Sat Truck Duties

It seems lately I've been trading in most of my camera duties to fill in on the satellite truck. As a backup operator I haven't been on the old truck much because we've been training another photog to help out when Danny and I are out. But on Friday, I got the call to roll to Rockingham County to meet up with the truck on the scene of a reported home invasion and murder.

Brent and I rolled out of the bureau and were on the scene in less than an hour and met up with Chris Weaver, who'd been there since early that morning. Chris had already bagged an interview and was getting ready for another when we rolled up. I took the keys to the sat truck as our Operations Manager took my car back to High Point. I'd have to pick it up when I returned the sat truck to her parking spot.

We scrambled to get things set up in time for a noon live shot, but with three news veterans with over 30 years between them, it really wasn't much of a scramble.

After lunch we headed to the Sheriff's department for a press conference on what might have happened to the poor lady who was murdered early that morning. As we walked in we were greeted with a couple of cameras pointed at a wall of glass, the booking area. Of course, instinct took over for both Chris and myself and as he shouldered his camera, I knew I had time to get mine on the sticks since he had it covered. It turns out we both had plenty of time as the deputies who escorted the accused killer were in no hurry to fingerprint this guy. So, who was he? The lady's grandson. Sheriff Sam Page tells us he made up the home invasion story and actually killed his grandmother himself.

He wasn't too happy to see us lined up behind the glass either. Flipping us a couple of birds and more than a few expletives, we had bagged some of the best video in months. But it wasn't until he saw his cousin that he really went into a rage.... these two stills I caught as he was hurling loogies in our direction. Luckily the glass took the brunt of his barrage.