The South Carolina Civil Air Patrol suspended its Myrtle Beach commander pending the investigation of an October incident, according to CAP Public Information Officer Emerson Smith.
Police charged Cmdr. Stephen Teachout with Third-Degree Assault, Petit or Simple Larceny and Failure to Appear. They said he wrongly took a laser pointer from a 12-year-old. Teachout said he took the pointer from the child because he saw the child pointing it at drivers.
"When anyone in the Civil Air Patrol does something that is either contrary to the regulations or is something that leads to an arrest, then either that member voluntarily suspends themselves or they get suspended. In this case, I think what national headquarters is waiting to see is whether this leads to a conviction," Smith said.
CAP national headquarters at Maxwell Airforce Base in Montgomery, Alabama is handling the investigation.
Smith said in Teachout's case, CAP will wait to see what happens. "He may be thrown out. He may be convicted. We don't know. If a member is convicted of a criminal act, they will always be terminated. The member has the right to ask for a review of that termination and then there is a review process."
