The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 9

THE COURIER-NEWS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1993 A-9 COURTS Local man admits selling explosives Authorities have uncovered no links between the Springfield man and Arab terrorist groups. By The Associated Press A Springfield man has admitted selling stolen military explosives to an undercover federal agent. Former Army Green Beret Sgt. William E. Miller, 35, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S.

District Court in Syracuse, N.Y., to felony counts of interstate transportation of stolen firearms and unlawful possession of unregistered firearms. Residents in a 7 Vi -block area of Springfield were evacuated from their homes for 4Vi hours Aug. 2, the day of Miller's arrest, when federal and local officials feared there might be live explosives in the house where he was staying. They found explosive materials in the garage outside the house. Miller faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

However, under terms of a plea agreement, the defense and prosecution agreed federal sentencing guidelines would allow for a sentence between 37 and 41 months. Judge Frederick Scullin set sentencing for Nov. 22. Scullin allowed Miller to remain free on bail under electronic home confinement at his parents' home in Stuart, Fla. Miller was arrested at a rest area on Interstate 81, about 15 miles south of Syracuse, after selling grenades and 20 pounds of plastic explosives to a U.S.

Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent for $10,800. He was charged with felony counts of transporting stolen explosive materials, possessing destructive devices not registered to him and transporting across state lines destructive devices not registered to him. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Riker said Miller had admitted stealing the explosives while he was with the Army at Fort Bragg, N.C. Miller kept the explosives after receiving an honorable discharge in 1987.

Miller, who was unemployed and living on an allowance from his father, lived with friends at 126 Meisel Avenue in Springfield for the last year. Officials said they confiscated grenade and smoke simulators, signal flares, a couple of inert igniter, bombs, firing devices and fuse ignit-' ers from the house. At the time of his arrest, Miller claimed he had tried to sell the explosives to Arab terrorists in the New York City area. Defense lawyer Sal-vatore Piemonte said authorities have uncovered no links between Miller and any terrorist groups. Courier-News Staff Writer Joe McDonald contributed to this report.

ON THE TRAIL OF JOHN J. FAUTENBERRY This is an outline of Fautenberry's bloody travels, based on criminal investigations and a taped confession. A Great klue Just Got Better! Receive A Free Briefcase (A $130 VALUE) When You Buy Two $350 Hastings Traditions Suits. At $350, our exclusive Hastings Traditions suit is one of the best values you'll find anywhere. It's made in America of pure worsted wool with many fine tailoring details that you rarely find at this price.

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He pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder and robbery. Sentence: Life in prison. Must serve 30 years before he Is eligible for parole. 1 m. 4 ppfev, IplP Til i i i killed Daron.

Fautenberry used Daron's stolen car and credit cards to entertain her. They were last seen on Fed. 26, 1991, when they checked Into the Silver Sands Motel in Rockaway, at 3 a.m. Her decomposed, fully clothed body was found In April about 200 feet from a logging road In a densely wooded area near Timber, Ore. Fautenberry said after he met Guthrie he wanted to 'keep' her, but she told him she had to return to work.

Charges: The Washington County (Ore.) authorities have not presented the case to a grand Jury for an indictment. But Fautenberry was arrested In Alaska after Portland police charged him with murder, kidnapping and theft. Possible sentence: Death penalty. Feb. 7, 1991 Victim: Joseph Daron 45, of Mil-ford, Ohio, an Insurance data supervisor.

Circumstances: Daron, a Good Samaritan, picked Fautenberry up while he was hitchhiking near Mllford. Authorities contended that Fautenberry killed Daron and dumped his body on the banks of the Ohio River, where It was discovered five weeks later. He took Daron's car and used it to travel across the country to Oregon. He stole his credit cards and used them to pay for hotels. The car was found later at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Charges: Aggravated murder, aggravated theft and aggravated robbery. Fautenberry pleaded no contest. Sentence: Death in Ohio's electric chair. The death sentence Is being appealed. November 1990 Victim: Trucker Don Nutley, 47, of Waco, Texas.

Circumstances: Fautenberry, a former trucker met Nutley at a Troutdale, truck stop. The two went target shooting together In the Mount Hood National Forest. Fautenberry said In a taped confession that he shot Nutley and stole $10,000, which he used to finance his travels. Nutley's bones were found In a rugged area five miles northeast of Zigzag, In April 1991. Charges: Murder.

Clackamas County authorities have filed a detainer against Fautenberry, so he may go there for trial next. Possible sentence: Death penalty. Feb. 1, 1991 Victim: Gary Farmer, 26, of Springfield, Tenn. Circumstances: Fautenberry was on his way to Ohio after visiting friends in Rhode Island when he stopped in Bloomsbury.

