Soldier claims his crime spree intended to avoid tour in Iraq

[Barrett808]

BILLINGS (AP) — A member of the Wyoming Army National Guard who was arrested in early June after a highway chase near Hardin told investigators he went on a five-day crime spree in Montana and Wyoming to avoid deployment to Iraq.

Daniel J. Uptain, 21, of Casper, Wyo., was charged Monday with stealing a $35,000 Hummer H-2 from a Billings dealership and a 1965 Mustang valued at $15,000 from a Lockwood residence, along with two counts of felony burglary and one charge of misdemeanor theft.

District Judge Gregory Todd ordered him held on $50,000 bail, to run concurrently with a $50,000 bail set in Big Horn County on a felony theft charge there.

Uptain told Todd Monday that he wanted to plead guilty to the two counts of felony theft and other charges because ‘‘of my strong religious beliefs and I know exactly what I’ve done.’’ Todd refused to accept the guilty pleas, but said he would consider his request to plead guilty next week if Uptain still chooses to do so.

(more)

http://www.montanastandard.com/articles/2006/07/18/newsstate/hjjdjcibjcghfh.txt

[drm604]

1. This strikes me as kind of dumb.

He could have simply refused deployment. For that he would have ended up in prison. Now... He'll end up in prison. :shrug: Am I missing something here?

[patdem]

2. Hey they want to make it LIFE IN PRISON for refusing to go to Iraq

he will only get 10-20 for grand theft..if that!

[drm604]

3. Yes, but he's admitting that he did it to avoid going to Iraq

so he could still get that life sentence. Why didn't he just steal a car, take a joy ride, leave some careless clues, then report for duty? He should never have admitted his reasons for the crime.

[TX-RAT]

4. Just cut off the index finger.

It worked for many.

[shadowknows69]

5. You would think

I met a soldier who had the better part of one of his hands blown off and they didn't let him out.

[ngant17]

6. The bigger crime spree was going back to Iraq

Seems like he choose the lesser of 2 evils. At least he won't be in a position to rape and/or murder Iraqi civilians. His crimes seemed to be non-violent here in US, so you have to give him credit for that. No one got hurt, only some property loss/damage. A drop in the bucket of what goes on daily in Iraq.

[shadowknows69]

7. No argument here

but he could have made a larger statement and potentially gotten more help or sympathy from refusing. Now his "statement" will be overshadowed by his crime. If he had made the statement the crime he could eventually hope for some sense to come of all this and perhaps get pardoned.

[heliarc]

8. n/t censored self