diff --git a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/AnalogGyroJNI.cpp b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/AnalogGyroJNI.cpp
index 1d6da1b3f1..d8c6407d94 100644
--- a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/AnalogGyroJNI.cpp
+++ b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/AnalogGyroJNI.cpp
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ JNIEXPORT jint JNICALL Java_edu_wpi_first_wpilibj_hal_AnalogGyroJNI_initializeAn
   ANALOGGYROJNI_LOG(logDEBUG) << "Status = " << status;
   ANALOGGYROJNI_LOG(logDEBUG) << "Gyro Handle = " << handle;
   // Analog input does range checking, so we don't need to do so.
-  CheckStatus(env, status);
+  CheckStatusForceThrow(env, status);
   return (jint) handle;
 }
 
diff --git a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/CanTalonJNI.cpp b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/CanTalonJNI.cpp
index 1829144ae2..5773863ce4 100644
--- a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/CanTalonJNI.cpp
+++ b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/CanTalonJNI.cpp
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 extern "C" {
 
 inline bool CheckCTRStatus(JNIEnv *env, CTR_Code status) {
-  if (status != CTR_OKAY) ReportError(env, (int32_t)status, 0, 0, 0, false);
+  if (status != CTR_OKAY) ReportError(env, (int32_t)status, false);
   return status == CTR_OKAY;
 }
 
diff --git a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/CounterJNI.cpp b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/CounterJNI.cpp
index 87f943e0fc..b14ddb3ff2 100644
--- a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/CounterJNI.cpp
+++ b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/CounterJNI.cpp
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ Java_edu_wpi_first_wpilibj_hal_CounterJNI_initializeCounter(
   COUNTERJNI_LOG(logDEBUG) << "Index = " << *indexPtr;
   COUNTERJNI_LOG(logDEBUG) << "Status = " << status;
   COUNTERJNI_LOG(logDEBUG) << "COUNTER Handle = " << counter;
-  CheckStatus(env, status);
+  CheckStatusForceThrow(env, status);
   return (jint)counter;
 }
 
diff --git a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/EncoderJNI.cpp b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/EncoderJNI.cpp
index d8e07451db..0f0129bb8b 100644
--- a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/EncoderJNI.cpp
+++ b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/EncoderJNI.cpp
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ Java_edu_wpi_first_wpilibj_hal_EncoderJNI_initializeEncoder(
       
   ENCODERJNI_LOG(logDEBUG) << "Status = " << status;
   ENCODERJNI_LOG(logDEBUG) << "ENCODER Handle = " << encoder;
-  CheckStatus(env, status);
+  CheckStatusForceThrow(env, status);
   return (jint)encoder;
 }
 
diff --git a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/HALUtil.cpp b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/HALUtil.cpp
index 24368ffe32..62e5845dda 100644
--- a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/HALUtil.cpp
+++ b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/HALUtil.cpp
@@ -141,14 +141,8 @@ void ThrowHalHandleException(JNIEnv *env, int32_t status) {
   delete[] buf;
 }
 
-void ReportError(JNIEnv *env, int32_t status, int32_t minRange, int32_t maxRange, 
-    int32_t requestedValue, bool do_throw) {
+void ReportError(JNIEnv *env, int32_t status, bool do_throw) {
   if (status == 0) return;
-  if (status == NO_AVAILABLE_RESOURCES || 
-      status == RESOURCE_IS_ALLOCATED || 
-      status == RESOURCE_OUT_OF_RANGE) {
-    ThrowAllocationException(env, minRange, maxRange, requestedValue, status);
-  }
   if (status == HAL_HANDLE_ERROR) {
     ThrowHalHandleException(env, status);
   }
@@ -166,7 +160,25 @@ void ReportError(JNIEnv *env, int32_t status, int32_t minRange, int32_t maxRange
   }
 }
 
-void ReportCANError(JNIEnv *env, int32_t status, int32_t message_id) {
+void ThrowError(JNIEnv *env, int32_t status, int32_t minRange, int32_t maxRange, 
+                int32_t requestedValue) {
+  if (status == 0) return;
+  if (status == NO_AVAILABLE_RESOURCES || 
+      status == RESOURCE_IS_ALLOCATED || 
+      status == RESOURCE_OUT_OF_RANGE) {
+    ThrowAllocationException(env, minRange, maxRange, requestedValue, status);
+  }
+  if (status == HAL_HANDLE_ERROR) {
+    ThrowHalHandleException(env, status);
+  }
+  const char *message = HAL_GetErrorMessage(status);
+  char *buf = new char[strlen(message) + 30];
+  sprintf(buf, " Code: %d. %s", status, message);
+  env->ThrowNew(runtimeExCls, buf);
+  delete[] buf;
+}
+
+void ReportCANError(JNIEnv *env, int32_t status, int message_id) {
   if (status >= 0) return;
   switch (status) {
     case kRioStatusSuccess:
diff --git a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/HALUtil.h b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/HALUtil.h
index 75524fed3d..36b9bf39d5 100644
--- a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/HALUtil.h
+++ b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/HALUtil.h
@@ -14,19 +14,24 @@
 
 extern JavaVM *jvm;
 
