Pennsylvania State University at Capitol Campus
C MC. Illre 0 411 ir
Vol. 9 No. 5
Pharmacy robbers fled to Heights
two students mistaken for them
by jeff drinnan
An armed robbery of a phar
macy in Highspire occured Fri
day, October 5 At 7:30 p.m., two
men carrying three handguns
stole a car after robbing the
pharmacy, and literally ditched
the car near the entrance to
Meade Heights.
At about that time, Officer
James Fry of Campus Police
spotted two men running
through the woods leading to the
Heights. The suspects had been
described as two black males,
both over six feet tall, one
wearing a blue windbreaker and
the other a tan, and both wearing
white basketball sneakers, ac
cording to Patrolman Steven
Shaver of the Highspire Police
Department.
Shortly thereafter, Pat
Murphy, Head of Residence Liv
ing, informed campus residents
On October 17 and 18 our campus was host
from all over the country. This workshop
to stay in their houses and lock
the doors.
• According to Shaver, a man
hunt ensued which involved five
or six police departments in the
area, as well as the state police.
While making a reconnaissance
around Meade Heights, the
Hummelstown police observed
two men they believed to be the
suspects, Shaver said.
Later, police stopped and
searched Erik. Shelton and Jeff
Griffin, two Capitol Campus'
students, in Meade Heights.
Shelton and Griffin had been
driving in a car through the
Heights - when a police car ap
proached them. Shelton said he
drove over to the police car and
rolled his window down. The
officer then pulled a gun on
Shelton and Griffin, ordered
them out of the car, and spread
eagled them against the car.
They were told "Don't move a
to an arson investigation workshop featuring experts
was sponsored by the office of continuing education.
photo by mike kondor
muscle," according to Shelton.
At that point, Officer Fry of
Campus Police arrived on the
scene. Shelton said he asked Fry
to identify him since they were
acquainted with each other.
After some persuasion, Fry did
eventually identify the student.
When questioned later by the
C.C.Reader about this incident,
Fry said that he had no further
connection with the case after
the outside police were called in.
Shelton charged that the po
lice didn't have just cause to
search him and Griffin because
they were not wearing clothes
like those the suspects were
reported wearing, and both were
under six feet tall. Shelton said
he "was definitely harassed, e
motionally.. load PolchokWicallY"
by having a gun pehited at him
and being stopped and searched.
Patrolman Shaver said that
"the officers had enough prob-
National Arson Experts
by mike kondor
A two-day Arson Invest
igation and Litigation mini
course was held October 17
and 18 at Capitol Campus. The
course was organised by
Ronald Melchiorre, continuing
education director at Capitol,
and was attended by insur
ance company personnel, law
enforcement agents, and fire
chiefs and marshals.
Instructors for the course
includedi-
Stephen Cozen, an
attorney from Philadelphia,
Pa., who gave a general over
view of the arson problem.
M. Stuart Goldin, also a
Philadelphia attorney, who
presented the plaintiffs point
of view
Mac Thompson, assistant
vice president in the under
writing department of the
Transamerica Insurance
Co., Los Angeles, Calif., who
spoke on the "Impact
of Underwriting-It's Effect on
Arson."
Instructed
Workshops Here
1 November 1979
able cause" to pull a gun and to
stop and search Shelton and
Griffin. He said their description
"matched closely" that of the
robbers except for the height, al
though the police did not know at
that time whether or not the men
they were looking for were clean
shaven. He stressed that the
robbers were carrying three
handguns. When police discover
ed that both robbers were clean
shaven and noted that Shelton
had a beard, Shelton and Griffin
were released, Shaver explained.
Wes Ross, one of about fif
teen witnesses at the scene when
Shelton and Griffin were stop
ped, said he and others told
police that they knew Shelton
and Griffin. He added that there
were about six policemen and
that they had guns drawn on the
two students. The police told the
onlookers to move on and threat
ened to start taking names if
they didn't, Ross said.
Chris Campos, C.P.A.,
from Teaneck, N.J., who gave
the accountant's point of view.
Guy Kornblum, attorney,
from San Francisco, Calif.,
who gave a presentation en
titled "Comments with Re
spect to Punitive Damages."
Thomas Minnich, from the
Penna. State Police Fire Mar
shal's Office, who conducted
the field exercises.
David Strawbridge,
former United States
Attorney who is now associ
ated with the Philadelphia law
firm of Cozen, Begier, and
O'Connor, gave the public
prosecutor's point of view.
Melchiorre stressed that
all the "instructors" volun
teered their time free of
charge, and added: "We could
never afford to run this pro
gram if we had to pay these
people."
Cozen, calling the Capitol
Campus event a "terrific con-
continued on page 3