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

DATE: SATURDAY, September 9, 1995                   TAG: 9509110078
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-7   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

MAN INVOLVED IN '93 CHASE WILL GET MENTAL EVALUATION

A Montgomery County man found not guilty by reason of insanity on charges relating to a 1993 pursuit that injured a police sergeant will be sent to Central State Hospital for a mental evaluation.

Madison Allen Linkous Jr., 65, received the verdict last November, but a court-ordered evaluation was just signed Friday in Montgomery County Circuit Court.

The purpose of the evaluation is to determine whether Linkous, who has been free since the verdict, requires a longer commitment at Central State, or if he may be returned to the community - with or without conditions.

Linkous will be back in court in November for Circuit Judge Ray Grubbs to review the evaluation and decide what action to take.

Skip Schwab, an assistant commonwealth's attorney for Montgomery County, said the not guilty verdict was reached after the court heard evidence that Linkous was having a psychotic episode because of an apparent schizophrenia disorder.

Linkous was charged with the malicious wounding of a Blacksburg police officer and attempting to maliciously wound another in 1993 after a five-minute, eight-mile pursuit by a Montgomery County deputy sheriff and Blacksburg officers, who estimated Linkous' speed at 60-80 mph. The pursuit started on South Main Street, continued into Merrimac and ended on Prices Fork Road near Virginia Tech.

Police said Linkous ran a stop sign at Merrimac and Prices Fork roads, then swerved near a Blacksburg police car driven by Lt. Kim Crannis. Crannis said the car's driver tried to ram her cruiser but she backed out of the way, then joined the deputy in the pursuit.

Linkous then drove between two lanes of traffic and struck four cars that were stopped for a traffic light. His car's left front tire blew out. Sgt. Harrison Vaughan had his police car in a left-turn lane near the Virginia Tech Anaerobe Laboratory - facing the pursuit - and it was struck by the speeding car.

Vaughan was saved from serious injury by the air bag in his cruiser, but sustained neck and back injuries.

Officers who testified at a December 1993 General District Court hearing testified Linkous told them he just wanted to go fast, that he didn't recall hitting as many cars as they told him he did. When one officer asked if he was trying to kill himself, he replied "maybe."

by CNB