Reid seeks inquiry in Nevadan’s Iraq death

WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Monday asked the State Department and Pentagon to investigate the electrocution of a 25-year-old private security contractor while showering in his dormitory in Baghdad.

Reid, D-Nev., said he wants to know whether Adam Hermanson's death resulted from faulty electrical work.

Hermanson, who died Sept. 1, grew up in San Diego and Las Vegas.

Electrical wiring has been a problem in Iraq that the military has been trying to fix with widespread inspections and repairs. At least three military members have been electrocuted while showering since the start of the Iraq war, and others have been shocked elsewhere.

Reid made the request Monday in letters to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Hermanson served three tours in Iraq with the Air Force. He recently had left the military and was an employee of the Herndon, Va.-based private contractor Triple Canopy at the time of his death.

A request for comment was referred to the military in Baghdad, where the request was not returned.

Darby Holladay, a State Department spokesman, said Reid's letter had not yet been received.