German authorities are considering criminal charges against an American soldier after he disrupted train traffic while drunk.
The off-duty soldier was walking home drunk on Saturday along rail lines in the German state of Bavaria, according to Stars And Stripes. The soldier delayed traffic between Nittendorf and Nuernberg, forcing trains to slow or stop completely to keep from hitting him.
The soldier was “apparently heading home after enjoying large quantities of alcohol and, in a manner reminiscent of the Wild West, was walking along the train tracks to find his way,” Waldmuenchen police spokesman Josef Pongratz said.
A woman spotted the soldier walking on tracks between Nittendorf and Nuernberg and notified local authorities. Police relayed a warning to trains in the area, including a high-speed passenger train. The trains all slowed to a crawl while police searched for the drunken man.
“It doesn’t bear thinking about what could have happened if the woman who saw the soldier had not immediately called the police,” Pongratz said. “Incidents like this don’t always end well.”
“What the soldier did was extremely dangerous,” Pongratz said.
The soldier may be charged with “endangering train traffic” a crime that, if convicted of, carries a jail term between six months and 10 years.
Army spokesperson Lacey Justinger said the actions of off-duty personnel do not represent the values of the U.S. military.
