Latest news with #U.S.ArmyRanger
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Two veterans accused of robbing WA Army base had Nazi flags, machine gun, prosecutors say
Investigators say they found military equipment and Nazi flags in the home of two Lacey men arrested this week. (Photo courtesy of the Thurston County Sheriff's Office) An investigation into a two-year-long string of military equipment theft from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near Tacoma, turned up Nazi memorabilia, white supremacist literature and a cache of weapons in the suspects' home in Lacey, according to charges filed in federal court Wednesday. Federal prosecutors charged Charles Fields and Levi Frakes with robbery, assault and theft of government property for allegedly stealing helmets, body armor and communications equipment from the Pierce County military base late Sunday. Both men 'previously served' in the military, according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Tacoma. Just after 8 p.m. Sunday, the duo scanned their identification documents as they entered the base in a Toyota 4Runner, according to the charges. About an hour later, someone on the base entered a U.S. Army Ranger operations facility to find two masked men, later identified as Fields and Frakes, court papers say. Investigators believe the men used bolt cutters to get inside. The men later unmasked themselves before attacking the person with a hammer, federal prosecutors allege. The alleged victim was able to get control of the hammer, but surrendered when one of the suspects pulled out a knife. During the fight, one of the intruders dropped a hat with 'FIELDS' handwritten on the inside. The pair reportedly then fled the Ranger compound with around $14,000 in government property. The man who was attacked was hit in the head with the hammer and was bruised and bloodied, according to court documents. He was taken to Madigan Army Medical Center. Surveillance video shows the two men leaving with rucksacks, two of which they dropped while fleeing, according to the complaint. Army criminal investigators obtained a search warrant for a home in Lacey that both men used as an address. Late Monday night, they found 35 weapons, including rifles, pistols and a machine gun, along with silencers, prosecutors allege. Agents also reported seizing military property like night vision devices, flashbangs, smoke grenades and body armor. 'Some of the military items agents recovered are unlawful to possess without unique permission from the (Department of Defense) and some of the items are so restricted that active duty military members are not permitted to have or store them in their personal residences,' special agent Christopher Raguse wrote in the complaint. Each bedroom featured Nazi and white supremacist memorabilia, murals and literature, according to court papers. A photo included in the charging papers shows side-by-side flags in one room emblazoned with a Nazi swastika and SS Bolts referring to the Schutzstaffel police unit in Nazi Germany. Since World War II, neo-Nazis have adopted the symbol, according to the Anti-Defamation League. 'The suspects identified in this case were actively involved in Nazi White Nationalist efforts,' Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders wrote in a Facebook post announcing the arrests. One of the two men agreed to speak with investigators. The complaint doesn't identify whether this was Fields or Frakes. The suspect acknowledged stealing military property from the Ranger compound to sell or trade for about two years, according to the charges. It's unclear if the men had any other plans with the stolen arsenal. Law enforcement booked both men into the Thurston County Jail on separate state criminal allegations. A judge there set bail at $500,000 each. They remained in Thurston County custody Wednesday, said a spokesperson from the U.S. Attorney's Office in western Washington. It's unclear when they will be transferred to federal custody for their first appearance on the charges filed in Tacoma on Wednesday.
