Daily News from New York, New York • 23

uimmm (Stalky Mimhm -Aged fepife By PETER McLAUGHLIN and OWEN MORITZ Raymond Timmons, 20, found guilty yesterday of assaulting an elderly Bronx couple and burglarizing the couple's Gerard Ave. apart ment. After the pounding. Bertha gave the intruder, whom she identified as Timmons a purse containing under $10. At the trial, the prosecution played a videotape taken of Timmons on March 10.

In it, he admitted pushing the couple into their room, but denied that he took or had intended to take the woman's pocketbook. When the jury appeared before Justice Maurice Gray in the late afternoon yesterday, forewoman Sylvia Chestnut said the jury could "not agree" on the robbery charge. The judge pressed her on whether the jury could deliberate further and come to a reasonable settlement. "We tried and there is no agreement," Chestnut replied. From jurors on the six-man, six-woman panel it was learned that the jury debated the robbery question hal and long.

"We reached a hardnose position, the tempers were flaring and we weren't getting anywhere," said one juror. As he did through the trial, Timmons showed no emotion when the verdict was announced. Because he is a "predicate defender," meaning he has two previous convictions, Timmons must serve at least half of any sentence before he could apply for parole. But the jury, which had been out room over that charge. As a result, that charge remains on the hooks.

Timmons could get up to 15 years for the burglary and assault convictions. His more notorious twin brother, Ronald, is serving a 25-year term for mugging an 84-year-old woman, a case that drew wide publicity because of public concern over juvenile criminals. Raymond Timmons, who has spent 10 of his 20 years in ciistory and has been arrested 38 times, was less than three months out of jail when he pulled his latest crime on March 10, according to the trial testimony. Mx Schillinger, 80, and his wife, Bertha, 78, told the fiveniay trial in Bronx Supreme Court that Timmons had trailed them into their apartment at 751 Gerard Ave. The youth, according to testimony, knocked Max to the floor, dragged him into the bedroom by his collar and there punched and slapped him.

"I was in agony," the 98-pound Schillinger told the court. "My whole body was shaken. I felt paralyzed." A Word Turned uAogopisdf) IPboii CEoirfi M36GD(oj i 1 "i mr linn -fimmm lol By OWEN FITZGERALD Municipal union lawyers mapped strategy for a court fight 3'ester-day in an effort to strike down as unconstitutional th tumHv paee bill that requires new municipal workers to live in tne city and prohibits 'IllTPTlt cmnlnvoi: rntn mmn'riiT nut I Mayor Koch, who said he is lookine i 'pUrr TV 'i 1 1 fT -1 jr Lil C) 0 fill" djq iy sons on civil service eligibility lists must reside here upon appointment to a city job. Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Sam DeMillia. who earlier, had dropped the police union's long-" standing opposition to a residency law for new cops, said "in no way we will accept a lock-in denying present cops the right to move outside the city.

PBA lawyers were reviewing that section of the new bill District Council 37. the major No Jurisdiction Over Teachers municipal union, also took exception to the "lock-in" provision. A spokesman said htat Victor Gotbaum. its executive director, has alwavs held that it is a worker's civil right to live where he wishes. Edward Ostowski, president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association, said his lawyers were examining the bill "to see what steps we can take legally to protect our workers' rights." The United Federation of kTeachers said that the City Council has no jurisdiction over its members because the work for the Board of Education, a state agency in the eyes of the UFT.

"We want to explore our legal options," said a spokeman for the teacher's group. "Whether it's legal is one thing; Whether it's wise is something else. forward to signing the bill into law, wasn't backing down on the expected court challenge. He made it clear that his administration is prepared to defend in court the measure passed 32 to 3 by the City Council on Tuesday. "The City Council research indicates that they believe that we are not required to be second class in terms of our ability to impose a residency requirement on prospective employes when other cities in the state already have been given that right," Koch said at a City Hall news conference.

"If there is a challenge we will be in court." -Koch: We'll Abide by Ruling Koch said that the city will abide by the court's eventual ruling on the controversial residency requirement. Even if part of the bill covering certain traditionally exempt employes such as police and firemen under state statutes is overturned, the mayor said, the majority of the 300,000 city employes will have to meet the residency rule. "This city administration worked on the premise that we have a right to require that prospective employees must live in the City of New York," he said. At issue is the bill, which requires that all city employes hired after Nov. 1 live here.

