Alaska soldier charged with attempted espionage

(CBS/AP) ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The U.S. Army charged Alaska-based soldier Spc. William Colton Millay of Owensboro, Ky. with attempted espionage, issuing false statements and other counts on Monday.

Army officials say no information was ever transmitted by Millay, who was arrested on Oct. 28, and that the 22-year-old military police officer was being observed before any damage could have occurred.

Steve Karns, the Dallas-based lawyer representing Millay said Friday that his client told him he is innocent. Karns has previously defended military members in criminal prosecutions and other matters.

Karns said he spoke with Millay by phone and his client came across as a simple country boy who "seems like a really good kid."

"He doesn't sound like he has a malicious bone in his body or malevolent intent," Karns said.

He declined to discuss the case against Millay, a military police officer at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. Millay was arrested Oct. 28 in an ongoing investigation conducted by the U.S. Army and the FBI.

Officials have said there is no connection between the Colton case and the ongoing case involving Army analyst Bradley Manning, who is suspected of disclosing secret intelligence to WikiLeaks.

Millay is assigned to the 164th Military Police Company. Most company members were deployed Afghanistan in March, but Millay was in the company's rear detachment that stayed behind.

Since his arrest, Millay has been in custody without bail at the Anchorage Correctional Complex.