Soldiers take chief of staff's car for joyride
Ynet learns of two soldiers painting town red using cars assigned to Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi's office. Soldiers' arrested, placed in detention pending further Military Police investigation
Join the joyride: Two soldiers stationed in the IDF's Kirya Base in Tel Aviv, took one of the military vehicles assigned to the Chief of Staff's Office for a joyride, Ynet had learned Friday.
The mischief was caught on tape, courtesy of the base security cameras. The two were arrested by the Military Police, arraigned by the Tzrifin Military Court and sentenced – for the time being – to detention.
The incident in question apparently took place on Wednesday night. According to the allegations, Y., a soldier who was on call as the resident driver and R. who was on call as the nighttime courier, "borrowed" a Toyota SUV assigned to the Security Service detail in the Chief of Staff's Office and drove it around the greater Tel Aviv area for about an hour.
After returning to the base, the two "borrowed" another car – a Subaru B4 – for a 30-minute ride.
The Military Police is now retracing the soldiers' night on the town, using the cars' LoJack system, in an effort to find out exactly what they were doing.
According to the military prosecution, the two tried to disguise their act, by having another car park in the slots allotted to the vehicles they took.
"Since both soldiers serve in close proximity to the chief of staff (i.e. Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi), and with the obvious risk posed by their lack of discipline, there is a substantial risk of obstruction of justice… we therefore ask the court to remand both defendants," said the prosecution.
Attorneys Captain Mark Perry and Lieutenant Idan Dvir, for the defendants, asked the court to deny remand, saying the two had admitted the act "and have no intention of obstructing justice."
Colonel Erez Porat, presiding over the arraignment, ruled the two would be confined to the base pending another hearing, scheduled for Monday.