Present employes must remain in the city or lose their jobs. Per News photo by Anthony Pe sea lore Toungsters take differing outlooks on monkey bars in Central Park as low 80s temperature combined with low humidity for a beautiful day. Weatherman says today will be same but tomorrow humidity will increase, with chance of showers. Vw Mteir Bhdwiiaft, aStrwftwesmBTdyn extinguish. Police from mayor's newly formed arson task force arrest landlord Lane Brettschneider.

May 17: Dump trucks from demolition site smash into four telephone poles, knocking out service to 30 customers for most of a day. Heavy trucks also cause two huge street cave-ins on Hatman st. that take more than a month to parially repair. June 14: Suspicious all-hands fire tears through abandoned building at 176 Harman. July 6: Mayor Koch visits street and promises to stop flooding from broken hydrant on Central Ave.

Sept. 22: A suspicious three-alarm fire erupts in a vacant building at 146 Harman St. and spreads to three adjacent occupied houses, leaving 14 families 44 people homeless. Sept: 30: Arson squad arrests last of eight people on looting-related charges in burned-out buildings. Oct.

4: With water pipes torn apart by scavengers, major flooding hits basements on sloping street. Oct. 9: Five buildings become dumping sites. Mice and rates generated by garbage spread to occupied houses. Oct.

23: The four mayoral candidates debate the future of Bushwick and similar neighborhoods in the Casuso living room. All vow toreturn. Oct 26: A fire around the corner at 168 Himrod St kills a squatter named Rubin Hernandez. Another blaze devastates 145 Himrod St. Today only two buildings on block are occupied.

Late October: Last LaMarca familv, which had lived for 70 years at 152 Harman moves out. In tearful letter to her beloved hone, Jo LaMarca states, "You have been my source of secuirity, a haven. These are our last two days and I'm writi-ag with tears and an ache in my heart Nov. 24: First demolition crews begin tearing down virtually the entire block of burned-down Greene Ave. behind Casuso house.

"It's a hopeful sign at least," said Mrs. Casuso. Packs of wild dogs that had apparently lived in Greene burmedout hulks drift ca to Harman St. Jan. 21, 1978: Mayor Koch invites Casusos and others to Gracie Mansion.

"They took me into their home, so I invited them to mine," he says, promising Upil 25- Mayor announces a $43 million plan for the area. Plan lays groundwork for possible reconstruction of Harman St. March 1: Debris from theater being demolihed at 852 Monroe St is dumped on Harman St. lot that children have used as playground for eight years. A study by state agencies of criminal cases growing out of the blackout showed that 19 of those sentenced in Criminal Caurt received jail terms beyond the time already served while awaiting a hearing.

By comparison, a grouo of nonblackout burglary cases produced jail terms for 25 of the defendants, the study said. By JOHN HAMILL and MARTIN GOTTLIEB Exactly one year ago today, when the I big blackout was only a few hours old, the looters had begun to stalk dowTi the middle of darkened Harman St. in Bush wick, hard-j pressed to hold on to all their booty. Residents. spent a wary night on their porches, some hold- ing lanterns in one hand and rifles in the other, and it seemed that this drab and" quiet block of three-story frame buildings had reached its lowest point.

But, like scores of blocks from Fordham to Far Rockaway, it hadn't the slow accumulation of defeats and setbacks throughout the ensuing year 'proved to be more ruinous than the singl enight of blackout terror. Harman St. has lost more than 25 families and 14 of its 33 buildings since July 13, 1977. The following is an account of how it happened: June 1, 1977: In a bleak foreshadowing of problems to come, a two-alarm fir esweeps through four occupied frame buildings, forcing at least a dozen to move. July 13: Octavio Casuso, patriarch of a family with four generations of Bushwick roots, spends the night on his stoop at 168 Harman St.

with a stormligbt, insuring that there will be no problems on the block. Aug. 27: acant six-family house at 188 Harman St. enveloped in an all-hands fire that takes an hour to I Li i i i.