Rapid City Journal reports that:
Government prosecutors dismissed sexual assault charges against an Ellsworth Air Force Base airman when the alleged victim did not appear at an Article 32 hearing for Sr. Airman Vinicus Santana on Tuesday.
Santana is scheduled for a court martial on April 20 for a shooting incident in Rapid City that injured another airman.
That seems odd, unless they had no sworn statements from the complaining witness that could be used in lieu of testimony. Civilian’s can’t be subpoened to an Article 32, UCMJ, hearing, but they can to trial. Also, charges could still be reinstated at a later point assuming they were withdrawn without prejudice.
Stars & Stripes reports that:
An airman with the 86th Maintenance Squadron at Ramstein Air Base is awaiting the results of an Article 32 hearing that could lead to his being tried in the death of an American after what German police say was a bar fight in Landstuhl on New Year’s Eve.
Air Force Times reports that:
A major general lost a star and had to retire because he dated another woman while legally separated from his wife.
Retired Brig. Gen. Arthur B. Morrill III ended nearly 38 years of service on Feb. 1. He had worked his way from enlisted recruit in 1972 to one of the Air Force’s most senior maintenance and logistics officers.
His demotion will cost him about $21,000 a year in retirement pay.
At a time when the overall court-martial case load is decreasing,1 Marine Corps Times reports that:
A nearly $28 million expansion of Navy Consolidated Brig Miramar, Calif., will house more male pretrial detainees and prisoners, and create a separate housing unit and support facilities for women.
[1.] CAAFlog and CAAF statistics show a decrease in court-martial caseload. Comments from a number of people at the CAAF Conference indicated all of the services are seeing a decrease in court-martial cases. The reasons for a decline are many depending on who you talk to. But, while the numbers may be in decline, my sense is that the complexity of courts-martial remains is high.