San Angelo Standard-Times from San Angelo, Texas • 7

WWWGOSANANGELOCOM SAN ANGELO STANDARD-TIMES MONDAY JUNE 3 2002 7A DEBT: Not all states have plan to compensate heed men RURAL: Members of caucus want membership to remain steady at 80 over the sale of water It will' all have to go through rural Texas A lot of caucus members will argue that the reason rural Texas develop like the rest of the state today is because of the way transportation dollars were spent 40 years ago" Hawley said she sees a bright future ahead for the caucus even without her leadership as chairwoman big role in the next session is going to be to continue to coordinate rural Hawley said has a voting block of 37 legislators Rural legislators have a voting block too just not Contact Monica WoHson at (512) 334-6642 or by a-maO at woffsomnOscrippsom from Wisconsin The annual compensation: a maximum $5)00 David Shepard bad no grounds to sue after being cleared of rape in New Jersey in 1996 no ineffective lawyer no prosecutorial misconduct no forensic errors Just a victim who had mistakenly identified him So his attorney Paul Casteleiro lobbied lawmakers who passed a bill for the wrongly imprisoned that provides compensation based on the length of time behind bars or previous salary It was a partial victory me would value 11 years in their life at $240000 would they?" Casteleiro says referring to Shepard's compensation something was better than nothing We have much bargaining power It's not a large A former ramp worker at the Newark airport Shepard now 39 and unemployed feels the check enough to rebuild his life should have been enough to give my family a pldce to he says should have given me a job that I could grow into and keep Some family counseling They did none of that It was like something dirty they wanted to push in a drawer like it was just something to ease their conscience" he says about vlctedmen the so-called Ford Heights received $38 million from Cook County I1L They claimed sheriff's police hid evidence that would have helped the defense while Ignoring leads pointing to tiie real killers in a double murder About 14 lawyers including -the celebrated Gerry Spence were marshaled and a dans-- trophoblc true-to-scale prison cell was built to wheel into court as an exhibit was like the perfect says Peter King one of the attorneys We had a great set of facts and a combination of really good But the lawyers never wait to triaL The county settled Not every wronged man can hire a Gerry Spence Anthony Hicks released in 1996 sued his trial lawyer for felling to Beek the right type of DNA testing in his rape triaL A Wisconsin jury awarded him $26 million But an appeals court overturned the verdict and ordered a new trial in which Hicks will have to prove his innocence no amount of money that can change those five Hicks says it makes you wonder what is the value of human life Can you take rights and liberties and at the end of tiie day do nothing?" Hicks a 39-yearold father of two still remembers a yainflil day after his release when he came to pick up his daughter at school and she ran It was worst thing that ever happened to me in my he says He and his family now live in Texas Once his court fight is resolved he can Beek money Continued from Pago 1A out I was pretty lonely" he says money can be 1 an addiction It makes you feel Pope now 40 has scaled back since his release last yeai but still has a swank $2XKa-month apartment in the Marina district of San Frandsca tenants in my building say Hello how are you? 1 like they're saying You must be well off one of But rm really Pope benefltted than a Texas law passed last year that boosted compensation to (25000 for each year of wrongful incarceration up to 1 $500000 Previously Texas paid a maximum of though 1 practically speaking almost no one received much more than $25000 Because compensation came under the old law be received less than one-tenth of what Pope collected even though he served more time As DNA continues to free inmates more states are considering compensation But on Thursday Oklahoma Gov Ft-ank Keating vetoed a bill passed by state lawmakers that would have provided up to $200000 to the wrongly convicted He said the measure would have created liability even when the state did nothing wrong and is too much to expect from a process that sometimes is afflicted by honest human It was the second time in two years Keating vetoed tills kind of measure It Is hard to find any official opposed to the principle of compensating those wrongly Imprisoned The difficulty Is in the details Lawmakers in some states have expressed content about straining already tight budgets with compensation payments or as Keating noted awarding money in cases where there was no Continued front Page 1A members in 2001 Turner said By the end of the 2001 legislative session lawmakers had created the Office of Rural Community Affairs ORCA opened for business in January Despite achieving- Its biggest success the caucus finished yet and plan to disappear officials said Lawmakers said they hope their membership remains steady at 80 you lose the quarterback you have to restructure and dream up a new pass Turner said how I see the caucus restructuring I see us losing I see qs changing the people who do what is necessary to make the rural caucus work The role is extremely important and ORCA has given them a voice in dealing with issues given them a new lease on State Rep Rick