GameTavern - Even More Strange Game News

I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried, I don't think this one is as bad as the last two, but eh...

Quote:

BLUEFIELD - A former state police trooper convicted on federal charges of violating the civil rights of a McDowell County man was ordered Wednesday to spend 90 days in a correctional halfway house for trying to help a couple of inmates beat a video game.

U.S. District Judge David Faber ruled that Gary L. Messenger, II of Bluefield, violated the terms of his supervised release when he mailed a letter containing a strategy guide he obtained from the Internet to inmates at Mount Olive Correctional Complex.

Messenger, convicted in 2000 of violating the rights of a Welch man, was released from prison last year after serving a 12-month sentence.

The terms of Messenger's federal supervised release stipulated he could have no communication with convicted felons. Messenger also failed to report a traffic accident to his probation officer, U.S. Attorney Charles Niller said.

Faber ordered Messenger to serve 90 days at the Lebanon Community Corrections center in Russell County, and he will be required to fulfill the remainder of his federal supervised release following the 90-day sentence.

"I am troubled by the rather cavalier way Mr. Messenger violated the conditions of his release in a way he knew he shouldn't have," Faber said.

Messenger apologized to the court, adding he was only trying to help the inmates beat a Playstation game they were having trouble with.

"I deeply regret the incident that has brought me to this position," Messenger said.

"I can offer no excuse for what I did. Being confined myself, I realized how tough it was to be in that kind of confinement. They had a game they were having problems with and they wanted me to send them a strategy (guide) off the Internet. Again, I do apologize for that."

Messenger and other state police officers allegedly broke into Neal Rose's home after the man complained about noise and gunshots coming from a state police retirement party near his Welch residence.

Niller said Messenger's supervised release is expected to continue through December 2004.

"He was originally sentenced to 87 months, and it was reduced to 12 months," Niller said.

So the guy will spend time in a correction house or something for giving some convicts a strategy guide to beat a PlayStation game, I didn't even know prisoners got videogame systems, wonder which one is their favorite. I can imagine the ads now..

"Buy an Xbox, recommended by 9 out of 10 convicts" , the real mature system..

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?n...d=346229&rfi=6