United States v. Gilchrist

61 M.J. 785, 2005 CCA LEXIS 297, 2005 WL 1560147
CourtArmy Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedSeptember 29, 2005
DocketARMY 20020342
StatusPublished
Cited by36 cases

This text of 61 M.J. 785 (United States v. Gilchrist) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Army 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. Gilchrist, 61 M.J. 785, 2005 CCA LEXIS 297, 2005 WL 1560147 (acca 2005).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

SCHENCK, Senior Judge:

A military judge sitting as a general court-martial convicted appellant, pursuant to his pleas, of going from his appointed place of duty, disrespect toward a superior noncom-missioned officer, failure to obey a lawful order (three specifications), wrongful use of marijuana, Xanax,1 and cocaine (one specification each), wrongful distribution of Xanax (two specifications), and larceny of other than military property (two specifications), in violation of Articles 86, 91, 92, 112a, and 121, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. §§ 886, 891, 892, 912a, and 921 [hereinafter [787]*787UCMJ]. The military judge convicted appellant, contrary to his plea,2 of failure to obey a lawful order, in violation of Article 92, UCMJ. The convening authority approved the adjudged sentence to a bad-conduct discharge, confinement for fifteen months, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and reduction to Private El. The convening authority ordered 176 days of confinement credit.3 This case is before the court for review under Article 66, UCMJ.

Appellant’s record of trial is fraught with issues; several merit discussion and relief. First, we agree with appellate government counsel that appellant’s court-martial had jurisdiction. Second, we agree with appellate defense counsel that Specifications 1 and 2 of Charge III, both alleging larceny on 21 July 2001, should be merged because appellant stole the property listed in these specifications at substantially the same place and time. Third, we hold that the record of trial raises a substantial, unresolved question of law and fact as to the providence of appellant’s guilty plea to the Specification of Additional Charge I and Additional Charge I (going from his appointed place of duty). Fourth, we find the record of trial lacks sufficient evidence to convict appellant of Specification 3 of Additional Charge III (failure to obey a lawful order). Finally, we agree, in part, with appellant’s personal averment that shackling him to a barracks room cot — when he was a pretrial prisoner and the detention cell was unavailable — was more rigorous than required and constituted a violation of Article 13, UCMJ. Based on the errors noted, we will grant appropriate relief and reassess the sentence in our decretal paragraph.

I. Jurisdiction

Facts

Appellate defense counsel assert the record of trial lacks evidence that Colonel (COL) Wallace B. Hobson, Jr. (the acting commander)4 personally selected appellant’s court members prior to referring the case to a general court-martial. The 1 March 2002 pretrial advice for appellant’s case states, “I recommend that you refer the original and additional charges to trial by general court-martial by the members listed in Courts Martial Convening Order Number [CMCO # ] 3, this headquarters, dated 10 December 2001.” Colonel Hobson’s endorsement to the pretrial advice on that same date states, “All recommendations of the Staff Judge Advocate are approved.” Court-Martial Convening Order Number 3 is listed as an enclosure to the pretrial advice.

At trial, defense counsel was put on notice that Major General (MG) Green selected the members for appellant’s court-martial; copies of that order were furnished to “counsel [788]*788and the accused.” Colonel Hobson referred appellant’s case to the panel MG Green previously selected. In the presence of trial defense counsel, the military judge twice clarified that COL Hobson was the acting convening authority. Trial defense counsel affirmatively agreed. CourL-Martial Convening Order Number 3 convenes a general court-martial with the members listed therein, “BY COMMAND OF MAJOR GENERAL GREEN.” See R.C.M. 504(a). On appellant’s charge sheet and additional charge sheet, block 14 states, “Referred for trial to the general court-martial convened by CMCO # 3, dated 10 December 2001, subject to the following instructions: to be tried in conjunction with the [other] charges. By ORDER of COLONEL HOBSON.” Trial defense counsel did not challenge COL Hob-son’s personal selection of the. members on CMCO # 3, nor did he otherwise express any concern about CMCO # 3 or jurisdiction.

Discussion

A convening authority may adopt court members selected by his or her predecessor in command. See R.C.M. 601(b); United States v. England, 24 M.J. 816, 817 (A.C.M.R.1987); see also United States v. Allgood, 41 M.J. 492, 496 (C.A.A.F.1995) (citing with approval this court’s opinion in England, supra). As in England, the referral language in the instant case cited a specific convening order listing members appointed by COL Hobson’s predecessor in command. “We presume regularity in the action of the convening authority.” United States v. Hudson, 27 M.J. 734, 735 (A.C.M.R.1988) (citing United States v. Hodge, 26 M.J. 596 (A.C.M.R.1988); United States v. Cunningham, 21 M.J. 585 (A.C.M.R.1985); and United States v. Carman, 19 M.J. 932 (A.C.M.R.1985)). This court is satisfied that COL Hob-son referred appellant’s case to a general court-martial after reviewing and approving CMCO #3 incident to consulting with his staff judge advocate. Moreover, appellate defense counsel do not provide any support for their assertion that COL Hobson did not adopt the court members listed on CMCO #3.

We also find the decision of our sister court in United States v. Brewick, 47 M.J. 730 (N.M.Ct.Crim.App.1997), persuasive. Our sister court found a similar claim of lack of personal selection of court members to be without merit because Lance Corporal Brewiek did not raise the issue at trial and failed to show prejudice on appeal. Furthermore, we agree with the Brewick court’s view that Allgood does not require an “explicit statement of adoption.” Brewick, 47 M.J. at 732. Absent evidence to the contrary, adoption can be presumed from the convening authority’s action in sending the charges to a court-martial whose members were selected by a predecessor in command. See id. at 733. We are satisfied that “the trial counsel’s ‘averments of jurisdiction’, included in the record without objection, are adequate to establish the proper constitution and jurisdiction of the court.” United States v. Vargas, 47 M.J. 552, 554 (N.M.Ct.Crim.App.1997) (citing Runkle v. United States, 122 U.S. 543, 556, 22 Ct.Cl. 487, 7 S.Ct. 1141, 30 L.Ed. 1167 (1887)). Therefore, we find that appellant’s court-martial had jurisdiction to try him on the referred charges.

II. Multiple Article Larceny

Appellant pleaded guilty to larceny of $60.00 cash and Xanax pills of a value of about $20.00 from Private (PVT) Richard Rasch on 21 July 2001 (Specifications 1 and 2 of Charge III, respectively).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
61 M.J. 785, 2005 CCA LEXIS 297, 2005 WL 1560147, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-gilchrist-acca-2005.