Ft. Campbell: ‘Administrative Oversight’ Led To Iraq Veteran’s Arrest

Johnson City, Tenn.—An Iraq war veteran, and Elizabethton resident, said the Johnson City Police Department tarnished his reputation.

Police pulled Douglas “Cody” Jennings over on East Main Street Friday night, for driving 60 mph in a 30 mph zone. 

When the arresting officers punched his information into their PDA’s (personal digital assistants), they noticed a red flag from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).  He was wanted by the United States Army out of Ft. Campbell Ky.

“Once we get a hit like that, we have to call the center at 911, confirm that information, and verify that it’s still active,“ Capt. J.D. Toth said.  “They were told that it was still active.“

Police booked Jennings in the Washington County Jail Friday night.  He wasn’t released until Saturday afternoon.  What happened in between is a point of dispute between the decorated veteran, and the department that locked him up.

“I had the documentation and stuff that I needed to prove that [I had been honorably discharged],“ Jennings said.  “[The arresting officers] didn’t want to see it,“ he said.

“The officers were working within our standard operating procedure and they incarcerated him because they did get the hit on him for desertion,“ Toth said.

At 5:17 a.m., Johnson City Police issued the following press release:

“On October 16, 2009, officers of the Johnson City Police Department arrested Douglas C. Jennings, 23 yoa, of 406 Stuart Dr., Elizabethton, TN, after he was pulled over for a minor traffic violation.  An NCIC check of Mr. Jennings revealed that he was wanted by the United States Army out of Ft. Campbell, KY for being a military deserter. Mr. Jennings was charged with being a Fugitive from Justice and was transported to the Washington County Detention Center. Mr. Jennings is being held in lieu of a $10,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Washington County General Sessions court on 10/26/09.“

Local news organizations ran with that information, and Jennings was labeled ‘a military deserter.‘

Jennings said a Lieutenant Colonel from Ft. Campbell called Washington County Jail on his behalf around midnight that night, told jailers about the error, and requested his release.

Toth could not recall what time Ft. Campbell officials confirmed the error, but the arresting officers told him it was after they issued the press release.

Once that happened, Johnson City Police needed a judge’s order to dismiss the warrant, Toth said. 

“[The Lieutenant Colonel] cannot dismiss the warrant.  We have to go before a judge, and that’s what I understand he was told,“ Toth said.

On Monday, Ft. Campbell released the following statement to 11 Connects Reporter George Jackson:

“There had previously been a warrant issued for Mr. Jennings. When he returned to duty that warrant should have been dropped.  But, there was an administrative oversight, and it wasn’t.  Ft. Campbell officials, once they were notified, took immediate action to remedy the situation.“

Ft. Campbell Spokesman Robert Jenkins clarified some of the wording in the above statement, and offered background on the ‘administrative oversight’ during a telephone interview Monday.

“[This summer, Jennings] got halfway through the out-processing process and left [Ft. Campbell],“ Jenkins said.  “That’s why there was a hit in the [NCIC] system,“ he said.

Jennings decided to out-process after he was picked up by homeland security during a trip to the Caribbean this August.  The NCIC hit was legitimate at that time, Jenkins said.

“He used his release papers from the military to clear himself with homeland security, came back to Ft. Campbell, and finished processing,“ Jenkins said.

The paperwork was passed on to the military, “but not to the folks who take him out of the NCIC system,“ Jenkins said.

Jenkins couldn’t confirm, or deny, that a Lieutenant Colonel called Washington County jail Friday night, but did take issue with the term ‘military deserter’ used on the press release.

“If the term ‘deserter’ was alleged, that was not the army’s doing.  He was listed as ‘away without official leave’ (AWOL),“ Jenkins said.

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