Los Angeles Times
22-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Laguna Beach police honor fallen officer with wreath-laying at Arlington
The Laguna Beach Police Department stepped onto hallowed ground to remember one of its own, as several of its members participated in a wreath-laying ceremony for a fallen officer at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Motor Officer Jon Coutchie, whose end of watch was Sept. 21, 2013, was recognized during the ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Prior to joining the department, Coutchie served as a U.S. Army Ranger and had four combat tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. Public safety personnel had descended upon the nation's capital for Police Week. The recognition event took place on May 11, Laguna Beach Police Lt. Jason Farris said. Laguna Beach Police Chief Jeff Calvert and the department's honor guard were led by the Old Guard, which has kept watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier every hour of every day since April 6, 1948. 'Of the four people that went out and presented the wreath, all four of us knew Jon professionally and personally,' Farris said in a phone interview Wednesday. 'We hold his memory close to us. We were a part of his patrol days, and we were a part of his memorial in every event. To each one of us, between the chief, Sgt. [Darrel] Short, Cpl. [Abe] Ocampo and myself, we all felt it was just a special event.' Farris said that Coutchie had been part of the honor guard that was established approximately six months before his death in the line of duty. There were five members of the honor guard at the time. The LBPD has sent at least two officers to Washington, D.C. during Police Week to participate in a memorial ceremony annually to represent its two fallen officers — Coutchie and Gordon French. The latter's end of watch was Feb. 13, 1953. 'What happens is an officer will pass, and then [their] agency, if they can, will send people to D.C. to be a part of the memorial ceremony,' Farris said. 'Ever since then, we've sent honor guard members, and other members of the department have gone. We've gone every year since Jon passed.' The wreath was laid out in the presence of Coutchie's family, friends and fellow officers, according to a news release. 'This moment is not only about remembering Officer Coutchie,' Calvert said in a statement. 'It is about recognizing the unbreakable bond shared by all who dedicate their lives to protecting others. We will never forget his courage, integrity and sacrifice.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jan. 6 Hero Goes After Trump's Big Payout to Rioter's Family
Rep. Jason Crow, one of several lawmakers forced to take cover during the Jan. 6 insurrection, harshly criticized the Trump administration's payout of millions to the family of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt. On CNN Monday, the Colorado Democrat said the government's $5 million settlement in the Babbitt family's wrongful death lawsuit was another example of the president trying to 'rewrite history.' 'He doesn't want to acknowledge that he weaponized a mob and sent that mob to attack the Capitol to brutalize hundreds of officers, 140 of whom still have major injuries, five of whom died from their wounds and their trauma,' Crow told The Lead anchor Jake Tapper. 'We passed a bipartisan bill in 2022 to erect a plaque in honor of those officers. House Republicans and the speaker have refused to put that plaque up because they want to sweep it all under the rug,' Crow continued. 'We can't allow that to happen. And this is just part of that, right? They want to ignore that entire part of history because it's inconvenient to Donald Trump. And that includes pardoning hundreds and hundreds of violent felons who beat police officers, and sending them back out on our streets.' Crow, a U.S. Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan and Iraq and earned the Bronze Star Medal, was photographed on Jan. 6 comforting fellow lawmaker Rep. Susan Wild above the House floor as Trump's supporters tried to force their way inside. Babbitt was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer while trying to get into the House Speaker's lobby. Despite multiple investigations finding no wrongdoing by the officer, Trump and some of his allies have insisted that Babbitt's death warranted prosecution. Last January, Babbitt's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking $30 million. In early May, the two sides agreed in principle to a settlement—a reversal of the Justice Department's stance on the matter. According to The Washington Post, about one-third of the settlement will go to the Babbitt family's attorneys, which include the conservative group Judicial Watch.
USA Today
30-04-2025
- USA Today
He promised to care for Washington mom and her 3 kids. Then he killed them all in Florida.
