The Index-Journal from Greenwood, South Carolina • Page 5

Monday, July 30, 2007 The Index-Journal, Greenwood, S.C. Experts say locks on classroom doors could save lives Safety experts say that while school officials across the nation re-evaluate campus safety in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech tragedy, many are overlooking a simple solution-putting locks ion the inside of classroom doors. "Often it's the simple stuff that will prevent a tragedy like this, and often it's the simpler things that will make the bigger difference," said Michael Dorn, a campus safety consultant and author of 19 books on the topic. "It's not the complex systemsthat cost millions of dollars." WHO Continued from 1A When he arrived, Martin discovered a strong winter wind had blown a metal rocking chair against the glass with enough force to shatter it Because the door to the trailer was locked, Martin crawled through the open window and went inside. "The moment I got inside I smelled mis horrible odor, but had no idea what it was," Martin said.

"No one had seen anyone around the trailer for a couple of years, so I continued to investigate, thinking there had been a robbery because it was an abandoned trailer." As Martin walked toward the back of the single-wide trailer, he saw what looked to be a rag lying on the floor near the bathroom door. Moving toward the, material, Martin's foot inadvertently came in contact with what later proved to be a human leg in a severe state of decompositioa "When my foot hit his, it broke open and I saw all these little insects coming out, and the odor increased 100 percent," Martin said Going back to his patrol car for a flashlight, Martin re-entered the trailer and identified the rotting material around the rag as a human body. "I just said to myself, oh my God. This is a human being," ed he had been to several foreign countries, and an extensive search for clues to Rice's true identity led Martin to one government agency that refused to comment. "After tracing the passport, talking to various government officials, and using what fingerprints we could get from the individual, everything pointed us to the Central Intelligence Agency, but they wouldn't tell us anything," Martin said.

"Because we have no proof, we're not even sure that Walter Rice is his real narne. "He paid for everything, including his utilities, in cash. He had no charge cards. He left no paper trail. We found a birth certificate that said he was born in Abbeville on July 6, 1920, but Abbeville had no record of him being bom there.

To this day, although our department, SLED and the FBI have tried, we have yet to locate any of this man's relatives, and no 6ne has come forward to claim any of the money he had in the' bank." Martin said, the details of the case were broadcast nationwide on the television show, "Unsolved Mysteries," but no one who saw the show came forward to reveal the identity of Walter Rice, The polite robber The second case that continues to baffle Martin concerns a Dec. 7, Martin said. "It looked like brown mummified brown leather, where all the fluids had been flushed from the body and only the dry skin attached to the bone remained" After the county coroner removed the remains with a shovel and utility records indicated the man had probably been dead for about two years, the investigation into what happened in the trailer began to take a series of strange turns and twists. "When we called in the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, we did not know if there had been foul play or the man had died of natural causes," Martin said. "About a week later, we.

were informed the man had died of a massive heart attack." But the mysterious part of the case, and what has still not been determined, is the real identity of the man Martin found in that trailer. "We found his wallet, bank book, driver's license and his Social Security card," Martin said. "While trying to see if he had any living relatives, we discovered he had a large amount of money in two banks. But when we checked his Social Security card, they told us the number on the card wasn't a valid Social Security number." Adding to the mystery, a passport belonging to the dead man indicat 2006, bank robbery. 'Martin said a young black man entered Regions Bank at '407 E.

Gold St. with a firearm, and Martin said, politely robbed the bank of about $3,000. "He never used a threatening word," Martih said. "He only approached one cashier and that cashier gave him the money." When Martin checked the security cameras, he discovered the entire robbery lasted about two minutes, and the three frames Containing images of the suspect did not capture his face. "He had on a jacket with a hood," Martin said.

"When he saw the manager of the bank, the robber knew he wasn't a cashier and told him to get on the floor." Even with the help of tracking dogs, the state troopers, the FBI and Department of Natural Resources, the robber managed to exit the bank and make a clean getaway. What is particularly irksome to Martin is that, according to the bank teller, the robber was carrying a mobile police scanner and knew the exact location of Martin and the other members of his police force. "We were escorting a funeral on the other side of town, about two miles away," Martin said. "The very moment we arrived at the church, we got the call about the robbery." By The Associated Press BLACKSBURG, Va. After a student gunman killed four of his classmates and his German teacher and then left, Derek O'Dell bad to wedge one of his sneakers under the classroom door to keep the attacker from returning to kill even more.