-void ReportError(JNIEnv *env, int32_t status, int32_t minRange, int32_t maxRange, 
-                 int32_t requestedValue, bool do_throw = true);
+void ReportError(JNIEnv *env, int32_t status, bool do_throw = true);
+                 
+void ThrowError(JNIEnv *env, int32_t status, int32_t minRange, int32_t maxRange, 
+                int32_t requestedValue);
 
 inline bool CheckStatus(JNIEnv *env, int32_t status, bool do_throw = true) {
-  if (status != 0) ReportError(env, status, 0, 0, 0, do_throw);
+  if (status != 0) ReportError(env, status, do_throw);
   return status == 0;
 }
 
 inline bool CheckStatusRange(JNIEnv *env, int32_t status, int32_t minRange, 
-                             int32_t maxRange, int32_t requestedValue, 
-                             bool do_throw = true) {
-  if (status != 0) ReportError(env, status, minRange, maxRange, requestedValue, 
-                               do_throw);
+                             int32_t maxRange, int32_t requestedValue) {
+  if (status != 0) ThrowError(env, status, minRange, maxRange, requestedValue);
+  return status == 0;
+}
+
+inline bool CheckStatusForceThrow(JNIEnv *env, int32_t status) {
+  if (status != 0) ThrowError(env, status, 0, 0, 0);
   return status == 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/I2CJNI.cpp b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/I2CJNI.cpp
index 51fae582e9..35d45eb9a9 100644
--- a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/I2CJNI.cpp
+++ b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/I2CJNI.cpp
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_edu_wpi_first_wpilibj_hal_I2CJNI_i2CInitialize(
   int32_t status = 0;
   HAL_InitializeI2C(value, &status);
   I2CJNI_LOG(logDEBUG) << "Status = " << status;
-  CheckStatus(env, status);
+  CheckStatusForceThrow(env, status);
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/InterruptJNI.cpp b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/InterruptJNI.cpp
index 30e8a07651..3f11ccbc09 100644
--- a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/InterruptJNI.cpp
+++ b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/InterruptJNI.cpp
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ Java_edu_wpi_first_wpilibj_hal_InterruptJNI_initializeInterrupts(
   INTERRUPTJNI_LOG(logDEBUG) << "Interrupt Handle = " << interrupt;
   INTERRUPTJNI_LOG(logDEBUG) << "Status = " << status;
 
-  CheckStatus(env, status);
+  CheckStatusForceThrow(env, status);
   return (jint)interrupt;
 }
 
diff --git a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/NotifierJNI.cpp b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/NotifierJNI.cpp
index bc7070f80f..bb8bed3627 100644
--- a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/NotifierJNI.cpp
+++ b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/NotifierJNI.cpp
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ Java_edu_wpi_first_wpilibj_hal_NotifierJNI_initializeNotifier(
   NOTIFIERJNI_LOG(logDEBUG) << "Notifier Handle = " << notifierHandle;
   NOTIFIERJNI_LOG(logDEBUG) << "Status = " << status;
 
-  if (notifierHandle <= 0 || !CheckStatus(env, status)) {
+  if (notifierHandle <= 0 || !CheckStatusForceThrow(env, status)) {
     // something went wrong in HAL, clean up
     delete notify;
   }
diff --git a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/SPIJNI.cpp b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/SPIJNI.cpp
index 3988847cc8..5c64d0d09e 100644
--- a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/SPIJNI.cpp
+++ b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/SPIJNI.cpp
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_edu_wpi_first_wpilibj_hal_SPIJNI_spiInitialize(
   int32_t status = 0;
   HAL_InitializeSPI(port, &status);
   SPIJNI_LOG(logDEBUG) << "Status = " << status;
-  CheckStatus(env, status);
+  CheckStatusForceThrow(env, status);
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/SerialPortJNI.cpp b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/SerialPortJNI.cpp
index c92aeb637c..fcc669e7fa 100644
--- a/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/SerialPortJNI.cpp
+++ b/wpilibj/src/athena/cpp/lib/SerialPortJNI.cpp
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ Java_edu_wpi_first_wpilibj_hal_SerialPortJNI_serialInitializePort(
   int32_t status = 0;
   HAL_InitializeSerialPort(port, &status);
   SERIALJNI_LOG(logDEBUG) << "Status = " << status;
-  CheckStatus(env, status);
+  CheckStatusForceThrow(env, status);
 }
 
 /*