Officer Accused of Damaging Pro-Bush Cars
By ROBERT WELLER
Associated Press Writer
Dec 16 1:12 PM US/Eastern
DENVER - The Air Force Reserve plans to discharge a lieutenant colonel accused of defacing cars that had pro-Bush bumper stickers, the military said Friday. Lt. Col. Alexis Fecteau, a pilot with 500 combat hours in the first Persian Gulf war and the Balkans, is charged with criminal mischief for allegedly using paint stripper to write a profanity about Bush in 18-inch-high letters on cars at Denver International Airport.
The cars had bumper stickers supporting President Bush and conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh.
Jim Miller, a spokesman for the Air Force Reserve Command at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., said the command plans to begin the process of giving Fecteau an administrative discharge. He said Fecteau does not face any military punishment.
Neither Fecteau nor his lawyer, Patrick Mulligan, immediately returned calls. Mulligan has said Fecteau would plead innocent.
Fecteau is charged with 13 counts of criminal mischief, five of them felonies because the damage to five vehicles was estimated at more than $500 each.
Police said the vehicles were damaged between January and July and a video camera recorded Fecteau damaging a vehicle.