THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 28, 1995 TAG: 9510280316
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
An alert convenience store clerk thought he was just nabbing a pesky teenage shoplifter. But it turned out the 16-year-old he caught with stolen candy and cigarettes Friday is wanted on suspicion of murder and arson in Maryland.
Benjamin Scott Garris of Frederick, Md., had been on the run for three weeks, police here and in Maryland said late Friday.
Garris was one of five boys living in Towson, Md., at Fordham Cottage, a licensed group home for boys recovering from a variety of problems ranging from depression to substance abuse.
Early on Oct. 8, a fire broke out in the cottage, police said. As security officers doused the flames, they found the body of Sharon Edwards, 26, in a pool of blood. Edwards, a single mother and a counselor who was working her first night shift at the facility, had been stabbed to death.
Garris vanished after the slaying and was later charged as an adult with Edwards' murder. Police said Jane DeCosta, a 15-year-old friend of Garris', also disappeared that night and was believed to be on the run with the boy.
Garris was described as highly intelligent, with a fascination for violent films and literature. Police later found in his writings plans for a savage crime spree.
A nationwide alert was issued for the teens, but there had been no word of their whereabouts until Friday. It was unclear what led Garris to Virginia Beach, or whether DeCosta was with him.
Lee Paige, a clerk at a 7-Eleven store in the 500 block of 22nd St., said he remembered seeing Garris for the first time Monday.
``Him and four other kids kept coming in the store,'' Paige said. ``I knew they were taking things, but I couldn't catch them.''
The boy returned to the store, alone, shortly after 5 p.m. Friday, Paige said. He wandered the aisles, but when he came to the counter, all he had was lollipops - and not enough money to pay for those.
While another clerk tended the counter, Paige watched the boy from a large walk-in cooler. He said he saw Garris stuff candy and cigarettes in his pants.
Paige confronted the boy. ``I asked him: `You going to pay for all that stuff you got in your pockets?' '' The boy feigned ignorance. Paige lifted his shirt, revealing the loot. ``He bolted for the door, but I grabbed him,'' said Paige, 45. ``He tried to break loose, but he wasn't strong enough.''
Two police officers arrived a few minutes later and took the teenager to the 2nd Precinct for questioning.
Mike Carey, a police spokesman, said police eventually got his name and Social Security number. The officers ran that information through a national computer system and traced him to the Maryland case.
Garris is being held without bond pending extradition to Maryland.
KEYWORDS: ARREST SUSPECT by CNB