Three US Soldiers Charged with Domestic Terrorism and Reckless Conduct

Strategic Insights -

Three US soldiers, Thomas Daniel Campbell, 21, Jeremy Wade Morgan, 34, and Nicholas Gregory Wendt, 25, are being held in the Dawson County jail, accused of throwing military explosives into a crowd at a grocery store parking lot in Dawsonville, Georgia. The incident occurred early Sunday morning, when a woman called 911 to report that two pipe bombs had been thrown at a group of people standing in the parking lot. Deputies were able to apprehend the suspects and recover a dozen undetonated devices believed to have been thrown from their car. The soldiers, who are on the support staff at Camp Frank D. Merrill, have been charged with 16 counts of aggravated assault, 16 counts of reckless conduct, and other related charges.

Key Takeaways:

  • The three US soldiers, Thomas Daniel Campbell, Jeremy Wade Morgan, and Nicholas Gregory Wendt, have been charged with domestic terrorism and reckless conduct for throwing military explosives into a crowd in Dawsonville, Georgia.
  • The incident occurred on a Sunday morning, when a woman called 911 to report that two pipe bombs had been thrown at a group of people.
  • The suspects were apprehended and a dozen undetonated devices believed to have been thrown from their car were recovered.
  • The soldiers are on the support staff at Camp Frank D. Merrill, which is a training facility for the 5th Ranger Training Battalion.
  • The military explosives used were ground burst simulators, which are used in place of hand grenades during training.
  • The suspects do not know each other and there was no apparent motive for the incident.
  • The investigation is ongoing, but no motive has been determined.
  • All three soldiers have been charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault, reckless conduct, and other related charges.

Statistics:

  • 16 counts of aggravated assault against each suspect
  • 16 counts of reckless conduct against each suspect
  • 1 count of domestic terrorism against Jeremy Wade Morgan and Nicholas Gregory Wendt
  • 2 counts of cruelty to children first degree against Jeremy Wade Morgan and Nicholas Gregory Wendt
  • 1 count of fleeing and eluding against Thomas Daniel Campbell
  • 3 counts of reckless driving against Thomas Daniel Campbell
  • 1 count of being a party to a crime of domestic terrorism against Thomas Daniel Campbell

Sources:

  • Wooten, Tony (Lt., Dawson County Sheriff's Department): Interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  • globalsecurity.org: "Ground Burst Simulator" article
  • The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Original news article reporting on the incident.