Thaddeus Rule: Army recruiter charged for being all the Shmuck he could be

Once again, the thin air over Denver has created some, um, baggage for an airline passenger -- something we've had plenty of experience with. This time, it was an Army recruiting officer from Montana named Thaddeus Rule, who found himself on the wrong side of the law and on the...
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Once again, the thin air over Denver has created some, um, baggage for an airline passenger — something we’ve had plenty of experience with. This time, it was an Army recruiting officer from Montana named Thaddeus Rule, who found himself on the wrong side of the law and on the outside of his plane, looking in.

According to news reports, Rule, 31, refused to stop using his cell phone or to accept the responsibility of sitting in an exit row before his April 8 Skywest flight left Denver International Airport for Casper, Wyoming. So airline employees asked him to leave the plane. After he refused, they called the police.

When the police arrived, however, Rule allegedly pushed one officer down the plane’s stairs and fought with the others. He was eventually subdued, handcuffed (with the help of the pilot and passengers), arrested and removed. The other passengers had to wait two hours before the plane took off.

On Thursday, Rule was charged with two counts of assaulting an officer, a felony, and was later released on $3,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on May 5.

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Sounds like Rule may be heading back to basic training — on how to act like a normal person.

For more shmucks, visit our Shmuck of the Week archive.

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