Duke University News Briefs, July 9, 2004

Charges in Forest assault

Duke Police have filed updated charges against a man being held in connection with two separate attacks Saturday of female joggers in Duke Forest.

On June 28, police charged Fernando Guillen Asta, 32, of 2920 Colonial Apartments, 61-C, with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and attempted first-degree rape, Maj. Phyllis Cooper of Duke Police said.

Asta was being held at the Durham County Jail with bail set at $350,000, Cooper said.

The new charges are related to the second incident in Duke Forest on June 26. In that incident, a woman was stabbed in the abdomen as she jogged near NC 751, west of Old Erwin Road, Cooper said.

The woman was found lying on the path by a man who notified Duke Police. She remains at Duke University Hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, Duke Police said.

About 20 minutes before this stabbing incident, another female jogger in Duke Forest was confronted by a man who jumped out of the bushes and stood in her path, Cooper said. The woman managed to run away and call police from a nearby food market.

On Saturday night, Asta was stopped by Duke Police as he left Duke Forest, not far from where the second attack occurred. The woman in the first incident identified him as her assailant. After appearing before a Durham magistrate, Asta was cited with simple assault in connection with the first incident.

Subsequent investigation revealed that Asta was also wanted by the Durham Police Department for failure to appear in court on charges of attempted rape and attempted kidnapping, stemming from a 2001 incident on the American Tobacco Trail in southern Durham.

Cooper said Duke Police are also continuing to investigate whether Asta was involved in a June 19 attack in Duke Forest. In that incident, a woman told police she was jogging near the intersection of NC 751 and U.S. 70 at 5:35 p.m. when a man holding a pair of kitchen shears stopped her and demanded she go into the woods with him. The woman managed to escape unharmed.

Cooper said Duke Police posted fliers in the forest after the June 19 incident, warning people of the attempted attack and asking for anyone with information to contact police. Following Saturday's attacks, additional fliers have been posted and Duke Police have stepped up patrols in the forest.

Anyone with information on any of the incidents is asked to call Duke Police at 684-2444 or 1st Sgt. Gary Smith at 684-6424.

Agreement with Santillans

Duke University Health System and the family of Jesica Santillan, who died after a botched transplant operation, have reached a settlement. The details of the agreement have been sealed by the court.

"We believe the agreement the court has approved is fair and equitable for both the Santillan family and for Duke," William J. Fulkerson, M.D., chief executive officer of Duke University Hospital, said.

"We mourn the death of Jesica Santillan and remain committed to learning from this tragedy to benefit others. Duke University Health System has established additional patient-safety programs to ensure that the procedural errors that occurred in this case cannot be repeated. Equally important, the safety of the nation's organ transplant system has been significantly strengthened. All who will receive life-saving organ transplants in the future will benefit from these important changes."

White powder

A Duke mail processing facility on Hillsborough Road was closed Tuesday and some 60 employees placed in quarantine after employees discovered a tan, powdery substance of unknown original. Preliminary tests taken that day confirmed that the suspicious substance was not anthrax, ricin or other potential toxins.

The employees were released from quarantine Tuesday afternoon following the tests.

A Duke team of occupational and environmental safety, infection control and employee health experts as well as representatives from Duke Police worked with the employees. City officials (including the Department of Health, Durham Police, Durham Fire, and Emergency Medical Services) also participated.

"All measures were taken to keep the affected employees informed about the situation and to make sure that all appropriate measures were taken to ensure their safety," said Wayne Thomann, director of occupational and environmental safety. "I want to personally commend all of the individuals who helped today. It was an outstanding example of how well Duke and Durham officials can work together to for the safety and welfare of our campus and community."

Musicals head to Duke

Season tickets are now on sale for the 2004-05 Broadway at Duke series, which includes four Broadway musicals and a preview of a new musical on its way to Broadway.

Tickets for the performances, presented by the Duke Union, are now on sale at the Bryan Center Box Office. To receive an order form, stop by or call the box office 684-4444.

This year's lineup consists of:

-- "Little Women - The Musical." Series date choice of Oct. 19 or 20 -- "Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk." Jan. 20, 2005. -- "Contact." Feb. 7, 2005. -- "Grease." March 29, 2005. -- "The Full Monty." April 19, 2005.

Season tickets are $185, $165, and $145 for the general public; $110, $90, and $70 for Duke students. Duke faculty and employees can purchase tickets by six-month payroll deduction.

Healing art exhibit

The Durham Art Guild (DAG) and Health Arts Network at Duke (HAND), will co-sponsor their first Healing Art exhibit at Duke Medical Center in July. The juried show will run until July 30, with an opening reception today (Friday) from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Mars Display Case in Duke Hospital.

"We were delighted when DAG board member Lori Leachman (a Duke professor of the practice of economics) approached us to partner with the guild," said Linda Belans, HAND director. "The Healing Art Exhibit launches our Community Partnership month."

For more information, call 684-6124 or e-mail linda.belans@duke.edu.

Simplify your life

Health promotion practitioner Julie Kosey will give a talk on "Simplify Your Life" as part of the Duke Prospective Health Seminar Series at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 20, in the Duke Clinic amphitheatre, room 091.

Advance registration is required for the talk, which will focus on advice to improve daily productivity and to better set priorities. For more information, call 684-1990.

Obituaries

Dorothy Haithcock, a retired environmental services employee, died June 12. She worked at Duke from 1975 to 1998. Francise Owens, a retired Heart Station employee, died June 11. She worked at Duke from 1974 to 2003. Fannie W. Hall, an employee in the radiology department, died June 7. She began work at Duke in 1988. Emma Joyner, an environmental services worker, died June 3. She began work at Duke in 1987. Veronia Montgomery, a former East Campus housekeeping employee, died June 1. She worked at Duke from 1976 to 2002. Thomas Green, a former OIT computing operations worker, died May 18. He worked at Duke from 1978 to 1996.