European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 24, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 a the stars and stripes thursday october 24, 1991arms suspect probed in Bush threats by the los Angeles times Oxnard Oil if. A an Oxnard Man arrested sunday with a stockpile of automatic weapons in his apartment is being investigated by the . Secret service after alleged threats against president Bush. The suspect Thomas Robert Ward 45, was arrested sunday morning after authorities received a tip that he was planning to shoot president Bush at the nov. 4 dedication ceremony for the Ronald Reagan Library. The suspect Thomas Robert Ward 45, told a police informant he had recently scouted the Hilly terrain surrounding the Simi Valley Library site searching for a spot where he could fire a clean shot at Bush Law enforcement sources said. A neighbor Samantha Waltz 24, said Ward recently confided to her and her husband that he was considering killing Bush. The couple later notified authorities of the alleged threat. Authorities said that when Ward was arrested at his Home they found a Cache of 12 fully automatic weapons including an Uzi sub machine gun and ak-47 assault rifles handguns and approximately 27,000 rounds of ammunition. Douglas j. Carver a . Secret service agent in charge of coordinating Security for the Library ceremony said that Ward initially a denied Ever making the assassination  during interrogation sunday at the Ventura county jail however Ward declared that if he did make threats against Bush a the regretted making the statements a Carver said. Ward is being held at the terminal Island Federal prison in los Angeles and has been booked for investigation of Possession of unregistered firearms arraigned before a . Magistrate in los Angeles and held without bail. Ward has not been booked in connection with the alleged threats because the secret service investigation is continuing. Under Federal Law it is a felony to make verbal threats against a president. If convicted the penalty is a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Former presidents Reagan Ford and Nixon along with other dignitaries will be present for the dedication of the $57 million Library Complex. Former president Carter May also attend. Family s late notice of Friendly fire death investigated by army High rollers Square off it was tickle a a chances that bankrupted Macdoel calif., potato Farmer Michael Cross and made Gary Peters Center the . Monopoly Champion tuesday. Eastern regional Champ Jeff Cornett right of Monroe conn., watches Peters make his move during the Competition at new York s Regency hotel. Peters an investment banker from Coral Springs fla., will go on to compete against winners in 30 countries for the world championship scheduled next october in Berlin. Washington a the army will investigate Why the family of a Soldier killed by Friendly fire was not informed about the circumstances of his death until several months later a Pentagon spokesman said tuesday. A the army has decided it will do an investigation a spokesman Bob Hall said. A clearly based on what we now know the system did no to  Hall was questioned about the military a casualty notice to the parents of Cpl. Douglas fielder. The Soldier died of wounds inflicted by machine gun fire from a Bradley fighting vehicle on the third Day of the ground phase of the persian Gulf War the parents originally were informed that he had been killed by hostile fire. The Washington Post reported Over the weekend that 3rd army Cav regt soldiers in armoured vehicles mistook fielder and a Small group of combat engineers for iraqis. The Post report said the troopers fired warning shots and used loudspeakers to broadcast demands for surrender in arabic. They killed fielder and wounded one of his colleagues before realizing they had made a mistake the Post reported. Although the cavalry unit Learned of the mistake within minutes of fielders death the army a official casualty notice delivered to fielders parents the next d5y said he had been killed by iraqi Small arms fire. The parents Ronald fielder and Debbie Shelton told the Post they did not learn the truth about their songs death until his friends in the unit telephoned them from saudi Arabia on May 2. The army provided official notice aug. 2 that fielder had died in a Friendly fire 1 incident. Hall speaking with reporters at a Pentagon briefing said the army intended to investigate Why the formal reporting system about such incidents resulted in incorrect information being provided the parents and whether that has a a implications for any other such incidents. Army spokeswoman maj. Barbara Goodno said she was unaware whether there were any other cases in which families had been provided incorrect information about Friendly fire incidents. In August the Pentagon said it had identified 28 incidents during operation desert storm in which . Forces mistakenly engaged other american forces resulting in the death of 35 servicemen Bers and the wounding of 72  court blocks execution of former Marine Huntsville Texas a a former Marine Captain convicted of hiring a hit Man through Soldier of Fortune Magazine to kill his wife won a stay tuesday night just hours be lore he was scheduled to be executed. Prison officials said the Texas court of criminal appeals granted the stay for Robert Black 46, who had laced lethal injection just alter Midnight tuesday for the slaying of his Wile Sandra at their Brvan Home feb. 21,1985. A she was shot twice Hearn who had run a that billed itself As the  Black met Hearn through the and and paid him $10,000 to kill his wife so that Black could collect $175, 100 in recently purchased life insurance evidence in the head by John Wayne classified and in the Magazine a journal Lor professional and showed. It also indicated that Black planned to marry his Cousin. Hearn pleaded guilty to the slaying and testified against Black in Exchange for a life prison term. He is in Florida serving that term and two other life sentences for unrelated killings. Earlier tuesday the appeals court had refused a similar request to halt Blacks execution. Blacks attorneys again sought a stay from a lower court which rejected it. Hut then the appeals court granted it. Court officials and Black s lawyers could not immediately be reached by Telephone tuesday night to explain Why the stay was granted. Quot until late last week Black had been refusing Legal help. B Quot i know in a going to die some Day so it should t Surprise anybody it october 23rd would be that Day a he said. A i just told the judge in court i had no objections to the october 23rd  on Friday he agreed to allow the Texas resource Center a Legal group that assists death Row convicts to intervene. On monday the trial court in Bryan refused to Block the execution sending the Case to the appeals courts. Blacks lawyers contended their client is schizophrenic and paranoid and suffers from a depression illness. They said his previous attorneys May have been ineffective in presenting that As mitigating evidence. Black who served in Vietnam also blamed Post traumatic stress syndrome for his troubles readjusting from combat. Since his imprisonment. Black said he had been on medication to counter depression. Evidence of his medical problems was not introduced at his trial. Panel backs a Hospital closures urges private care Washington a a department of veterans affairs report concludes that it May he cheaper for Tolfe government to close some medical programs at Rural a hospitals and contract with private hospitals. The plan of a special a commission would entitle veterans living More than 200 Miles from a a Hospital to care at closer private or government Hospital i lie re Are other ways of providing the care outside of a a medical Center Quot a spokeswoman Linda Sahel said i tuesday. A summary of the panel s Long Range  a the Lull re port  not due out until wednesday a reinforces earlier proposals to realign some hospitals and to allow indians and other non veterans to use a services. The plan also seeks to expand eligibility for a services and merge duplicate medical programs at hospitals in Urban areas. Tile vans inspector general earlier this year recommended closing underused programs at 33 Rural a medical centers. The commission plan suggests a minimum Standard of 30 Beds each for surgical and psychiatric units and 60 Beds for non surgical patients. Surgical units at two of South Dakota s three a hospitals Are already on the closing list. One has Only 16 surgical Beds while the other has just 19