There was no loclc on the door to protect Derek and his wounded classmates against Seung-Hui Cho, who killed 30 students and faculty members, plus himself, at Virginia Tech's Norris Hall. Two others were killed in a dormitory. TODAY IN HISTORY By The Associated Press DayBreak! Tr A I'1 '1. 1 Ti if ui ir ml u', f-Trnhm! -t Centurion's Sound Systems More Prtn Today is Monday, July 30, the 211th day of 2007. There are 154 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History: On July 30, 1945, during World War II, the battle cruiser USS Indianapolis, which had just delivered components for the atomic bomb that would be dropped on Hiroshima, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine; only 3 16 out of some 1 ,260 men survived the sinking and shark-infested waters. Today's Birthdays: Actor Dick Wilson is 91. Actor Richard Johnson is 80. Actor Edd "Rookie" Byrnes is 74. Blues musician Buddy Guy is 71.

Movie director Peter Bogdanov-ich is 68. Feminist activist Eleanor Smeal is 68. Former U.S. Rep. Patricia Schroeder, is 67.

Singer Paul Anka is 66. Jazz musician David Sanborn is 62. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is 60. Actor William Atherton is 60.

Actor Jean Reno is 59. Blues singer-musician Otis Taylor is 59. Actor Frank Stallone is 57. Actor Ken Olin is 53. Actress Delta Burke is 51.

Singer-songwriter Kate Bush is 49. Country singer Neal McCoy is 49. Actor Richard Burgi is 49. Director Richard Linklater is 47. Actor Laurence Fishburne is 46.

Actress Lisa Kudrow is 44 Bluegrass musician Danny Roberts (The Grascals) is 44. Country musician Dwayne O'Brien is 43. Actress Vivica A. Fox is 43. Actor Terry Crews Hates is 39.

Actor Simon Baker is 38. Movie director Christopher Nolan is 37. Actor Tom Green is 36. Actress Christine Taylor is 36. Actor-comedian Dean Edwards is 34.

Actress Hilary Swank is 33. Actress Jaime Pressly is 30. Thought for Today: "If bread is the first necessity of life, Edward. Bellamy, American author AT GROUP ONE Trumpet. Tiumtww.

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Alerts, especially with the lives of children potentially on the line. "I know a false report would lead some to question the system," Frederick said. "But you can't toss the whole thing out just because of a situation like this, This investigation still had value, with investigators and deputies working around the clock to bring closure to it and determine the child was safe." Frederick said it ultimately becomes a judgment call on the part of law enforcement in terms of when and when not to issue an Amber Alert. "Part of it is the science and research of the information you have about the case," he said. "But the other side of it is instinct of an officer that may have 20 or 25 years of service on hundreds of cases.

That's the way it is sometimes when you are trying to protect lives. "But we do want to keep the overwhelmingly large majority of Amber Alerts to cases involving legitimate danger." I MOT 50.00 4S 00 105.00 6.00 6 00 8 00 I 3.92 3.57 7.91 1st Pontii Free Pay Nothing for the First Month on Any Instrument! NO MINIMUM RENTAL PERIOD RCQUIREO Limit one msirument per itixJent per jc-ibol yvm I NO) vaiw with jny ennm orrw morwy liHIMI HQM SUNDAY'S NUMBERS S.C: Pick Pick 4: 5-7-7-2. FLORIDA: Cash 3: 8-M Play 4: 8-2-0-2. GEORGIA: Cash 3: 6-6-0. VIRGINIA: Pidc3: 8-4-8.

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Cash 5: 3-10-11-22-30. LOANS HOME CAR WASH, AUTO GLASS AMBER Continued from 1A News of the alleged abduction spread quickly, with notifications splashed across regional television broadcasts and descriptions of the Duartes and Mendosa fired off to newspapers and other media outlets. "We had people all over the country looking for those three," said Chief Deputy Mike Frederick. "Philadelphia, Arizona and all across the Southeast. Officers kicked a door open in Oklahoma looking.

There were, literally hundreds of cops working this one. The abduction report, however, turned out to be a hoax. Following a 24-hour search, GCSO rescinded the Amber Alert. Investigators learned Beatriz Duarte had voluntarily gone with Mendosa and the trio were found in Kingston, Tenn. Frederick said it wasn't a fruitless investigation, as it was important to make sure the infant had not been forcibly taken and was safe.

However, he said it is important to be careful when issuing Amber Alerts "It is a major decision, issuing an Amber Alert," Frederick said. "You have to consider all the facts in the case. You don't want to cheapen the value of the alert." Frederick urged residents to remain confident in the validity INC. Wed. Reg.

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