Anti-Tank Missile Found At Georgia Home

[Drizzt]

Anti-Tank Missile Found At Georgia Home

POSTED: 8:06 pm EDT August 10, 2004

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- An anti-tank missile was found under the home of two men who recently were arrested while wandering on a gunnery range used by military helicopters.

Police said officers found the AT-4 anti-tank missile Monday while investigating a report of a burglary at the home of Broderick Dass, 48, and his 19-year-old son, Brandon. A two-block radius around the home was briefly evacuated until the missile was taken to a nearby fairground and detonated.

The Dasses were arrested July 17 on the gunnery range used by helicopters from Fort Stewart. The charges included illegally possessing automatic weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, as well as harassing an endangered gopher tortoise with a Rottweiler, said Steve Hart, spokesman for Hunter Army Airfield.

Hart said the men could have taken the missile from the range. "There's unexploded ordnance out there," he said.

The Dasses were released by the military, but federal agents arrested them four days later and authorities found a cache of weapons in their home the next day, said Gary Orchowski of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They remain in federal custody.

The day after their arrests, a trash bin exploded when it was being emptied into a garbage truck a block away. No one was hurt. Police then found an explosive in the truck's trash compartment as well as 20 mm machine gun ammunition.

Orchowski said no charges had been filed in the trash explosion but the Dasses are suspects.

 

[DigMe]

Sheesh...these guys are a walking disaster. Harassing turtles with their rotty on a gunnery range while carrying illegal full autos. Then throwing explosives and 20mm ammo away in the trash can. Good job, guys! Oh yeah, and the anti-tank round stashed under the house.

brad cook

 

[R.H. Lee]

Sheesh........Dumb and Dumber. Why does this stuff always happen in the South?

 

[Muzzleflash]

A two-block radius around the home was briefly evacuated until the missile was taken to a nearby fairground and detonated.

Well guys, we have the AT-4. What should we do with it?

Hell, I dunno. Return it to the army?

No, no. We should fire it!

Where?

Well, there's an abandoned fairground not too far from here. We could set it off there.

Ok y'all, that sounds like a plan!

 

[DesertEagle613]

I've got to get me one of them things!

 

[Stickjockey]

"Hey Phil! Look what I found! Can we keep it at your place?"

However:

The charges included illegally possessing automatic weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines...

Since when was this illegal? Just curious.

 

[NukemJim]

and high-capacity ammunition magazines...

Since when was this illegal? Just curious

Not sure which, either state law if the state had a magazine restriction (California does I do not know about others) in which case I do not know the date.
or
the mags were post ban LEO/Military only mags in which case it hat been illeagle since sept 94

NukemJim

 

[dinosaur]

"Dad, why do we keep anti tank rounds under the house?" "Well son, they're to keep tanks away from the block." But dad, there's never been a tank on the block." "See, it's working!"

 

[agricola]

20 mm machine gun ammunition.

them is big machine guns you got over there

 

[Night Guy]

Dasses = Dumb @sses? The equation balances in my estimation.

 

[mete]

They hunt tortoises with anti tank missiles in GA ?? How big are the tortoises ?

 

[Tamara]

Not sure which, either state law if the state had a magazine restriction (California does I do not know about others) in which case I do not know the date.

No, Georgia doesn't. Like most states, GA will let you own anything the feds will let you own.

Besides, bear in mind that a pre-ban 30-rd magazine is not a "Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device"; only if it was manufacured after 9/94 is it a LCAFD. This is a made-up term that is defined only in a bogus law, just like "Assault Weapon".

Sheesh........Dumb and Dumber. Why does this stuff always happen in the South?

Lord knows we've never had any reports of cretinous goings-on out on the left coast.

(Besides, which is dumber: Playing a little fast and loose with Federal Firearms Law, or electing Dianne Feinstein? )

 

[DigMe]

Yeah I just assumed they were post-ban LEO/military mags.

brad cook

 

[BigG]

Why does this stuff always happen in the South?

Hey, we got to provide Jeff Foxworthy with fresh material. Where do you think he gets his stuff?

 

[El Tejon]

These guys were just prepared for the undead zombie bears.

Which gun for bear? AT-4, of course!

 

[Harry Tuttle]

Not only are the turtles big, they have attack dogs!

if you re parse the sentence:

The charges included illegally possessing automatic weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, as well as harassing an endangered gopher tortoise with a Rottweiler

You can see that the turtle was the one with the rottweiler.

i kinda doubt the AT-4 was in the disposable launch tube..
A loaded AT4 would be something i would hope the military would keep a very tight leash on.

What is the AT4?_

It is a 84mm, light weight, single shot, man-portable, self contained antiarmor weapon fired from the right shoulder only

 

[Gifted]

The only difference with me is that they WOULD be in thier tube, and part of a legal 2nd amendment cache.

Unless the range is also used by infantry, I'd think that they got the missile(is it really a missile, or just a rocket?) from somewhere else.

 

[Blackcloud6]

is it really a missile, or just a rocket?

The AT-4 is not a missile it is a rocket. A missile has some form guidance.

I'm with Harry Tuttle, I bet its just an expended launch tube that they had. It's nothing but a toy then. Sounds like the Authorities and the press hyping things up a bit.

 

[dadman]

They can have my anti-tank missle when they pry it from my cold dead hands! Molon Labe!
Vote from the bunkers, slits, and windows.

 

[CentralTexas]

Why does this stuff always happen in the South?

RileyMC you said-
Why does this stuff always happen in the South?

I'm really tired of that comment so I will try to answer it. It's because Yankee girly men are scared of explosives and might wet their panties if they did anything even remotely illegal?
Ack!!!!
CT

 

[R.H. Lee]

CT-Correct me if I'm wrong, but Austin is south of, but still west of, Dallas. A Texan once told me the South doesn't start til you get east of Dallas. That would put Austin in the "West", not the "South"????

 

[WilderBill]

It's all relative. Some of us consider Oklahoma to be"up north".

Ya know, we had some folks down in Waco a while back that discovered too late that a good anti tank system IS a usefull part of your basic home defense weaponry.
It kinda looked like they needed a few Stingers, too.

 

[LawDog]

I would hazard a guess, since these geniuses were wandering around an impact zone (the very idea of that just boggles my tiny little mind) that on one of their previous visits to The Land of The Unexploded Ordinance, one of them found a dud AT-4 rocket and decided that it was just the kind of souvineir every house should have.

Brr.

LawDog

 

[ZeroX]

I'd like to know what they were using the 20mm ammo for...

 

[Bob R]

I can see this happening, the part about finding it on the range. I grew up in the late 60's roaming the impact range at Ft. Sill. I saw all kinds of unexpended ordnance, including an unexpended LAWS. I was never fortunate enough to find an Honest John, but lots 50BMG rounds, some M14 magazines, and a few unexploded 105mm rounds. Usually everything but the 105 rounds went home with someone.

One time we stumbled onto a growth of pot on one of the many ponds that are out there.


It is a wonder we didn't blow up our houses, or ourselves in the process. Oh, to be young and stupid!!

bob