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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 1984)
PrdayJ4qyember30J9B4 C" c"3 cj V aC Ui ft) hrrtl University of Nobrcska-Llncoln Divorce woes lead to threat e" o ( ?. !"-.! F' : ' '' M ? I v-1 ,if j : i i; f v.. j u y v,.. I f "i Vol. 84 No. 60 j TV anfi By Gens Gentrap Bi!y Nebraska Eerier Exporter A man apparently troubled over hte divorce threatened to detonate what he slid was a bomb Thursday in a court troom in the County-City Building. A man authorities identified as Joe Eastman walked into the office of Kathleen Scheer, a court reporter for County Judge Dale Fahrnbruch, shortly after 11:30 am. and demanded to speak with a judge. Scheer said Eastman told her how his divorce case 1V4 years ago "cost him his life." According to Scheer, Eastman told her "I will die again today because IVe taken 100 pills and if that doesn't work the explosives wilL" Eastman then walked into the District No. 5 courtroom, Scheer said. About that time, Chief Deputy Merl Hesser and Deputy Sheriff Mike Novacek entered the courtroom and identified themselves to Eastman. "He said he would explode the bomb and that it contained six to eight ounces of plastic explosives attached to a radio," Hesser said. The fourth floor of the building was immediately evacuated, Hesser said, and shortly thereafter all occupants of the building were asked to leave. Jerry McGinn, Lincoln Fire Prevention Bureau Chief and a close friend of East man's, then entered the courtroom and joined in negotiations with Eastman. McGinn said Eastman indicated he was "very unhappy" with the judges and demanded to see County Judge Robert Camp. Camp presided over Eastman's divorce trial last year. "He was very ups'et about the way the divorce had been handled, about his rights to see his children, and with the party seeing his ex-wife," McGinn said. "He had the intent of taking his life and he said he wanted the judge to see him die n ti ' i i i. 2 P.. I j w vmcxw liiiLi muL in QJf - in the front of the courtroom either by the sleeping pills he said he had taken or by the explosives. "He promised he would negotiate if he could speak to the judge (Camp) on the phone," McGinn said. "At that point I made a move at him and he moved toward me. "Then he said, '111 give you the package when I get a chance to sit down and I see the judge walk in the chamber.' " The three then told Eastman he could see Deputy Sheriff Terry Wagner, who was posing as a judge. McGinn said Eastman wanted only a chance to tell "his story," a chance he claims he didn't get during the trial. Wagner entered the room, approached the bench, and told Eastman if he would hand the bomb over to McGinn, he would listen to Eastman for 10 minutes. Eastman agreed with Wagner, turned to McGinn and said, "this isn't a bomb, it's an AM-FM clock radio." McGinn said . Eastman set the radio on the floor and McGinn picked it up and pulled the radio out of the sack. "I had no doubt before I pulled it out that he was telling the truth (about the clock radio). We didn't see the real Joe Eastman today," McGinn said. Eastman then was arrested and taken to Lincoln General Hospital to check if he had indeed taken a large dosage of pills. He was later transferred to the Lincoln Regional Center, Hesser said. McGinn said that before the divorce, Eastman had been a good parent, a good husband, and always asked, "what can I do to help?" The divorce really hurt him, he said. McGinn said Eastman had moved to California shortly after the divorce. "I told him that he was a good man, that everybody has problems and that his children love him very much and that sometimes these things happen. "It was his day in court after court," McGinn said. Up in Smoke A tsacliy Joha Bsrr of Unsdilla tceUeb past his 1971 Klereoiy siortly after it caoskt fire Ibusdsar sSeracea dsas Highway 2 fcy Desnefc . "I went tapssa car and ell cfths sadden, uotMng bat esak, Barr esid. "Itjcst fried . Judge overrules motion to dismiss Douglas jury; wiH decide location today By Brad Gilford Daily Netraskan Staif Reporter Lancaster County District Judge Cheuvront Thursday overruled a defense motion to dismiss the 24 selected jurors in the triai of Attorney General Paul Douglas and will decide Friday whether to grant another defense request to move the trial out of Lancaster County. - Defense Attorney William Mor row said 15 of the nearly 300 prospective jurors summoned may not be properly registered voters in Lancaster County. Three of those in question are among the selected 24-member group that will be vhittled to form the final 12-member jury. All jurors are required by law to be registered voters of the county where the trial occurs. Morrow said Wednesday that some of the 24 prospective jurors are biased against Douglas and may have lied to be chosen. Morrow based his motion for a change of venue on the results of a study that he said confirm that Defense aide Lin LiSey conduct ed the study by interviewing Lan caster County residents on the telephone. Between 48 and 70 percent of the respondents were biased against Douglas, accord ing to the survey. "It would be impossible to ran domly select a jury panel that would not be contaminated with prejudicial jurors," Lilley said. Morrow has been working to move the trial since the proceed ings began. He motioned in a pretrial conference with Cheuv ront and Special Prosecutor Kirk Naylor to move the proceedings outside Lancaster County, but Cheuvront rejected the request. Morrow said Wednesday that the number of jurors who dis qualified themselves in the selec tion process by reason of precon ceived opinions against Douglas has "got to make you stop and think." The 24 people selected to form the jury arrived as instructed in the morning, but were let go as it became evident that the motions would consume most of the day. Thursday had been targeted as the last day of jury selection. The trial was expected to begin Fri day, but now probably has been delayed until Monday. Continued on Pae 7 fjw- i.J V T';. . . 1' If .. 3 i ' , u , i 4 ssg ? m 1 1 - i ! - 1 i M ; .... t. -. w I - - :l 4. ,i ., i j