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Show S ALINA, UTAH, THURSDAY, VOLUME 58, NUMBER 27 DECEMBER 18, PRICE 25c 1980 Saliiia Motor Home Trial Gets Underway in Richfield By Hal Edwards Sun Editor Arguments in Sevier Countys first murder trial in 32 years got underway Monday in Richfield, the first of two scheduled in connection with the death last August of a California defense was scheduled to begin its case on Wednesday morning. man. officers of the Salina Chamber of Commerce gather to plan next years program. Pictured are Robert White, left, Melvin Briggs, Judy Christensen, Newly-electe- d Vila Dean Jacobsen, Brad Shepard, Blake Camp and Grant N. Stubbs. Downtown beautification, shopping promotions are among Chamber goals for Howard A. Scott, 31, Baltimore, Md., is accused of first degree murder in the Aug. 14 killing of Ernest O. Sprinkle, .Ontario, Calif. He is also charged with 1981. aggravated kidnapping incident. in the same Salina Chamber Elects Officers Downtown beautification, construcof a new tourist information facility, and a membership drive to include more area businessmen are among the 1981 goals for the Salina Chamber of Commerce. Brad Sheppard is the new president of the.organization, replacing Grant J. Stubbs. Robert White is vice president, and Judy Christensen was tion secretary-treasure- r. directors are Brent Taylor, Grant N. Stubbs, Vila Dean Jacobsen, New Nad Brown, Melvin Briggs, Blake Camp, and Claudia Edwards. The new tourist information building, which will replace the mobile wagon used for many years, will be built in front of the Salina City offices on West Main Street. The Chambers membership committee is seeking to involve all the area businessmen in the activities of the group. Anyone who has not been contacted by the committee and is interested in Chamber activities is Scott, along with Robert W. Dunn, 30, San Francisco, are accused of taking over Sprinkles motorhome and of invited to attend the monthly luncheon murdering him someplace between meetings, held on the first Thursday of Richfield and Salina. each month. Tbe January meeting will Dunn faces a similar trial at the be at noon Thursday, Jan. 8, at the conclusion of the Scott trial. Branding Iron Inn. The Chamber also plans to continue past activities, including the Big Buck contest, Christmas shopping promotion, and the Christmas decorations. This year, the Chamber purchased the new Christmas decorations on downtown streets. Council Considers Computer Considerable discussion on a computer system for Salina City occurred $500 to the Boy Scouts was unanimously approved. The councilman stipulated that the Scouts initiate a meeting. Howard Mitchell, representing Bechmark Computer System, Salt Lake City, met with the Council and discussed the feasibility of a computer system for Salina. He gave examples of many third class cities which have populations comparable to Salinas,, and which have used computer systems successfully. Estimates of the cost for such a system range from $16,000 to $25,000. Monroe and Manti each have computer systems, as does Richfield. Councilmen decided to study the system for Salina, to determine if or when such a system would be profitable. Bill Gardner, Salina City auditor, will meet with the council to explain the computer system he has and whether it would be feasible for the city. Lynn Reynolds motion to donate program such as the one last year when they picked up trash on the dty at Monday nights City Council Weather streets. Mayor Leah Conover and Supt. Kyle Torgersen will attend a civil defense seminar in Richfield today (Thursday) representing Salina City. Following seleciton of a jury, along with three alternates, Sixth District Judge Don V. Tibbs opened the case Monday morning. Scott made the second statement to Brown and Sevier County Sheriff Rex Huntsman about 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 14, some three and a half hours after he and Dunn were taken into custody. The body of Sprinkle was found in the bathroom of his motor home after Scott and Dunn were taken into custody by officers about two miles southeast of Salina on the Interstate-7- 0 access road. Scotts second statement is a complete reversal of another statement made earlier on Aug. 14 to officers, and which was read into the record on Monday, when the trial opened. In his first statement, which was given about an hour after his capture, Scott claimed Dunn fired the two shots which killed Sprinkle. The most startling developments in the case came Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning when Judge Tibbs read statements made by Scott, recorded the afternoon of the murder. Prior to the statement being