Wednesday, August 24, 2022

North Carolina Marines turned themselves in to police for display aircraft vandalism

Investigators with the Havelock Police Department said PFC William J. West and LCpl Andrew E. Carranza were released after being charged and have returned to MCAS Cherry Point.



HAVELOCK, Craven County — Two Marines have been charged with Injury to Real Property and a City Ordinance Violation of Disorderly Conduct after investigators said they turned themselves in after damaging the HH-46E helicopter at the Havelock Tourist & Event Center on Saturday.

Investigators with the Havelock Police Department said PFC William J. West and LCpl Andrew E. Carranza were released after being charged and have returned to MCAS Cherry Point.

In surveillance video captured early Saturday morning, one of the men is seen climbing onto the RF-4B Phantom II and taking pictures. A short time later, both men walk up to the HH-46E helicopter and try to spin the blades before breaking out two windows and climbing into the aircraft.

They were also accused of eating at the nearby Waffle House and leaving without paying the bill. Officials said that is still under investigation and further charges are pending.

West and Carranza will be in court on Thursday, September 1 at 9:00 a.m.




Leaders in Havelock said the men apparently ate at the local Waffle House before the vandalism spree and skipped out on their bill.




HAVELOCK, Craven County — Havelock Police are looking for two men who were caught on camera damaging a helicopter that was displayed in front of the Tourist Event Center in Havelock.

Aviation Curator, Richard Hazlett said he was shocked to find pieces of the helicopter on Saturday morning.

Two men were caught walking around the planes and helicopters on display around 3 a.m. on Saturday, but they came to do more than admire the military aircraft.

As soon as I got out of the door and looked at the aircraft, I noticed that you could see that two windows had been broken out.

Ignoring all posted warnings about surveillance cameras and trespassing, one of the men was seen climbing onto one of the planes and taking pictures.

According to police, both men walked up to the helicopter to try to spin the blades before breaking out two windows and climbing in.

Afraid more damage was done, Hazlett went inside to inspect the helicopter,

I opened up the aircraft and walked inside to see what, if any, damage was done to the inside which there wasn’t parts of the broken windows were on the floor.

Hazlett said the damage that was done will cost $1,000 dollars or more, if they can find the parts.

14 comments:

  1. Hopefully they both get time in the brig and dishonorable discharges for giving the Marines bad press.

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    1. Giving them a MP-escorted "full duty day" at the waffle house scrubbing every floor and wall grout line with their toothbrushes while modeling orange jumpsuits might be also be appropriate.

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    2. Just eating there might be punishment enough, no?😜. Just kidding. An AP article yesterday about the Army starting a remedial program for recruits who can’t pass the enlistment test stated that only 23% of folks 18-23 are physically, mentally…and Morally fit to join the US military services. We might be doomed.

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    3. Long term we are doomed on a relative scale compared to china's genetic centered interest toward up-selecting for better physicality while we seem to want to demean and discourage our best physicality members of the armed services.

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  2. These guys are the reason I had to sit through hours and hours of PowerPoints telling us to not do this exact things.

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  3. Nothing has changed in the past 30 years. Knuckleheads like this had to be straightened out, sometimes by force in the service. They should get a small bit of credit for turning themselves in and hopefully pleading guilty. I hope they learned their lesson and the aircraft were not too damaged.

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  4. My father was a DI in the Korean era, and a BAR base, as he used to say. He is gone now, but I still live by the lessons that he taught.
    He would straighten these guys out, if they survived.
    Then he would help them.
    I would hate to have had my life destroyed by one night of stupidity.

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    1. Climbing on and window breaking the static aircraft was stupid, but enjoying food that the Waffle House crew made for you at that early hour, not paying your bill and depriving the crew of the tip reveals a fundamentally flawed character unfit for retention by the Marines. Can't "fix" that flaw.

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    2. I understand and agree with your points, but my dad would have fixed them anyway. I did worse and still had a successful career as a corporate and airline pilot. After 51 years of flying, I think about my crap all the time.


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    3. They don't belong in the Marine Corp.

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  5. Slap on the wrist, clean the restaurant for a month and let men be men. Maybe they’re tired of learning about diversity and inclusion in the Marine Corps. We need men not snowflakes to do the war fighting for the military industrial congressional complex. Been there done that and a lot worse in my heyday as a young man in the service.

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    1. Nope…it’s a character flaw. You have those 2…and then you have THOUSANDS of fellow Marines back at Cherry Point..all doing the “right thing”. They made stupid decisions…and I hardly doubt their comrades in arms want them making stupid decisions on the battlefield.

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  6. It doesn't say, but perhaps alcohol was involved. Regardless, they should pay triple their waffle house bills and clean the place spic and span. Then pay for the damage to the aircraft. Last of all, they should apologize to their fellow Marines for casting a dark shadow on their public image. Then back to business as usual. I trust they will learn from their mistakes.

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  7. Brigs have never been empty. Same as it ever was.

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