The Army specialist who was hailed as a hero for saving a group of children during the August mass shooting at an El Paso mall complex has been arrested for allegedly deserting his post.
Pfc. Glendon Oakley Jr. was arrested on a deserter warrant in the city of Harker Heights, Texas on Thursday morning, officials at Fort Bliss and the Harker Heights Police Department confirmed to Task & Purpose.
A military detail from Fort Bliss is currently en route
to take Oakley into military custody, Fort Hood deputy director of
emergency services Chris Zimmer told local NBC News affiliate KCEN-TV.
“Pfc. Oakley was absent without leave and was apprehended pursuant to a military administrative warrant,” Army Master Sgt. Vin Stevens said in a statement. “Pfc. Oakley is in police custody pending return to Ft Bliss where the chain of command is prepared to receive the Soldier and address the issue according to applicable laws, regulation, and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”
“We are genuinely concerned about the well-being of all Soldiers in our unit,” said Col. Ronnie D. Anderson Jr., commander of the 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade, said.
Oakley, an automated logistics specialist assigned to the 504th Composite Supply Company, 142nd Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade at Fort Bliss, gained national attention after he gave a passionate TV interview in the aftermath of the Cielo Vista Mall shooting that left 20 people dead.