The alleged abductor of Megan Holden, Johnny Lee Williams, Jr., is still a marine according to Pentagon officials.
Williams was home on voluntary leave after he was discharged for marijuana use in February, 2004.
Williams had appealed the case and it was on review in Washington.
Marine Corps officials say Williams is not entitled to any military pay or allowances while awaiting appeal.
He joined the Marines in 2001, two years after graduating from John Tyler High School.
Friday afternoon, KLTV spoke to those who knew Williams about his life growing up in East Texas.
Williams attended Winona High School his freshman, sophomore and junior years. While there, Williams was active in football and track.
He transferred to John Tyler his senior year. Those who knew Williams at John Tyler were surprised by Friday's news. They said he was one of those people who made you laugh.
"He was basically a real goofy guy you know," said Montrell Liggins, a former classmate of Williams. " (He was) real playful, never had any problems with anybody as far as I know. Never got in to any trouble."
"I was shocked," said Liggins of learning about Williams arrest in the case. "Never thought in a million years that it would be him."
Two years after graduating from John Tyler, Williams enlisted in the Marines. He served as a private and saw action in Kuwait and during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Some time after disciplinary action was taken, Williams returned to East Texas.
Police told KLTV Williams was arrested in December, charged with felony possession of crack cocaine. He bonded out of jail and had yet to go to trial.
and I think I heard in an earlier story shortly after he was captured that he was UA or AWOL.
Have you ever noticed that any time one of these pieces of human excrement are killed or caught, their old high school chums and their family say before they got caught they were fine examples of sainthood and they loved their Momma's?
The guy was shot with a 45 too bad the man who shot him didnt keep pulling the trigger till it was empty. I know he was caught by surprise and hurried to get his first shot off but , damn now Texas has to feed this guy for the next 10 years.
I love these stories about creeps getting shot in Texas and that Texas WILL execute . I was stationed at Ft. Sam Houston for a while and loved the place.Nice people there too.
The sick thing is that the media will spin this story to take a slap against the military. This person was a failure as a Marine and was kicked out for misconduct. The media will make it sound like this criminal is a typical veteran and all veterans act like this (except, of course, for John Kerry). The fact that an armed civilian was instrumental in stopping this killer will be forgotten and all we will hear is endless speculation about "what the military did to this nice man" to make him kill that girl.
Action in Kuwait during Iraqi freedom? God, I hate the lamestream press.