The Missoulian from Missoula, Montana • 12

B-4 Missoulian, Sunday, July 16, 1989 FROM PAGE 1 XExpj weeklies READER olic priest. Reynoldo Rivera's gunshot body was found in a muddy field near Santa Fe, N.M., in August 1982, two days after he was called out at night to administer last rites. I he family would like to get this cleared up, or at least know whether he is dead or alive. We all Vivian Denault, Ronan businesswoman Beyond the church connection, there are other similarities in the two cases. Both priests were last seen at night and their cars were found Annointing oil containers used by both men remain missing.

There also is a geographical link. Kerrigan had spent three months in the spring of 1983 at a church facility near Santa Fe used for what church officials termed "further education," but what one investigator said was a treatment center for alcoholism and other personal problems. Geldrich would have liked the producers of "Unsolved Mysteries" to make note of some other incidents that occurred near Poison and Ronan on the same weekend Kerrigan vanished. Geldrich believes details of those incidents may have resulted in some viewer response that could have Priest (continued) of the Poison city limits. The car's blood-smeared interior contained several personal effects, and in the trunk police found a bloody pillow and shovel and a small cardboard box containing a wallet with hundreds of dollars.

According to authorities, nothing else was reported stolen from the rectory in Ronan where Kerrigan's belongings were in the process of being unpacked following his recent move. Lake County Sheriff Joe Gel-drich, the undersheriff in 1984, has been in charge of the Kerrigan case, from the beginning. The lack of progress in the case has been frustrating, he said, as is its lack of continuity. Detective Mike Walrod is now the third officer assigned to the case, following the resignations of two other detectives who left the sheriff's department to take other jobs. Geldrich said the investigation into the case is ongoing and that $11 leads are being pursued.

He was hoping for some help from the public, but ended up disappointed by NBC's "Unsolved Mysteries" segment that aired last year recounting Kerrigan's disappearance. Geldrich said the production's director focused entirely on the possibility of a connection between the Kerrigan case and the unsolved murder of another Cath provided new information or given credence to some leads and helped eliminate others. That same weekend, two escapees from the Swan River Youth Camp, Harold Gleed and Kenneth Allen, passed through Ronan during the night and later kidnapped and raped a young woman who was working at a roadside store at Evaro. After their arrest, they denied any knowledge of the missing priest. On Sunday, July 22, the day after Kerrigan's clothing was found, a young man.

Reed Ne-vins, killed a 41 -year-old woman in her Poison home. Geldrich said their investigation has found that the 18-year- old murderer, who is now in prison, was in Ronan on Friday evening, July 20. That was the last night Kerrigan was seen publicly when he left Denault's Bakery, across the street from the church rectory, just before- 1 1 p.m. Nevins also was questioned. A few days later, in Utah, authorities picked up a drifter on a misdemeanor charge.

Geldrich said his office found out later that the man had news clippings about the Kerrigan case in his wallet and had asked Utah police if the priest's body had been found yet. The man was inexplicably released from custody and Lake County authorities have not located him to do any follow-up. Another man, said to have been a lover of Kerrigan's in Plains, ended up on the West Coast. Paul Choma, the first investigator assigned to the case, said there was possibility of a break in the case through sources in contact with that individual in 1986. But Choma said that lead fell apart suddenly when New Mexico authorities intervened to question the man about the 1982 Santa Fe homicide.

Since 1984, Geldrich said he and his officers have conducted ground, air and water searches and followed up on dozens of leads, including "visions" reported by psychics who took investigators under docks, picnic tables and to freshly closed graves at local cemeteries without Businesswoman Vivian Denault, one of the last people to have seen Kerrigan in Ronan, said the case remains a high profile issue in the Ronan community. People go to the bakery regularly to find out if any news has faced about the missing priest, she saidi One of Kerrigan's cousins Stopped by the business recently on her way to a family reunion in Butte. "The family would like to get this cleared up, or at least know whether he is dead or alive. We all would," Denault said. Detective Walrod remains optimistic.

"I'm starting from scratch," he said, expressing plans to follow up on all previous leads and re-interview many of those originally involved in the case. "I think we're going to solve this one," Walrod said. CONGRATULATIONS CINDY FOURNIER Of Lolo for being chosen 1st Runner-up Mcntzna Miss T.E.E.N. Pageant Teens Encouraging Excellence Nationally Thank you friends and neighbors for your support Lawmakers get wilderness 'cubed' THOMPSON FALLS "Cube iron" crystals from a proposed wilderness set aside in western Sanders County were presented to U.S. Sens.

