National Guard Lt steals M557 while high

[jollyjacktar]

This will be hard to explain away, me thinks.  Full story, photos and video at link below.

:facepalm:

PICTURED: Soldier who stole tank 'while high on drugs' and led police on TWO HOUR chase through Virginia- all while sharing photos and videos on Twitter
By Jessica Finn and Chris Pleasance for MailOnline
09:21 EDT 06 Jun 2018, updated 19:27 EDT 06 Jun 2018

A massive tank like vehicle was stolen from a National Guard base in Virginia
Lieutenant Joshua Philip Yabut, who was reportedly under the influence of drugs, led police on a two-hour chase with it on Tuesday evening
During the chase he shared a photo of himself apparently on the open road while police were in pursuit of him, as well as a video from inside the moving vehicle 
The tank-like tracked vehicle, captained by Yabut, led police on a chase for over 60 miles and he was driving at approximately 40mph throughout
He appeared to be heading directly towards the Capitol building in Richmond
Armed guards blocked the entrance ways and a helicopter lit the area
He finally stopped the massive personnel carrier on a median around 10pm 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5812363/Soldier-steals-TANK-leading-police-two-hour-chase-Virginia.html

 

[Michael OLeary]

"During this reporting period, Lieutenant Yabut displayed a significant ability to promote public awareness of the National Guard through media and social media attention. Although his performance exhibits room for improvement, he has demonstrated technical skills in the operation of equipment he is not normally called upon to operate. As a representative of the Guard he has become notable for his level of cooperation with local law enforcement agencies."

 

[bLUE fOX]

"During this reporting period, Lieutenant Yabut displayed a significant ability to promote public awareness of the National Guard through media and social media attention. Although his performance exhibits room for improvement, he has demonstrated technical skills in the operation of equipment he is not normally called upon to operate. As a representative of the Guard he has become notable for his level of cooperation with local law enforcement agencies."

Absolutely stellar.

 

[Halifax Tar]

"Lieutenant Yabut promoted public awareness of the National Guard via media and social media. He displayed technical skills in the operation of equipment he is not normally called upon to operate."

Too many adjectives and "power words" for the current 9 line PER system.  Tell them what he did and let the bubbles tell how well.  Edited to try and make it more better lol

 

[Staff Weenie]

Admit it folks, we've all dreamed of taking an armoured vehicle for a joy ride through town!

This young lad just found a way to live life large!

Thirty years from now, there will still be a Mess legend about him.

 

[Gunner98]

I am surprised that the vehicle was able to reach and maintain 40 mph.  Is it really a tank-like vehicle, why can't the press refer to it as an antiquated armoured personnel vehicle.  I personally can't see the thrill of sitting in a driver's seat of a M557, although the video does bring back memories of crew-commanding them on exercise in Gagetown and Germany.

 

[jollyjacktar]

If you're high enough, I'm sure there's a thrill on the grill.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Admit it folks, we've all dreamed of taking an armoured vehicle for a joy ride through town!

This young lad just found a way to live life large!

Thirty years from now, there will still be a Mess legend about him.

Didn't it happen on the Kill Dozer anniversary?

 

[FJAG]

I am surprised that the vehicle was able to reach and maintain 40 mph.  Is it really a tank-like vehicle, why can't the press refer to it as an antiquated armoured personnel vehicle.  I personally can't see the thrill of sitting in a driver's seat of a M557, although the video does bring back memories of crew-commanding them on exercise in Gagetown and Germany.

There used to be a time when journalists had go-to experts to help out with things like this. Sadly these days most of those experts are pretty deficient in what they know as well.

I've got more years inside M577 Command Post Carriers than I'd like to admit. In my younger years I actually always enjoyed driving tracked vehicles and, as a young officer, did it more than I should have done (notwithstanding that I had my 404's on them.) They were good vehicles (as long as the heater was working) and my favorite arty CP vehicle; much nicer than the Dodge 3/4 TPU and the Chev 5/4 ton CP Van.

:cheers:

 

[Blackadder1916]

This will be hard to explain away, me thinks.  . . .

No, he had a perfectly valid reason.  In his mind anyway.

https://www.stripes.com/news/army/guardsman-says-he-was-ordered-to-take-vehicle-from-fort-pickett-1.531597

Guardsman says he was ordered to take vehicle from Fort Pickett

By DENISE LAVOIE | Associated Press | Published: June 7, 2018

RICHMOND, Va. — An Army National Guard officer charged with driving an armored personnel carrier off base while under the influence of drugs insisted Thursday he was ordered to do so as part of a training exercise and called the charges against him "completely bogus."

