Evening star., 1950-03-23
Bond, jailed on
12-Year Term
Veteran Found GuiIty
As insanity Plea
In Attack Fails

llngton jail today, sentenced to Il
years imprisonment for invading
the home of a young Arlington
couple, but he was still hopeful
OF getting out on bond for psy-
chiatric treatment.
The Arlington policemen's three
day trial came to a close at 1910
pm. last night when the 12-man
jury brought in a guilty verdict
on charge of housebreaking with
intent to rob and rape. The case
had gone to the jury five hours
and 20 minutes earlier.
Jury Foreman Homer F. Gillian,
5841 North Fifteenth street, Ar
lington, announced to the waiting
courtroom:
I'VE, the jury, find the defend
ant guilty as charged on both
counts"
Dodson's wife, sitting in the
front row, gasped, mo, no. no.
She then broke into sobs and con-
tinued crying until after she bid
farewell to her husband and was
taken away by relatives.
Dodson Calm.
More than a dozen of DodSon' S
relatives, including his father,
heard the verdict. and tears came
to their eyes. Dodson himself took
the news with stony calmness.
Throughout his trial, Dodson, 81,
said he remembered nothing of
the episode last September % at
the home of Mr.. and Mrs. H. Jack
Bartels, 2810-B South Sixteenth
road. Arlington. He was convicted
of forcing his way into the home
at pistol point, forcing them to
disrobe and then making indecent
advances to Mrs. Bartels.
His right leg is still in a cast.
1t was shattered by shot fired by
neighbor when Dodson tried to
escape. after a struggle with Mr..
Bartels. .>
Dodson's attorneys. John Paul
Jones and Frank L. Ball, said they
will appear before Judge Walter
T. Mccarthy on Monday to seek
bond so Dodson can begin psy-
chiatric treatment. Judge Earl
L. Abbott, a visiting judge from
the 10Th Virginia Circuit, presid-
ed at the trial and denied the
bond without prejudice"
Also Plan Appeal.
Dodson's lawyers also said they
will appeal the conviction.
Motions to set aside the verdict
made by Mr.. Jones and Mr.. Ball
after the verdict. also were denied
by Judge Abbott. -
Mr.. Jones told the judge:
"Dodson still is in need of medi-
cal care. He can't get it at the
jail. The human thing would be
to grant him bond"
Dodson has been without bond
because death was possible pun
ishment for the crime with which
he was charged. During the trial,
defense psychiatrists testified Dod-
son was a mental case similar to
an "unexploded bomb" which
went off on September 80, to sub
stautiate his defense of temporary
insanity.
Dodson's attorneys asked for
acquittal on the ground of tenn
porary insanity and promised
that. if released, he would be sent
to a veterans hospital for psychi-
atric treatment.
Three Possible Verdicts.
The jury had three possible ver-
diets on each of the two counts
guilty, not guilty or not guilty be-
cause of temporary insanity. A
guilty verdict on one or both
counts placed on the jury the re-
sponsibility of deciding whether
Dodson should get death or from
5 to 18 years in prison.
Dodson relied heavily on his
contention that he suffered a
brain injury during World War II,
when he was blown out of his
shoes while fighting a fire on a
crashed bomber.
Turn this soldier loose from
this terrible charge which he
didn't know he was doing" Mr..
Ball pleaded. LET him go to a
veterans hospital for treatment,
where hundreds of others like him
are being treated"
Commonwealth's Attorney Den
man T. Rucker, in his summa ton
to the jury, said Dodson's acts
were those of a man in a highly
emotional state. bent on satisfy
ing sexual urge, not those of an
insane person"
C:I.