Ex-US soldier fined for trying to take gun on plane

By FARAI MUTSAKA
Associated Press

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — A retired U.S. Army soldier has been fined $400 and given a suspended 36-month jail sentence for attempting to carry a gun and ammunition onto a plane in Zimbabwe. Retired Sgt. Maj. Ronald Leon Johnson had been held in the renowned Chikurubi Prison for more than a week. Prosecutors said he was checking in to a flight to the tourist town of Victoria Falls when airport security officials found a Glock 9 mm pistol and three magazines each with 15 rounds of ammunition in his suitcase. They asked for a 10-year prison term. The judge criticized prosecutors for “overemphasizing” Johnson’s military history to portray him as a potential terrorist.