Evening star., 1950-03-25
'ProbePressed
.AfterGa||inger
Drug Conviction
Jury Disogrees in
One Theft Charge,
Convicts in Another

pressing Investigations of re-
portedly missing drugs at Gall
linger Hospital, after the con-
viction yesterday of a phar-
macist's aide for stealing three
bottles of chloromycetin from
hospital supplies.
James w. Kinard, 35. colored,
employed at the hospital for
eight years, was found guilty of
the theft by a District Court jury.
At the same time, the panel of
eight men and four women failed
to reach a verdict on a second
charge that Kinard also stole 500
walls of streptomycin from CAL
linger.
Judge T. Alan Goldsborough de-
clared a mistrial on that count Of
the tWo-count indictment against
Kinard. But after dismissing the
jury, he refused to set bond pend
ing retrial, declaring he felt mo
doubt" that Kinard was as guilty
of the streptomycin theft as he
was of the other.
Faces 5-Year Term.
No date for sentencing or re-
trial has yet been announced. The
charge of theft from the District
Government carries a maximum
penalty of a $4,000 fine and five
years Imprisonment.
Several jurors, reached after
their dismissal from the case, de-
clined to comment on the dead
lock involving the streptomycin
theft charge.
In the light of Judge Goldsbor-
ough'S comment regarding that
count, court observers speculated
that the jurors may have been
concerned over the possibility
that Kinard was taking the rap"
or covering up for others.
During the three-day trial, As
sistant United States Attorney
Arthur Mclaughlin had accused
hospital authorities of neglect
and carelessness. The prosecutor
asked the jury to consider. DR..
P. A. E. Stebbing's lack of in
quisitiveness" concerning reports
that from 1000 to 5000 vials of
streptomycin are unaccountably
from Gallinger supplies.
DR.. Stebbing is the hospital su-
perintendent, appointed to that
post last May. after nearly IT
years at Gallinger.
Stebbing Sees Paper Shortage"
Mr.. Mclaughlin also assailed
what he called the efforts of
Charles West, chief pharmacist,
to obstruct police investigation of
the case beginning last November.
On the witness stand, DR.. Steb-
bing declared it was "inconceiv-
able" to him that so much of the
wonder drug could be missing. He
said he is convinced the present
shortage, if any, is paper short
age, rather than an actual one" /"
The superintendent and the
pharmacist also were criticized by
the prosecutor for rehiring Kinard
after his arrest, despite the charge
and despite the defendants record
of three criminal convictions be-
fore employment at Gallinger.
These were for housebreaking
unauthorized use of a car and
petty larceny.
The officials maintained they
thought Kinard honest" and not
guilty of the alleged thefts, despite
the admitted fact that he had free
access to drug supplies previous
to his arrest.
Police Told of Sale.
According to trial testimony,
Kinard was the man who sold a
Northeast Washington doctor 500
walls of streptomycin in a box
marked "Gallinger" last Novem-
ber. The physician notified police.
but by the time police got the box
that part bearing the Gallinger
inscription had inexplicably been
torn off.
Kinard, who lives in the 1000
block of Rosedale street NE. de-
MED both charges throughout, al
though when identified by the
physician and arrested in Janu-
airy he had the three bottles of
chloromycetin in his pockets.
Defense Counsel Thomas Ahern
contended that Kinard intended
to write a hospital requisition for
these bottles later. Mr.. Ahern
argued that the streptomycip walls
never we're identified, other than
circumstantially, as Gallinger
property.