NEW CASTLE —
As Virgil Eldon Coonfare spent a day of freedom from jail yesterday, a family overcome with grief buried their child.
Cynthia “Chanet” Clark Jones went to her 7-year-old son’s funeral yesterday, questioning why Coonfare is walking around on the streets.
“He could do this to other people before these tests come back,” she said of blood alcohol tests that will determine if he was impaired when his truck ran over her child.
Octavius James Stone was playing in a yard on Winslow Avenue around 2:15 p.m. Sunday with his 9-year-old friend, Ozzy Velez. Police say Coonfare’s car turned a corner, went into the yard and hit both boys.
Stone died as a neighbor who witnessed the accident comforted him and prayed over him. Velez suffered trauma and bruising and was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital.
New Castle police arrested Coonfare after the accident and have charged him with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, aggravated assault by vehicle and DUI. He had been in jail without bond until Thursday, when the court set a bond at $25,000 and he posted bail.
“My son was 7 years old. He was perfect,” a devastated Jones said yesterday, going into the church. “Now he doesn’t have a chance to do anything. Our son was a hero. I just don’t understand how (Coonfare) could be released. It’s not fair.”
She and other family members attended the calling hours and service in white T-shirts with Octavius’ picture on them, remembering him as a “superhero.”
(Reporter Debbie Wachter has the complete story in the Weekend edition of The News.)
TOP STORIES
Related Photos
-
New Castle police chief Bobby Salem presents an honorary badge to the family of Octavius Stone. They included Octavius’ mother, Cynthia ‘Chanet’ Clark Jones, his two younger sisters, Madison and Cadence Jones on her lap, his father, Kristoffer Stone, and stepfather, Todd Jones. Erica Galvin
-
Ozzy Velez, 9, who was injured in the accident that killed his friend, Octavius Stone, leaves the church yesterday with his mother, Nataly Velez, after offering their condolences. Erica Galvin
Discussion
Octavius Stone Funeral: Family, friends and public servants pay respects to young ‘superhero’
- TOP STORIES
-
-
Police arrest four in Union Township drug raid
Four people were arrested and drugs and a gun were confiscated Wednesday when police raided a house in Union Township. Union Township police, with the Lawrence County District Attorney’s Drug Task Force and New Castle police special response team and narcotics unit, served a sealed search warrant at 27 Spring St. just before 6:30 a.m.
-
Primary 2013: Clarification offered on local voting results
Rosemary Henderson won a Republican nomination for a four-year term on New Castle City Council in Tuesday’s primary.
-
Primary 2013: Former superintendent earns New Castle board nomination
Voters nominated four candidates for four-year terms in each of Lawrence County’s eight school districts yesterday. New Castle and Ellwood City had candidates running on one ballot only, but all others crossfiled, meaning they appeared on both Republican and Democratic ballots.
-
Primary 2013 Briefs: Voters stay home in droves
Less than one-fifth of Lawrence County’s eligible voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s primary. The Lawrence County Board of Elections reported that 9,291 — or 17.1 percent — of the 54,342 eligible voters turned out Tuesday.
-
Primary 2013: Former mayor wins city council nomination
New Castle City Council will have three new members next year as a result of Tuesday’s primary. Tim Fulkerson and Anthony J. Adamo won the two Democratic nominations for four-year terms.
-
Primary 2013: Township voters nominate supervisors, auditors, tax collectors
Voters selected their candidates for township offices in Lawrence County Tuesday. Voters in all 16 townships will elect one supervisor each to six-year terms.
-
Lawrence County Primary 2013
The New Castle News is covering the 2013 primary in Lawrence County with stories, photo galleries and video clips from local polling places.
-
Primary 2013: Six candidates seeking City Council nominations
Six Democratic candidates are seeking their party’s nominations for three seats in Tuesday’s primary. Voters will nominate two candidates on both Republican and Democratic ballots for four-year terms and one candidate for a two-year term.
-
New Castle Schools: District answers two state audit findings
New Castle school district administration answered two of the findings in a state auditor general’s preliminary report. The audit, which has not yet been finalized, covered the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years. The preliminary report also contains an observation, which the district answered.
-
New Castle Schools: Finding pinpoints nonpaying out-of-district pupils
New Castle school board members are waiting for the final determinations of a state audit that contained three preliminary findings. Earlier this month the board publicly discussed those findings from the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years, and the district administration has responded to two of them to the Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General.
- More TOP STORIES Headlines
-
