Joggiing drunk with pellet firing training rifle = terrorist act

[Chee-to]

<broken link removed>

William Everett Alemar was 'highly intoxicated,' prosecutor says

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. (AP) - A prosecutor says a Virginia National Guard member was "highly intoxicated," more than double the legal limit for drivers, when police arrested him for running near two Martinsburg schools in desert camouflage and toting an AR-15 training rifle.

William Everett Alemar's blood-alcohol content was more than 0.20 percent, Berkeley County Prosecutor Pamela Games-Neely said Thursday. West Virginia's threshold for drivers is 0.08 percent.

Games-Neely also said the terrorism charge filed against Alemar is the right one for the circumstances.

Her office charged Alemar with committing a terrorist act after police found him Monday carrying two knives and several unloaded ammunition clips, and wearing a bulletproof vest.

"That is not to say that there are not other issues going on with this young man," Games-Neely told The Journal, adding that her office is working with several agencies to gather information.

Alemar was being held on $50,000 bond at the Eastern Regional Jail. He has a preliminary hearing set for Aug. 29 in Berkeley County Magistrate Court.

Defense attorney Kevin Mills said earlier this week his team was evaluating whether Alemar may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Mills didn't immediately return a message about his client Thursday.

"The reality of the thing is you have a veteran who has returned behaving in this manner which causes the public to be very upset," Games-Neely said, "so we have to figure out what this behavior is and why this occurred at this level."

Alemar is charged with violating a state law covering acts that are likely to result in serious bodily injury or intended to intimidate or coerce the civilian population.

If convicted, he faces as many as three years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines.

Alemar could get another two to 10 years if convicted of a related charge, wearing body armor while committing a felony offense.

Essentially, Games-Neely said, his behavior constituted a threat - particularly coming shortly after a deadly shooting in a Colorado movie theater.

"If you saw this young man walking into a movie theater after Aurora," she said, "what do you think?"

Police discovered after they arrested Alemar that the gun he was carrying fires pellets, not live rounds.

Stephen Alemar has said his son graduated from Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Va., and joined the National Guard after he failed to get into the U.S. Naval Academy. He returned in December from a tour of duty in Iraq.

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[slicediceputinrice]

LESSON LEARNED - if you are going to run around terrorizing the civilian population it can only be done in other countries under American occupation where rules of the Geneva convention are ignored

 

[deen_ad]

I didn't know there were laws against walking/running while drunk, outside of public intoxication, did you?

Sounds like they arrested him first and are now trying to justify their wrongful arrest!

 

[keystir]

I'm not versed on West Virginia law but given the brief description of the event and the brief description of the law the suspect was charged with I think it seems appropriate. It's highly possible this particular statute was written prior to the time when the meaning of the word "terrorist" was so closely intertwined with muslim extremists, as it has been since 9/11.

 

[hermannr]

Ms Neely (the PA) may be a Republican, but she is no friend of gun owners. Check out out the WV forum on OCDO. I hope there are saner people on the jury.

 

[MrNiceGuy]

I'm not versed on West Virginia law but given the brief description of the event and the brief description of the law the suspect was charged with I think it seems appropriate. It's highly possible this particular statute was written prior to the time when the meaning of the word "terrorist" was so closely intertwined with muslim extremists, as it has been since 9/11.

I neither think that his actions were "likely to result in serious bodily injury" nor were they "intended to intimidate or coerce the civilian population".

I'd bet dimes to nickles that the kid got drunk and then wanted to exercise. So, he exercised how he'd been trained.
I can see public intoxication... maybe even menacing charges, but terrorism?
It's B.S.

Reminds me of the guy who tried to organize a squirt gun fight in the U.K. and was arrested for it.

A man will appear before magistrates next month for allegedly trying to organise a mass water fight via his mobile phone.

The prime minister said last week that the government would investigate whether social networking platforms should be shut down if they helped to "plot" crime in the wake of the riots.

The 20-year-old from Colchester was arrested on Friday after Essex police discovered the alleged plans circulating on the BlackBerry Messenger service and Facebook.

The unnamed man has been charged with "encouraging or assisting in the commission of an offence" under the 2007 Serious Crime Act, police said.

Essex police charge man over water fight planned on BlackBerry Messenger | Media | The Guardian

 

[mat33]

I'm not versed on West Virginia law...

They probably got him for possession of teeth (vs tooth) with intent to sell.

 

[novamind]

Much to do about nothing....Oh, And send Mrs. Prosecuter to Iraq for a tour and lets see how she comes back.

 

[novamind]

Much to do about nothing....Oh, And send Mrs. Prosecuter to Iraq for a tour and lets see how she comes back. Now Drop the charges.

 

[1stIDFMP]

I'm thinking the thread should have actually read, "jogging drunk with pellet firing training rifle = stupidity," except there's probably no charge for "public stpidity" in West Virginia.......