Texas soldier faces legal battle over gun in hospitial

[JALLEN]

The circumstance that the alcohol related charge came up much later will be a problem. An aggressive lawyer who knows his business can get to the truth under cross-examination of the officer and review of the other evidence, if any to see what really occurred. Just because a policeman writes it in a report doesn't mean it is true. No test, belated charge...... the circumstances to argue reasonable doubt are there.

It's no slam-dunk, that's for sure.

I don't play a lawyer on TV. I am one.

[E.Marquez]

http://kdhnews.com/news/charges-dismiss ... l?mode=jqm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A Fort Hood soldier who was arrested and charged with a crime for bringing a concealed handgun into a local hospital had his charges dismissed.

Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Owen Sampson had a concealed handgun license when he brought his Springfield .45 into Metroplex Hospital’s emergency room March 30. State law prohibits concealed weapons from being brought to several places, such as convenience stores, bars and hospitals.

[Jaguar]

Great News!

Now how do we go about preventing this from happening again? Or will the police and prosecutors that tried to railroad this guy just live and learn?

[Purplehood]

http://kdhnews.com/news/charges-dismiss ... l?mode=jqm

A Fort Hood soldier who was arrested and charged with a crime for bringing a concealed handgun into a local hospital had his charges dismissed.

Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Owen Sampson had a concealed handgun license when he brought his Springfield .45 into Metroplex Hospital’s emergency room March 30. State law prohibits concealed weapons from being brought to several places, such as convenience stores, bars and hospitals.

Convenience Stores?

[Crossfire]

Convenience Stores?

That is actually a quote from the story. Here is the full text:

Charges dismissed against Fort Hood staff sergeant


Philip Jankowski | Herald staff writer updated: 16 hours ago

A Fort Hood soldier who was arrested and charged with a crime for bringing a concealed handgun into a local hospital had his charges dismissed.

Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Owen Sampson had a concealed handgun license when he brought his Springfield .45 into Metroplex Hospital’s emergency room March 30. State law prohibits concealed weapons from being brought to several places, such as convenience stores, bars and hospitals.

Through the legal wrangling that ultimately led to the dismissal of charges late Tuesday, Sampson and his attorney, Kurt Glass, maintained there was no notification on the doors of the hospital’s ER indicating weapons were prohibited when Sampson entered the hospital.

Glass said he took a picture of the doors in April and was prepared to show a blown-up photo projection of the doors at trial.

The doors have since had a sticker affixed to them indicating the illegality of bringing a weapon into the hospital, whether with a concealed handgun license or not.

Despite the dismissal, Sampson said he remained irritated with the Killeen Police Department over a lack of “education” shown by the officers who arrested him and how the charge placed his military career in limbo.

“It was a slap in the face,” Sampson said.

He had been a weapon liaison at Fort Hood, but after his arrest, his commanders stripped him of the additional duty title. “It put my character into question,” he said.

It also temporarily invalidated Sampson’s concealed handgun license, which should now be returned after some paperwork is turned over to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Sampson went to Metroplex Hospital shortly after midnight March 30 to check on his girlfriend, who is now his wife.

He had recently returned from a deployment in Iraq. That night the two had been drinking.

A police report stated his wife drank four bottles of wine, which led to a disturbance. Sampson called 911, and paramedics took her to the hospital. He followed in his car.

When he entered the ER, a security officer spotted a bulge under Sampson’s shirt and asked if it was a gun. Sampson told the officer it was. He was detained until police arrested him.

The Bell County Attorney’s office dismissed the charge for lack of evidence, court documents stated.

All that remains for Sampson now is to have his gun returned. It was a gift from his wife.

“I just want to get my weapon back and go on with my life,” he said.

You would think news reporters would be required to do a little research before they just go making stuff up.

[Jaguar]

I emailed the reporter, lets see if they fix it... (not holding my breath)

Edit to add: Wow, got a reply.

From: Phil Jankowski [mailto:kdhphilip@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2013 3:22 PM
To: (Me)
Subject: Re: Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Owen Sampson

Thanks for the input and criticism. We have heard from several people about this error today and will have a correction in tomorrow's edition. Thanks for reading
Phil
_______________________________________________
On Thu, Jan 10, 2013 at 3:15 PM, (Jaguar) wrote:
Dear sir,

In your article on kdhnews.com, you state;

Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Owen Sampson had a concealed handgun license when he brought his Springfield .45 into Metroplex Hospital’s emergency room March 30. State law prohibits concealed weapons from being brought to several places, such as convenience stores, bars and hospitals. (Emphasis mine)

This statement is false, and I would like to see it corrected. There is no law in Texas that prevents CHL holders from entering hospitals or convenience stores unless the business is posted in accordance with Texas Penal Code §30.06. There are off limit areas, such as schools, polling places on voting day, government courts, racetracks, and the secured area of an airport, but not the examples you gave. More to the point, it is not illegal to bring a firearm into a hospital, which is what Sgt. Sampson was charged with and the whole point of this story and why the charges were dismissed, he was arrested on a false charge.

Sloppy reporting in my opinion, you did not take the time to learn the laws you are writing about.

Regards,
JAG

[Purplehood]

I emailed the reporter, lets see if they fix it... (not holding my breath)

Edit to add: Wow, got a reply.

