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The Daytona Beach

News
-
Journal
THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF VOLUSIA & FLAGLER COUNTIES
SUNDAY
EDITION
J U L Y 1 9 , 2 0 0 9
10 sections; 116 pages
TODAYS FORECAST
www.news-journalonline.com FINAL EDITION $1.50
BRITISH OPEN
TomWatson, 59,
maintains his lead
SPORTS, PAGE 1C
On March 16, 1997, 14-year-old Eric Brooks
was shot and killed by Stanley Quaggin. 10-year-old
Jonathan Rentz Eidelbach saw his best friend
die and never stopped blaming himself. He turned
to his journal to pour out his feelings
of guilt, despair and a desire to die.
Eric Brooks
New York Times
At 60 mph, a 16-year-old driver texts
with a friend as a 17-year-old takes the
wheel.
Spotty showers are losing their appeal.
High: Upper 80s. Low: Lower 70s. PAGE 8B
Jonathan
Rentz Eidelbach
Drivers snub
deadly risks,
still talk, text
By MATT RICHTEL
NEW YORK TIMES
OKLAHOMA CITY On his
15th birthday, Christopher
Hill got his first cell phone.
For his 16th, he was given a
used red Ford Ranger pick-
up, a source of pride he
washedeveryweek.
Hill, a student with a rep-
utation for helping neigh-
bors, also took pride in his
driving record. Not a
s p e e d -
ing ticket, not a fender
bender, nothing, he said.
Until last Sept. 3. Hill,
then 20, left the parking lot
of a Goodwill store where
he had spotted a dresser he
thought might interest a
neighbor. He dialed her to
pass alongnews of the find.
Hill was so engrossed in
the call he ran a red light
and didnt notice Linda
Doyles small SUVuntil the
last second. He hit her
going 45 mph. She died
shortlythereafter.
Later, a policeman asked
Hill what color the light had
been. I never saw it, he
answered.
Ext ensi ve research
shows the dangers of dis-
tracted driving. Studies
show drivers using phones
are four times as likely to
cause a crash as other driv-
ers, and the likelihood they
will crash is equal to that of
someone witha 0.08 percent
blood alcohol level, the
point at which drivers are
considered intoxicated. Re-
search also shows hands-
free devices do not elimi-
nate the risks, and may
worsen them by suggesting
the behavior is safe.
A 2003 Harvard study es-
timated cell-phone distrac-
tions lead to 2,600 traffic
deaths every year and
cause 330,000 accidents that
result in moderate or se-
vere injuries.
Yet Ameri cans have
largely ignored that re-
search. I nst ead, t hey
SEE DRIVERS, PAGE 10A
By LYDA LONGA
STAFF WRITER
A
life definedbyguilt
andanguish,
JonathanRentz
Eidelbachwas a
torturedsoul who repeatedly
chaseddeath.
Last year, at age 21,
Jonathangot his wishwhenhe
succumbedto anaccidental
drug andalcohol overdose.
The young manhaddone
nothing wrong he never
pulleda trigger; andhe didnt
abandonhis friend.
More thana decade ago,
Jonathanwatchedhis best
friend, 14-year-oldEric
Brooks, die ona filthyfloor
after a 76-year-oldstranger
shot the teenager. Jonathan
only10 at the time was
hysterical withgrief andfear
as the gunwas pointedat him.
The scene playedover and
over for Jonathan, plaguing
his thoughts anddominating
his life until his owndeath.
He couldnot forgive himself
for surviving it.
Jonathantriedto kill
himself so manytimes, his
mother, RobinKannof
DeLand, recentlyrecalled. He
always blamedhimself for
Erics death.
Nowall three protagonists in
this tragedyset ina claptrap
house ona large, scragglylot
near DeLandare dead.
FLOAT GRAVEYARD
It was March 16, 1997, and
Jonathan and his best friend
Eric were trying to keep
themselves entertained while
Jonathans stepfather, Chris
Rentz, worked in his DeLand
office for a short while. The
Rentz family, accompanied by
Eric, attended church that
Sunday morning and Kann
took her daughters home
while the boys tagged along
with Rentz, who owned a
moving business and
furniture store.
The youngsters wandered
onto the property of Stanley
Quaggin on Parade Circle, a
6-acre lot cluttered with
garbage and the remnants of
old parade floats. The boys
thought the site, about a
block from Rentzs office, just
east of Woodland Boulevard
and off Daytona Road, was a
junkyard.
They were searching for
wood to build a fort as they
made their way through the
unkempt site and came upon
some soft drinks and comic
books outside Quaggins
house. They entered the
SEE SURVIVORS, PAGE 8A
[email protected]
Stanley Quaggin, who
shot and killed Eric
Brooks in 1997, was ac-
quitted of manslaughter
at a second trial in 2000.
