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Show Utah The Salt Lake Tribune MONDAY,June 12, 1995 OBITUARIES Page D-5 ROLLY & WELLS SECTIOND CLASSIFIED Page D-6 Police Shoot Gunman In Church Kidnapping PAUL ROLLYand _ JOANN JACOBSEN-WELLS BITE FROM BIG APPLE Bruce Finlinson, an interior designer for Mormon Temples, knowsfrustration with the bureaucracy. While on a familyvacationin NewYorkCity last July, a towing company hauled awayhis rental van at an expired parking meter. He and10 relatives were stranded in Battery Park. Four hours and several cab rideslater, Finlinson paid $150 to the New York City Towing Company, which finally released the van with a deadbattery and minus $1,255 worth of camera and CD equipmentthat wasin the car. After retrieving family members who had beensitting in a McDonald's restaurant for four hours, Finlinson went to Police Precinct 10 which has jurisdiction over the towing company. Theofficers’ advice: “Go after them [the towing company]. Theyare the biggest problem we have on the By Jon Ure and Joshua B. Good THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE As members of the Copperhill First Ward worshiped in their West Valley LDS chapel Sunday, a man burst in waving a gun. Raul Bonilla’s wife, Lucinda, had recently left him because he quit his soap-making job and becameabusiveto his family. He wantedher back. He grabbed Lucinda, and their 4-yearold son, Jacob, police said. He also attempted to kidnap Danielle, his 5-year-old daughter, said West Valley City Det. Alan Call. But she escaped unhurt. Bonilla, 29, herded his wife and son from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel at 4195 S. 6000 West. Ashe fled, Raul Bonilla fired a warning shot into the ceiling of the chapel’s foyer, according to authorities. The worshipers prayed and dialed 911. rounded the vehicle. Bonilla leveled his .357-caliber revolver at the officers and fired off at least one round, Call said. The officers then opened fire, striki Bonilla in the head. Jacobalso was shot but it was not clear if he was hit by a bullet from his father’s gun or oneoftheofficers weapons,said sheriff's Capt. David Bishop. Bishop said Bonilla was out of the van whenhewasshot. The boy was flown byhelicopterto Primary Children’s Medical Center where he waslisted in stable condition after surgery with an arm injury RaulBonilla wasin critical and unstable condition at University Hospital He was taken into surgery Sundayevening. Bonilla’s 23-year-old wife was unhurt. The Bonilla’s third child, Melinda, 1, was not involved. Within minutes, police spotted Raul Bon- One witness, Leslie Heimberg, who was illa’s van. After a chase near the church, Raul Bonilla crashed at the intersection of 5400 South and Bangerter Highway (4000 West). A WestValley City patrol officer and two Salt Lake County Sheriff's deputies sur- stopped at a red light on 5400 South, said after the collision, the van careened in front of her truck and stopped at the door of The Magic Wokrestaurant. “Whyarethesepolice officers shooting this car?” was Heimberg’sfirst thought. “I Paul Fraughton/The Salt Lake Tribune Paramedics and a deputy clean up at the site of a shooting in West Valley City that left a man, who had abducted his wife and son from a church, in critical condition. The 4-year-old boy was shot in the arm and was in stable condition couldn't believeit. I grabbed my baby and ‘et, she noted the group’s ad- dress is a P.O. Box in Midvale. We called the Utah Council of the Blindto investigate. Leslie Gertsch, presidentelect, told us Helping Handsis licensed with the U.S. Consumer Protection Agency, But 80% B See GUNMAN, Page D-3 Cocaine Dealer To Serve Time streets.” (Quite a claim to fame in Manhattan). The Salt Lakerfiled a claim at the time andhas not missed a monthfiling others. With the help of friends, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, then-Goy. Mario Cuomo, and U.S. Sens. Alphonse D'Amato, Patrick Moynihan and Orrin Hatch were contacted about the unforgettable vacation. Last month, the Salt Lake law firm of LeBoeuf Lamb Leiby & MacRaewrote on Finlinson’s behalf to the comptroller of the City of New York which, ironically, has a charter with the illustrious towing firm. Still no action. Finally, last week, after Finlinson threatened to go to the news media. (R&W and the New York TV program “Shame on You” were contacted.) Thursday, Finlinson finally got a call from Ronald Fitzer in the N.Y comptroller’s office. What did he tell Finlinson? “We were about ready to throwthis claim out because there was no one who could substantiate your report.” His advice: Go to small claims court in Manhattan. oO HELPING HANDS? Carolyn Hoffman of Salt Lake City recently received phonesolicitation from Helping Handsfor the Blind. As her husband, Bob, is an ophthalmologist she said she would consider donating if she received information in writing. Whenshereceived the pack- I could tell that the gentleman neverdid get out,” she said. Heimberg saw Lucinda Bonilla get out of the van’s passenger side sereaming. Then she saw the child with held him down. I wanted to get out of my truck and run.” The Salt Lake City woman said the wounded man wasinside the van when he wasshot. For Wife, Too ByTed Cilwick THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE This is not a typically wholesome Father's Day story. But a dad’s unusual decision guarantees that his four young children will not be separated from their mother. Cocaine-dealer Jose Velasquez spent three years on the lam dodging a 1992 Utah federalindictment Velasquez, a Colombian citizen, and his wife, Kay Kiger Velas- quez, an American who also was charged, hid out in Colombia Eventually, the fugitive couF ple’s children were moved from aime Salt Lake County to the South American country, where the Velasquezes continued to meddle in cocaine, according to Utah federal prosecutors The vanguard of the Grand Lesbian and Gay Parade leads the way downSalt Lake's Main Street on Sunday. In fact. the Velasquezes were indicted again in 1993 along with Kay's 73-year-old mother, Marjo- Gay-Pride