Evening star., 1928-12-16
TWO JURORS TAKEN
ON LIQUOR CHARGE
AFTER PRISON VISIT
Fairfax Policeman Arrests
Grand Jurymen Returning
From 0ccoquan.
OFFICER SAYS WHISKY
IN CAR WHEN CAPTURED
W. H. 0ntrich Pays $1s Fine,
While E. c. Crouch Gives $500
Bond in Three Cases.

Arrested by Virginia police while
returning from the District grand iury's
customary inspection of the Occoquan
workhouse last Thursday, one member
of the present grand jury was fined sl8
on an intoxication charge and another
| was released under $500 bond for action
of the Fairfax County grand jury on
| charges of driving while drunk, reckless
| driving and intoxication.
The grand juror held on the three
charges is Edwin c. Crouch of 909
Fourteenth street southeast. The
juryman who paid the $18 fine is Will
liam H. Ontrich, 1923 Connecticut aye
nue.. Both were accompanied by az
other grand juror, against whom no
charges were made.
United States Attorney Leo A. Rover
; making thorough investigation of
: the affair, particularly as to the con-
dition of the grand jurors when they
were making their inspection of the
workhouse. He would not indicate
what action he might take until he
has completed his investigation.
The three turymen left Washington
Thursday morning in Crouch'S car am
drove to Occoquan. They spent the day
inspecting conditions at the workhouse
concerning which they, with the other
Jurors, must make a report before re-
firing, and started back to Washington
Shortly before O'Clock that afternoon.
A lew miles the other side of Acco-
tlnk. Va. they were stopped by Motor
Cycle Officer Louis Finks of the Fair
fax County police. Finks alleges thev
were driving at a speed of SIS miles al,
hour and that he rode alongside their
machine, blowing his whistle. for nearly
mile before they stopped.
After roadside argument, in the
course OF which Crouch says the DO
liceman menaced him with a pistol.
tiey we're taken before Justice of the
Peace Harry Shepherd, at Accotink.
Inere Ofiicer Finks preferred the
charges against Crouch and Ontrich.
Crouch Held For Jury.
Mr. Shepherd levied and collected the
f1ne against Ontrich. but having no au-
thority to preside in cases involving
JAN sentences, he simply ordered
Crouch held for the Fairfax County
grand jury under $500 bond.
A quart bottle, containing a small
quantity OF liquid which the police
man said was whisky, was taken from
the car and turned over to the clerk
OF the court of Fairfax County. Mr..
Crouch will appear before the grand
jury on the third Monday in January.
Both Officer FiIiks and the Justice of
the peace say Crouch admitted taking
something to drink before leaving Oc-
eoquan. This charge, however, Is de-
MED by Crouch. who tells a somewhat
different story of his arrest.
Before leaving Washington" Crouch
SAID, several OF us drank a pint of
wild cherry. There might have been
little whisky in it-I don know. But
that was before IL o'clock In the morn
ing and that was all we had to drink
that day.
We had completed the usual In
spection tour of Occoquan and were
coming back to Washington when I
saw the policeman riding a motor cycle
beside us and waving to me to stop.
pulled over to the side and got out
OF my machine. He demanded to know
why l was driving 55 miles an hour.
That struck me as ridiculous inaSmuch
as We were driving along in a string
OF cars at speed of not more than
80 miles an hour. and / offered to
give him my car If he could make it
go 55 an hour
"He wouldn't discuss the matter and
ordered me to get in and drive TO
Accotink. / told him would do MOTH
ing OF the kind and that if he wanted
to go to Accotink he would have to
furnish the transportation. That
seemed to make him angry and ne
took his pistol from its holster and
again ordered me to get in the car.
Seeing the kind of man I was up
against / did as he told me-
Plans Court Fight.
I'm Accotink we were taken before
a justice of the peace who would not
listen to anything We had to say. Mr..
Ontrich spoke up and he was fined
$l8. / saw what We were up against
and decided the best thing for me 70
do was to keep quiet. I'm not through
with this affair yet, however, and ]
intend to fight the charges against me
in court"
Crouch said he did not know what
the bottle found in his car contained.
My wife and / frequently take our
baby out for rides in the evening" he
said, ''and several times on these trips
We have stopped to buy a bottle Of
orangeade. Several days prior to my
oAACsS NSAt W my garage ana saw
one OF these orangeade bottles standing
on shelf. / asked a mechanic what
ne used 1t for and he replied that it
was used in carrying oil.
i told him to give me the bottle
and that / would take 1t back and COL
lect the deposit left on it, He put il
in the back of the car and that was the
last time l thought Of 1t until the
policeman took it out
There was SOmethfOO of q hrourr;SL
color In 1t. 1t might have been oil. or
II might have been whisky left there
by one OF my mechanics don't
know"
ontrieh readily admitted last night
that he had pleaded guilty to the
charge OF tntoxication. He said that
the Virginia officer had taken an empty
bottle from the machine which he
could not account for and that they
had drunk some wine before they start
ed on the trip.
Stops Check Payment.
After the charges had been fled at
Accotink, Crouch was taken to Alexan-
dria where Jesse Thomas, a profess
Sional bondSman, furnished the re-
quired $500. Crouch gave Thomas a
check for $50 to cover his premium,
but on reaching Washington decided to
stop payment on the check. He said he
took this action on the advice of friends
who told him that he was being held
up"
When advised that payment on the
check had been stopped. Thomas went
Continued on PaSs 5. coluaaA -