Archives » Friday, October 26, 2007
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David Botti
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Oct 26, 2007 09:07 AM
A heartbreaking and telling story comes out of Connecticut this week
where a Marine reservist faced a judge on Wednesday. He was charged
with throwing a knife at his girlfriend and threatening her with a
loaded shotgun. According to the Hartford Courant, the Marine, Riaan Roberts, was recently home from back-to-back tours in Iraq. According to the Courant:
Shortly after midnight, Roberts called a friend, who
came over. The friend later described Roberts' condition as "inebriated
more than I was."
They drank wine together and watched military videos on his
laptop computer, the friend told police. He said Roberts was
alternately upset and intense.
"He started crying at times and saying that some of these
people had fallen and I held him while he cried and tried to console
him," he told police. Roberts told him he was afraid he might hurt
someone. The friend talked Roberts into going out for coffee.
Police, who had surrounded the building, saw Roberts and his friend leave and ordered them to the ground at gunpoint.
McKinney [the girlfriend] later told police that Roberts has
issues with civilian society and experiences flashbacks from Iraq. He
recently told her he doesn't trust himself. She said he needs
professional help for mental health issues but refuses to see anyone.
I'm overwhelmed when I read a story like this, for everyone
involved. For the girlfriend whose life was threatened by someone she
cared about; for the prosecutor who expressed sympathy for Roberts, but
needed to be tough; for the friend who held Roberts as he cried; and,
of course, for Roberts himself for reasons that go without saying.
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