The State : Singleton Suit Dropped

Mary Vincent, who as a teen-ager in 1978 was raped and mutilated, has dropped her attempt to collect a $2.56-million judgment from her attacker because she is satisfied that he has not sold film or book rights to his story, her lawyer said. Tustin attorney Mark E. Edwards said he met last weekend with Lawrence Singleton, now out of prison, and learned that his only income is a $600 monthly Social Security payment. Singleton said in a deposition that he has only $200 in the bank, is jobless, has a kidney ailment and owns no real property. Singleton, who served eight years of a 14-year prison sentence, has had difficulty finding a community that will accept him. The disclosure two days ago that he was staying in the Contra Costa County town of Pinole caused an immediate uproar there. Mayor Phil Green demanded that he be expelled and threatened to ask for the National Guard to do it. Police said Singleton was expected to leave in two or three days. Vincent was 15 when Singleton picked her up as a hitchhiker, raped her and hacked off her forearms.