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Culpeper grand jury indicts man on traffic charge Date published: 10/18/2005
By DONNIE JOHNSTON A grand jury yesterday indicted a 29-year-old Culpeper man on a reckless-driving charge stemming from an Aug. 30 accident that seriously injured a Culpeper town police motorcycle officer. Jose Saldana, whose address is listed as Broad Street, was charged with the simple traffic violation by direct indictment following a Virginia State Police accident investigation. Saldana is accused of pulling into the path of Officer Roscoe Barnes on Sperryville Pike during the funeral procession for 10-year-old Nicole Woodward, who had been killed in a school bus accident on Aug. 26. When the procession was stopped, one driver left room for Saldana to exit a side street, according to police sources. Just as he pulled out, Barnes pulled out from behind the last vehicle in the procession in what one source called "just a tragic accident." "After reviewing the state police investigation we feel that the charge is correct," Commonwealth's Attorney Gary Close said following yesterday's grand jury session. Barnes suffered a broken leg, a broken wrist and is still recovering from severe head injuries after being thrown over the hood of Saldana's car. The 45-year-old officer is slowly recovering in a Charlottesville rehabilitation center. Saldana, a legal alien, is scheduled to appear in traffic court at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 8. The grand jury also indicted a third person on charges from the Sept. 5, 2004, beating and robbery of an elderly Jeffersonton couple. The direct indictment charges Chance Daniel Whittington of Front Royal with one count of malicious wounding, one count of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, two counts of robbery, one count of aggravated malicious wounding, one count of breaking and entering and one count of wearing a mask on private property. During the attack, three people broke into the couple's home, then beat up and robbed--at gunpoint --89-year-old Clinton Cunningham and his 81-year-old wife, Mary. Mary Cunningham was cut on the hand in order to make her tell where any money in the home was, according to Sheriff Lee Hart. Money and guns were taken. Two other suspects--29-year-old Mario Holquin Garcia of Winchester and 27-year-old Bryan Anthony Young of Front Royal--were charged earlier this year with robbery and using a firearm in connection with the robbery. In other indictments yesterday, Richard C. Bell of Oaklawn Drive in Culpeper was charged with infected sexual battery or "knowingly and unlawfully" infecting another person with HIV, syphilis, or Hepatitis B, a Class VI felony. The grand jury also indicted Robert Andrew Goudreau Jr. of Front Royal on two counts of uttering, two counts of forgery, one count of forging public records and five counts of embezzlement. The charges stem from automobile transactions when Goudreau was finance manager at Chrysler of Culpeper earlier this year. To reach DONNIE JOHNSTON:
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