European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 2, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 24 a a the stars and stripes thursday August 2,1990 news briefs Trinidad rebels surrender begin freeing hostages port of Spain Trinidad apr moslem militants who held 40 hostages including top government officials for five Days surrendered wednesday and began freeing their captives a government spokesman and state radio said hostages started leaving the government television station at midday and boarding an army bus state radio said. The live broadcast said 14 of the 25 hostages in the building had been freed by 2 05 . Government spokesman Gregory Shaw said the freeing of the hostages in the Caribbean nation was a going to be slow.�?�. The hostages were seized Friday in an armed assault on parliament and the state television station which Are about a mile apart in port of Spain the capital of the former British Colony. Those taken prisoner in the attempted coup included the prime minister Arthur . Robinson who was freed tuesday after offering to step Down to Call new elections and to Grant the rebels amnesty. Also held were seven members of the 22-Mcmber Cabinet. Killer of Puppy sentenced to 31/2 years in prison Green Cove Springs Fla. Apr a Man convicted of killing a Puppy with a Butcher knife was sentenced to 3 v2 years in prison under Florida a toughened animal cruelty Law. Everston Eugene Webb -22, was sentenced tuesday following his conviction last month of aggravated cruelty in the stabbing death of a Small mixed Brucd dog May 11. Testimony at Webb a trial indicated he killed the dog because it was tearing up his Yard. Circuit judge Giles p. Lewis said he imposed the maximum prison term under the states sentencing guidelines because of the nature of the crime. A a person does no to have to be an animal Lover to be offended by the cruel and inhuman manner in which this Puppy was killed Quot Lewis said. The crime was raised from a Misdemeanour to a felony under a Law that took effect in october. Forces from Page 1 negotiations ahead before an agreement on the future of the East German forces can be reached. A everybody is playing their cards close to their chests at this time and nobody is saying anything of any on july 20, the 46th anniversary of the failed plot of German officers to kill Adolf Hitler in East Prussia Eppel Roann had 50,000 East German soldiers swear a new oath of allegiance. It freed them from their vow to a defend socialism against All enemies alongside the soviet the new oath ended with the words a i swear to dedicate my entire strength to the preservation of peace in the Cdr East Germany Quot by Rosemary Sawyer staff writer bad Kreuz Nach West Germany a the Mother of an 8-year-old girl whom doctors say was the victim of severe child abuse remembers her daughter As a a Chunky Tomboy Type Little girls who was smart for her age. Marriann Mattocks gave that description wednesday during testimony m the murder trial of her a husband staff sgt Ricardo Valdez 34. Valdez is charged in the death of their daughter Michele. If convicted he could receive a life sentence. In the third Day of Valdez s general court martial Mattocks described her daughter s condition in 1984, when she last saw her. The couple had separated in 1982 and Ricardo Valdez was Given custody of Michele and her sister Nelleke. When Michele was declared dead on March 28, medical authorities said she showed signs of severe malnutrition and weighed just 36 pounds. Air Force paediatrician maj. Steven Boos testified wednesday on whether Michele a size could have been caused by Michele a first three years of medical records As evidence of above average growth Boos said that Only illness or nutritional deprivation could have caused her Small stature at the Lime of her death. Valdez of he co 4th in 34th Armor in Mainz is also charged with maiming three counts of child be Gleet assault on a child under age 16 and larceny of military property. His current wife West German Christina Valdez is also expected to face child abuse related charges in a West German court. Christina Valdez declined to testify wednesday on her lawyers advice that she might incriminate herself. The court instead listened to a tape recording of her testimony at the sergeants pretrial hearing. Valdez made frequent references during the hearing to Michele a soiling herself. A my husband got mad at her Many times because she did no to use the bathroom the Way she should a mrs. Valdez said. The couple kept the girl in the bathroom because of the problem she said. Mrs. Valdez said they did t enrol Michele in school like her siblings because her husband did no to want other children to laugh at her. A she had a speech problem and she was just not behaving As she was supposed to Quot she said. A the was afraid that other children would make fun out of mrs. Valdez also recounted the events on the morning of Michele a death noting that March 28 began As a just a morning like any a i know i checked her around 10 30 that night before. She was breathing a Little bit heavy but she was alive Quot she said. She said she tried to Wake Michele about 8 ., Bui the girl move and mrs. Valdez said she thought she was still sleeping. A i Shaked her to Wake her up and 1 did no to get no response from her Quot she said. A i picked her up and i did no to get no mrs. Valdez said she then called her husband at his unit. Valdez returned with his platoon sergeant attempted to resuscitate Michele then took her to the Hospital. Michele a death was attributed to staphylococcal pneumonia that the prosecution contends was caused by bacteria entering her blood through wounds related to child abuse. Air Force pathologists contend that the girl was dead for at least eight hours when she was brought to the air Force Hospital in Wiesbaden about 8 30 Earlier