ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 17, 1995 TAG: 9512180088
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
Officer cleared in shooting
RICHMOND - An internal investigation has cleared a Richmond police officer of any wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of a suspect.
Chief Jerry Oliver said Friday that Officer Jeffrey E. Miles' shooting of Marco Antoine Loney was reasonable, prudent and within departmental policies.
Oliver made the final decision that cleared Miles of any internal policy violation after he reviewed findings by the department's Use of Force Committee.
Miles, an eight-year veteran, had been on administrative duty with pay since the Aug. 24 fatal shooting.
Loney's family said they were disappointed in the findings.
``This is far from over,'' said Quincy Loney, who is Loney's aunt. ``I think this is an insult to the city.''
The family plans to file a civil suit against Miles and the police department.
According to officials, Loney, 21, was shot in the back after he ran from a car police had stopped because the headlights weren't on.
Miles chased Loney. He told authorities that during the chase, Loney appeared to reach into his waistband and that he heard someone say, ``He's got a gun.'' Miles then fired one shot that passed through Loney's spinal column.
- Associated Press
Ex-prosecutor faces battery charges
MANASSAS - A former Prince William County prosecutor faces sexual battery charges after a man he was prosecuting in traffic court said he was fondled.
Charlton E. Gnadt Jr. was fired in June after the man accused Gnadt of touching him, and another man accused Gnadt of soliciting sex. The cases were turned over to the state police and a special prosecutor from Fredericksburg who conducted an investigation.
Gnadt, 48, was charged Thursday with one count of sexual battery and turned himself in at the county magistrate's office. He was released on his own recognizance.
Gnadt's lawyer, Casey R. Stevens, said his client has been wrongly accused.
If convicted of the misdemeanor charge, Gnadt would face up to a year in prison. He is scheduled to appear Feb. 6 in Prince William County Circuit Court.
- Associated Press
Bodies of couple found after fire
WOODBRIDGE - The bodies of an estranged Woodbridge couple were found after a house fire that police believe may have been set.
Joan Preston Gordon, 49, and John L. Gordon, 57, were found dead in their Woodbridge home Friday by firefighters.
Firefighters were called about 12:45 p.m. after a neighbor saw smoke and reported it to police.
Police said the bodies were found downstairs in a study at the rear of the two-story house. A medical examiner had not established the cause of death.
- Associated Press
Mom's charge in death dismissed
CHARLOTTESVILLE - A judge dismissed a charge Friday against a Charlottesville woman whose 2-year-old daughter died in a drug-related shootout.
Sharon Darlene Tanner had been charged with failing to take measures to protect her child against unreasonable risk of harm. Her daughter, Sharon Devon Tanner, was killed last January during a shootout in her apartment.
Charlottesville Circuit Judge Jay Swett in August denied a motion to dismiss the charge. Swett granted a second dismissal motion Friday.
Commonwealth's Attorney Dave Chapman had contended that Tanner facilitated a bad situation by allowing drug dealers into her home.
- Associated Press
Fired worker: Braids part of ethnic pride
RICHMOND - An auto-parts store employee fired for wearing braids said what his former boss calls an inappropriate work hairstyle is an expression of ethnic pride.
The AutoZone Inc. store fired Travis Brown, 21, on Monday for his refusal to remove the braids, which are a popular hairstyle among young blacks.
Brown said he was a good employee, courteous and respectful to customers. ``I feel I gave AutoZone 110 percent.''
His former boss, James Washington, agreed. But he defended the firing.
``As I told Travis, if you work for somebody else, you abide by their rules,'' the store manager said. ``And if you don't want to abide by their rules, you either have your own business or you're just out there.''
Brown said he pored over the company's policy handbook and could not find anything that would preclude his wearing the hairstyle.
- Associated Press
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines KEYWORDS: FATALITYby CNB