Obamas Midas touch
dulls, even with Dems
By BETH FOUHY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK That Midas magic
appears to be losing its luster for
President Barack Obama, even
amongfellowDemocrats.
Conservative House Demo-
crats are balking at the cost and
direction of Obamas health-care
overhaul. A key Senate Demo-
crat, Max Baucus of Montana,
says Obamas opposition to pay-
ing for it with a tax onhealthben-
efits is not helpingus.
Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., tells
his local newspaper that Obama
is tooliberal andis veryunpopu-
lar inhis district.
From his first days in office,
Obamas popularity helped him
pass the $787 billion stimulus
package and fueled his ambitious
SEE OBAMAS, PAGE 10A
Falling Polls:
By the Numbers
Recent national
surveys have
shownadropin
the presidents job
approval rating.
57%
national approval
rating
82%
current approval
among Democrats
92%
approval among
Democrats last
month
Photos courtesy of Robin Kann
Jonathan Rentz Eidelbach, in an undated photo, died last
November of an accidental drug and alcohol overdose at age 21.
In 1997, he witnessed his friend Eric Brooks shot to death by
Stanley Quaggin. Eidelbach never recovered emotionally and
started cutting himself at the age of 12 to deal with his problems.
In this picture, scars and scabs are visible on his arms.
MORE ONLINE
Read our previous coverage of this tragic case.
news-journalonline.com
State Sen. Kings cancer
spreads to other organs
THE FAST LANE
Keepingyouontrackfor today, tomorrow
State Sen. Jim King has suf-
fered a setback in his two-month
fight against pancreatic cancer,
receiving a diagnosis that cancer
has spreadto other organs.
King, a Jack-
sonville Republi-
can and former
Senate president
whose district in-
cludes parts of
Volusia and Flag-
l e r c o unt i e s ,
received the diag-
nosis during the
past week.
Gus Corbella, a former King
chief of staff who is helping serve
as a spokesman, said the sen-
ators family asked that details of
his condition be kept private. But
in responding to e-mailed ques-
tions, Corbella said cancer had
spreadto neighboring organs.
King, 69, was diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer in May and un-
derwent surgery at the Mayo
Clinic in Jacksonville. He re-
leased a memo last month saying
he was moving from the hospital
to a rehabilitation facility can-
cer free.
(Former) President King is
continuing to fight with the pas-
sion and will that has made him
our hero for so many years, Cor-
bella and another former King
aide, Sarah Bascom, said in a
note released Saturday by Senate
President Jeff Atwater.
King, a retired businessman,
was elected to the House in 1986
and moved to the Senate in 1999.
He represents Senate District 8,
which includes parts of Volusia,
Flagler, St. Johns, Duval and Nas-
saucounties.
JimSaunders
New limits
Iraq restricts U.S.
forces.
FIGHT AGAINST
TERRORISM,
PAGE 4A
Not so Grande
These condos have
everything you could want
except for an uncertain future.
YOUR MONEY, PAGE 1D
Astronauts embark
on 1st spacewalk
Lawsuit: Dentist dropped
tools down mans throat
OUTDOORS: Two astronauts ven-
tured out on the first spacewalk of
Endeavours space station visit
Saturday to help install a porch on
Japans expansive lab. Veteran
spaceman David Wolf and rookie
Timothy Kopra got straight to work
as they floated out the hatch.
THE PORCH: Its the third and final
section of the lab and the largest
one at the space station. The work
involved extensive robotics with
both the shuttle and station arms,
as well as a hands-on effort by the
spacewalkers.
GOOD NEWS: Endeavour looks to be
in fine shape for re-entry, although
a review of shuttle photos and oth-
er data continues.
AssociatedPress
BUTTERFINGERS: A Central Florida
dentist is being sued for allegedly
dropping tools down the throat of
90-year-old Charles Gaal Jr.
twice. Relatives recently filed the
suit against Dr. Wesley Meyers for
negligence.
THE CLAIM: The lawsuit says the
doctor dropped an implant
screwdriver tool in 2006 and a
mini-wrench in 2007. The suit
also says Gaal underwent multiple
medical procedures to remove the
tools but never fully recovered. He
suffered a cardiac event in June
2007 and died a few days later.
Meyers was fined $17,000 by the
state a year later.
AssociatedPress
KING
Coming Monday:
Give kids the moon
ACCENT
Quirky bars
Florida has its fair
share of eclectic
pubs.
MY WEEK, PAGE 4F
Abby 2F
Books 8F
Class. 5D, 1E
Deaths 4B
Horoscope 5E
Ideas 6A
Local 1B
Movies 7F
My Week 1F
Nation 3A
Sudoku 2F
TV 10F
World 9A
Your Money 1D
Puzzles are
in Comics
Vol. LXXXVI
No. 200, 10 Sections
NJ 2009
News-Journal Corporation
A Friends Death,
A Survivors Hurt
A Friends Death,
A Survivors Hurt

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