美油漆工为提早下班 两次火烧核潜艇

Navy investigators have determined that a civilian laborer set a fire that caused $400 million in damage to a nuclear-powered submarine because he had anxiety and wanted to get out of work early.

Casey James Fury of Portsmouth, N.H., faces up to life in prison if convicted of two counts of arson in the fire aboard the USS Miami attack submarine while it was in dry dock May 23 and a second blaze outside the sub on June 16.

The 24-year-old Casey was taking medications for anxiety and depression and told investigators he set the fires so he could get out of work, according a seven-page affidavit filed Monday in US District Court in Portland.

Fury made his first court appearance Monday afternoon but did not enter a plea.

Magistrate Judge John Rich III scheduled a combined detention and probable cause hearing for next month. The US attorney's office has filed a motion asking that Fury be held without bail.

Fury's federal public defender, David Beneman, did not speak in court and earlier in the day declined to comment to the reporters.

People who appeared to be family members attended the hearing but also declined to comment.

The Miami was in dry dock at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, for an overhaul when the fire damaged the torpedo room and command area inside the forward compartment. It took more than 12 hours to extinguish.

A second fire was reported June 16 on the dry dock cradle on which the Miami rests, but there was no damage and no injuries.

Fury, who was working on the sub as a painter and sandblaster, initially denied starting the fires but eventually acknowledged his involvement, the affidavit states.

He admitted setting the May 23 fire, which caused an estimated $400 million in damage, while taking a lie-detector test and being told by the examiner he wasn't being truthful.

Fury told Timothy Bailey, an agent for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, that "his anxiety started getting really bad," so he grabbed his cigarettes and a lighter, walked up to a bunk room and set fire to some rags on the top bunk.

If convicted of either charge, Fury could face life imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000 and be ordered to pay restitution, officials said.

(Read by CJ Henderson. CJ Henderson is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

双语资讯

(Agencies)

美国海军调查人员称，一名油漆工因患焦虑症，想提早下班，点燃了一艘核潜艇，造成了4亿美元的损失。

这名油漆工来自新罕布什尔州朴茨茅斯，名叫凯西•詹姆斯•弗里。他涉嫌分别于今年5月23日和6月16日，点燃在造船厂内维修的美国海军“迈阿密”号攻击核潜艇，他被控两项纵火罪名，如果定罪他将面临终身监禁。

24岁的凯西正服用抗焦虑和抗抑郁药物。根据美国波特兰州地方法院本周一存档的一份长达七页的口供，他告诉调查人员，纵火是为了早些下班回家。

凯西本周一下午首次出庭，但没有抗辩。

地方法官约翰-里奇三世计划于下月就两项纵火罪对凯西进行拘留，并举行可能性事由听证会。美方律师办公室已经递交动议，要求不准保释凯西。

凯西的联邦公设辩护律师大卫-贝纳曼在法庭上没有发言，今天早些时候也拒绝对记者发表评论。

凯西的家人参加了审讯，但也拒绝发表评论。

当时，“迈阿密号”正在位于缅因州基特里的朴茨茅斯造船厂进行彻底检修。大火突然烧毁了鱼雷舱和前舱的控制室。火势超过12小时才被扑灭。

6月16日，“迈阿密号”的潜艇托架再度被引燃，所幸没有造成损失和人员伤亡。

凯西是潜水艇上的一名油漆工和喷砂工。根据口供，他最初否认自己纵火，但最终承认了自己的行为。

他在接受测谎仪测试后才承认自己于5月23日首次纵火的事实，这次纵火造成了大约4亿美元损失。其间审查员告诉他他没说实话。

凯西告诉海军犯罪调查局的特工蒂莫西-贝里说，“他的焦虑症开始严重起来”。因此他抓起香烟和打火机，走上船员舱，点燃了上铺上的一些破布。

如果两项罪名中的任意一项属实，他都将面临终身监禁，以及高达25万美元的罚款，用于进行损失赔偿。

Vocabulary:

arson: 纵火，纵火罪

dry dock: 干船坞，干船厂

affidavit：口供，口供书

public defender: 公设辩护律师

torpedo: 鱼雷，水雷

cradle: 支船架

restitution: 赔偿