Tagged: Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland

Defense attorneys in the latest court-martial of a Lackland instructor have asked for the testimony of the Commander of the 502d Air Base Wing.

The defense motion has brought to the surface the issue of "Unlawful Command Influence" and how it might affect the remaining cases.

The Air Force has released a plan to shrink its numbers by 3,340 airmen this year. The "early out" program is helping the service meet congressionally-mandated numbers by the end of September.

Those who choose to accept the offers to retire early must do so in time to be separated by September 29.

On Wednesday, Staff Sgt. Donald Davis was found not guilty of abusive sexual contact with a trainee, but after submitting its acquittal, the military jury learned that Davis pled guilty to having an unprofessional sexual relationship with a technical trainee prior to the start of the court-martial.

On Thursday the jury deliberated for about two hours before returning with a three-pronged sentence: A reduction in rank to E-3, three months’ hard labor and a bad conduct discharge. He could have received a prison sentence instead of the discharge.

Staff Sgt. Donald Davis was charged with abusive sexual contact by touching a trainee and placing her in fear of her military career through the abuse of his authority. However, the defense argued the jury could not convict if there was reasonable doubt that the events occurred.

The military jury vote in the seventh court-martial indicated that the government had not met its burden of proof in the case.