*beep* *beep* *beep* *beep**beep* *beep* *beep**beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep**beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* 'tard!!
<b>Texas Lawman Charged with Theft of Shuttle Parts</b>
<i>LUFKIN, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas constable who helped search across east Texas for debris from the space shuttle Columbia was arrested on Monday for allegedly pocketing some of what he found.
Robert Hagan, 45, a constable in Harrison County, Texas, was charged
with theft of U.S. government property. Five pieces of space shuttle tile
were found in a paper bag in his car after he helped in the search on Feb. 1 and 2, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of
Texas.
"It is a troubling day when an individual who swore to uphold the law is
charged with stealing evidence and hindering this historic investigation,"
U.S. Attorney Michael Orwig said in a statement.
Two people were arrested last week and charged with stealing shuttle parts. Those arrested faced up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Hagan showed a piece of what he said was shuttle debris to a colleague
after returning home on Feb. 2, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He
claimed he was given permission to keep the items, it said.
Nacogdoches County Sheriff Thomas Kerss said his office turned over to
U.S. prosecutors two more cases of suspected theft of shuttle material in
his east Texas county.
Over the weekend, Kerss said he turned over nine other cases. The debris
field is centered in the county.
Kerss said he was saddened to hear that someone who had helped recover debris was charged with stealing shuttle pieces, especially after NASA(news - web sites) has said that any piece may provide a clue as to why Columbia disintegrated on Feb. 1, killing all seven crew members.
"It is sad for me to know another law enforcement officer would do such a
thing," Kerss told a news conference. U.S. attorneys said last week they have 17 investigations concerning people who tried to sell parts of the shuttle over Internet auction site eBay .
Debris was scattered over hundreds of miles of Texas and western
Louisiana. </I>




