New trial upheld for man convicted of raping three teen-agers

COLUMBUS - A federal appeals court has upheld a decision granting a new trial to a former Fort Benning soldier convicted of raping three Harris County teen-agers in 1987. <br> <br> The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the 1988 trial of Russell R. Burton violated fair trial standards when then-District Attorney Doug Pullen repeatedly used the 19-year-old defendant&#39;s right to remain silent to persuade a jury that Burton had stalled for time to manufacture a defense. <br> <br> The decision forwarded Tuesday to principals in the case affirms a similar ruling in May by U.S. District Court Judge Hugh Lawson. <br> <br> Pullen is now a judge of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit Superior Court. District Attorney Gray Conger, who succeeded Pullen, said he was considering an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. <br> <br> ``If that appeal is not pursued, we&#39;ll have to make a decision whether to retry,&#39;&#39; Conger said. <br> <br> Burton, 34, is at Ware State Prison in Waycross, where he will remain until there is a court order for his release, Department of Corrections spokeswoman Peggy Chapman said.<br> <br> <br> <br> Perimenter College plans campus at horse park<br> <br> CONYERS, Ga. (AP) Georgia Perimeter College plans a campus at the Georgia International Horse Park, ending a long search for reliable revenue for the Rockdale County attraction. <br> <br> Georgia Perimeter president Jacquelyn Belcher said Tuesday that construction on a 100,000-square-foot facility could begin next fall if the Board of Regents approves the plan for the 1996 Olympic equestrian venue. <br> <br> The city of Conyers would build the facility for about $25 million and lease it to the college, according to Dean Alford, incoming president of the Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce. <br> <br> School officials said 2,000 students would arrive in the fall of 2003, with an additional 3,000 in the next four years. The school would replace Georgia Perimeter&#39;s 1,100-student Rockdale Center for Higher Education. <br> <br> The campus would provide the park with dependable yearly income, unlike weekend festivals and concerts. Civic leaders also hope for additional property taxes from retailers and fast food chains likely to be built around the park, which is located off Ga. 138 about 5 miles north of Interstate 20.