ATF Agent Accused of Threatening Teens With Gun While Drunk

[MKSheppard]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,63438,00.html

ATF Agent Accused of Threatening Teens With Gun While Drunk

Wednesday, September 18, 2002

INDIANOLA, Iowa — The head of the Iowa office of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was charged with public intoxication and was being investigated on allegations that he threatened some teenagers with a loaded gun.

Jon Carl Petersen, 41, was arrested and taken to the Warren County jail. He was released Tuesday on his promise to appear in court.

Petersen's supervisor, Paul Vido, in Kansas City, Mo., said Petersen will be allowed to carry a weapon and resume his duties while local and federal authorities investigate the allegations.

Petersen was not in his office Wednesday. A spokeswoman declined to comment on whether he would return.

Indianola Police Chief Steve Bonnett said the incident began when nine teenagers drove past Petersen's house, throwing toilet paper onto area trees and homes as part of a homecoming-week prank.

Police said Petersen chased them in his Jeep, a government-owned vehicle equipped with a siren and emergency lights.

Lucas Viers, 15, said the teenagers heard squealing tires and sirens.

"We were laughing about it because we were thinking he was blowing it all out of proportion until he whipped out that gun," Viers said. "We were pretty scared."

Reports showed that police received several calls about a man threatening teenagers with a gun near Emerson Elementary School about 10:40 p.m. One of the callers reported "that a male subject was pointing a gun at another subject's head," according to police reports.

Indianola police officer Kurt Kness said he handcuffed Petersen and found a loaded revolver in the Jeep.

"Mr. Petersen acknowledged that he had stopped the vehicle and that he was armed with the handgun," Kness wrote in his report. "While talking to Mr. Petersen, it became clear that he was intoxicated. His eyes were watery and his speech was confused and rambling."

Kness said Petersen acknowledged he had been drinking wine. Field sobriety tests showed he had a blood alcohol level of 0.22 percent, more than twice the legal limit for driving, authorities said.

Police said Petersen refused to take a Breathalyzer test at the jail.

His trial was set for Nov. 1.

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Whee! It's gonna be interesting to see what happens with this F-Troop
member......

[The Yosemite Bear]

Agent Ness, Agent Ellliot NESS, It's time to come back from the dead and clean house in the organization that you founded. While your at it, bring back that asshole Melvin Karpis to clean up the FBI, he may have been a right bastard but he was't as bad as his boss.