Hardcastle R-Vernon said the caucus would still be a clearinghouse to interpret how legislation will affect rural communities Rick Perry) announced a new (transportation) Hardcastle said fight is going on in the Panhandle 4 223-8334 Crnmtim nfflf-inl rmgHgonro In states that do pay tiie 1 wrongly convicted there often are strings attached: filing deadlines pledges the exonerated will not file suit and fin quentiy a requirement that the governor issue a pardon Most states also have a -money cap which Schaffer the Houston lawyer argues is shamefully low considering the agony endured take into account the feet that you were locked in a cell the foct you might have been physically or sexually abused kept away from your family and friends living in hell" he says that you came out with a scarlet letter on your forehead" State claims where available are the most common form of compensation In at least five cases men who bad been freed collected money from states with special legislation sometimes called obligation" bills written to help a specific person Others have pursued civil lawsuits though cases against law enforcement or governments are very difficult to win Prosecutors bave absolute immunity tor anything done at trial Police have qualified immunity though not when it can be proven they deliberate- ly did something wrong Buch as conceal exculpatory evidence In an extremely rare case a wrongful conviction led to criminal charges against seven law enforcement officials in DuPage County They were accused of fabricating evidence and lying to railroad Rolando Cruz tor the murder of a 10-year-old girt All were acquitted in 1999 However the following yean the county paid Cruz and two other mm $15 million to settle civil suits against the sheriff and some deputies saying it was cheaper than going to trial In 1999 four wrongly con- Included in the insurance rate comparisons tor 2002 because the company is not selling to new customers The premium comparisons by the insurance department show a wide range of rates in the homeowners market although some experts caution that many companies are not selling to new customers right now The wide range of premiums is a good reason for cost-conscious consumers to compare companies state officials said steep rise in premiums charged by some companies it really pays to shop said Montemay-oi the insurance commission-er rate guide shows prices varying by hundreds of dollars tor similar coverage of similar houses in the same Consumers need to consider other factors along with prices such as the type of policy being sold he said Mill Our Early Bird Sak! 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No Credit Card Req $3199 105 Channels Continued from Page 1A has driven insurance rates through the ceiling" Losses from water and mold damage last year In Texas totaled nearly $12 billion more than double the $512 million in similar losses In 2000 Total insured losses in Texas jumped from $28 billion in 2000 to $29 billion last yean State Farm the largest property insurer in Texas is still refusing to sell policies to new customers because of its accelerating losses The com- pany is only renewing policies for its 18 million customers know when we will be in position to accept new 1 said Keith Androffi a spokesman for State Farm still want to write new business in Texas but it has to make financial sense for us and right now it Rates charged by State Farm which holds about 30 percent of the homeowners market in Texas are not even Roll Out The SAVINGS Visit our new showroom Berbers $1099 ifB hatitad fc pad ml Wbor IWM Textured Plueh 45 os $1 C99 kalrikd wh pad Sid labor Camp ffompMwrlul Grad Cupct Gnat lor rate proparty Comp $1299 Textured Nylon Plueh 36 oz 132- 6yr Mar Mm ribbor Camp 91999 Bealieu Heavy Berber 45 ox $17P- mb lb pad and labor Compmrm Textured Plush 36 oz $132- Apwnmiteiwte teSiubo Camp 91999 Remnants 50-75 Off mm ISCOUMT CARPETS Whether leaving for a weekend or a week the first thing you should do before you go is (all and request a Vacation Pak save your newspapers for you while away and deliver them tt when you return STORE: Kmart shelves picked over for bargains Continued from Pago 1A of the merchandise has been picked over or indiscriminately placed on shelves Before she loads up her car again Contreras estimates she saved more than $700 and spent $70 a pretty good bargain and I mind digging through the Contreras said Everything Asebedo said was for sale Fixtures most of those had already been sold by Sunday afternoon Shelving Office equipment The famous Kmart blue light The Salvation Army he' said scooped that one up wasgoing to buy (the blue he said "I even get a price on it it already flirt" Asebedo jokes with friends now the dimming blue light He may not have gotten away with the blue light but before the door shuts Asebedo will have said over the BA system his favorite line one last time and as always thank you for shopping at Kmart A Vacation Pack will let you catch up on all the news local happenings and sports you missed while vacationing You miss clipping the money-saving coupons And you have to wony about asking your neighbor to pick up the newspaper for you Visit us online toregisterfor your Vacation Pak uHaveasafe and enjoyable trip see you when you get 23rd A No Bryant KFC 653-6659 M-F Sat-6-2 or call our customer service department and ask for the Vacation Pak at 658-3508 or 1-800-588-1884 StakanFFimes.