He was broke and needed money to continue his trip. Farmer, who was driving a truck carrying a load of trash, had stopped at the truck stop on his way to Zlon, Ind. Fautenberry told an FBI agent that Farmer had offered him money and breakfast If he would have sex with him. He got Into Farmer's truck and shot him once In the head with a semiautomatic pistol. Authorities said Fautenberry stole about $40 and a pocket knife.

Farmer's body was found four days later by another trucker and police. Fautenberry traveled on to Ohio and stayed with his sister and her fiance for about two weeks. Charges: Murder, felony murder, March 14, 1991 Victim: Jefferson Diffee, 39, of Juneau, Alaska, a gold and silver miner. Circumstances: Fautenberry had flown to Juneau from Seattle. He met a local fishing captain who offered him work, so he spent a week on the boat.

The day after Fautenberry returned to the shdre, he met Diffee at a bar. Fautenberry stabbed Diffee that night. Two days later, Fautenberry was arrested at the Bergman Hotel In Juneau based on a description provided by Portland police. Charges: Murder, robbery, theft and fraudulent use of a credit card. He pleaded guilty to murder.

Sentence: 99 years In prison with no possibility of parole. Feb. 26, 1991 Victim: Christine Guthrie, 32, of Portland, a bank teller. Circumstances: She met Fautenberry at a party near Portland, only a week after authorities say he MURDER: 1 hated him' j1'" if berry) and this is a new feeling. I have never hated nobody," Mrs.

Farmer said. "But when you live with this grief, you are on a roller coaster. I "I have got to really pray to forgive 1 him," she "But I also know that if God was to take me home before 1 1 did that, it wouldn't keep me out of heaven because we have a loving' God. He understands how we feel." She said she was looking forward to seeing her son's belongings held by the Hunterdon County Prose- cutor's Office since the murder. Shei said seeing them would be proof her! son is dead and would help her accept' it.

I Continued from Page A-1 her 26-year-old son always tried to help people. "Gary was sunshine," she said. "He was joy in our home. "He didn't have an easy life. He didn't have a bed of roses, but he wouldn't hurt a fly." After sentencing, she stared at the courtroom door after Fautenberry was led out by state prison guards.

Outside, Mrs. Farmer, accompanied by her brother, sister and husband, showed reporters pictures of her son and his grave. "Oh, he was such a good boy. He was a momma baby," she said. "I have said I hated him (Fauten Jf, "i OUR EXCLUSIVE LITERACY: Millions at risk -PIECE GIFT, IN THE BLACK FROM ESTEE LAUDER This star quality gift, worth 45.00, is yours with any Estle Lauder purchase of 15.00 or more.

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Instead, they said they wanted to establish a national benchmark of skills by rating respondents on how well they can find information in newspaper articles and other texts; how well they use such documents as charts and graphs; and their ability to perform mathematical calculations based on reading forms and other materials. The study divided the scores into five levels of competency and found: Twenty-three percent of American adults, or up to 44 million people, are illiterate or can perform only the barest of tasks, such as signing their names or adding a bank deposit slip providing the numbers were supplied for them. About 25 percent of the people in this group were immigrants, two-thirds never finished high school and one-third were 65 years or older, the study showed. Another 24 percent to 28 percent of those tested, or 50 million people, were in the second lowest level of literacy able to understand an appliance warranty, find an intersection on a street map or calculate postage for certified mail. Combined, those two groups of more than 90 million people repre-' sent about 47 percent of the adult i population and are considered "at! risk" in today's rapidly changing' economy, the study concluded.

A1-! though those adults rarely finished high school, the study showed, the overwhelming majority do not con-i sider themselves at the bottom of the) literacy ladder and would likely think adult education programs are not in- tended for them. In the only indication of a the study showed that literacy skills have slipped for young adults, ages 21) to 25. When compared to similar tests given in 1985, persons in that age; group scored 11 to 14 points lower a margin that one of the report's authors said was "significantly different." Northeast lags They said the reason for the drop was an increase in young Latinos who were born elsewhere and are learning English. Men scored about the same as women on reading proficiency but higher at using documents and math. Of all those tested, people from the Midwest and West scored better than adults in the South or Northeast.

Not surprisingly, the study showed that the more formal education a person had, the greater his literacy skills and earnings. Those who ranked in the top three levels in the study made $350 to $680 a week, were more likely to vote in recent state and national elections, and more likely to get their information from printed forms, such as newspapers. Those on the lowest literacy levels, meanwhile, made $230 a week, are living in poverty, are less likely to vote and less likely to have worked in the previous year. "We're creating two societies those that can do and those that can't," said Irwin Kirsch, executive director of the Department of Education's testing and assessment group. "And the gap is widening between the two groups." fi and skincare consultation.

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