Military won't comment on airman tied to funeral crash in Lithuania

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Military won't comment on airman tied to funeral crash in Lithuania
By Geoff Ziezulewicz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, January 16, 2009

The military refused this week to disclose the whereabouts or status of an airman who crashed into a funeral procession last month in Lithuania, killing one local man and injuring another.

U.S. government officials did confirm Wednesday that William Terry Porter II, 28, was stationed at Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania on Dec. 9, when the accident occurred. A car collided with the last vehicle in the procession, killing 60-year-old Algis Šuminskas and injuring another man.

Linda Card, a spokeswoman for the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations, said Thursday that Porter was back in "U.S. jurisdiction." "He is back in the custody of the Air Force and his commander," she said.

Porter’s unit, rank and other information have not been released because he has not been charged, she said. "If it turns out this guy’s completely innocent, we don’t want to tarnish a reputation," Card said.

Embassy spokeswoman Rona Rathod said in an e-mail this week that Porter was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60049