United States v. Thatch

30 M.J. 623, 1990 WL 27673
CourtU.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review
DecidedFebruary 15, 1990
DocketNMCM 88 3816
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 30 M.J. 623 (United States v. Thatch) 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. Thatch, 30 M.J. 623, 1990 WL 27673 (usnmcmilrev 1990).

Opinion

PER CURIAM:

In accordance with the terms of a pretrial agreement, appellant entered pleas of guilty to an unauthorized absence of 20 days and drunk on station, and entered a plea of not guilty to incapacitation for duty, in violation of Articles 86 and 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), 10 U.S.C. §§ 886 and 934, respectively. He was found guilty of unauthorized absence and drunk on station and the specification of incapacitation for duty was withdrawn. Appellant was sentenced to a bad-conduct discharge, confinement for 20 days, restriction for 30 days and forfeiture of $100.00 pay per month for 2 months. The convening authority approved the adjudged sentence.

This case initially came before the Court on an assignment of error that the sentence was inappropriate. Upon examination of the record of trial, we specified the following issue:

DID APPELLANT PROVIDENTLY PLEAD GUILTY TO SPECIFICATION [624]*6241 OF CHARGE II WHEN HE ADMITTED THE LEGAL CONCLUSION THAT HIS BEING DRUNK ON STATION WAS PREJUDICIAL TO GOOD ORDER AND DISCIPLINE BUT FAILED DURING THE INQUIRY TO ESTABLISH THE FACTUAL FOUNDATION FOR SUCH A CONCLUSION AND WHEN SUCH AN ACT IS NOT PER SE ILLEGAL?

In response to this specified issue, appellant asserts that the facts elicited during the providence inquiry do not support the conclusion that his conduct was either prejudicial to good order and discipline or service discrediting. The Government argues that appellant’s voluntary presence aboard base while intoxicated is sufficient to support an inference of prejudice to good order and discipline. They assert that a more particularized inquiry is necessary only where the drunkenness does not occur on base. In addition the Government cites authority which purports to hold that the mere fact that a serviceman is drunk is sufficient to constitute an offense.

The Government’s position that drunkenness alone constitutes an offense relies on Winthrop’s analysis of drunkenness as a disorder. W. Winthrop, Military Law and Precedents 722-23 (2d ed. Rev. 1920). This conclusion is premised on the propositions that “drunkenness by persons in the military service is an offense against good order and discipline whenever and wherever it occurs” and a serviceman intoxicated on station is thus incapacitated for properly answering a call for duty. Id. While we find that incapacitation from properly answering a call for duty might form the basis for prejudice to good order and discipline for a service member under some obligation for recall to duty, we hold that mere drunkenness, without more, does not violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice. United States v. Hein, 23 M.J. 610 (AFCMR 1986).1

An examination of the elements of the offense leads to the same conclusion. Drunk on station is a violation of Article 134, UCMJ. In order to be found guilty of any offense under this article, an essential element of the offense is that the conduct must be service discrediting or prejudicial to good order and discipline. Paragraph 73b(2), Part IV, Manual for Courts-Martial, United States, 1984.

Thus, we will analyze the Care2 inquiry to determine whether there is a factual basis to conclude that appellant’s conduct satisfied this essential element of Article 134, UCMJ. In examining the Care inquiry, the providence of appellant’s plea of guilty must be determined within the four corners of the record, United States v. Davenport, 9 M.J. 364 (C.M.A.1980), and the plea cannot be accepted unless it is supported by a factual basis, United States v. Holt, 27 M.J. 57 (C.M.A.1988). The following colloquy between the military judge and the accused is relevant to this offense: MJ: Now, on the 30th of June of 1988, did you have the opportunity to consume some alcoholic beverages?

ACCUSED: Yes, sir.
MJ: And when did this occurred (sic) at?
ACCUSED: Around 2030, it started.
MJ: And I take it you — how much did you consume?
ACCUSED: An excessive amount.
MJ: All right. Now, on the 30th of June of 1988, you heard me define the term “drunk”, do you believe and admit that you were, in fact, drunk?
ACCUSED: Yes, sir.
MJ: Now, as described there, do you feel that understand (sic) the circumstances that your conduct was to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces?
ACCUSED: Yes, sir.
MJ: I take it, it was a voluntary act on your part?
[625]*625ACCUSED: Yes, sir.
MJ: No one compelled you to drink?
ACCUSED: No, sir.
MJ: Now, what was your status at that time? Were you on leave or liberty or duty status?
ACCUSED: I was — I had just come off watch, but I was under the influence that I was in a liberty status.
MJ: Now, where were you, in fact, located at when you were doing this?
ACCUSED: At building 435 and at the Golden Gate.
MJ: So you were — some of it was on base and some of it was off base?
ACCUSED: Yes, sir.
MJ: And I take it, after you consumed alcohol off-base you returned on base?
ACCUSED: Yes, sir.
MJ: In light of the inquiry by the court, do either counsel feel any added inquiry is needed at this time?
TC: The Government does not, Your hon- or.
DC: Defense does not, Your Honor.

We can conclude from the foregoing that appellant’s drinking began while in a liberty status and that he consumed alcohol both on and off-base. We can also conclude that his drinking was voluntary and that he consumed an excessive amount and was drunk. As to whether appellant’s conduct was prejudicial to good order and discipline or was service discrediting, we have only appellant’s bare admission to the military judge that this was the case based on the judge’s specific question to that effect.

In some instances, such an admission is sufficient where the conduct itself is such that its nature is service discrediting or prejudicial to good order and discipline “on its face” or where such an inference can be drawn at the appellate level based on all of the facts and circumstances revealed in the providence inquiry. See United States v. Smith, 18 M.J. 786 (NMCMR 1984) (superi- or’s courtship of enlisted subordinate resulting in adultery, all of which occurred aboard base and frequently in presence of other unit personnel, “was unequivocally to prejudice of good order and discipline”).

In this case, however, appellant’s conduct of being drunk on station is not “on its face” service discrediting or prejudicial to good order and discipline. Nor can we conclude from all of the facts and circumstances revealed in the

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Related

United States v. Coombs
40 M.J. 612 (U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review, 1994)
United States v. Davis
32 M.J. 951 (U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review, 1991)

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Bluebook (online)
30 M.J. 623, 1990 WL 27673, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-thatch-usnmcmilrev-1990.