A Guest of the Islamic Jihad

Inside: Today’s Trail Plus Sports/page B 1 Friday edition October 5, 2001 Estes Park, Colorado www.eptrail.com Volume 32, Number 25 50¢ Community/page A 6 A guest of the Islamic Jihad I Former hostage relates his experience from six and one half years of captivity in Lebanon by religious extremist group By JAY GENTILE said in an interview in prisoners. They locked him The trio was later joined On June 9, 1985, a little Estes Park Wednesday. “I in a six-foot by six-foot cell by David Jacobsen, the brown car carrying four spent the next six and a in a Beirut apartment and director of the American Lebanese men with sub- half years as a guest of left him with his thoughts University Hospital in machine guns sideswiped Islamic Jihad.” for a month. Beirut, and Terry Ander- the Chevrolet Caprice that Sutherland, a Fort The captors placed a son, the Associated Press’ was taking Tom Suther- Collins resident who had large steel sheet over the chief correspondent for the land from the Beirut air- spent 25 years as a profes- window, blocking out air Middle East. port to his job site at the sor at Colorado State Uni- and sunlight. A paisley Sutherland and the 53 American University of versity, left CSU in 1983 to cloth blindfold sat on his other Western hostages Beirut. take the position as dean forehead at all times, and were moved frequently, The screaming men in at the highly-respected had to be pulled down over usually chained to the wall the car then cut off the university in war-torn his eyes whenever the of their new cell by their Caprice, forcing it to a Beirut. He spends much of guards entered his pres- ankles or occasionally by halt. Along came another his summers at his cabin ence. the wrist. car complete with four in Estes Park’s Tahosa The paranoid captors Sutherland himself “did more men and their sub- Valley. feared the hostages would time” in 16 different loca- machine guns. One of the He knew the risks later identify them to the tions — nine in Beirut, men ordered Sutherland to inherent in the job, but CIA. They were especially four in southern Lebanon get into their car. admits being a bit naive. suspicious of Sutherland, across the road from Israel Sutherland, the dean of His naiveté was shattered whose possession of an and three in the Bekaa the American University of on January 18, 1984, when article on Islam at the Valley of northern Beirut’s College of Agricul- the university’s president time of his kidnapping con- Lebanon. Time spent in ture, had been kidnapped. was gunned down in his vinced the men that he any one location varied He was thrown in the office. was a member of the CIA. from one week to 18 trunk of the kidnappers’ But Sutherland was After a month, he was months. car. When the trunk determined not to leave. In joined in captivity by a But many things opened a few harrowing order to recruit more Presbyterian minister and painfully remained the minutes later, Sutherland Americans to come to the a Catholic priest named same over his 77 months of was greeted by the bright university, he left Lebanon Father Martin, to whom captivity. Besides being Lebanon sunshine and a on May 19, 1985 but quick- Sutherland was chained in woken up at dawn by the crowd of 30 to 40 men ly returned on June 9 — his cell. prayer call of the Shiite and was promptly kid- “I was chained to Father Muslims, Sutherland could chattering in Arabic. “Cov- Photo by Jay Gentile er the eyes,” one of the napped. Martin and Father Martin count on the same three men said in English. He was given no reason was chained to the wall,” meals a day every day. “That was the last time for his kidnapping, as his said Sutherland. “I’d never Breakfast and dinner Tom Sutherland recounted his six and one half years of I saw the sun for six and a captors seldom engaged in been that close to a consisted of a piece of pita captivity by the Islamic Jihad during an interview discussion with political Catholic priest in my life.” Wednesday in Estes Park. half years,” Sutherland See Guest: Page A 2 Impatient hunter pays a hefty price I pulling exotic plants or restoring Matheson man campgrounds. convicted of illegally “We’re very pleased with the fine,” said Park ranger Doug Rid- killing a six-point bull ley. “Hopefully, this will send a message to potential poachers. elk in RMNP We need to make a statement By JAY GENTILE about removing a large bull in its genetic prime from the ecosys- It was just hours before the tem.” onset of hunting season last year, According to officials, the story but Jeffery Belveal just couldn’t