United States v. Doane

54 M.J. 978, 2001 CCA LEXIS 150, 2001 WL 506187
CourtUnited States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedApril 2, 2001
DocketACM 33234
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 54 M.J. 978 (United States v. Doane) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Air Force Court of Criminal 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. Doane, 54 M.J. 978, 2001 CCA LEXIS 150, 2001 WL 506187 (afcca 2001).

Opinions

OPINION

YOUNG, Chief Judge:

May a military accused lawfully be ordered into pretrial confinement while awaiting trial solely to prevent him from committing suicide? We hold that he may not.

The appellant pled guilty to, and was convicted of, committing indecent acts on his daughter, who was under 16 years of age. Article 134, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 934. The approved sentence consists of confinement for 12 months and reduction to E-4. The appellant claims the military judge erred by denying his motion for appropriate relief for illegal pretrial confinement, the sole purpose of which was to prevent him from committing suicide. We find error, but affirm the findings and sentence.

I. Facts

On 17 September 1997, Air Force authorities learned that the appellant had been committing indecent acts on his daughter. The acts occurred over a four-year period while the daughter was between 12 and 15 years of age. On 19 September, the appellant voluntarily admitted himself to a civilian mental health facility because of suicidal ideation. He was released on 30 September because he was no longer “actively suicidal,” but continued to receive treatment from Major (Doctor) Bradshaw, the Chief, Outpatient Mental Health Services at Elmendorf Air Force Base (AFB), Alaska.

During December, the appellant was permitted to go on emergency leave to New York. He returned as scheduled. He voluntarily admitted himself to a mental health facility again because of suicidal ideation, but was later released. During the first week of January 1998, the appellant was sent to David Grant Medical Center at Travis AFB, California, for psychiatric evaluation. As the appellant was not imminently suicidal, he was returned to duty at Elmendorf AFB. On 10 February 1998, the appellant was informed that a specification had been preferred against him under Article 134, UCMJ, alleging he committed indecent acts with his daughter.

On 2 March, during a routine appointment, the appellant told Dr. Bradshaw that he had lied the previous Friday when he said he was not considering suicide. He admitted that he had in fact considered two plans. He described one of the plans to Dr. Bradshaw. The appellant told Dr. Bradshaw that he felt better as the weekend progressed and he became determined to make it to the next day. The appellant explained to Dr. Bradshaw that he was not then suicidal. Dr. Bradshaw telephoned the appellant’s first sergeant expressing his concern that the appellant might commit suicide.

The first sergeant took Dr. Bradshaw’s call after he had just finished speaking with Mr. Wallrich, one of the appellant’s coworkers. Mr. Wallrich reported to the first sergeant that the appellant had claimed to have had a difficult weekend — the appellant had planned to commit suicide and was surprised that he had not done so. Mr. Wallrich also described for the first sergeant at least one of the appellant’s plans — the appellant intended to take his medication and drive off. Apparently, the first sergeant understood Mr. Wallrich to say that the appellant would flee from prosecution.

Based on his discussions with Dr. Bradshaw and Mr. Wallrich, the first sergeant recommended to Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Jackson, the commander, that she order the appellant into pretrial confinement. Lt Col [980]*980Jackson ordered the appellant into pretrial confinement on that date.

On 4 March 1998, in a memorandum to the wing commander, Lt Col Jackson reviewed the probable cause to order the appellant into pretrial confinement. See Rule for Courts-Martial (R.C.M.) 305(h)(2) and (i)(l). She claimed that pretrial confinement was necessary “because it is foreseeable that MSgt Doane will commit suicide or make a suicidal gesture, or he will flee, and thus not appear at trial.” She concluded that pretrial confinement was still appropriate because the appellant “continues to express thoughts of suicide and flight.” Lt Col Jackson attached a memorandum from Dr. Bradshaw to her memorandum for the wing commander.

In his memorandum, Dr. Bradshaw noted that “there exist[s] a high probability [the appellant] will either make an attempt or gesture at suicide in order to avoid the impending trial,” but the appellant did not meet the criteria for psychiatric hospitalization against his will. Dr. Bradshaw had seen the appellant once or twice a week from October to December 1997 and then twice weekly after the appellant was discharged from the civilian mental health facility in December. In the memorandum, he described his meeting with the appellant on 2 March.

On 6 March, a pretrial confinement hearing was held pursuant to R.C.M. 305(i)(2) and Air Force Instruction 51-201, Administration of Military Justice, Chapter 3 (3 Oct 1997). Dr. Bradshaw testified before the Pretrial Confinement Reviewing Officer (PCRO) that he did not believe the appellant intended to flee. He thought the appellant’s comments about driving away were directly related to his suicidal ideation and more likely related to him driving off into freezing water to kill himself — one of the methods of killing himself the appellant had described during one of his previous hospitalizations. Dr. Bradshaw noted that under Alaska law, a person could be involuntarily committed if he were an imminent risk to himself. However, in order to satisfy that test, he would have to be able to state that the appellant had a “given plan and that he’s going to go and act on it at that point.” He admitted that the appellant did not meet that criteria when he was placed in pretrial confinement. But, he further testified, as follows:

I think either in a gesture or an attempted suicide the accused would be unavailable for trial. I think there’s a high risk. I don’t believe there’s any lesser form of restraint to ensure that he’s not going to make this suicidal gesture. My lesser form of restraint is outpatient management. Unfortunately, someone can’t be with him 24 hours a day. Occasionally we use family to make a commitment about watching a suicidal patient, but even that becomes difficult. It’s especially difficult, if they have no real connection, like his roommate, because they become responsible for someone’s life. So, that’s not a call we’re comfortable making usually.
I believe pretrial confinement would provide the accused protection from acting-out. The risk factors that were there on Monday have not changed at all.
The stressors that the accused is under are the same as the ones on 27 February. In my opinion, I believe he’s at a high risk for either a suicide gesture or attempt before the trial on 16 March.

Dr. Bradshaw testified that his preferred “route” for the appellant was hospitalization, however, the appellant did not meet the criteria for involuntary commitment and refused to voluntarily hospitalize himself.

Mr. Wallrich testified that, on 2 March, the appellant told him that it was a miracle that he was here anymore as he had planned on committing suicide during the previous weekend.

The PCRO recommended the appellant’s continued pretrial confinement. He wrote,

It was the clear testimony of Dr. Bradshaw that, if not confined, there is a high risk that MSgt Doane will not present himself for trial. Others testified that they believed MSgt Doane would appear.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
54 M.J. 978, 2001 CCA LEXIS 150, 2001 WL 506187, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-doane-afcca-2001.