US Attorney to Dismiss Charges Against Atwater

**Kay** · 02-17-2012, 09:25 PM

http://www.kwes.com/story/16963079/u...t-trey-atwater

Remember the special forces soldier that got caught trying to board a plane at the Midland airport on New Years Eve with C-4 in his bags. The US Attorneys office is dropping all charges. The linked news story says he still faces administrative or other disciplinary actions by the Army though.

**Apache** · 02-17-2012, 10:52 PM

That's a pretty big WHOOPS! Bet they'll be checking bags more closely before leaving base...

**txradioguy** · 02-21-2012, 04:38 PM

This is such crap. An explosives expert saying he didn't have any idea he had explosives anywhere on his person is akin to an Infantryman outside the wire in a combat zone claiming he didn't know his weapon was loaded when he accidentally fires off a round. It just doesn't happen. If this guy didn't have situational awareness of where he had C4 at all times then he had NO BUSINESS handling it in the first place.

This guy is gonna lie his ass off and get away wih it.

**Odysseus** · 02-21-2012, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by txradioguy

This is such crap. An explosives expert saying he didn't have any idea he had explosives anywhere on his person is akin to an Infantryman outside the wire in a combat zone claiming he didn't know his weapon was loaded when he accidentally fires off a round. It just doesn't happen. If this guy didn't have situational awareness of where he had C4 at all times then he had NO BUSINESS handling it in the first place.

This guy is gonna lie his ass off and get away wih it.

Something not right about this. Why would they drop the charges when they have him cold?

**Arroyo_Doble** · 02-21-2012, 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by Odysseus

Something not right about this. Why would they drop the charges when they have him cold?

Let the military handle it.

**Kay** · 02-21-2012, 09:35 PM

Originally Posted by txradioguy

If this guy didn't have situational awareness of where he had C4 at all times then he had NO BUSINESS handling it in the first place.

Especially when he left it in a bag that he packed his KID's clothes in.
Doesn't say much about his fatherly parenting skills either.
Glad the kid didn't blow himself up looking for clean underwear.

**Kay** · 02-21-2012, 09:44 PM

Oh and by the way, we haven't heard a peep about what action was taken If any
against the TSA agent that missed it and let him board the plane in Dallas I think
it was. I guess that guy just got his hand slapped too.

**Odysseus** · 02-22-2012, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by Arroyo_Doble

Let the military handle it.

Okay. we'll take care of it.

My best guess is that the Army claimed jurisdiction because Atwater started from a military facility and was holding US Government-issue ordnance. If that's the case, then having the civil charges dropped does him no good, because the UCMJ is a lot stricter about this kind of thing than civilian law is.