Pentagon Official in Trouble for Stealing License Plates

He left threatening note on nanny's car
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 2, 2016 2:07 AM CDT
Pentagon Official in Trouble for Stealing License Plates
This photo of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Bryan Whitman appears on his DOD biography page.   (Department of Defense)

A top Pentagon official known as a "stickler for the rules" almost ended up in prison for harassing a nanny who parked in his upscale Washington, DC, neighborhood, the Washington Post reports. Cops say Bryan Whitman stole the nanny's license plates three times in April after leaving a note on her windshield reading: "I know you are misusing this visitor pass to park here daily. If you do not stop I will report it, have your car towed and the resident who provided this to you will have his privileges taken away." After the first two thefts, the nanny's employers installed a security camera outside their home, which captured Whitman, the Pentagon's top civilian public affairs official, making off with the plates for a third time.

Whitman—who handed over the plates when police arrived with a search warrant—made an agreement with prosecutors on Tuesday to pay $1,000 in restitution to the nanny, perform 32 hours of community service, and stay away from the nanny, her employers, and the block they live on, NBC News reports. In return, theft charges will be dropped if Whitman stays out of trouble for 10 months. The 58-year-old is still employed at the Pentagon and it's not clear if the bizarre episode will do any damage to his career. It's also not clear why he flipped out over the nanny's parking habits: Residents tell the Post that there's no shortage of parking in the neighborhood, and a spokesman for DC's Department of Transportation says it was perfectly legal for the nanny to use a visitor pass. (More Washington, DC stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X