United States v. Staff Sergeant TONY S. SPRINGER

CourtArmy Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedJanuary 22, 2020
DocketARMY 20170662
StatusPublished

This text of United States v. Staff Sergeant TONY S. SPRINGER (United States v. Staff Sergeant TONY S. SPRINGER) 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. Staff Sergeant TONY S. SPRINGER, (acca 2020).

Opinion

UNITED STATES ARMY COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS

Before the Court Sitting En Banc

UNITED STATES, Appellee Vv. Staff Sergeant TONY S. SPRINGER United States Army, Appellant

ARMY 20170662

Headquarters, United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence Richard J. Henry, Military Judge Lieutenant Colonel David H. Drake, Acting Staff Judge Advocate

For Appellant: Lieutenant Colonel Tiffany D. Pond, JA; Major Angela D. Swilley, JA; Captain Rachele A. Adkins, JA (on brief).

For Appellee: Colonel Steven P. Haight, JA; Lieutenant Colonel Wayne H. Williams, JA; Major Craig Schapira, JA; Captain Brian Jones, JA (on brief).

22 January 2020

SCHASBERGER, Judge:

At the time of appellant’s court-martial, the presiding military judge engaged in an inappropriate relationship with the wife of one of the prosecuting attorneys assigned to appellant’s case. This inappropriate relationship created the appearance that the military judge lacked impartiality in appellant’s court-martial. Under the circumstances of this case, we are compelled to set aside the findings of guilt and sentence and authorize a rehearing. !

This is our second time reviewing this case under Article 66, UCMJ. In our first review, we summarily affirmed the findings and sentence. United States v. Springer, ARMY 20170662 (Army Ct. Crim. App. 31 Jan. 2019) (dec.). Appellant then sought review by the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF), which

'In early December 2017, an enlisted panel sitting as a general court-martial convicted Staff Sergeant (SSG) Springer, contrary to his pleas, of two specifications of assault consummated by a battery in violation of Article 128, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 928 [UCMJ]. The convening authority approved appellant’s adjudged sentence of a bad-conduct discharge, confinement for ninety days, and reduction to the grade of E-4. SPRINGER—ARMY 20170662

initially denied appellant’s petition for a grant of review. United States v. Springer, 79 M.J. 69 (C.A.A.F. 2019) (order). Following the CAAF’s denial, appellant received notice that his military judge, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Richard Henry, “was involved in an inappropriate relationship with the wife” of an attorney practicing before him. Specifically, an investigation found that LTC Henry engaged in an inappropriate relationship with Mrs. KC, the wife of Captain (CPT) AC, a judge advocate who practiced before LTC Henry as a trial counsel and later became a defense counsel in the same judicial circuit. With this new information, appellant asked the CAAF to reconsider its denial of his petition for grant of review. The CAAF ultimately granted appellant’s requested reconsideration, vacated its prior denial, granted the petition for review, and remanded the case to this court. United States v. Springer, 79 M.J. 138 (C.A.A.F. 2019) (order). The CAAF directed this court to consider the following issue:

WHETHER THE MILITARY JUDGE ERRED BY FAILING TO RECUSE HIMSELF BASED ON CIRCUMSTANCES THAT, IF KNOWN AT THE TIME OF APPELLANT’S COURT-MARTIAL, WOULD HAVE PROVIDED REASONS TO REASONABLY QUESTION HIS IMPARTIALITY.’

BACKGROUND?

The Judge Advocate General of the Army designated LTC Henry as a military judge on 16 April 2015. In the summer of 2016, the Army assigned him to Fort Benning, Georgia, where he served as a military judge until his removal in April 2018. Lieutenant Colonel Henry was married at all times relevant to this case.

* Our review and discussion of the facts and circumstances surrounding appellant’s convictions is limited to those facts and circumstances necessary to resolve the issue remanded by our superior court.

