Evening star., 1954-05-21
Berserk Private
Likely 70 Avoid
Prosecution
Pierrou Is Meek
On His Return to
Walter Reed
A 24-year-old mentally i'll Army

A Z4-year-oIo mentally Ill Army
private who ran berSerk in
Montgomery County before meek
ly surrendering to Baltimore
police yesterday, probably will
escape formal prosecution, it ap-
peared today.
Back in Walter Reed Hospital.
from which he escaped over a
10-foot fence Wednesday morn
ing, Pvt. Fred C. Pjerrou. was
being kept under close super
vision.
Hospital authorities are TAX
ing the view that Pvt. Pjerrou,
a former University of Maryland
student and highly regarded in
the community before his illness.
was incapable of controlling his
actions.
They said the Army will at
tempt to learn all the facts Of
his wild spree, to establish be-
yond a doubt that it was he who
assaulted two men, taking their
truck and car; terrorized a
mother and her five children for
six hours, stole another truck,
clothing and money, all in less
than "a hours.
Police Seek Interview.
Capt. M. B. Dayhof of the
Montgomery County police, who
staged a huge manhunt yester-
day, said his Office will seek to
interview Pvt. Pjerrou at the
hospital.
He personally is satisfied that
the soldier was the man who
stalked into the farm home of
Mrs. Charles Thomas, 80, near
Gaithersburg, Md, and slashed
her and one of her small chill
dren while holding them captive.
Capt. Dayhof said.
The captain said the car which
Pvt. Pjerrou took from Walter j.
Misiewicz, IS, of 5210 Alton street
Sc, soon after his break for
freedom, was found yesterday
afternoon about two miles west
of the Thomas home.
He said the clothing the SOL
dier was wearing when captured
answered the description of that
stolen from the Thomas home.
County Won't Push Charge.
Montgomery County police
have no intention of pressing
charges against Pvt. Pjerrou be-
cause of his mental state, Capt.
Dayhoff added.
The quiet surrender Of the
hunted man came as a distinct
anticlimax to the frantic
search.
He was seen walking along
Pier 8 at Pratt street on. Balti-
more's waterfront yesterday aft
ernoon. His strange actions
brought Police Sergt. Christie
pher Schemm and two patrol
men. Asked his name, the
soldier Immediately identified
himself and put up no struggle.
Police found on him a knife
which Capt. Dayhof said was
taken from the car stolen in the
Washington getaway. Pvt. Pier
rou also had three cans Of sar-
dimes taken from the Thomas
home in his pockets.
Described as Meek.
An ambulance returned the
soldier to Walter Reed Hospital.
An officer who talked to him last
night said he was mild and
meek-but that's the way he was
before"
These things come on sud-
denly he said-a brainstorm.
Pvt. Pjerrou had been improving
under shock therapy and had
been given more liberties as is
customary as patients improve.
After this, Of course, he is back
under close supervision"
Before the break Wednesday
and the subsequent attacks, Pvt.
Pjerrou had had q spotless rec
ord in both civilian and Army
life.
A woman who lived across the
street from him for eight years
in the TOO block of McNeill road,
Silver Spring. characterized him
as "a boy I'd like to have had
for a son." She thought so much
of him that her family once
took him on a months tour of
New England as company for
their daughter, she said.
Last october he interrupted an
accountancy course at the Uni
verSity of Maryland to take his
Army training. Friends said he
did not try to defer it, but was
eager to serve. He had been Sc
lected for training in code work,
which required FBI clearance.
Friends said he had been work.
ing 18 hours a day with his
routine Army work. plus the
training in cryptography, and
that the strain undoubtedly had
led Tn his CRACKING m