The three north Georgia soldiers accused of throwing military explosives at a crowd face numerous criminal charges ranging from domestic terrorism to assault and cruelty to children.
And when the civilian justice system is done with them, they may still have to answer to the military.
The three men were based at Camp Frank D. Merrill near Dahlonega, and the actions attributed to them by the Dawson County Sheriff would be a violation of federal laws and military code.
Army investigators are standing by to help the sheriff investigate the case against the soldiers, said Army spokesman Bob Purtiman, from Fort Benning.
"They're facing serious civilian penalties but they're also likely to be subject to military penalties," he said.
The enlisted men allegedly tossed two weapon simulators at a crowd gathered in a Dawsonville grocery store parking lot. The explosives are used in place of hand grenades and artillery rounds during training exercises. They are supposed to simulate the sights and sounds of war. They contain no shrapnel, yet they are incendiary and they pack an explosive punch that could cause injury, according to military experts.
Dawson sheriff's Lt. Tony Wooten told the AJC Monday that 911 operators received a call about 1:30 a.m. Sunday about two pipe bombs tossed from a Cadillac with three occupants at a Dawsonville parking lot. The Cadillac fled up Georgia 400 and deputies who heard the explosions caught up to them "as they attempted to turn off their lights and elude us," he said.
The Cadillac pulled onto a side road where the men were arrested. The deputies then found a dozen undetonated devices that had been thrown from the car, Wooten said.
Spc. Nicholas Gregory Wendt, 25, of Dahlonega; Sgt. Thomas Daniel Campbell, 21, of Dahlonega, and Staff Sgt. Jeremy Wade Morgan, 34, of Dawsonville, all face charges that could put them in prison for years.
Campbell was charged with reckless driving and driving without a license and as a party to the felony counts lodged against his two passengers: domestic terrorism, possession of an explosive device, 16 counts of aggravated assault and two counts of first degree cruelty to children.
The three were denied bond in magistrate court Monday and were in the county jail Tuesday with no court hearings scheduled.
Police haven't released a motive in the case, but, said Maj. Brian Beckno, the executive officer at Camp Merrill: "Alcohol was involved."
The camp, about a dozen miles northwest of Dahlonega, is named after a legendary military figure who led a team of marauders behind enemy lines during World War II. It is a training ground for the Army's elite -- the Rangers.
But Beckno said the three soldiers were not in the Ranger school. Rather, he said, they were support soldiers in desk jobs -- Wendt in communications and Campbell and Morgan in human resources.
The major said he does not yet know how the men got the explosives, which are secured on base. They are only used at a distance from people during battlefield simulations because they can cause injury if they explode on contact or if they kick up pebbles or other debris when people are nearby. "If you were to cook one off in your hand, it would blow your hand off," he said.
"Thankfully, no one was hurt," Beckno said, adding that he was "bewildered" by what they supposedly did. If the soldiers are guilty, he said, "they've dishonored the public trust, embarrassed our organization and violated the Army's values."
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