RADFORD MAN INDICTED IN ROBBERY OF DRUG INFORMANT

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 18, 1993                   TAG: 9303180276
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: By KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD                                LENGTH: Medium
RADFORD MAN INDICTED IN ROBBERY OF DRUG INFORMANT
A grand jury indicted a Radford man Wednesday on a charge of robbing a Radford police drug informant.
Thomas A. Newby, 20, of West Street is accused of robbing the undercover informant of $130 on Oct. 29.
The grand jury also indicted Newby on a charge of shooting into an occupied vehicle and using a firearm to commit a robbery.
The grand jury did not consider an attempted murder charge, which had been dismissed by a judge.
At a preliminary hearing earlier this month, the informant - who is not being identified at the request of police - testified that Newby pointed a gun at him and threatened him after the informant gave him a ride and asked about buying crack cocaine.
The informant testified that he saw Newby at a Wadsworth Street convenience store; Newby walked up to his car and asked for a ride to a nearby trailer park.
The informant asked Newby where he could find some rock cocaine. Newby told him he could give him $20 worth then.
The informant said he may have told Newby he had $100 to spend. Newby went inside a trailer, come back outside and opened the car door when the informant saw the gun, according to testimony.
The informant said Newby told him to give him everything. The informant said Newby pointed the gun at him and said, "Don't come around here. He said, `If you come around here again I'll kill you.' ".
The informant gave Newby money and a small piece of rock cocaine. Police, who had been monitoring the conversation, arrived and yelled for Newby to stop, the informant testified. When Newby turned to look at the officers, he lowered the gun and it discharged, the informant testified.
The bullet struck the right side of the driver's seat cushion.
The indictments were three of the 20 indictments returned by the grand jury. The grand jury had been scheduled to meet Monday, but was delayed because of the snow.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB