The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 5

Local AS News of our communities, our region and state The Pantagraph Saturday, October 19, 1996 Fairbury murder suspect pleads innocent in court '4. 1 (( 'f! ni 1 A ,1 4 Txyd 1 V' i "4 i i 1 The PantagraphSTEVE SMEDLEY The Prairie Aviation Museum DC-3 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places at a ceremony Friday at the museum. Norm Wingler, Prairie Aviation Museum president, right, co-piloted, as Clyde Zellers of Springfield, flew the plane over Bloomington after the ceremony. Wingler and Zellers took turns during flights Friday afternoon. The DC-3 is one of seven aircraft on the register.

Restored DC-3 flies into history By TONY PARKER Pontiac bureau chief FAIRBURY A 41-year-old Fair-bury man pleaded innocent Friday to two counts of first-degree murder in an Oct 9 fatal shooting authorities believe he had contemplated at least overnight But nothing was revealed during Kenneth D. Meints' brief hearing Friday in Livingston County Circuit Court to verify his parents' comments that he believed the victim had molested two of his daughters. In fact little new information about the slaying of Richard "Richy" Rodriguez, 30, Fairbury, was revealed, primarily because Livingston County Public Defender David Ahlemeyer waived a preliminary hearing that would have required prosecutors to present testimony establishing probable cause. But afterward Livingston County State's Attorney Thomas Brown said oral reports from police indicate Meints told others he thought about killing Rodriguez the day before the slaying. That information could be significant at trial because prosecutors must prove the slaying was premeditated to sustain a first-degree murder conviction.

Brown also confirmed there is an ongoing investigation by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services involving Meints' family, but said he had no information to indicate it also involved Rodriguez. Kenneth Meints' parents, Elmer and Sharolyn Meints, told The Pantagraph that DCFS officials had taken their 3-year-old granddaughter for an Oct. 8 medical exam that helped determine she had been sexually assaulted. Kenneth Meints subsequently learned the results of the exam and that investigators had identified several suspects, including Rodriguez, they said. i In the past three months Kenneth Meints also had learned Rodriguez sold drugs to his 15-year-old son and molested another daughter 15 years ago when she was just 8 years old, the Couple said.

Brown Friday also left open the possibility he will seek the death penalty in the case, saying he can't make that decision until he receives all1 written investigative reports. Kenneth Meints could be sentenced to 20 to 60 years in prison, natural life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty if he is convicted of either charge. Circuit Judge Charles Glennon set 4 Nov. 8 deadline for Brown to decide whether he will seek the death penalty and Ahlemeyer to request Livingston County State's Attorney Thomas Brown said oral reports from police indicate Meints told others he thought about killing Rodriguez the day before the slaying. That information could be significant at trial because prosecutors must prove the slaying was premeditated to sustain a first-degree murder conviction.

the setting of bond or a psychiatric exam for his client. Ahlemeyer indicated he will file a motion asking Glennon to set a bond for Kenneth Meints, who has been held without bond since his arrest, and will likely request a psychiatric exam. A hearing on the bond issue could come as early as next week. Kenneth Meints, who was scheduled for a Dec. 23 pretrial hearing and Jan.

6 jury trial, remained quiet during the hearing except to answer Glennon's questions about his age and educational background. Security was again tight for the hearing with seven deputies stationed in various locations around the courtroom and others screening spectators with hand-held metal detectors. Eyewitness Kim Brown told The Pantagraph earlier that the 5:33 p.m. shooting occurred shortly after Kenneth Meints pulled up to the driveway of her residence in a car. He then walked up to Rodriguez and put his arm around him, accused him of molesting his children and shot him at least four times in the head, she said.

Kenneth Meints, whose prior convictions include burglary, felony theft, aggravated battery, contributing to the sexual delinquency of a child and unlawful use of weapons, was arrested at his mother's house in Fairbury less than an hour after the shooting. Elmer and Sharolyn Meints said before police arrived their son admitted to them he had killed Rodriguez, who also has a lengthy list of prior convictions and was acquitted earlier this year of residential burglary and criminal sexual assault charges by a Livingston County jury. Police said the car reportedly driven to the scene has been recovered and Kenneth Meints directed them to the semi-automatic handgun he said was used in the slaying and later hidden in a junkyard behind his mother's house. tion, but also because of the important role the DC-3 played during World War II and afterwards when passenger airline service changed transportation in this country. There were 9,000 to 10,000 DC-3s built during World War II.

Only 13 are known to exist in the United States and only a few are able to fly. After the war, the Prairie Aviation Museum's DC-3 went into commercial service with Continental and then Southern Airways for nearly 20 years. It was later purchased by Texas oil man H.H. Coffield, who once used the plane to fly Princess Grace of Monaco to one of his parties. She is believed to have sat toward the front of the 26-seat plane.

Although it never was officially used by Ozark Airlines, the plane is painted in that color scheme because it was part of that airline's 35th anniversary celebration. Wingler said the national historic designation is "the beginning of the beginning" for great things to come for the Prairie Aviation Museum. "This airplane is going to serve a purpose," he said before proposing a toast to the DC-3. Even the wine bottles had labels honoring the DC-3 as "50 years a lady." The Prairie Air Museum, located By VICTORIA PIERCE Pantagraph staff Frank Widbin looked into the sun toward the end of the runway where the DC-3 sat waiting to take off. "Wait till you see it take off.

