They claim Brandon Curtiss, the group’s president, spent the
money on unauthorized car accessories, car washes, camping at an
Idaho state park, iTunes music downloads, gasoline and food at
restaurants, among other charges. (Scroll down to read the
resignation letter.)
“We were recently given access to the PayPal and the bank account
statements and discovered a lot of money had been donated and our
families never received anything from Brandon with the exception of
the occasional $50,” said Chelsea Hamel, the daughter of Challis
resident Scott Drexler, one of the four Idaho men awaiting trial
next year in Nevada.
She said her dad and the other three men only received a total of
$429 from 3% of Idaho following a benefit effort this summer.
The resignations came in a letter that accused Curtiss of using
the donated money for his own use.
“It is with heavy hearts that we, the undersigned, do solemnly
testify to you that we believe that substantial portions of these
gifts have been grievously misused within the Idaho III%
organization,” the letter reads. “We do not put forth this
accusation lightly, or without due diligence and proper
deliberation.”
Curtiss, in an email to the Idaho Statesman on Tuesday night,
said he would issue a “full statement” concerning the allegations on
Wednesday. Later Tuesday evening, another person wrote to say that
further inquiries for Curtiss should go through that person, who
would not identify himself or herself.
An anonymous complaint was filed Monday with the Idaho Attorney
General’s Office.
“I can neither confirm nor deny whether we are taking any action
on the complaint,” said Brian Kane, assistant chief deputy attorney
general.
The 3% of Idaho this week appears to be pursuing damage control.
Brooke Agresta, Curtiss’ girlfriend and a regional 3% of Idaho
leader, posted a warning on her Facebook page this weekend saying
the group planned to take legal action against anyone possessing or
distributing the bank and PayPal statements. She claimed improper
possession of a bank statement amounted to grand theft, though
nothing
in the relevant Idaho statute appears to state that.
Curtiss heads the Idaho branch of the 3%, a militia movement that
says it’s devoted to “freedom, liberty and the Constitution.” One
member, who did not wish to be identified, said there were about
1,000 members statewide before the resignations began.
SpaceX attempted to launch the
first Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center today however due to an
issue with the thrust vector control system in the second stage
a scrub was called at T-13 seconds in the countdown.
A 24 hour turnaround has been announced meaning another launch
attempt tomorrow, February 19th 2017 with liftoff at
14:38 UTC.
SpaceX Plans to Launch Cargo Mission Saturday Despite Rocket Leak
By Sarah Lewin, Staff Writer |
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — All systems are "go" for tomorrow's (Feb. 18) planned
launch of SpaceX's
Dragon cargo capsule toward the International Space Station, even though a
small leak was spotted in the rocket that will blast the freighter skyward.
"We've loaded the Dragon full of supplies, both inside and outside of the
trunk. I think we're on the order of 5,500 lbs. [2,400 kilograms], and the most
external cargo mass that we've ever launched in the trunk," Dan Hartman, the
International Space Station's deputy program manager, said during an early
evening briefing today (Feb. 17). "We're ready to go, and everything looks very,
very healthy for us."
The liftoff is scheduled to take place at 10:01 a.m. EST (1501 GMT) tomorrow
from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. You can watch the launch
live here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV; coverage begins at 8:30 a.m.
EST (1330 GMT). [Photos:
The Rockets and Spaceships of SpaceX]
During a separate briefing this afternoon, SpaceX President and Chief
Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell
confirmed that, while the company will keep evaluating the leak in the
Falcon 9 rocket, prep for a Saturday launch will continue as scheduled.
During the early evening briefing, a SpaceX representative clarified that the
leak is in the system used to re-light the Falcon 9's second-stage engine in
order to propel the stage out of orbit once it has detached from Dragon.
Moonshot pad roaring back into action with SpaceX launch
By marcia dunn, ap aerospace writer
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Feb 17, 2017, 5:07 PM ET
The launch pad used to send Americans to the moon and
shuttle astronauts into orbit is roaring back into action.
Dormant for nearly six years, NASA's Launch Complex
39A should see its first commercial flight this weekend. A
SpaceX
Falcon 9 rocket will use it to hoist supplies to the International
Space Station.
Saturday morning's planned launch will be SpaceX's
first from Florida since a devastating rocket explosion at a neighboring pad
last summer. The accident prompted SpaceX to whip 39A into shape sooner than
anticipated under its lease with NASA. The pad wrecked in the Sept. 1 accident
remains unusable.
"I can tell you it's an extra special launch ....
maybe extra nerve-wracking," SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell told reporters
Friday just outside the pad fencing.
