United States v. Brunton

24 M.J. 566, 1987 CMR LEXIS 146
CourtU.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review
DecidedMarch 5, 1987
DocketNMCM 86 1523
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 24 M.J. 566 (United States v. Brunton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Brunton, 24 M.J. 566, 1987 CMR LEXIS 146 (usnmcmilrev 1987).

Opinion

PER CURIAM:

At a general court-martial composed of officer members, the appellant was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, distribution of cocaine, and failing to report the distribution of cocaine. His sentence, comprising confinement for one year, total forfeiture of all pay and allowances, reduction to pay grade E-l, and a dishonorable discharge, was approved by the convening authority as adjudged.

Before this Court, appellant asserts that (1) the military judge erred by failing to dismiss the charges for (a) lack of personal jurisdiction and for (b) denial of appellant’s right to a speedy trial; (2) the military judge erred by failing to instruct the members on the elements of the offense appellant allegedly failed to report and that that underlying offense had to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt; (3) the military judge erred by failing to instruct the members on the definition of “conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline” as those terms applied to the offense of distribution of cocaine under Article 134; and (4) he may not be convicted of failure to report the distribution of cocaine where in his reporting of the offense he would have incriminated himself. We will discuss the assignments of error seriatim.

I

FAILURE TO DISMISS CHARGES FOR LACK OF PERSONAL JURISDICTION AND FOR DENIAL OF RIGHT TO SPEEDY TRIAL

A. Personal Jurisdiction

Appellant’s assertions with respect to the court-martial’s lack of personal jurisdiction over him are based upon his sudden recall to active duty subsequent to his commencement of a period of terminal leave in anticipation of his end of active obligated service (EAOS).

The record reveals that the date of appellant’s end of active obligated service was 31 March 1985. In anticipation thereof, on 3 March 1985, the appellant detached the USS RICHARD L. PAGE on terminal leave. Before detaching on that day, appellant completed the check-out procedures at the command’s Personnel Office, which included signing his discharge papers (the DD Form 214) and arranging for the receipt of his last two pay checks. Appellant then went to his home in Columbia, South Carolina, where, on 12 March, he began his employment with a civilian establishment. On 28 March 1985, appellant received his DD 214 discharge papers when he went home for lunch and picked up his mail. [568]*568When he returned to work after lunch that day, he received a phone call from the ship’s legal officer informing him that he was ordered back to the RICHARD L. PAGE, that his terminal leave had been canceled, and that he was going to be charged with larceny and drug offenses. This telephonic message was followed up by a telegram delivered on that same day which informed the appellant that he was ordered to return to the ship not later than 2400, 81 March 1985, that his terminal leave was canceled, and that he was being extended on active duty pending criminal investigation. Appellant reported back aboard the RICHARD L. PAGE at about 1730 on Sunday, 31 March. The next day, 1 April, a page 13 entry was made in appellant’s service record book, informing him that he was being “[involuntarily held beyond normal date of expiration of enlistment to await disposition of military investigation.” Appellate Exhibit 2. The form was signed by the accused, acknowledging that he “consented] to be retained in the naval service beyond the normal date of expiration of enlistment____” Id.

Based on these facts, the appellant made a motion to dismiss the charges on the grounds that the court-martial lacked personal jurisdiction over him. The military judge denied the motion. Relying on United States v. Howard, 20 M.J. 353 (C.M.A.1985), the appellant now maintains that the military judge’s ruling denying his motion was incorrect because his “[discharge [was] effective upon delivery of the discharge certificate” and, thus, the court-martial’s exercise of jurisdiction over his person subsequent to this discharge was inappropriate and invalid. Howard at 354. The Government, on the other hand, contends that the military judge’s ruling on the motion was correct since (1) clear steps were taken to maintain jurisdiction over the appellant prior to the expiration of his enlistment; (2) the appellant had received notice of his retention on active duty before the date of the expiration of his enlistment; and (3) the appellant had never lawfully been issued a discharge certificate.

In the Howard case, supra, the Court of Military Appeals (COMA) reversed the Army Court of Military Review’s reversal of the military judge’s ruling that delivery of a discharge certificate to Howard had terminated court-martial jurisdiction over his person. Judge Cox’s exposition of the facts in the Howard case indicates that Private Howard was ordered to report to a Separation Transfer Point on 22 August where he was to be administratively discharged on that date, that Howard did so report on the morning of 22 August, that he was there issued a General Discharge Certificate and a DD Form 214, that he collected his travel pay and turned in his military identification card, and that by 9:45 that morning he had signed out of his command and was on his way home. Finding out later that afternoon that Private Howard was being investigated for commission of a military offense, the responsible commander directed that Howard’s discharge order be revoked. This revocation order was prepared at approximately 10:00 p.m. on 22 August, but the appellant was not notified of this action until approximately nine days later on 31 August. COMA found that, despite the existence of an Army Regulation which would have permitted him to retain Howard within his command until midnight on the date of the discharge,

the commander made an informed decision to allow [Howard] to be discharged at an earlier time when he authorized him to pick up his discharge certificate, as well as his DD Form 214 and travel pay, and allowed him to be released from the boundaries of the military reservation before any action was taken with a view to trial by court-martial.

Howard, 20 M.J. at 354-355. Based on this finding, COMA concluded that “a court-martial no longer had in personam jurisdiction to try [Howard] for the charged offenses.” Id. at 355.

We find the facts of the instant case to be clearly distinguishable from the facts of Howard. Unlike Private Howard, who completed his check-out procedures and received his discharge papers while on post [569]*569on the same date his separation was to take effect, the appellant in this case received his discharge papers a few days prior to the effective date of his separation while in a terminal leave status at his home far from his military organization. Furthermore, while Private Howard did not receive notice of revocation until nine days after the delivery of his discharge papers and the expiration of his enlistment, the appellant was notified by phone and telegram within hours after receiving his discharge papers and three days prior to his actual separation date that his leave was canceled and that he would be retained on active duty pending criminal investigation. Also, unlike Private Howard, whose commanding officer had given him a valid authorization to pick up his discharge certificate, the appellant in the instant case received a discharge certificate which was mailed without proper authority, contrary to the express provisions of 10 U.S.C.

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Related

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40 M.J. 655 (U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review, 1994)
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Bluebook (online)
24 M.J. 566, 1987 CMR LEXIS 146, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-brunton-usnmcmilrev-1987.