Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 27, 1995 TAG: 9510270074
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETTY HAYDEN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
When U.S. Park Service Ranger John Boone approached a couple's pickup at a Blue Ridge Parkway overlook Monday night, he didn't know they were wanted in South Carolina for stealing that truck.
He was just doing his job - closing parkway access to Roanoke Mountain for the night - and stopped to ask the visitors to leave.
Boone's suspicions were raised when the man and woman said they'd just come off a trail, because there aren't any trails near the overlook, on the one-way road leading up the mountain, said District Ranger Richard Morefield.
Boone smelled alcohol and asked the couple for identification, Morefield said. Both said they weren't carrying any ID.
The ranger had dispatchers check on the truck, but it hadn't been reported stolen yet, Morefield said. Boone returned to the truck and asked the driver to place his hands outside the window.
When the driver refused, Boone headed back to his car to call for backup, Morefield said. At this point, the driver started the truck and drove toward Boone. Boone jumped onto the hood of his car to escape injury. The truck continued down the mountain toward the entrance, where it struck a gate.
The couple apparently fled on foot, but Roanoke County police search dogs weren't able to turn up any clues, Morefield said. Inside the truck, police found three loaded guns, all shotguns or rifles.
Police also discovered what appeared to be a controlled substance, Morefield said, but authorities are waiting for test results.
Sgt. Stanley Sheriff, an investigator with the sheriff's office in Oconee County, S.C., said the abandoned truck belongs to a 67-year-old man who was robbed at gunpoint Sunday night and left tied to the headboard of his bed.
A couple with whom the man was acquainted had been staying at his mobile home for a few days until they could get back on their feet, Sheriff said.
The man's generosity came back to haunt him between 10 and 11 p.m. Sunday when the male houseguest pushed him to the floor and tied his hands behind his back while the woman held one of the man's guns to his head, Sheriff said. The couple took money from the man's pocket and tied him to his bed.
They also loaded the man's other two guns and took off in his pickup truck, Sheriff said. The man freed himself Monday morning and contacted police.
Sheriff, who has dealt with the pair before, said the Virginia park ranger should count his blessings.
"Boone is a lucky man who used his head and called for backup," he said. "That might have saved his life."
Sheriff said the couple might have hitchhiked out of the Roanoke area, but he wanted to make sure people know the fugitives are dangerous.
Both were on probation, and the man is wanted for another probation violation, he said.
Sheriff said the couple has been charged with kidnapping, armed robbery and grand larceny in the South Carolina man's case.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is investigating the Roanoke incident.
Jim Silvey, resident agent in charge of the Roanoke office, said the couple could face charges for interstate transportation of firearms and felony possession of firearms.
Sheriff said authorities are looking for Christopher William Herron and his wife, Connie Sue Eller, who also sometimes uses the last name Herron. Both are in their late 20s and are natives of Oconee County. They have no fixed address.
Oconee County, which borders Georgia and North Carolina, is approximately 300 miles from Roanoke.
by CNB