Legless Iraq vet loses free house cause he smoked weed

[Philosoraptor]

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/72C89D10ADC2AAD5862575640017D222?OpenDocument

The gift, like his new bride, seemed heaven-sent to Scott West, 23, who had lost his legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq in December 2005. The new home would feature wide hallways, voice-activated lighting and other amenities tailored to Scott's needs.

And when a developer offered to give the Wests a free lot in Saddlebrooke, a community where house prices range from $350,000 to more than $1 million, the couple thought it was too good to be true.

In January, just two days after the couple had returned from their honeymoon, the charity took back its gift after learning that Scott West had been arrested on marijuana charges in 2007 and pleaded guilty in December to a felony of possession with intent to distribute. Last week, a judge placed West on five years probation.

West acknowledges that he deserved to be punished. Despite his guilty plea, he insists he never sold marijuana. He believes the charity, Massachusetts-based Homes for Our Troops, overreacted. "It was something to help me," West said of the donated house. "It wasn't like a privilege to be taken from me."

[Smith_3]

1. Assholes. nt

[Skittles]

2. aw that is just fucked up

:thumbsdown:

[madokie]

3. Someone needs an ass kicking to say the least

Not because I'm a Vet too but I think all these similarly injured guys from this, so wrong on every front war, should be given a home, the wife would be optional though.

[Philosoraptor]

4. Maybe they should court martial and execute him too while they're at it.

Just kidding of course.

[madokie]

7. I was hoping you didn't mis read what I said

you :scared: me

[KharmaTrain]

5. Distributiion...Selling...Not Just Toking...

No doubt, this man deserves a lot of sympathy for the pains...physical and mental he's suffering. I see nothing wrong with smoking weed to alieve those pains. The laws of possession, as has been debated endlessly here, are a joke, but that's not what at issue here.

He pleaded guilty to distribution. Now if he made money or not is not the issue...but that he was involved in some kind of transaction that was more than simple possesion. The dude had 2.5 pounds sitting around. That's a little more than personal consumption in my book. And as my parents used to say when I lived in their house...what you do under your roof is your business, what happens under mine is another story. While they donated the land to him, they still had the house...and surely there were conditions. All symapthies aside, there must be more to the story as to how he was busted.

I've lived near houses...nice ones...that dealt weed and other drugs...people coming and going at all hours and calling attention to both the house and the occupants. I sure didn't feel safe letting my kids anywhere near that house...as did others. Thus, there seems to be a little more here than meets the eye.

Here's hoping Mr. West gets help for his afflictions...IMHO, he's as much as victim of this obscene war as anyone. But the 2.5 pounds is just a little more than being caught for smoking weed.

[bigblock67camaro]

6. Oops on the 2.5 pounds

[madokie]

8. This is totally off the radar but I think you will enjoy this

http://www.moyermade.com/chevyV8.html

1/6th scale of a chevy 327, sound effects and all

enjoy


Add: Welcome to DU, hope you like it here :hi: :woohoo:

[KittyWampus]

9. Why did the OP'er change the word "DISTRIBUTED" to "SMOKED"? The guy was dealing pot

and the thread title is totally misleading and it was changed on purpose.