FORT STEWART, Ga. -- The Army has identified a Fort Stewart soldier suspected of triggering a police chase down Interstate 95 that resulted in four McIntosh County sheriff's deputies crashing their patrol cars Saturday.
Spc. James J. Williams of the 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Brigade was detained on post Tuesday as a cooperative investigation by the Army and McIntosh Sheriff's Office continued in the case.
Williams hadn't been charged with any crimes, Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson said. He is an electronics technician assigned to the unit since June 2008.
The Army said it has identified Williams as the suspect who drove a motorcycle at speeds deputies said reached 100 mph in the chase that began Saturday afternoon on the post. Pursuit began when military police attempted to stop Williams for speeding and reckless driving, Larson said.
Williams drove off post and turned onto I-95 where police from several agencies gave chase.
In McIntosh County deputies pursuing Williams crashed, totaling four police cruisers and blocking I-95 traffic.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
If this guy had a death wish maybe he needs to be serving in Iraq or that other place I don't feel like trying to spell this early.
Post Traumatic Stress..wait and see.
Maybe he was in Iraq, possible several times, could be PTSD, could be he is just a wild .
He just wanted a moment of excitement!!
Conduct unbecoming. Court Martial is the way to go.At least a summary one.
Why not let the civilians handle it?
Sounds like Buford T. Justice and junior just got smoked by the bandit .....
What could a guy on a motorcycle have done serious enough to justify the loss at taxpayer expense of four sheriff's vehicles? Rambo cops lost us about 100 grand and the fines that the cyclist will pay total around 1 grand. Should have just let him go.
I'd like to know how they caught him.
Lock him up and throw away the key. As a retired military senior NCO I can tell you that this soldier has done this more than once. If severe action is not taken now the next time he will kill himself or someone else. Nothing comes from driving 100 mph except death and destruction. He put everyone in his path at risk because od his immature actions. Then again, he can always do like everyone else and blame it on PTSD. It's a fail proof way to get out of anything these days.
He should face charges both at the military and civilian levels since crimes took place in both jurisdictions. At the military level I think he should at least lose all motor vehicle operation priviledges on post and be stripped down in rank. I've seen this kind of reckless driving at Fort Stewart before. Funny now that I think of it, I have only seen it that bad at Fort Stewart. As soon as they exit the gate they take off. On post, they pull hole shots. Next thing you know they will be drag racing at Hunter AAF.
lawyerdude, if you ARE a lawyer, if must have been a correspondence course!! He broke the law and endangered others. I'm not sure, but, couldn't he also be made pay for the car damages as he was responsible? If there are no chases, what good is there to have a law?
Well according to law he can be tried and convicted and sentences in federal court for what he has done then have the same done to him in state courts also, as well as pay restitution and fine.
Can we clean anything up? There is no Brigade assigned as part of a Brigade (3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Brigade ). The 3rd Sustainment Brigade is part of the 3rd ID, and those of us who woke up every morning to sing the "Dog Faced Soldier" would like to see the Rock of the Marne shown the porper respect. If you're not going to do it right, don't do it at all.
Dark Lord, just because you are a retired military SENIOR NCO (let's not forget that special emphasis!!), that doesn't give you special insight into this particular incident. If you don't know the Soldier, you don't know more than we know just reading the article. I've had Soldiers screw up bad and it was just a one time incident, no other negative events in the time we were stationed together. Colcamp1 - there is no conduct unbecoming a specialist. He'll definately get his on-post driving priviledges revoked but that's the least of his worries. He might have to pay restitution for those patrol cars that were damaged and since he embarrassed the post, they'll bust him down and treat him like crap. Maybe he does have PTSD, who knows, but that's for medical officials to decide and his lawyer to petition for.
if you're not going to spell correctly, don't spell at all.
Treerock: Get a life.Stop worring about others spelling! No one is applying for a job. You understood what the poster, was trying to spell!!
the word is worrying, you daft cur.
whoami- mornin Dog Face..
CBBP- you're right, MP's hold the same status as Fed. Marshalls, and since the spree initiated on a fed installation, he could be tried for all following crimes as though they occurred on said federal reservation..
1941: get an education. and work on that punctuation. that rhymed and you know it rhymed, admit it!
There are hundreds of bikes on Ft. Stewart, and didnt the artical say it had no tag? last time I was there I seen 7 just alike. Maybe his comrads ratted him out.
DMac thank God for posts like yours Treerock Is U and einglish techerr? LOL
Could be the cameras on Fort Stewart! Check out Fort Gordon next time you're there. Cameras all over the place and they are high qiality. They probably have the same down there. May have got a recognizable shot to identify him or the cycle.
DMAC, the UCMJ covers all military personnel. Believe it or not the term " Unbecoming" is not limited to officers. That is a misconception which probably comes from watching the movie " An officer and a gentleman" too many times. Check out Article 134 of the UCMJ, might just enlighten you some.
The soldier screwed the pooch and now will pay for it both in federal magistrate's court and local civilian court. He probably will be busted to E-2 by the military. Tired of hearing the PTSD whine.
DMac, try and understand that some screw ups should only be allowed to happen once ie; accidentally shooting your unit members during training or actual combat, DUI which results in death or lost of limb, or driving wrecklessly causing multiple accidents. You are correct in the fact that we don't know ALL of the facts in this case. However, I am confindent enough to state his punishment needs to be severe to the point that others will think twice before they make the same mistake this soldier did.
Just send the fool over to Afghanistan and let him tear up the terrain over there.
Lawyerdude: A motorcycle going 100mph can kill you in a car...I know because as a office I've seen the aftermath of such a crash, and the cyclist was not being chased, he was just an idiot showing off...This fool left Piedmont Park heading north down Piedmont, and at the intersection of Piedmont and Monroe Drive he hit the passenger side door of a black Mercedes driven by an elderly couple heading home from dinner...Killed the wife in the car instantly, catapulted the cyclist about 50 yards down the road, and the engine of the motorcycle ended up on a nearby roof...Don't tell me motorcyclist can't do damage...btw, if you really are a lawyer you must be a defense attorney, your disregard for following the rules of law and conduct are evident with your jaundiced perspective...I will admit though, usually LEO's don't chase motorcycles, not because they can't, it's just as a LEO you know the odds aren't good for you being able to keep up; but if LEO"s established a rule that under no circumstances will they pursue motorcycles, all motorcyclist will run...btw, drug runners, bank robbers, and general criminals use motorcycles for that very reason: They don't believe they will be caught.
Sounds like them coppers couldn' drive very well. 4 cars is ridculious.
Seeing how everyone here knows the facts.....oh wait, you don't.. This young soldier has 17 people saying he was doing something else at the time this happened. The motorcycle being chased was a Kawasaki. He doesn't own a kawasaki, he owns a yamaha. Multiple sources have him accounted for on duty at the time. His name is being tarnished and drug through the mud for no reason whatsoever. I know this because he is MY soldier. It's a good thing the courts make judgements and not you people.