European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 12, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday March 12, 1993 the stars and stripes Page 3 oily rag blamed by Kevin Dougherty Kaiserslautern Bureau Kaiserslautern Germany dryer fresh clothes atop a dining room table done to sound dangerous. But army sgt David Pacheco and his family lost their shirts and a Little More last week apparently because of such a combination at their Home in the Vogel Weh housing area near Kaiserslautern. The clothes burned when a freshly laundered Oil stained Towel ignited shortly after it was removed from a clothes dryer officials said. No one was Hurt in the fire which fire officials traced to spontaneous combustion. A a its kind of hard to believe that stuff like this can happen a said air Force sgt. Steven Goldman a fire Protection specialist. Pacheco a wife Araceli started a Load of Wash the Pacheco morning of March 3. Included was the rag which she had used two nights earlier to soak up vegetable Oil that had splattered from a hot pan of Chicken she said a i just cleaned up and threw it in the dirty clothes with everything else a she said. After wednesdays Wash the clothes were placed in a dryer for about an hour. Pacheco removed the clothes from the dryer and placed them on a living room table. She started folding them but soon left to pick up her 7-year-old son from school and take him to an appointment. The fire was reported about 90 minutes  damage was confined to the Pacheco so apartment which suffered smoke and heat damage estimated at $3,000. The fire destroyed the clothes on the table and a videocassette recorder. Fire investigators deduced the Oil stained rag caused the fire which surprised the Pacheco and their neighbors. A at first they did no to believe it a Pacheco said of his neighbors a then they say we do that All the  a if so Goldman warns they should take extra precautions when washing clothing stained with any Type of Oil. At room temperature spontaneous combustion can occur As much As 14 hours later. Rags or mops that can to be immediately washed in a covered fire resistant Container should be stored outside Goldman said. Spontaneous combustion a is something that everyone should be alerted to a he said. A it could happen Here or  the Pacheco Arentt being held liable for the fire Goldman  Tea set being recalled because of Lead Content Dallas a amps a a 15-piece toy Tea set featuring Campbells soup kids is being recalled because the amount of Lead found in the set exceeds food and drug administration guidelines according to officials at the army and air Force Exchange service. The Tea set made by Chilton Globe inc., has pictures of the kids on the bowl cups soup bowls and Saucer. It was sold in military exchanges during the 1992 Christmas season. Owners should Stop using the set immediately and return it to a Post or base Exchange for a full refund. More information is available by calling stateside 800 558-7720, department 119.Parkinson s Law author Dies London apr c. Northcote Parkinson who devised Parkinson a Law which states that work expands to fill the time available has died. The British economist was 83. The cause of death was not announced. Defense rests its Case in no s murder trial by Craig Martin staff writer Rhein main a Germany a the defense rested its Case thursday morning after calling one witness in the trial of a Rhein main noncommissioned officer accused of murdering and mutilating his Girlfriend. Final instructions were scheduled to be Given to the jury after closing arguments thursday afternoon the 14th Day of the general court martial of tech sgt. James Ancell Thomas. Thomas 33, is charged with premeditated murder and desecration of the Corpse of Yolanda Pengson. Pengson a burning Torso was found sept. 9, 1991, in a Forest near Kronau a Small town near Karlsruhe. The torsos head and hands were severed and have never been found. Prosecutors believe Pengson was killed on or near Rhein main located five Miles South of Frankfurt and that Thomas applied some Type of lethal Force to Pengson a head neck or hands. On thursday capt. Rodger Drew jr., a military at Tomey for the defense called Ingrid Sohngen to counter testimony by a prosecution witness last week. The witness had said he saw a car leaving the Forest near where the burning Torso was found and that it was similar to the Ford Sierra rented by Thomas the weekend Pengson disappeared. Sohngen testified the car she saw Speed away from the Forest at about 7 . Was a Black Bow passant or Audi. The defense brought in Only one other witness a Dan expert who was called to contradict prosecution testimony linking Dan samples from the Torso to blood samples found on an a at Thomas workplace and in a rental  did not testify in his defense. The governments Case relied solely on circumstantial evidence said Mai. Ronald Gregory chief prosecutor in the trial. Part of that evidence was the Dan testimony. Dan or detox ribonucleic acid is the genetic code for living things. The process of identification is commonly called genetic  Thomas was married and had a 4-year-old daughter at the time the Torso was found. His wife Mother and Mother in Law attended the trial thursday. When the trial began dec. 10, european circuit judge col j. Jeremiah Mahoney issued a Rule commonly called a gag order forbidding attorneys and witnesses in the Case to speak to the Media. It is believed the wife Mother and Mother in Law will be character witnesses for sentencing should a guilty verdict be handed Down by the six Man All officer jury. Wounds from Battle in Somalia put pair of marines in Hospital by Steve scholar staff writer As Marine i Ance Cpl. Charles Cooper Lay on the ground in Somalia Yelling a a in a hit in a hit a fellow Marine Ken of Donnell also a Lance Corporal scrambled to help. He sprang from the Drivers seat of his personnel Carrier located about 10 feet from his Friend. But As he ran of Donnell Felt something warm and wet running Down his face. It was Only then that of Donnell knew that he too had been hit during the firefight involving snipers bullets and flying shrapnel. Of Donnell and Cooper both assigned to the 3rd amphibious assault in from Camp Pendleton calif., were recuperating in Germany this week from injuries sustained in Somalia. Cooper left the Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center on wednesday for Walter Reed army medical Center in Washington where he will undergo physical therapy. Cooper and of Donnell constituted the fourth Case since feb. 19 of . Service members wounded by gunfire in Somalia getting treatment in Germany said Marie Shaw a spokeswoman for the Lan Stuhl medical Center. Of Donnell and Cooper were part of a . Ground patrol backing up some nigerian soldiers at a traffic Cooper of Donnelli did t know How bad my injuries were. But my Mother and Girlfriend were the first things i thought of a Marino Lance Cpl. Ken of Donnell Circle in the somalian capital of Mogadishu when the firefight occurred feb. 26. Cooper and of Donnell arrived at the traffic Circle at 7 . And found the sniper fire and rioting that had begun the previous night still going on. Of Donnell said the firefight that sent shrapnel sailing into his eyes and a Bullet through his wrist began about 8 30 . A we would be under fire for a while then it would quit and then it would Start up again. The somalis would shoot from one building to another with us caught in the Middle a he said. Cooper and of Donnell were injured about u . After being in the firefight area for several hours i did no to know How bad my injuries were a of Donnell said. A but my Mother and Girlfriend were the first things i thought  Cooper was hit by two bullets that injured his knee thigh ankle Heel and calf. A i was angry a he said. A after the anger passed i was worried about my injuries. I knew i had been shot in the foot. In fact part of my Heel was left in my sock when the medics helped  Cooper and of Donnell were taken on feb. 26 to the . Hospital at the Mogadishu Airport where they underwent surgery after their condition stabilized. The next Day they were airlifted to Germany to undergo further treatment. O Donnell was taken to a German Hospital in Horn Burg because the medical procedure needed to remove More shrapnel from his eyes was not available at the . Facility in Lan Stuhl. That done of Donnell said his left Eye is functioning at 90 percent while his right Eye is recovering More slowly a the German doctors had to put a Gas Bubble in my right Eye to hold the Retina in place while they removed More shrapnel a he said. Of Donnell whose right Eye still is almost closed said Bright lights still bother him. A a in a using Eye drops and the doctors say i should regain full use of my eyes a of Donnell and Cooper both say the injuries were part of their jobs. A i feel Good about what we were doing there a of Donnell said. A i was just trying to help