He promised to care for Washington mom and her 3 kids. Then he killed them all in Florida. Renee Flaherty's brother says that Jeffrey Hutchinson promised to take care of her and her three kids before they moved from Washington to Florida. And then one terrible night in 1998, he shot them. Renee Flaherty did her best to provide for her three children. Even though there wasn't always "much on the shelves," the rural mail carrier and single eastern Washington mom worked hard to put food on the table and loved her children dearly, said her brother, Wesley Elmore. "Her kids were a priority. She made sure that her kids were fed and took care of," Elmore said. Then Flaherty met Jeffrey Hutchinson. On paper, he was a war hero, having served in the Gulf War as a U.S. Army Ranger. But he would end up murdering Flaherty and the children: 9-year-old Geoffrey, 7-year-old Amanda, and 4-year-old Logan. Now more than two decades later, Hutchinson is set to be executed by lethal injection for the murders in Florida on Thursday. As he lives his final hours, USA TODAY is looking back at who Flaherty and her children were to help honor their lives. A broken promise The last time Elmore saw his sister, just before Thanksgiving in 1997, he felt the family was in "good hands" with Hutchinson as they prepared to move to Florida. "I was giving Renee and the kids a hug and everything, goodbyes," Elmore told USA TODAY. "I remember shaking Jeff's hand and I said, 'Take care of my sister and her kids,' And he says, 'Wes, I promise I will.'" Months later, the 32-year-old Flaherty and her children would be found dead in their home, and Hutchinson was spattered with blood and lying in a daze on the garage floor, according to court documents. Hutchinson, 62, was convicted of fatally shooting the family of four. Renee Flaherty, tomboy who served as emotional support Elmore described his sister as a tomboy whose upbringing with three brothers made her tough. "We used to go skiing when we were kids. It was me and her. She would crash and she would laugh," Elmore said. "She's my little sister, but it's kind of like hanging out with just another buddy." Elmore went through a divorce around when Flaherty separated from her husband. Elmore credited her with helping him navigate the turbulent time. "It was hard, but she was my rock," Elmore said. "Growing up she was always person who I could always talk to and confide with." Elmore recalled a time when, in almost stereotypical fashion, Elmore's son and Flaherty's 9-year-old son Geoffrey attempted to remove the heads from the Barbie dolls of Flaherty's 7-year-old daughter Amanda. "They thought it was funny and Renee was just furious at both the boys ... they were kids, just mischievous." As for Flaherty's 4-year-old son Logan, he had a knack for taking advantage of the 5-acre home the family had in eastern Washington. "There were times where Logan would be walking around just, you know, an underwear and a pair of rubber boots, (Renee was) like, 'you know, I dressed him early this morning, so he had clothes on.'" Elmore noted that the children never got to become adults and that he mourns the milestones that they did not reach. "Logan was only 4, and he didn't get chance to even start school, you know," Elmore said. "Geoffrey, Amanda, they didn't get a chance to even finish grade school. They were robbed, they were robbed of lots of things." Gulf War vet Jeffrey Hutchinson: Who is the man set to be executed for quadruple murder What happened to Renee Flaherty and her children? On the night of Sept. 11, 1998, Hutchinson fought with Flaherty, after which he packed some of his clothes and guns into his truck, and went to a bar, according to court records. The bartender testified that Hutchinson told him that Flaherty was angry with him, while other witnesses testified that he drove recklessly as he left, according to court documents. Hutchinson then returned to the home, "busted down" the front door and shot Flaherty, Amanda and Logan in the master bedroom, a forensic pathologist testified − according to court documents. Hutchinson shot Geoffrey last in both the chest and then the head while the child "was able to see the bodies of his mother, sister, and brother." "The terror suffered in that moment is incomprehensible to this court," Hutchinson's trial judge said, according to the Associated Press. Hutchinson called the police and told a dispatcher: "I just shot my family." Since then Hutchinson has maintained that the murders were committed by two home invaders and that the family was killed in a struggle. The Army veteran was diagnosed as suffering from Gulf War Syndrome, but the trial judge ruled him competent to stand trial. Maria DeLiberato, executive director of Floridians for Alternatives for the Death Penalty and liaison for Hutchinson's legal team, told USA TODAY that there are significant questions around Hutchinson's competency to be executed. "There should be a pause to have a full and fair and complete hearing to determine the significance of his long-standing mental illness and brain damage and how that impacted him back then, at the time of trial, his sentencing, and how it impacts his ability to proceed with this execution," DeLiberato said. Brother finds justice, but not closure with execution Elmore and his brother Darren will witness the execution, should it be carried out. He said that he believes that Hutchinson is "getting off easy" given the brutal nature of the murders. "This is long awaited ... Now that time is closing in on him, I'm actually glad that things are happening now. It's justice." His sentiment echoes a statement from Melva Elmore, Renee and Wesley's mother, following the sentencing in 2001. "Justice has prevailed. He knew what he was doing," Melva said at the time, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Elmore said he does not believe he will find closure with the execution. "People who don't walk in my shoes, they don't understand that closure, you never get it," Elmore said. "But at least I know that part of this chapter my life is over with now, because justice finally served."
