unified in theeffort to fight crime,” she said. RECORD DIVERS SEARCH FOR BODY Divers continued to comb Payson Lake on Tuesday for the body of a 15-year-old boy presumed to have drowned during a family gathering Monday. A search and rescue team for the Utah County Sheriff's Office wasusing underwater cameras and mountaindogs in their.search for Jasper Brazelton of Spanish Fork. He was last seen 90-100 feet from the west shore, near a raft occupied by his 7-year-old sister, according to Sgt. Tom Hodgson.As Brazelton yelled for help after 1:30 p.m. Monday, his sistertried to save him.“She extended [a] paddle to him,” Hodgsonsaid. “But he was notable to grab holdofit.” Hodgsonsaid the team's searchefforts in 20-foot-deep water were periodically interrupted by lightning strikes in the area, The search also was hampered by reduced visibility caused by vegetation in the lake, Q ESCAPED PRISONER RECAPTURED A manwhoescaped from the Cache County Jail in Logan one month ago was arrested Tuesday in California. Leland Harris Clark, 42, escaped from the jail on June25 by climbing through a ceilingtile ina room to which he had access as a worker. Within days of Clark's getaway,investigators from the Cache County sheriff's office informed authorities in Mono County, Calif., where Clark's motherlives. Clark was picked up at about3:30 p.m.in Crowley Lake by the Mono County sheriff's office. Cache County officials will seek to extradite Clark to Utah, where he faces one charge of escape, a second-degree felony, and one charge of damage to a jail, a third-degree felony,in Ist District Court. Clark had been jailed since October on a parole violation. |
