2 Drum soldiers charged with robbing judge

2 Drum soldiers charged with robbing judge
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Feb 4, 2009 21:42:14 EST

WATERTOWN, N.Y. — Two Fort Drum soldiers are accused of holding up a county judge, who was shot in the face with a pellet gun when he resisted during the confrontation at a northern New York mall parking lot.

Danny Thompson Jr. and James G. Lawson, both 19, were charged with first-degree robbery. Thompson was also charged with second-degree assault for firing pellets at Jefferson County Surrogate Judge Peter Schwerzmann, hitting him in the head and hand in the parking lot of the Salmon Run Mall on Dec. 18, authorities said.

Police said the men approached Schwerzmann and his wife and demanded the judge’s wallet.

Schwerzmann told investigators he turned and saw a man holding a dark weapon that appeared to be a BB gun. The judge told his assailant, “That’s just a BB gun,” to which the suspect responded something like, “Are you sure? Do you want to bet on that?” the judge said in a deposition.

Schwerzmann was shot when he began to reach for his wallet and stopped. He told investigators he put his hands up in front of his face and moved toward the assailant, who shot three or four more times, hitting his right cheek and forehead.


Rest of article at: http://armytimes.com/news/2009/02/ap_soldiers_arrested_020409/#2e

Recruiters must be really scraping the bottom of the barrel.