> Previously in this case, we took judicial notice of various items related to LTC Henry’s relationship with Mrs. KC, which are located in two records of trial from another court-martial, United States v. Rudometkin, ARMY 20180058, and United States v. Rudometkin, ARMY MISC 20180675. See United States v. Springer, ARMY 20170662 (Army Ct. Crim. App. 24 Oct. 2019) (order). Three items are particularly relevant to this decision: (1) App. Ex. LXXIX, United States v. Rudometkin, ARMY 20180058 (military judge’s findings of fact and conclusions of law concerning LTC Henry’s inappropriate relationship); (2) transcript pages 1403- 1541, United States v. Rudometkin, ARMY 20180058 (Article 39(a), UCMJ, post- trial hearing related to LTC Henry’s relationship with Mrs. KC); and (3) Def. App. C., United States v. Rudometkin, ARMY MISC 20180675 (Army administrative investigation into LTC Henry’s relationship with Mrs. KC). SPRINGER—ARMY 20170662

Beginning in the summer of 2016, CPT AC served as a trial counsel in the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Fort Benning, Georgia. In this capacity, he practiced as a prosecutor in front of LTC Henry. At all times relevant to this case, CPT AC was married to Mrs. KC.

Mrs. KC met LTC Henry’s wife in the summer of 2016. Mrs. KC first met LTC Henry in October 2016 at a Halloween party hosted by the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate. As the party was crowded, Mrs. KC, LTC Henry, and LTC Henry’s wife spent most of the evening talking in a bedroom. After the party, LTC Henry sent Mrs. KC a message via Facebook messenger thanking her for hanging out in “the introvert room.” Mrs. KC was unaware of how to use Facebook messenger, so CPT AC alerted her to the message. Thus began a frequent exchange of messages between Mrs. KC and LTC Henry, to whom she referred to as “RJ.” In their messages, they discussed personal issues such as children, family, work, and matriage, as well as “non[-]personal issues.” Over time, they developed a deep friendship. Mrs. KC shared things with LTC Henry that she only shared with one other longtime friend.

On 19 May 2017, LTC Henry presided over the initial Article 39(a), UCMJ, session and the arraignment at appellant’s court-martial. Captain AC appeared as the trial counsel. Lieutenant Colonel Henry stated on the record that he was not aware of any matter that might be a ground for challenging him as the presiding judge. Neither the prosecution nor the defense challenged LTC Henry. Lieutenant Colonel Henry later presided over appellant’s motions hearing on 7 July 2017 and his trial on the merits, which began on 5 December 2017. At no time did LTC Henry disclose his relationship with Mrs. KC as a possible ground for challenge.

Over the summer of 2017, Mrs. KC’s relationship with LTC Henry grew closer. At the Fort Benning staff judge advocate’s farewell party, LTC Henry’s wife introduced CPT AC as “her husband’s best friend’s husband.” Captain AC was not aware that his wife was that close to LTC Henry. Later in the summer, Mrs. KC invited LTC Henry and his wife to dinner at her house. Captain AC elected not to attend after consulting with the Fort Benning chief of justice about concerns over attending such a dinner. Lieutenant Colonel Henry, his wife, and their daughter eventually went to dinner at Mrs. KC’s house in November 2017, while CPT AC was away on temporary duty (TDY).

By December of 2017, LTC Henry and Mrs. KC were interacting on an increasingly frequent basis. According to CPT AC, he began to notice his wife was engaging in what he deemed to be suspicious behavior. The first time he noticed this behavior was during appellant’s trial, which Mrs. KC attended. The trial on the merits began on 5 December 2017; LTC Henry remained the presiding judge and CPT AC remained the lead prosecutor. The members began their deliberations on findings on 8 December 2017. While the members deliberated on findings, Mrs. KC SPRINGER—ARMY 20170662

spent over an hour in LTC Henry’s chambers. The door remained open during this visit.

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United States v. Staff Sergeant TONY S. SPRINGER, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-staff-sergeant-tony-s-springer-acca-2020.