Lead Story
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A Philadelphia Inquirer analysis in December questioned military rulings that suicide was the cause of at least 40 recent deaths of U.S. servicemen. The newspaper quoted former military investigators who said they were “stunned” or “astonished” at how shoddy some of the 40 investigations were and at how the military often calls hard-to-solve cases suicides just to close them out. One military policeman’s death had been ruled a suicide two days after he was found shot to death in the head–with his hat stuffed in his mouth, his handcuffs attached to his wrists, his holster wrapped around his ankles, and a car-radio cable tied around his neck.
The Austin American-Statesman reported in December that Texas treasurer Martha Whitehead hired a psychologist for $1,000 to counsel several employees of her office who were despondent about her recommendation to abolish her agency.
In December FBI agent John Wellman was fined about $1,000 for an October incident in which he was charged with disobeying traffic signs in Keokuk County, Iowa. While trying to locate a man during an investigation, Wellman ignored the directions of a construction crew to drive along the shoulder of the road, circumvented barricades, and continued to drive on the pavement. Minutes later he drove into six inches of freshly poured cement, which cost the state $70,000.
Least Competent Person
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): illustration/Shawn Belschwender.