this week neighbors from the Fin then army Airfield housing area where the Valdez family live said they heard Christina Valdez shouting at her husband in the Middle of the night before Michele a death. They also heard footsteps and activity in the Valdez apartment about 3 Christina Valdez said during the hearing that she and her husband did no to get medical attention for Michele because they thought she had Only a slight cold As did Michele a sister and two stepsisters. A at that moment there was no reason to take her to the Hospital a she said. A i had no reason to think it was More than just a however army or. Maj John Daniel a forensic pathologist with the 10th medical lab in lands Uhi West Germany testified later that Michele a parents should have noticed that she was sick. A Over a period of at least a week prior to this child s death it would have been Clear that she was sick a Daniel said. Michele would have had a fever been listless possibly unable to stand and would have had difficulty breathing he said. Michele a sister Nelleke told the court tuesday that she heard her sibling breathing heavily from the bathroom where she was forced to stay. Nelleke also testified that Michele was unable to stand in the Days before her death. A former neighbor of the army sergeant also testified before the packed courtroom wednesday. Linda Clark lived near Valdez in fort Binning a. She recalled that Valdez had had his children taken away from him based on allegations of child abuse in 1984. The children were later returned to his custody. A the trial was scheduled to begin again at 9 Thursday at bad Kreuz Nacho a Rose Barracks. . Plan to Burn chemical arms criticized port Vila Vanuatu apr South Pacific nations wednesday criticized a . Plan to bum chemical weapons on a Remote Pacific atoll and said they would not allow the Region to become a the toxic waste disposal enter of the but tie communique issued by the 15-nation South Pacific forum at the end of a two Day meeting stopped Short of condemning the United states. The chemical weapons which were stockpiled in West Germany and elsewhere Are to be destroyed at an incinerator now being tested on the Johnston atoll. The United states has agreed to move its entire stockpile of chemical weapons out of West Germany by the end of the year. Also to be destroyed Are 1,200 tons of weapons already on Johnston atoll which Are so badly corroded by sea air that they cannot be moved. In addition a leaking stockpile of about 100 . Mustard Gas rounds dating from world War ii recently was found in the Solomon from Page 1 numbers for Active duty cuts arc deceiving because they use authorized fiscal 1990 end strengths As a base line. A fall the services have seen these reductions coming and have been making great efforts to reduce their personnel Levels in Advance a he said for example statistics recently released by the Pentagon showed the army with 739,156 troops compared to its authorized limit of 744,169. The Navy is 12,000 personnel below its authorized strength for this year while the air Force is 5,000 under its limit. The House committee Bill would direct the Pentagon to take the bulk of the cuts by bringing in fewer recruits As the first major step toward a 25 percent Cut in personnel Over the next five years the staffer said. A you can take out a lot of end strength by cutting accessions a he said. Quot we done to expect a lot of involuntary separations next Vear although a certain number w ill probably be inevitable in future military officials requested a pay raise of 3.5 percent. The Senate armed services committee tried to find Money that would have matched the House raise but settled for fulfilling the Pentagon a request in its version of the defense authorization Bill. The Money for the higher raise in the House committee Bill was a result of the panel s larger personnel Cut. Quot it was mostly a Trade off Quot a staffer said. Quot with less people on Active duty More Money would be available to fund the raise for those who remained the committees pay raise provision coming in the opening rounds of what is a it expected to be the most intense defense budget Battle in years is far from assured. The staffer acknowledged that the raise faces an Uphill Battle. A even if we can get the Senate to agree the whole thing could go by the Board if the budget Summit comes up with some different plan Quot lie said. I he White House and congressional leaders have been meeting for several months to come up with ways to Cut the deficit. Talks have lagged in recent weeks but a congressional aide confirmed that the negotiators have contemplated limiting the size of the military pay raise or delaying its effective Date until april rather than january. In other personnel actions the committee approved a Byron proposal to provide Severance pay and other benefits Lor involuntarily separated service members. The plan would give Severance pay to enlisted members with six or More years of service and to officers with five or More years of service. Other highlights of the plan include it it weeks of unemployment payments one year of commissary and Exchange in Leges after separation and continued medical care in military facilities or under m Pentagon a health insurance plan. Service members and their families a n less than six years of service would gel medical care for 60 Days after separation of a those w Ith More than six years of ser ice would be covered for 120 Days. The committee also Calls for a Cut m 25 percent Over the next five years in the number of generals and admirals on Active duty a reduction of about 270 of the current total of 1,073. The Senate committee Bill recommend a 20 percent Cut Over four years or Aix-210 generals and admirals. The pent recently announced a self imposed pm t-78 generals and admirals Over four it about 7 percent of the total
