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Page 2 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 19, 1990
Jury finds Buckeys innocent
LOS ANGELES (AP) -
Preschool operators Raymond
Buckey and his mother were acquit-
ted yesterday of 52 child molestation
charges in the nation's longest and
costliest criminal trial, inciting
outrage among parents of youngsters
in the case.
Jurors deadlocked on 12 sex abuse
counts against Buckey and a single
conspiracy count against him and his
63-year-old mother, Peggy Mc-
Martin Buckey. Superior Court
Judge William Pounders declared a
mistrial on those charges.
The investigation of alleged mass
molestation at the suburban Mc-
Martin Pre-School ignited a nation-
wide wave of worry about child
abuse when it came to light in 1983.
It produced widespread fear among
working parents that their children
might be at risk at school.
The trial lasted nearly three years
and cost $15 million, making it the
longest and most expensive criminal
proceeding in U.S. history.
Buckey, 31, spent nearly five
years in jail because of the charges,
rA..... boR
and his mother was jailed for almost
two years.
Announcement of the innocent
verdicts brought gasps and sobs in
the packed courtroom while the de-
fendants cried but were restrained in
their reactions.
About an hour after the verdicts
were read, parent Jackie McGauley
said: "I'm still in shock. ...When I
first heard it, I didn't believe it. I
thought someone had made a mis-
take."
Parent Mary Mae Cioffi added: "It
shows that our justice system needs
a revamp for kids."
"I know my children were mo-
lested. I had my daughter sleep be-
tween my husband and I for a whole
year because she was so afraid some-
body would come and get her, that
they would kill her, because she
told," she said.
Mrs Buckey said: "I've gone
through hell and now we've lost ev-
erything. My concern was for my
son and what they've done to him...
because my son would never harm a
child."
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"I feel wonderful," said Charles
Buckey, father of Raymond and hus-
band of Mrs. Buckey.
Prosecutor Lael Rubin said, "We
ultimately must respect the jury's
decision even though I personally
disagree with it. ...I believe that the
families involved in this case and the
children involved in this case... can-
not be forgotten or overlooked in
terms of what they have had to en-
dure in the kind of system we
presently have."
Pounders scheduled a Jan. 31
hearing to determine whether the dis-
trict attorney will refile charges
against Buckey on the 13 deadlocked
counts. Rubin said she would con-
sult with parents in the case before
deciding.
The conspiracy count alleged that
Buckey and his mother conspired to
commit an assortment of lewd and
lascivious acts on children under 14
years old.
"This is somebody else's sys-
tem," complained parent Bob Curry.
"In baseball, it's never over till it's
over. In child molestation, and this
is a good example of it, it's never
over when it's over."
The jury spent nine weeks delib-
erating on the charges against the
Buckeys, who were accused of mo-
lesting 11 children over five years at
the family-owned school in suburban
Manhattan Beach.
When he announced, "You are
excused from further jury service,"
the panelists broke into shouts and
applause.
In interviews in the courtroom
afterward, the jurors said they be-
lieved some of he children were mo-
lested, but the prosecution never
established that the defendants were
responsible.
They also said parents' fears aind
the techniques of psychologists who
interviewed the students may have
planted ideas in the children's heads.
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IN BRIEF
Compiled from Associated Press and staff reports
House report: Mackinac
bridge repairs unnecessary
LANSING - Spending millions of dollars to make changes to the
Mackinac Bridge would be a waste of money and might cause more acci-
dents, according to a House report released yesterday.
That report directly contradicts a Senate study released earlier this week
that called for several major changes, including the installation of higher
guardrails and a median barrier.
The House Transportation Subcommittee on Mackinac Bridge Safety's
chair, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Menominee), said there was no evidence that
structural failures were to blame for the accident that killed Leslie Ann
Pluhar, of Royal Oak, Sept. 22, 1989.
"I have to compliment this committee for having the courage to say
we're not going to spend millions of dollars because in 32 years one car
in 65 million traveling east and west went over a guardrail designed to
protect cars traveling north and south," Stupak said.
Slower economy predicted
WASHINGTON, D.C. - America's trade deficit widened to $10.5 bil-
lion in November, its worst showing in 11 months, as U.S. exports took
a tumble caused in part by a strike at Boeing, the Commerce Department
said yesterday.
The increase, coming on the heels of an even worse 20 percent surge
in the October deficit, left private economists disheartened about the
chances for further improvement in the country's trade performance any
time soon.
Many economists are forecasting that the trade deficit this year will
begin rising again, reflecting a growing U.S. dependence on foreign oil, a
further slowdown in U.S. export sales abroad and continued demand by
American consumers for foreign products.
With the export boom showing signs of running out of steam, many
analysts are predicting that the overall economy will grow at just half the
rate turned in 1989
Candidate calls for legal pot
LANSING - Long-time Democratic activist and Michigan Senate
candidate Zolton Ferency unveiled yesterday a 10-point plan that would
treat marijuana like liquor, and put the state in charge of buying and.
selling it.
Ferency's plan calls for having the Liquor Control Commission li-
cense growers, test their product, then distribute it through special distrib-
utors. Customers would have to be 21 or older to buy the marijuana.
