Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: JBA on February 06, 2003, 12:23:17 PM
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Two Texans charged in Columbia looting
Feds declare amnesty for debris returned by Friday
By Lisa Falkenberg , Associated Press
TYLER, Texas -- Two Texans were arrested Wednesday on federal charges they stole pieces of space shuttle Columbia that had dropped onto the countryside.
Federal officials in Texas also declared an amnesty period extending until 5 p.m. Friday, during which people who have collected shuttle debris can turn it in without fear of prosecution. After that, prosecutions will resume, they said.
Merrie Hipp, 43, of Henderson was charged with theft of government property for allegedly stealing a shuttle circuit board Saturday.
Bradley Justin Gaudet, 23, of Nacogdoches, was charged in a separate incident with stealing a piece of thermal insulating fabric. Gaudet is a student at Stephen F. Austin State University.
Both appeared in court later Wednesday handcuffed and with shackles around their waists.
They pleaded innocent and were freed on their own recognizance.
Neither suspect would comment, but their lawyers said both were unnerved by the charges, which carry up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
"The issue here is the thermodynamics of the space shuttle and any piece of that is important to this investigation," U.S. Attorney Michael Shelby said. "No one knows which piece will unravel the mystery."
Authorities said they are conducting at least 17 investigations into reports of people taking shuttle debris as souvenirs.
They would not give specifics or comment on whether those cases were related to attempts by people to sell purported shuttle debris on eBay.
"These two individuals are first," U.S. Attorney Matthew Orwig said. "There is no particular threshold. They are an example, whether it's our intention or not."
Authorities urged members of the public to take advantage of the amnesty period.
"If you turn the piece over and describe where you found the piece, we will not prosecute you," Orwig said.
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Pathetic :(
Daniel
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Then let them rot.
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Stupid, pathetic losers. If they really wanted to steal from the country, they should have gone working for NASA...
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The 23 year-old is/was a ROTC student. They arrested him in his BDUs. What a moron.
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I think that was in bad form miko... I know some very talented people working for NASA who really love what they do. Most people in the space industry, actually.
Daniel
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Ignore him, he's talking outta his ass, as usual.
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sadly there will be more..these morons should be made an example of..
I wonder how many people will tear a hunk off of their lawnmower and torch it a bit and try and sell it as a Columbia part.. I think the punishment for that should be the same as a real part.
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That kind of "souvenier" hunting goes on at almost any crash site. Worked one in Tucson when an A-7 went down over the park and had to actually chase a few folks that thought that a instrument clock, or canopy breaker would be a cool momento. When a loss of life is invovled the thoughtless shown by people doing it is depressing.
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What sickens me is the fact that not only are people willing to steal things parts of Columbia for souviners, but also try to sell them on eBay and attempt to make thousands of dollars off them.
One thing about the woman, though. Against the will of onlookers, she picked up a piece of the shuttle and tossed it in her car. When someone protested, she claimed she worked for NASA and took off. The guy took a picture of her license plate and called the cops...
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Shortly after the shuttle disentegration, people put shuttle debris on ebay.
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seems like if there is a general amnesty it will be hard to prosecute them. just from a fair standpoint.
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I'm from Texas but I say....
GUILTY
Why would someone would want a "souvenoir" or a "token" of a tragedy when they are not directly or intimately involved?
Sick bastards IMO and I think they deserve federal prosecution.