Max Baucus and Conrad Burns and U.S. Rep. Pat Williams at recent wilderness hearings in Missoula. The crystals came from Alice Ammen, longtime Sanders County resident who has spent many hours in the Cube Iron-Silcox area, one of several acreages proposed for wilderness in the county. She said she gathered the crystals on the peak of Cube Iron Mountain three years ago and never planned to use them in a a wilderness lobbying effort until recently, when the first public hearings on.

wilderness were held in Montana in six years. "We have a -wonderful tourist attraction in the unique wild areas, areas that would attract visitors," she said. Sanders County Ledger (Thompson Falls), 7 '1389 Road-kill salvage leads to Jail TH OM PSON FALLS An Arkansas man recently received a jail sentence after taking a white-tailed deer he'd hit with his vehicle home to butcher for food. Sanders County Justice of the Peace Bob Beitz said John Hood, an Arkansas resident living in Paradise, hit and killed the deer by accident late the night of July 3, but decided not to report the accident. Instead, Hood did what he said was legal in Arkansas he loaded the deer in the trunk of his car and headed to a friend's house to salvage for the freezer what was left of the animal.

Someone saw the deer in the trunk and called the authorities. When Sanders County Deputy Dan Morris arrived, Hood had the deer hanging and almost cleaned. He was cited for taking a white-tailed deer out of season and taken to jail, where he served a three-day term. Sanders County Ledger, 71389 New cop on state highway beat PLAINS A second Montana Highway Patrol officer has been assigned to Sanders County. The county, with highways extending from Heron to Dixon north and south and from Niarada almost to St.

Regis east and west; has had only one MHP officer previously. The new officer, Keith Danhof, is stationed at Plains. His first day of duty was Friday. Sanders County Ledger, 71389 Zonolite sales stable, despite EPA LIBBY Alan Stringer, manager of the W.R. Grace Zonolite (vermiculite) mine near Libby, says the recent ban on asbestos products by the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency won't decrease demand for the mine's product by much. "Any negative effect with asbestos we've already felt," he said. There has been a continuing decline in the sale of Zonolite the past three or four years because of the small amounts of asbestos found in it. Stringer said tremolite (an asbestos-like fiber) is a naturally occurring mineral in the ore body. Although the company separates tremolite from vermiculite, a miniscule amount remains about one-tenth of 1 percent.

Asbestos in even very small amounts can cause an incurable lung disease, health experts say. Western News (Libby), 71289 Hungry Horse fills up on water COLUMBIA FALLS Barring an unforseen monsoon, Hungry Horse Reservoir near Columbia Falls has nearly reached its high point for the year. The water level behind the dam was at 3,544.9 feet last week 15 feet below full pool, but far better than last year, when the reservoir filled only to 71 feet below the -full mark. "The reservoir looks better than it has in the last few years," said Rich Clark, chief of dam operations. A heavy winter snowpack and good spring rains helped bring up the water level.

Hungry Horse News (Columbia Falls), 71289 Weekend birders counting loons GLACIER PARK "Loon Day" was Saturday in Glacier National Park and bird watchers were out in force for the park's annual loon census, sponsored by the Montana Loon Society. Loon reproduction has been of special concern to state and federal wildlife agencies, because of the bird's limited distribution and numbers, and the impact of man and human development on scarce loon habitat. Thirteen birds were tallied on 20 Glacier Park lakes last year, but no young were seen, said Steve Gniadek, park wildlife biologist. Birders and biologists were anxious to see the result of this year's survey of about 25 Glacier Park lakes. Hungry Horse News, 71289 Police to paint for pizza a COLUMBIA FALLS Finding money for city projects is always a creative process, but Mayor Colleen Allison has shown special imagination by luring a City Council chambers paint job from defenders of the public order in the police department.

The paycheck free pizza. In an informal trade, police have agreed to repaint the council chambers in return for free pizza, plus a mirror now in the chambers that the department can use for security checks. Hungry Horse News, 71289 Cyclist gets mountain high WHITEFISH Jacquie Phelan, self-described queen of mountain biking and founder of WOMBATS Women's Mounain Bike and Tea Society claims there is more exciting stuff than bottled water to be found in strenuous cycle tours. The "natural" highs include "adrenaline from simply staying alive in traffic, coupled with the unavoidable pseudo-opiates that you manufacture yourself when you're cranking up all those hills. They add up to a potent pedaling potion." The Queen WOMBAT also offered unsolicited advice to lovelorn female cyclists during the cycle tour she made recently with Whitefish-area cyclists.

"You know you're in the 'mush' stage when he keeps at your pace. When he starts to say, 'I'll meet you at the then you're at the going-steady phase." Whitefish Pilot, 71289 Skateboards-at-school ban sought WHITEFISH Whitefish school maintenance director Jim Wagner has accused local skateboarders of vandalism at school playgrounds. He's asked district trustees for a schoolwide ban on the sport, similar to one recently enacted by the Whitefish City Council which prohibited skateboarding in the downtown area. Wagner said he is not opposed to skateboarding per se, but objects to the destruction some boarders do to school property when they congregate on playgrounds. Trustees will consider banning skateboards at a future meeting.

That's after the school superintendent determines if the school district can be included in the city's ban on skateboards so local police will enforce the ban at schools. Whitefish Pilot, 71289 Experience comfort in exciting new colors and styles for men, r-- women and children. itjjuii advice available. DISPLAY ADVERTISING SALESPERSON We have an immediate opening for a display ad salesperson. Established accounts.

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