Howard Mechanic

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Howard Mechanic (a.k.a. Gary Tredway) was an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis who was accused of tossing a cherry bomb into the university's ROTC building during Vietman-era protests in May 1970 - accusations that he denied. Although no one was hurt, he was charged under the Civil Obedience Act of 1968, and sentenced to five years in prison. During his appeals, he fled and lived under the assumed name of Gary Tredway in Scottsdale, Arizona for thirty years, but his identity as Howard Mechanic became known when he ran for local office. He was discovered during an interview with a local reporter who became suspicious after a background check. After using a number of mistruths to try to dissuade the reporter from publishing the story, including claiming to have Leukemia and donating 25% of his earnings to charity, she reported on the story anyway. He was imprisoned but received a pardon by President Bill Clinton in January 2001.