Don Reisig, head of the Office of Drug Agencies, described the whole
idea as "just plain wrong."
"We do not need another intoxicant, social lubricator, whatever you
want to call it in our legal marketplace," he said.
Ferency's plan calls for the marijuana sale profits to go to drug and al-
cohol treatment programs. He said he didn't have an estimate on how
much that might be, but pointed to recent reports indicating that 25 mil-,
lion to 30 million Americans regularly use marijuana.
Soviets call in reserve troops
to curb violence in Caucasus
MOSCOW - The Defence Ministry called up reserve troops yesterday
to help 29,000 soldiers quell ethnic violence in the Caucasus that has
killed at least 66 people and wounded more than 220.
Defence Minister Dmitri Yazov said the additional troops were
necessary to maintain order and possibly enforce a curfew - a measure'
authorities in the republic of Azerbaijan have refused to impose despite
reports of vicious attacks by Azerbaijani extremists on Armenian.
residents.
At least 10,500 Armenians reportedly have been evacuated from the
Azerbaijani capital of Baku, where rampaging Azerbaijani mobs began the'
violence last Saturday.
Extremists have obtained heavy weaponry, including helicopters, tanks'
and ground-to-ground missiles in what Interior Minister Vadim Bakatin
yesterday called a "civil war."
EXTRAS
Study finds coffee may ward
off impotence among elderly
ROYAL OAK, Mich. - Elderly coffee drinkers appear to be more
sexually active than those who avoid the beverage, but the researcher who
made that finding said that coffee isn't necessarily an aphrodisiac.
In a study of 744 adults conducted by Dr. Ananias Diokno of William
Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, 62 percent of married women 60 and
older who drank coffee said they were active sexually. Forty percent of
married women older than 60 who did not drink coffee said they were ac-
tive sexually.
Among married men of the same ages, 36 percent of coffee drinkers:
said they sometimes were impotent, compared with 59 percent of those'
who did not drink coffee.
Diokno said his study did not ask respondents how much coffee they
drank or wether it was regular or decaffeinated.
Coffee and caffeine are popular research topics; since 1983, medical
journals have carried more than 500 studies on their effects.
The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter
terms by students at the University of Michigan. Subscription rates: for fall and winter (2 semesters)
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The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and the Student News Service.
ADDRESS: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.
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Ann Arbor. MI 48104
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Editor in Chief
Managing Editor
News Editors
Adam Sdiager
Steve Knopper
Miguel Cruz,
Alex Gordon, David Schwartz
Sports Editor
Associate Sports Editors
Nike Gil
Adam Benson, Stive Blonder,
Richard Eisen, Lory Knapp,
Taylor Lincoln
Opinion Pape Editors Elzabeth Esch, Amy Harmon Arts Editors Andrea Gadd, Ayssa Katz
Associate Opinion Editors PNip Cohen, Camille Cdatos Rim Tony Silber
Sharon Holand Music Nabeel Zuberi
Letters Editor David Levin Books Mark Swartz
Weekend Editors Alyssa Lusdgman, Theatre Jay Pekala
Andrew Nils Photo Editor David Lubliner
Weekend Staff Jm Pordewozik Graphics Coordinator Kevin Woodson
News: Karen Akerlol, Joanna Broder, Jason Carter, Diane Cook, Laura Counts, Marion Davis, Heater Fee, NoahF inkel, Tara
Gruzen, Jenniler Hir, Ian Hoffman, Britt Isaly, Terri Jackson, Mark Katz, Christine Kloostra, Kristine LaLonde, Jennifer Miler, Josh
Milnick, Dan Poux, Amy Ouck, Gi Renberg, Taraneh Shail, Mike Sobel, Vera Songwe, Noele Vance, Ken Waker, Donna Woodwel.
Opinion: Jonathan Rn, Christina Fong, Deyar Jami , Fran Obeid, Liz Paige, Henry Park, Greg Rowe, Kathryn Savole, Kim Springer,
Rashid Taher, Luis Vazquez, Dima Zalatimo.
Sports: Jamie Burgess, Steve Cohen, Theodore Cox, Jeni Durst, Scott Erskine, Andy Gotlesman, Phil Green, Aaron Hnkin, David
Hyman, Bethany Kipec, Eric Lemont, John Niyo, Sarah Osbnm, Matt Rennie, Jonathan Samnick, David Sdechter, Ryan Schreiber,
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Arts: Greg Baise, Sherril L Bennett, Jen Blik, Mark BinelI, Kenneth Chow, Sheala Durant, Brent Edwards, Wne Fiscer, Forrest
Green, Sharon Grinberg, Brian Jarvinen, Mike Kunavsky, Ami Mehta, Mike Molitor, Carolyn Pajor, Kristin Palm, Annette Petusso, Jay
Pinka, Gregod Roach, Peter Shapiro, Rona Sheramy.
Photo: Jennifer Dunetz, Amy Feldman, Julie Hdknan, Jose Juarez, Jonathan iss, Josh Moore, Samantha Sanders, Kenneth Smler,
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