Soldier Who Paid to Be Shot Not Indicted

[Robbien]

Source: Associated Press

NEW YORK -- A soldier who admitted paying someone $500 to shoot him in the leg so he could avoid another tour of duty in Iraq won't face felony charges, though his wife and the gunman were indicted by a grand jury. . .

Aponte was shot July 9, the day he was scheduled to return to duty. He first claimed he was shot by a robber but then changed his story under police questioning.

He told the officers he had joked with his wife about getting shot in the leg so he wouldn't have to return to Iraq and his wife apparently took him seriously: She said she knew someone who could do the job.

In an interview after his arrest, Aponte said his legal troubles were better than being shot at every day in Iraq. "Mentally I can't do it anymore. I can't handle it anymore," he said then. His attorney has said Aponte has post-traumatic stress disorder.

Aponte still faces misdemeanor charges, including false reporting, that could send him to jail for up to a year, and the Army could seek disciplinary action against him. His wife, Alexandra Gonzalez, 22, was indicted on felony assault charges, along with the gunman.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/15/AR2007081501384.html

[Brigid]

1. Desperate times . . .

call for desperate measures, to some people.

Check out this, too:

http://www.duckdaotsu.org/freedom_underground.html

For more about Carl Rising-Moore and the Freedom Underground, just google his name.

[LibInternationalist]

2. How can they be indicted

Presumably he wouldn't press charges, no? How does that work?

[Miss Chybil]

4. I would assume it is against the law to shoot somebody.

Even, if they ask you to.

[bamacrat]

3. He should have said it was an accidental shooting.

He was hunting with Cheney or something like that.

[orleans]

5. better this than being part of the suicidal stats that came out today

(highest for the army in 26 years!)