Posted on 09/18/2006 7:42:48 AM PDT by WestTexasWend
EL PASO (AP) - A trio of Texas National Guard soldiers accused of opening fire in a neighborhood near Eagle Pass say boredom led to a joyride with two cases of beer and a loaded 9 mm pistol.
The Operation Jump Start soldiers, Pfc. Brandon Jones, 23, of St. Jo, Pvt. David Hampton, 23, of McKinney, and Spc. Lydell Corey Sampract, 24, whose hometown was not available, were arrested Sept. 6 on felony charges of deadly conduct for allegedly shooting into the air in front of a house crowded with people at an outdoor barbecue. They spent a week in jail before being released to National Guard officials on $15,000 bail.
Maverick County Sheriff Tomas Herrera said the soldiers, who were off duty, told investigators "they just got bored at the motel they were staying at and went out for a joyride, picked up some cases of beer and went to a subdivision."
Herrera said it's not hard for newcomers to get bored in Eagle Pass, a city of about 22,500 people on the eastern edge of the Rio Grande Valley.
"There ain't much to do in this town," Herrera said. "Either you can go to the local bar and play some pool and drink some beer, go to the local casino or go across the border."
Last week's arrests, which Texas National Guard spokesman Capt. Dick Jinks said has caused "a great deal of chagrin," appear to be an anomaly.
I'm Sure Bubba won't let prison be to boring for them!
Disgraceful. As if the immigration issue wasn't charged enough, now this!
I'm willing to bet that somewhere in this incident the words "Hold muh beer and watch this!" were uttered.
Idiots...
Yeah it really depresses the buchanan/tancredo hysteria that the US is being invaded from hordes from the south.
No wonder pat buchanan ratcheted up the hyperbole with his calling for President Bush's impeachment.
What does an act of indiscipline by some National Guardsman have to do with border security? They could have pulled the same stunt while nominally fighting a fire, or "protecting" an area that had suffered a natural disaster. The Mark Hanna republicans (who'd sell their mothers, and our national security, for cheap Mexican labor) should take no comfort from this.
Uh they are bored, and the situation they were sent to was a situation that wasn't as dire as it was advertised by the tancredo/buchanan hystericals.
Beer and guns: not a safe mixture.
B F D
Sorry, but that dog won't hunt. It's obvious that you have negative knowlege of our military (even the National Guard). As boring as being in a real combat zone can sometimes be, I've never heard of anyone getting into trouble because the "...situation...wasn't as dire as it was advertised..." You need to get off the Chamber of Commerce (and DNC) kool-aid, and demand that other countries respect our borders (before the next 9-11).
Pawdoggie said: Sorry, but that dog won't hunt. It's obvious that you have negative knowlege of our military (even the National Guard). As boring as being in a real combat zone can sometimes be, I've never heard of anyone getting into trouble because the "...situation...wasn't as dire as it was advertised..." You need to get off the Chamber of Commerce (and DNC) kool-aid, and demand that other countries respect our borders (before the next 9-11).
Don't waste your time pawdoggie, dane is so pro-open border that a band of illegals could come screaming across shooting atuomatic weapons(oh, wait drug dealers and coyotes done that already!)and he would find a way to excuse them. Terrorists crossing the border is an impossible senario for him to grasp.
He also fails to mention that the reason these guardsmen are bored is because they are doing administrative duties and are not allowed to actually patrol for illegals.
Bored Guardsmen are no indication of the seriousness or non seriousness of the illegal crisis and for Dane to imply such shows his gross ignorance. Besides I am sure he employs illegals in his business so he has a financial stake in letting illegals come across unmolested.
He also lumps everyone in with Buchanan and Tancredo if they so much as mention enforcing our immigration laws. This is done so people will back off, not wanting to be associated with Buchanan, the fact that it doesn't work has no effect on dane what so ever and he keeps trying.
Why would you want facts to have some bearing?
ping
Eagle Pass Ping!
DIS_DANE_ED
They were off duty.
The truth means nothing to you does it?
You will twist anything to try to skim the layers of filth and corruption off of the illegal alien scum and the criminals that hire them.
I have a cousin who lives across the border from Eagle Pass. She continually tells me that area is relatively free from violence and big-time illegal traffic.
Nail. Head.
susie
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