United States v. Dehart

33 M.J. 58, 1991 CMA LEXIS 846, 1991 WL 172211
CourtUnited States Court of Military Appeals
DecidedSeptember 4, 1991
DocketNo. 64,276; CM 8801416
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 33 M.J. 58 (United States v. Dehart) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Military Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Dehart, 33 M.J. 58, 1991 CMA LEXIS 846, 1991 WL 172211 (cma 1991).

Opinion

[59]*59 Opinion of the Court

SULLIVAN, Chief Judge:

Appellant was tried by a general court-martial which included enlisted members at Hanau and Frankfurt, Federal Republic of Germany, during June of 1988. Contrary to her pleas, she was convicted of two specifications of violating a general regulation by importing lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) into Germany; a single specification of possessing LSD; and two specifications of distributing LSD, in violation of Articles 92 and 112a, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 USC §§ 892 and 912a, respectively. She was sentenced to a dishonorable discharge, confinement for 15 years, total forfeitures, and reduction to Private El. The convening authority approved the sentence but reduced the period of confinement to 13 years. On October 30,1989, the Court of Military Review dismissed the two specifications of importing LSD, reduced the period of confinement to 8 years, but otherwise affirmed in an unpublished opinion.

On September 4, 1990, this Court granted review on the following issues:

I
WHETHER APPELLANT ESTABLISHED, AS A MATTER OF LAW, THE DEFENSE OF DURESS AS TO THE DRUG CHARGE AND ITS SPECIFICATIONS.
II
WHETHER THE MILITARY JUDGE ABUSED HIS DISCRETION WHEN HE REFUSED TO ORDER THE GOVERNMENT TO MAKE ADDITIONAL EFFORTS TO OBTAIN THE PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF TROY PEARSON AND OCEAN GREGORY AFTER HE FOUND THEIR TESTIMONY TO BE MATERIAL TO APPELLANT’S DEFENSE.

We hold that appellant’s duress defense was properly considered and rejected by the members at this court-martial. United States v. Williams, 21 MJ 360 (CMA 1986); see United States v. Charleus, 871 F.2d 265, 269-70 (2d Cir.1989). Cf. United States v. Bailey, 444 U.S. 394, 415-16, 100 S.Ct. 624, 637-38, 62 L.Ed.2d 575 (1980). We also hold that no prejudicial error occurred as a result of the military judge’s failure to take additional steps to secure the presence of the two defense-requested witnesses at appellant’s court-martial. United States v. Davis, 29 MJ 357 (CMA 1990).

The record of trial contains the following evidence concerning the granted issues: Specialist Jolene DeHart testified that she met Private Troy Pearson on Christmas day of 1986. She went on dates with him several times during the next few weeks but told him that she wanted to break off the relationship in early February 1987, when she found out that he was involved with drugs. He told her that he wanted to continue the relationship and “promised” to “give up the drugs.” Nevertheless, appellant began dating another soldier, Private Mark Kruse, in the middle of March.

According to appellant’s testimony, Pearson was very disturbed about her dating Kruse and came to her apartment numerous times during March and April. Several times he came over to her apartment early in the morning, and once he climbed over her balcony and banged on her porch windows. However, through appellant’s 13-year-old daughter, Ocean Gregory, appellant discovered that Pearson had also come over to her apartment twice at about 4 and 5 o’clock in the afternoon. Recalling the incident, appellant testified, “One time he gave her hash and the other time he gave her two hits of LSD. He tried to talk her into taking some, getting her friends involved and doing drugs. And later on that evening she gave the drugs to me and told me about what had happened.”

Concerned with these events, appellant “wrote an anonymous note to” her commander, Captain Browning, which advised him of “a severe” drug problem in the company, and included several names and the two hits of LSD that Pearson had allegedly given to Ocean. In his earlier testimo[60]*60ny at this court-martial, Captain Browning confirmed having received the note.

In April of 1987, Pearson approached appellant, who was a clerk in the unit’s orderly room, and asked her to prepare false border passes for himself and a Private Beamson in exchange for $50. She told Captain Browning and revealed to him that she had authored the earlier anonymous note. He told her that “he would contact” the Criminal Investigation Command (CID) and refrain from mentioning her name. After consulting the CID, he told appellant to prepare the passes Pearson had requested. Both appellant and Captain Browning testified that they thought the CID intended to apprehend Pearson at the Dutch border. However, according to their testimony, no drugs were found on Pearson when he was stopped. Captain Browning testified that he suspected Pearson had been tipped off about the search.

In May 1987, appellant, at the request of the CID, gave a statement connecting Pearson and others with drugs. She was promised that her statement would remain anonymous. Later, around the beginning of July, Private Deron Hagopian showed appellant a copy of the statement she made to the CID. He told her that he had distributed copies of her statement to others in the drug ring and that she would “suffer for what” she had done. Appellant advised Captain Browning. He contacted the CID and steps were taken to stop these threats by Hagopian.

Hagopian testified that he had received appellant’s CID statement from Pearson. He also testified that Pearson had told him that he wanted “to get back at” appellant for the border search “and physically hurt her.” After the first threats were communicated, appellant’s testimony indicates that she and Ocean started to receive threatening telephone calls. In one call that Ocean received, the caller said that appellant “was a narc and that her mother was going to get killed for being a narc.” Once Ocean was told “that nares’ kids get hurt.” Appellant told Captain Browning about the calls and sent Ocean back to the United States to ensure her safety.

In mid-July Hagopian again approached appellant and suggested “a deal” whereby she would purchase drugs in Amsterdam and carry them back to Germany for distribution. In return, the threats would stop. She agreed to participate. Hagopian was tried in September 1987 and then left the country. Appellant testified that in September, she came home to find Pearson in her apartment. When appellant said she would call the police, he “grabbed” her by the hair and said he would throw her off the balcony if she called. Pearson also told her that he knew where Ocean was in Florida. He warned her that “he had friends there” and that Ocean “could wind up getting a massive [overjdose of drugs at school.”

Appellant testified that, during the third week in September, Pearson, who was soon to be administratively discharged from the Army, introduced her to Specialist Anthony Dick. He told her she would bring back drugs from Amsterdam for Dick. She also testified that in the third week of October, she was contacted by her mother, who was caring for Ocean, and told that Ocean had been given drugs at school. She believed that Pearson had instigated that incident.

Appellant admitted that she went to Amsterdam on October 31 and returned with 100 “hits” of LSD. Pearson left Germany at about the same time. She passed the LSD to Dick when she returned.

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Bluebook (online)
33 M.J. 58, 1991 CMA LEXIS 846, 1991 WL 172211, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-dehart-cma-1991.