It's the most graceful bird," said the Morton man, who flew DC-3s during World War II. A few minutes later the plane floated into the air celebrating its new designation as one of just seven aircraft on the National Register of Historic Places. At the controls were Clyde Zeller and Norm Wingler, of the Prairie Aviation Museum. The museum found the decrepit plane 12 years ago in Rockdale, Texas, had it restored to flying condition and brought it home to the Bloomington-Normal Airport in 1984. Restoration has been ongoing since then, and was recently capped off by the national honor officially bestowed during a ceremony Friday morning at the museum.

"This aircraft has joined an elite group of properties significant to Illinois," said Steve Thompson of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. The plane was honored, in part, because of the historic preserva designation, the museum is offering 20-minute rides on its DC-3 between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday, Friday, Oct 26 and 27. Donations for the flights are $25 per person for museum and DC-3 Challenge members and $50 for non-members.

at the Bloomington-Normal Airport, is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Beginning Nov.

1 the museum also will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays. In honor of the historic register Tremont children have a grand day with special guests 1 yf-. i "i i "It started as an idea to get our seniors, who typically didn't have much contact with the schools, in here to see what the district was doing," McCormick said.

"There was a feeling in the district that they were out of touch with what happens and why it would be important to support a referendum." That start has developed into a tradition that seemingly grows each year. "Although it lets us see how our kids are doing, (granddaughters) Cori and Allison (Baker) would be upset if we weren't here," Baker said. Despite a similar feeling among most grandparents at the school, some children had to be "adopted" Friday. Reeder adopted her grandson's best friend Doug Shipton, who said it was great to have someone share the day with him. "He and Ben are best friends, I was glad we all could share this time," said Reeder.

"It wouldn't be fair not to have someone on a day like this." Being in the school gives hope to the seniors, who said they hear too often about problems with learning. "It makes you feel good to see the teachers and kids working together. It seems as though things are better in school than we generally think," Stewart said. By JOHN BERRY Pantagraph staff TREMONT It's not uncommon for school officials to invite students' families to see what's happening in classrooms. But how about hosting 600 grandparents at one time? The scores of grandparents filled the halls and classes at Tremont grade school Friday as part of the administration's "Celebrate Our Heritage Day." But it wasn't just a celebration.

With grandparents at their side, the kids stayed with their regular school work math lessons, reading and choral practice. Playing a math version of tic-tac-toe grandparents helped with adding and subtracting skills in some first-grade classes. A few rooms away, second-graders were reading to their grandparents. "Things are really different from when I went to school," said Gilfred Baker, 75, of Emden. "They know a lot more than I did at that age." Like many other grandparents, Baker said he was amazed at the use of computers, three of which are found in each of the school's 19 classes.

"It is really amazing what they do at this age," said Martha Stewart, a Springfield resident, who joined her grandsons Ben and Luke Plumier. "The things they have available really get them excited." Stewart said taking part in lessons with her grandchildren brings back memories of her school days. "I think it is really neat to be in a modern building like this," Stewart said while walking from the playground to a reading class with Ben. Getting excited was easy for Ben Martin, whose grandmother Sherry Reeder came from the Lexington, area to spend the day with him. "I just moved down there last December.

I wouldn't miss this for the world. I feel being a grandparent is the most special gift that a person can receive," Reeder said. Ben, a second-grader, said it was great to have "Grandma" visit and look at the school's bug collection during their time at the school Friday. Stewart and Principal Jodi McCormick said they were amazed by the large number of grandparents visiting the school. "We had 400 last year and expected the number to go up some.

But we never expected that we would get more than 600 responses," McCormick said. Bringing students and grandparents together seems like a noble cause, but McCormick said the 9-year-old program started with a more practical motive getting a referendum passed. '1 a The PantagraphJOHN BERRY Sherry Reeder and her grandson, Ben Martin, looked at a praying mantis in the Tremont grade school's project room Friday during grandparents' day. More than 600 grandparents joined Reeder, who drove seven hours from Kentucky, to spend time in class with their grandchildren. Officials optimistic about identifying exhumed body bones with the DNA of Miller's living relatives.

Brady said investigators will undertake two other tests to further strengthen identification. Both tests will confirm that the body exhumed from East Lawn Memorial Gardens is the same body examined by the coroner's office in 1978. A forensic pathologist will compare the gunshot wound from the exhumed body to the gunshot wound documented in the 1978 homicide files. Dental records from the homicide file will be compared to dental characteristics of the corpse. No timetable has been released on when the DNA tests will be completed.

Brady characterized the matter as a legal technicality. "It's Gary Miller. There's not a doubt in our opinion." Should the genetic tests prove inconclusive, prosecutors could still prove through circumstantial evidence that Miller was the homicide victim. victim, was exhumed to facilitate proving the identity in the upcoming trial of murder suspect Robert Gillespie of Tallula. Investigators reworked the case this year, resulting in charges against the 42-year-old Gillespie.

But they were unable to find Miller's pre-death dental records, which were used to identify the decomposed body found in a cornfield near Normal. The DNA testing will compare the genetic makeup of By STEVE ARNEY pantagraph staff McLean County Coroner Dan Brady sounded optimistic Friday that good DNA samples will prove without doubt the identity of a homicide victim whose body was exhumed Thursday. "We were able to obtain ample samples for future DNA testing," Brady said. 1 The body presumed to be Gary G. Miller, a 1978 gunshot.