Airman found guilty at court martial

  • Published
  • By Judge Advocate
  • 35th Fighter Wing
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  On Saturday, 26 June 2010, a Special Court-Martial found Staff Sgt. Moses Taylor, Jr., 35th Maintenance Squadron, guilty of drunk driving, fleeing the scene of an accident, false official statement, and failure to obey an order to deregister his vehicle.

The court composed of four officer members found Staff Sgt. Taylor guilty of the charges after a three-day trial. The court members went on to sentence Staff Sgt. Taylor to a Bad Conduct Discharge, two months of confinement and a reduction to Airman Basic. With a BCD, Staff Sgt. Taylor will also forfeit two-thirds of his pay and allowances while in confinement.

"It is sad to see a 17-year career end like this," said Maj. Todd Wydra, 35th Maintenance Squadron Commander, "but Staff Sgt. Taylor chose this outcome when he went out to get drunk without a plan, decided to drive home drunk, wrecked his car, and then, rather than take responsibility for his actions, fled the scene and lied to Security Forces."

On 27 February 2010, Staff Sgt. Taylor's abandoned vehicle was found flipped over in a drainage ditch in a residential area of Misawa City. Staff Sgt. Taylor told Security Forces that he had been at a local bar earlier that morning and gotten drunk. He said he then gave his keys to an unidentified person and had his wife drive him home. His wife also told Security Forces and later testified that she had driven her husband home. Staff Sgt. Taylor did not testify at trial.

In her closing argument, Capt. Grethe Hahn, trial counsel, argued that this case was about "the keys, the location, and the motivation." Staff Sgt. Taylor's keys--including his house keys and work keys--were still in the ignition after the accident. Capt. Hahn argued that it was unlikely that a stranger in the Club would have known what Staff Sgt. Taylor's car looked like or where it was parked.

Additionally, the accident happened less than a kilometer from Staff Sgt. Taylor's house. Shortly after the accident, a Japanese witness chased the driver before losing him near Staff Sgt. Taylor's neighborhood. Finally, another employee at the nightclub saw Staff Sgt. Taylor's wife leave the Club alone earlier that morning.

Capt. Felix Sutanto, Staff Sgt. Taylor's defense counsel, argued that the prosecution did not produce any evidence to prove that Staff Sgt. Taylor drove his car that night. He argued that it was not reasonable to believe Staff Sgt. Taylor could have left the accident apparently uninjured.

In sentencing, Capt. Chris Stein, assistant trial counsel, argued that this case sends a message to both our Japanese hosts and to the base community. "Is this what we expect from members who wear the blue uniform?" argued Capt. Stein. He urged the court to "send a message that this conduct is incompatible with military service."

Staff Sgt. Taylor's conviction and sentence will be reviewed by the installation commander as court-martial convening authority. If he approves the BCD, the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals will also review the findings and sentence for error.