read, Mr. Brown, who is prosecuting Sevier Countys first murder case since 1948, called Sevier County Deputy Sheriff Lt. Jerry Nice to the stand. Nice testified that after Scott was brought to Richfield, he placed plastic bags over the In the first statement, Scott claimed Dunn had done the shooting. In the possible evidence of gunpowder, to try and determine if Scott had fired a gun. second statement, read Tuesday, he claimed that he (Dunn) had pumped two bullets into Sprinkle. suspects hands to preserve any The prosecution, headed by Sevier County Attorney Don Brown, concluded Commission Adopts Budget, Vows To Hold the Line on Mill Levy Sevier County Commissioners have adopted a 1981 budget of $1,980,321, up by $17,070 over the proposed amount and $257,303 above last years adopted figure. Even with the increase, County Clerk DeVon Poulson said commissioners expect to hold the line on the present mill levy of 4.5 mills budgeted for county purposes, which is the lowest in the State of Utah. budget. $97,495, $96,995; Other changes which were made from the original proposal, and which were adopted include the following, with the adopted amount first, follwoed by the proposed amount: Recorder, $97,670, $98,670; county attorney, $75,220, $118,880; public welfare, $19,000, $34,000; assessor, $67,000, $54,500; sheriff, $212,300, $215,070; alcohol program, $28,340, $36,340; fire contracts, $41,500, $36,500; jail, $144,750, $143,250. Also, emergency services, $30,400, $41,200; public health, $52,800, $44,000. Total budget is $1,980,321, compared with the proposed figure of $1,963,251. . Several changes were effected by the commission from the rich people. its case Tuesday afternoon and the original proposals, with the biggest increase coming in the addition of a fund for the public defender which had previously not been budgeted. He also stated that Dunn had a pistol in his backpack and at one point after they had been picked up in Barstow, Calif, by Mr. Sprinkle, Dunn gave him (Scott) the gun. This, according to his statement was before they arrived in Richfield where they stopped for a CB radio fuse and Mr. Sprinkle attracted the attention of a service station operator and hitchhiker who noticed his hands tied as he pounded on a window of the motor home. Scott, in his statement, said Sprinkle of them by telling them how to drive and someplace before they arrived at Richfield, he struck Sprinkle in the head, and caused his head to bleed. He said he then tied Sprinkle up and put him in the bathroom at the back of the motor home three to four hours before they arrived at Richfield. aggravated both The statement also said Sprinkle had first struck Scott when Scott walked past him as Sprinkle was lying in the hallway of the motor home. Scotts statement indicated that when the unit was stopped in Richfield, Sprinkle was attempting to get out of the motor home and Dunn forced him back inside. He said Dunn stated the best thing to do was to kill Sprinkle. said he followed up on completing the examination by use of Shortly after they left Richfield, chemicals and the evidence was Scotts statement said a .38 caliber gun forwarded to the Alcohol, Tobacco and was thrown out of the vehicle as it Firearms Division of the federal traveled north. Nice government for testing. Scott in Ins statement, said both he and Dunn were afraid that Sprinkle had Nice also said that during questioning attracted attention at the service of Scott, which was not tape recorded, the suspect said he wanted to tell the station and they were concerned that truth, and agreed to allow a recording they were in trouble, and that is why he to be made of a second interview. (Scott) shot him. Mr. Nice, in his testimony, said Dunn Judge Tibbs reminded the jury that it be their duty to determine, told him prior to the recorded among other things, if the testimony statement, that Sprinkle was shot about given by Scott in that statement was 20 to 25 minutes after they left given freely and voluntarily. would He also told Nice that he only drove In the statement, Scott voiced his the unit once, that being shortly after feeling of being passed up by motorists left Las Vegas. He said Sprinkle as he was hitchhiking and said that he they and Dunn drove the rest of the time. was tired of not getting picked up by Scott, in his first statement claimed that Dunn shot Mr. Sprinkle as he (Scott) was driving the motor home belonging to Sprinkle, between Richfield and Salina. Scott claimed Dunn told him he planned to knock Sprinkle out with the gun, shoot him and then dump his body out. Commissioners budgeted $70,000 to this office, but at the same time, took $43,660 from the county attorney budget and $15,000 