Celebration Draws Thousands le Velasquez rie Kiger, after U.S. Customs agents traced a radio stuffed with cocaine mailed from Colombia to Kiger’s apartment in Murray THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE It was a typical warm, breezy Sunday in a typical downtownSalt Lake City park: lovers held hands, danced to live music and cavorted among food and drink concessions. What wasnot typical was most of them were gay and lesbians openly showing feelings toward each other in plain viewof the general public. Andgratifying, said the organizers of the Utah PrideCelebration, was the size of the crowd, nearly 5,000 at the John W. Gallivan Utah Center Plaza. The celebration began at 11 a.m. with the first annual Grand Lesbian and Gay Parade from the Capitol to Thecouple posed an unusual legal problem to U.S Gays.) But the winnerof thefloat con- ByJon Ure @ Families of Gay Mormons D-5 and Colombian authorities battling the drug tradein test was the Stonewall Center and the choice was tough. After all, they were the plaza. Some 600 paradedor rode floats to cheering throngs along Main Street. “This year the celebration is a lot bigge! d co-chairman Jeff Freed up against floats such as the Brick’s Club's “Homophobia — It’s All Greek to Me” and the “Dykes on Bikes” mocle and bicycle ensemble reaching a point where @ See DRUG DEALER, Page D-4 ize thereis nothing wrong with our sexual preference.” Freedmansaid This is one day we can come out man. ‘Weusedto have it in parks but this year we actually came downtown we're proving that we're more of a mainstream. It’s now not only gays and lesbians, but a considerable numberof ‘straight’ vendors are here who have realized thereis a gay dollar out there.’ The largest contingent in the parade and was PFLAG (Parents of Lesbian And past of the moneydonated is spent for fund-raising and administration; 20% goesto the blind — butonlyto the blind in California where Helping Hands is headquartered. Gertsch was told there is no money available to the sight-impaired in the cocaine-producing country. Jose Velasquez, 44 was untouchable because heis a Colombiannational andthereis no extradition treaty between the two countries. But his American wife, Kay, 35, was fair game. celebrate feeling good,” CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS said Bruce Harmon, another celebration organizer. The weatherhelped and no skinheads came out to hassle them this year, as has happenedin years A Saturday story in The Salt Lake Tribuneincor. rectly stated that The CountryClubin Salt LakeCity restricts women’s use of its course. According to by- laws that were changed just over a year ago, the courseandits facilities are no longerrestricted for female members Is Utahraptor for Sale? Scientists Worry State Will Sell Dinosaur Fossils, Artifacts Utah anytimesoon. Tne By LeeSiegel oO There’s a certain amount of ANSWER TO PRAYERS? ~ The Salt ‘eSLake City Police Chaplain's Society has com- The man who runs Utah's school-trust lands calls it para plained for years about the noia, but scientists worry the state baloney. selling ancient Indian artifacts andrare dinosaurfossils like the sharp-clawed Utahraptor Paleontologists and archaeolo gists contendsafeguardsare inad equateto prevent the School and Institutional Trust Lands Admin: ARCHES NATIONAL ologist James O'Connell insist “Thereis nothing to prevent him from selling trust lands which may contain archaeological [or fossil] resources that he or other PARK not know about THE SALT LAKE beat-up, hand-me-down cars TRIBUNE might raise money for schools by supplied bythe Police Departmentfor ministerial andspiritual-support functions. The 24 volunteer chaplains madeup of professional clergy perform various jobs for law del h t nfo! deliv enforcement, such as ing death notices. They istration from selling land with- turns being on call and share thecar When the chaplains com plained during an appreciation out first surveying it to determine dinner recentlyto police Chief Gov, Mike Leavitt recently asked RubenOrtegaabout the unrelialt Lake County his science adviser, Suzanne Win ters, to set up a Utahraptor Work ing Group to study howto protect mote Utahraptor as a state sym bol. The group held its first meet ing May 31 Leavitt acted after syndicated columnist we are The Salt Lake Tribu is Flag renewing our search fortattered flags. Call us at 237-2054 with the loca tion of anyflag unfit tofly Paleontologist Jim Kirkland, who holds a claw of Utahraptor that he discovered, fears Utah maysell similar fossils on state lands. Officials say despite rumors, there are no such plans. Jack Anderson, who grew up in Utah, called the gover nor to express concern the might sell Dalton Well, ar 8 Utahraptor, the 25-foot-long "su ars EXpress absurd and “a bunchof . [W* sell to raise money for schools p> universities, sl Lah perslasher” dinosaur that resem bles the velociraptors in the hit film “Jurassic Park Scott Hirschi, director of the Trust Lands Administration, says state law and regulation prohibits resources” representatives of the trust may long-running battle over manage ment of Utah's trust lands. At statehood in 96, the federal government deeded Utah 7 mil lion acres of trust landto lease or the state from selling a M ca scientists The disputeis the latest in a WELL valuable dinosaur fossils and pro QO Day, G pal TON tant antiquities or bones. Concern reached the point that paranoia going on,” But University of Utah archae if it contains scientifically impor ‘on Kennardreport edly had a vision Shortly thereafter, the coun ty supplied the chaplains with a brand new Crown Victoria loaded withcelestial extras. OLD GLORY Since Wednesday ) ioe “cultural hospitals, prisons and other beneficiaries. Of 3.7 million acres that remain today, about 97% benefit public schools and universities, Hirschi says. Only 1% of school revenues comefrom trust lands. Hirschi says surveys to loc artifacts or fossils are required in most but not all sales of trust lands, Winters says she fears “if such as rare or valu able fossils and artifacts. @ See SCIENTISTS, Page D-4 |
