Officer charged for anti-Bush graffiti
11 August 2005

DENVER: A US Air Force colonel has been charged with painting obscenities on parked cars bearing pro-President Bush bumper stickers, police said.


Lt Col Alexis Fecteau, who supervises 41 full-time and part-time reservists at the National Security Space Institute in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is suspected of vandalising 12 cars at Denver International Airport over a six-month period, Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said.

"Lieutenant Colonel Fecteau has been charged with one count of felony mischief and six misdemeanour counts related to the vandalism," Jackson said.

Fecteau, who could not be reached for comment, is scheduled to be arraigned later this month.

Police said they received numerous complaints dating back to December 2004 from people with cars bearing Bush or Bush-Cheney campaign bumper stickers that their vehicles had been vandalized.

Police set up a bait car with a pro-Bush bumper sticker, parked it at the airport with a surveillance camera, and waited. On July 1, the camera recorded a man spray-painting over the bumper sticker with an expletive.

Investigators traced the license plate of the suspected vandal to Fecteau, 42, who turned himself into police last week and was released after posting a $US5000 ($NZ7300) bond.

AdvertisementAdvertisementJackson would not comment on a possible motive for the vandalism, but said one victim had to spend $US2000 on repairs after it was spray-painted, which led to the felony charge.

Maj Tina Barber-Matthew, spokeswoman for the US Air Force Space Command, said the case was under investigation, but that it would be "premature" to discuss what discipline Fecteau would face if convicted.

"Until we can validate or invalidate the charges, he is still on full-duty status," she said.

Barber-Matthew said Fecteau has been in charge at the post since October 2004. The institute provides ongoing training to Air Force personnel to keep them current on space technology and its applications, she said.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3374701a12,00.html

Well he should have known better, I wonder what happened to free speech.

Free speech is not covered by the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Something he subscribed to the minute he put on a uniform. Publicly defaming the Commander-in-Chief is one very big no-no.

And as a Light Bird he should have known that. Not to mention the Destruction of private property and vandalism. He should have not acted like some PO'd punk.

Very surprised that it's coming from a Lt Col, which is a pretty high rank heh.

Maybe a former Lt. Col. A very stupid way to ruin a military career

Well, there goes his clearance which means the "nut house" which is what we called the office where NCOs and Officers went to do various harmless duties on missile batteries. Usually mess hall or meaningless duties while they were investigated for mental or even subversive problems by the CID. Whatever was decided, their career was over. Any kind of strange or unusual behavior could get your clearance pulled.

That is what I'm thinking. For an officer to have spent so much time in and risen to O-5 and go do something like this makes me guess that's there's more than meets the eye here. He may indeed be suffering some kind of mental disorder. In which case, I would hope he gets what help he needs.

Well the guys I've seen really go off the deep end over politics or such, generally have one thing in common.

They get hooked up with some female of the Flower Power Persusion that converts them by various methods....just a thought. Dunno.

Well I can certainly understand why he's angry but that was a pretty stupid thing to do. As bad as Bush is, he will be gone in 3 years no point in wrecking your career over it.