from the public welfare budget to place in the public defenders Court appointed defense attorney Joe Tesch, Salt Lake City, who is representing Scott, indicated in a stipulation before Judge Tibbs, that he would allow the reading of Scotis statement into the record, but would later argue whether the statement was School Board Votes given voluntarily and freely. To Keep Grooming In the statement, Scott said Dunn shot Sprinkle because he had tried to get away. Standards Intact The Sevier School District Board of Education voted to keep its present policies intact on grooming standards and mi public use of school facilities, during their meeting Dec. 11. The board also discussed a request by Dale Woolsey, English teacher at South Sevier High School, for one years sabbatical leave to get his masters The board had contemplated charging a rental fee to pay for maintenance costs on school facilities used by the public. "Were going to build bad public relation problems, Ivan Cowley, board member, said, if the rental fees were put into effect. He said there would also be bookkeeping problems. He said he felt there was nothing wrong with making the public aware of the costs, however. hearing. The board unanimously approved a motion to keep the policy as it is. the boards present dress standards to allow mustaches was also discussed. A request to change Buck Young, board member, said he felt that if teachers were allowed to wear mustaches, schools would also have to allow students to wear them. The board passed a motion to keep the standards the way they are. Young said that he felt that the high standards (of education) in this district relates to the dress code and we hesitate to change it. wi Two Killed As Truck Rolls degree in speech pathology and Supt. Richard Bell said he felt there presently was no need "in that area at the school. He said that although it would be good to have someone trained in that area and that there may be a need for it in tbe future, the boards budget is so tight well be cutting here and cutting there, that the board could not afford to do it at present. Ken Glover, board member, also asked, if the district was unable to utilize Mr. Woolseys training in that area, What do you do with him, just send him bade to class?" Near Mayfield A MAYFIELD Mayfield man and his k female companion was killed in a rollover just north of Mayfield on Utah Highway 137 late Sunday afternoon. one-truc- These road signs and Christmas decorations, all from the Bicknell area, were found in the back of a vehicle Two Arrested In Vandalism Spree A Centerfield man and a Bell said the board would know by the Salina juvenile have been end of the present session of die state arrested in connection with the vanlegislature if we can afford it dalizing and theft of several road signs Kent Jacobsen, a teacher at Salina and Christmas decorations taken from the Bicknell area. School made a similar Elementary request to die board. He asked to be allowed to take a teaching assignment in Mexico for one year to learn more of the Spanish language and to be guaranteed his present teaching position upon his return. driven by a Centerfield man. He and a Salina youth have been charged in the incident. The juvenile has been referred to juvenile court on the same charges. illegal The two were apprehended after Salina City Police Officer Tom Jensen noticed a Chevrolet Blazer with several posts protruding from the rear. Upon investigating, he discovered they were road signs, and called the sheriffs department to investigate, as the signs were not from Salina City. possession of alcohol in connection with the incident. Weaver joined the investigation and Sevier County deputy Sheriff Billy Weaver said Keith Jensen, Centerfield, was arrested and charged with criminal mischief and upon further investigation, discovered some The Utah Highway Patrol identified the victims as Karl G. Amtoft, driver of the vehicle, and Tina Lou Sharman, Salt Lake City, the only passenger. The patrol said the southbound pickup truck wait out of control and also rolled. Both passengers were thrown from the unit. Christmas decorations, all of which had been Mr. Amtoft was dead at the scene and taken from Wayne County in the Miss Sharman died en route to GunBicknell area. nison Valley Hospital. Weaver said the signs had been The accident occurred about 5:15 loosened by pushing with a vehicle and p.m. then pulled from the ground and hauled Heading the investigation was Highaway. way Patrol Trooper David Bailey, with Jensen is free on $500 bond in the assistance from the Sanpete County criminal mischief charge and $50 in the Sheriffs Office and Gunnison City illegal possession charge. Police Dept. |