Acting Army Secretary Is Accused of Shoplifting at PX

Acting Army Secretary John W. Shannon has been cited for allegedly shoplifting a woman’s blouse and skirt worth about $30 at a post exchange near the Pentagon, Army officials said Friday.

A store detective said he saw Shannon take the clothing on Thursday at the Army PX at Ft. Myer, Va., according to Col. Steve Rausch.

Shannon was taken to the store manager’s office and a military policeman was called, Rausch said. The Army secretary was issued a citation alleging shoplifting and was allowed to leave the store, he said.

Shannon was placed on administrative leave Friday at his own request, Army officials said. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan will assume the duties of acting secretary until President Clinton names a new secretary.

Rausch said the Army would have “no further comment during the ongoing legal process.”

Shannon was charged with misdemeanor theft of government property, an offense that carries a maximum penalty of a year in prison and a $100,000 fine, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Robert Chesnut, a federal prosecutor in Alexandria, Va.

Shannon was given a ticket and ordered to appear Oct. 22 before a federal magistrate in Alexandria, Chesnut said. The offense is a misdemeanor because the value of the property in question is less than $100.

Shannon, 60, Army undersecretary since 1989, has been acting as the Army’s top civilian official since January. He is a native of Louisville, Ky., who served 23 years in the Army, retiring with the rank of colonel. He is married and has a son.