But a spokesman for the Virginia National Guard denied 1st Lt. Joshua Yabut's claim.

"Lt. Yabut was not authorized by the brigade commander or anyone else to drive the armored personnel carrier off Fort Pickett to any location for any reason," spokesman A.A. "Cotton" Puryear wrote in an email.

Yabut told The Associated Press he was first notified of the training exercise by his commander a week before he drove the vehicle away Tuesday evening from Fort Pickett. Yabut said he was later given the command in coded military language to conduct the exercise, which he said was aimed at gauging police response.

"I didn't want to do it, but I believed it was a lawful order, and as a commissioned officer I was required to do so," Yabut said.

Yabut, 29, of Richmond, Virginia, was arrested in downtown Richmond following a two-hour police chase. He spoke to the AP by phone from a psychiatric hospital. He was taken there Wednesday after he was arraigned on charges of driving under the influence of drugs, unauthorized use of a National Guard vehicle and evading police.

Yabut said he was not under the influence of illegal drugs. He said the only drug he has taken recently is a low dose of Lexapro, which he said he was prescribed for anxiety after he returned in 2009 from a deployment in Afghanistan. He said the drug has never altered his behavior.

"I think the toxicology report will show that those charges are completely false, and I don't even know why I would be charged with that to begin with," he said.

A state trooper who is listed as the arresting officer wrote in court documents that Yabut had "glassy eyes" with dilated pupils, slurred speech and was "unsteady on his feet."

"Mr. Yabut had no idea where he was at that time," the trooper wrote. He also wrote that Yabut's dilated pupils "are indicative of opioid use."

Sgt. Keeli Hill, a Virginia State Police spokeswoman, said Thursday that she couldn't give specifics about what drugs Yabut might have used, saying an investigation was ongoing.

Yabut's lawyer did not respond to several phone messages and emails seeking comment.

The Guard said Yabut is assigned as the commander of the Petersburg-based Headquarters Company, 276th Engineer Battalion. He has more than 11 years of service, and was deployed to Afghanistan from 2008 to 2009 with the Illinois National Guard.

The armored personnel carrier, which drives on tracks like a tank, topped out at speeds of about 45 mph (70 kph) on its journey to the state capital. Police couldn't stop it, so they ended up escorting it, sirens blaring, before Yabut stopped and got out near City Hall.

Yabut said police shot him with a stun gun and set a dog on him before taking him into custody.

"I didn't just run in to an APC and drive it off," Yabut said. "It was prepped. It was prepared with 60 miles of fuel and soldiers assisted with the preparation."

 

[Michael OLeary]

Well, obviously he is the victim of a much broader conspiracy that set him up as the fall guy for whatever nefarious plan they executed while he distracted the media and the cops.  :Tin-Foil-Hat:

 

[jollyjacktar]

I missed the double entendre with his name Yabut.  "Yabut......."  you could almost argue from any point with that one.

 

[tomahawk6]

He will most likely get an Article 15 but wont get kicked out.He is a National Guardsman after all. ;D

 

[The Bread Guy]

Well, obviously he is the victim of a much broader conspiracy that set him up as the fall guy for whatever nefarious plan they executed while he distracted the media and the cops.  :Tin-Foil-Hat:

Well, in the words of The Dude, "new shit has come to light, man" (via local Virginia CBS outlet) ...

The Virginia National Guardsman accused of stealing an armored military vehicle from Fort Pickett and driving 60 miles to Richmond last year recently took another trip that he should not have made, according to investigators.

Court records obtained by CBS 6 showed that Joshua Yabut was able to fly from Norfolk to Iraq two months ago. The trip violated the conditions of his bond following his June 2018 joyride.

An employee of the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office called the Virginia Fusion Center on January 31, to report a suspicious situation involving Yabut, according to a report in his case file. Yabut, who has been wearing an electronic ankle device, is being monitored by the Richmond Circuit Court Mental Health Docket.

On or about January 22, investigators said Yabut used his military ID to board a plane at Naval Station Norfolk and fly to the naval air station in Jacksonville, Florida.

Court documents showed Yabut later took a commercial flight to Charlotte, before flying to Toronto, and then on to Keflavik, Iceland.

From there, Yabut flew to Berlin, and then to Istanbul, before ultimately ending up in Iraq on January 26.

He flew back to Norfolk two days later, according to investigators.

Crime Insider sources tell CBS 6 that Yabut's ankle monitor was attached when he boarded the flight to Jacksonville, but at some point during the trip it was taken off ...

Slightly different re-write of the above in Stars & Stripes here.

Hmmm ...

 

[Retired and Broken]

Good to see he had is helmet on. Safety never takes a day off.