began last year at approximately wait. And now he has to pay the 2 a.m. October 21, 2000, when price for illegally killing an elk Belveal drove through Rocky within the boundaries of Rocky Mountain National Park’s Fall Mountain National Park. River entrance with a high-pow- On September 25, 2001, ered rifle, on his way to a legal Belveal, a resident of Matheson, hunt on the western slope which was convicted of taking wildlife was set to commence at dawn. from a national park under the Then he spotted a herd of elk Lacey Act. Violations of the Lacey in Horseshoe Park. He picked out Act are the most serious crimes the largest bull and parked his for taking and transporting car, positioning the headlights in wildlife in the country for federal the direction of the herd. areas. Then he pulled the trigger, Under the terms of a plea ending the life of a six-point bull Photos by Walt Hester agreement with prosecutors of that was grazing about 75 yards the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Den- from the side of the road. ver, Belveal was fined $2,000, “He dropped the elk with one sentenced to 100 hours of commu- shot,” said Ridley. “Being Park nity service and received a life- elk, they are very accustomed to time revocation of his hunting cars and headlights.” privileges within eight Rocky Belveal then drove into the Mountain states. meadow, gutted the animal and The sight Half of the fine will go to the loaded it into his car. He hid the court, the other half to the animal in a ditch on the western National Park Service in Wash- slope until enough time passed to and sound ington D.C. The community ser- make it appear as through he vice will be carried out either for had killed the elk during the the Division of Wildlife or within legal, post-dawn hunting hours. of education Rocky Mountain National Park, Later that day, he took the in which case he would likely per- animal to a processing plant in form Park project work like See Hunter: Page A 2 Volunteer Ann Dinsmoore (top photo) checks the hearing of 3rd-grader Dustin Hays on this past Wednesday. Building permits skyrocket Pictured on the left is Emily Betts, an Estes Park 5th-grader, as she reads the Building permits issued by the Town of Estes Park reached a lines for optometrist Dr. Langley Parker valuation of $2,788,934 in September, well exceeding the $612,309 at the Estes Park Intermediate School in valuation issued last September. on Wednesday. Parker was one of This caused year-to-date valuation to pull ahead of last year, many volunteers who offered his time when $15,950,964 in valuation was issued — versus $16,608,524 to screen students for possible hearing in valuation through this September. and sight problems. Colorado requires Permits for new construction included those issued for Bill Web- all of its 3rd and 5th-grade students be ber, 2845 Kiowa Trail, new single family detached log dwelling, given vision and hearing tests. $341,347; Richard Volkstorf, 2017 Uplands Circle, new single family detached dwelling, $461,392; Richard H. Willie Trust, 1502 & 1504 Raven Circle, new two-unit condominium, $263,586; Jay & Carol LLC, 2051 Big Thompson Ave., SK-2, new detached accommodation cabin, $27,013; Jay & Carol LLC, 2051 Big Thompson Ave., SK-3, new detached accommodation cabin, $27,013; Jay & Carol LLC, 2051 Big Thompson Ave., SK-4, new detached accommodation cabin, $27,013; Jay & Carol LLC, 2051 Big Thompson See Permits: Page A 3 Page A 2 The Trail-Gazette, Friday, October 5, 2001 Guest: Former CSU professor spent over six year as captive Continued from page A 1 bread with processed cheese wrapped inside, along with a cup of “terri- ble” bitter stewed tea. It was the same meal for 2,354 days — except every six months or so when the cheese was substituted for yogurt. Lunch was rice and beans. The guards did not tor- ture the men, but did not react with understanding when the men failed to obey their orders. Big bull elk such as this one spotted in Estes Park One day, Sutherland recently, provide a sometimes too enticing shot for peeked out from beneath impatient hunters. his filthy blindfold and was punished with the Hunter: Tips led to conviction beating of his life. Continued from page A 1 “They took me into cell 11 and laid me on my Kremmling. Four days later, the Colorado Division of back,” he describes in his Wildlife received a tip that this animal may have been 1996 book, At Your Own the same one taken from the Park — whose gut pile was Risk, which chronicles the left behind.

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