From: Phil Jankowski [mailto:kdhphilip@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2013 3:22 PM
To: (Me)
Subject: Re: Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Owen Sampson

Thanks for the input and criticism. We have heard from several people about this error today and will have a correction in tomorrow's edition. Thanks for reading
Phil
_______________________________________________
On Thu, Jan 10, 2013 at 3:15 PM, (Jaguar) wrote:
Dear sir,

In your article on kdhnews.com, you state;

Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Owen Sampson had a concealed handgun license when he brought his Springfield .45 into Metroplex Hospital’s emergency room March 30. State law prohibits concealed weapons from being brought to several places, such as convenience stores, bars and hospitals. (Emphasis mine)

This statement is false, and I would like to see it corrected. There is no law in Texas that prevents CHL holders from entering hospitals or convenience stores unless the business is posted in accordance with Texas Penal Code §30.06. There are off limit areas, such as schools, polling places on voting day, government courts, racetracks, and the secured area of an airport, but not the examples you gave. More to the point, it is not illegal to bring a firearm into a hospital, which is what Sgt. Sampson was charged with and the whole point of this story and why the charges were dismissed, he was arrested on a false charge.

Sloppy reporting in my opinion, you did not take the time to learn the laws you are writing about.

Regards,
JAG

Sweet. Thanks.

[n5wd]

Convenience Stores?

That is actually a quote from the story. Here is the full text:

Charges dismissed against Fort Hood staff sergeant


Philip Jankowski | Herald staff writer updated: 16 hours ago

A Fort Hood soldier who was arrested and charged with a crime for bringing a concealed handgun into a local hospital had his charges dismissed.

Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Owen Sampson had a concealed handgun license when he brought his Springfield .45 into Metroplex Hospital’s emergency room March 30. State law prohibits concealed weapons from being brought to several places, such as convenience stores, bars and hospitals.

Through the legal wrangling that ultimately led to the dismissal of charges late Tuesday, Sampson and his attorney, Kurt Glass, maintained there was no notification on the doors of the hospital’s ER indicating weapons were prohibited when Sampson entered the hospital.

Glass said he took a picture of the doors in April and was prepared to show a blown-up photo projection of the doors at trial.

The doors have since had a sticker affixed to them indicating the illegality of bringing a weapon into the hospital, whether with a concealed handgun license or not.

Despite the dismissal, Sampson said he remained irritated with the Killeen Police Department over a lack of “education” shown by the officers who arrested him and how the charge placed his military career in limbo.

“It was a slap in the face,” Sampson said.

He had been a weapon liaison at Fort Hood, but after his arrest, his commanders stripped him of the additional duty title. “It put my character into question,” he said.

It also temporarily invalidated Sampson’s concealed handgun license, which should now be returned after some paperwork is turned over to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Sampson went to Metroplex Hospital shortly after midnight March 30 to check on his girlfriend, who is now his wife.

He had recently returned from a deployment in Iraq. That night the two had been drinking.

A police report stated his wife drank four bottles of wine, which led to a disturbance. Sampson called 911, and paramedics took her to the hospital. He followed in his car.

When he entered the ER, a security officer spotted a bulge under Sampson’s shirt and asked if it was a gun. Sampson told the officer it was. He was detained until police arrested him.

The Bell County Attorney’s office dismissed the charge for lack of evidence, court documents stated.

All that remains for Sampson now is to have his gun returned. It was a gift from his wife.

“I just want to get my weapon back and go on with my life,” he said.

You would think news reporters would be required to do a little research before they just go making stuff up.

Nah - unfortunately, journalists in this country don't have to prove their proficiency at their craft before they start practicing the trade.

[C-dub]

So, does this mean that the intoxication charge was also dropped? I didn't even see it mentioned. We knew the charge regarding carrying in the hospital was dropped.

[SewTexas]

YAY!!! it's been a rough day, I need to see good news from someone

[E.Marquez]

So, does this mean that the intoxication charge was also dropped? I didn't even see it mentioned. We knew the charge regarding carrying in the hospital was dropped.

I heard from mr glass tonight,

All charges dropped

[chasfm11]

So, does this mean that the intoxication charge was also dropped? I didn't even see it mentioned. We knew the charge regarding carrying in the hospital was dropped.

I heard from mr glass tonight,

All charges dropped

What happens now? If I'm reading correctly, he still has to file paperwork with DPS to get his CHL back and to recover his gun. I'm guessing that he is out a lot of money defending himself. I'm sure that he does just want to go on with his life but some sort of settlement with at least the Killeen PD might help a reoccurrence for someone else and to recover some of the money that he out.

[texanjoker]

So, does this mean that the intoxication charge was also dropped? I didn't even see it mentioned. We knew the charge regarding carrying in the hospital was dropped.

I heard from mr glass tonight,

All charges dropped

There we go. The down side is when you get arrested and hire an attorney you are out money regardless of the outcome. Hopefully they will expedite his chl replacement and returning his firearm.

[C-dub]

So, does this mean that the intoxication charge was also dropped? I didn't even see it mentioned. We knew the charge regarding carrying in the hospital was dropped.

I heard from mr glass tonight,

All charges dropped

That is excellent news. I hope his status in the Army is unaffected and he is returned to his former duties ASAP.

[K.Mooneyham]

I'm glad things turned out well for the soldier. I saw that the hospital is now posted. Did they post it PROPERLY? I have family down there and it makes me curious, that's all.