As Judge Roy Bean used to say to his court. "I
can be fair and impartial now send the guilty party in"

Senior Coast Guard officer found guilty of wrongful use of cocaine

ALAMEDA, Calif. - A senior officer on the Coast Guard's Pacific Area staff was found guilty of wrongfully using cocaine and not guilty of conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman in a verdict returned Wednesday by a general court-martial panel here on Coast Guard Island.

Capt. Michael Sullivan was charged on Aug. 18, 2008 with one specification of wrongful use of cocaine under Article 112a and one specification of conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman under Article 133 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The charges were based on the results of a random drug screening test last June and evidence from a subsequent investigation.

The court-martial sentenced Sullivan to pay a fine of $5,000 and to receive a written reprimand.


The Coast Guard regularly conducts random drug screening tests of its military personnel to deter and detect illegal drug use.

"The general court-martial was convened following a full investigation," said Senior Chief Petty Officer Keith Alholm, Pacific Area Public Affairs Officer. "Today's verdict is the result of the judicial process under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”

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Good thing he wasn't 5 lbs overweight

Wow. He lost his first 3 weeks of retirement pay. Pretty harsh, huh.....

Granted the Captain will probably retire now, but to stir the pot, what if this was an E-6 with 19yrs in? Would the E-6 receive the same punishment? I thought "one and done" when dealing with drugs other than alcohol??? Very interesting.

GUNS

Un ****ing believeable...

What kind of message does this send out to all others...

Good ol' boys at it again....

Wray...

This may not be over... Remember, he can still be discharged under ASB. That board may very well recommend a loss of retirement. Retirement is not an automatic once you hit the 20 year mark. He can still be discharged.

Since I do believe that the officer so convicted, has obtained over 20 years of "good and faithful" service, wanna make a bet that he'll be retired, and not be discharged?


Jack

A fine of $5,000 and a written reprimand. Unbelievable. What kind of message does this send to every one else who is junior to this Captain? Anything short of dismissal from the Service for such an egregious violation by a senior officer is unsatisfactory. I guess he was lucky he didn't have someone like me on his court-martial panel.

quote:

I guess he was lucky he didn't have someone like me on his court-martial panel.

Or me.....

Maybe that "left coast" mindset kicked in..

Wray...

Wray, et al;
I have rcvd some good counseling from some of my peers since my earlier post this AM that made some good points. As someone else said earlier, this is just ONE phase of the overall process. The fact that the sentence did not include a discharge does not prevent the ASB and other 'personnel processes' from determining retirement eligibility. The conviction actually strengthens those other processes. So, it ain't over yet.

Do I have any confidence that things would end up the way I would decide? No. I too am a bit pessimistic, but I guess we will have to let those processes run. And since they are personnel decisions, their details will not be made publicly available.

Although I suppose the other processes could result in him getting kicked out with zero retirement I am betting it won't happen. The powers that be will probably rationalize letting him retire by pointing out that the rest of his career was flawless, so booting him would be excessive.

Taking "excessive" risks can produce "excessive" results

Wray..

I agree. And the potential for application of a double standard really tightens my jaws.

Duh? Pass a joint and take out the ship matey.

I'm not excusing what Captain Sullivan did and I had hoped that if he were found guilty the punishment wouldn't be too harsh, but this punishment sounds awfully light.

Maybe it's something like the Michael Phelps thing where he was caught doing something very stupid, but where there was no evidence found that would indicate to his being a habitual user. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what follows in the weeks to come. As some have said it may not be over yet.

Master Chief,

While it may occur along the lines that your PEERS feel MAY happen, experience tells me that in light of the BAD press this case has engendered, that the last thing the CG wants is more press on this story. It will fade away. Discharge instead of retirement will seem to be piling on, as it was not a sentence of the court. IMHO

Did the judge's instruction to the court include an instruction to consider dismissal from the service. I would think it should have.

If the officer now is discharged, Would he have cause for a FEDERAL lawsuit for "piling on"

Jack

So according to the press release and the members who made up the courts martial board, an O6 using the Bolivian marching powder is considered conduct that's perfectly acceptable as an "Officer and a Gentleman"??? WTF over?? In my eight years in as an HS I saw probably a half-dozen enlisted people pop positive on UA's, ALL were discharged under the "Zero Tolerance" policy, most within 3 months of dropping their sample. Why does it take more than a year to "Investigate" Here's some food for thought: It's been at least a year since the good Captain produced his positive sample, in that period of time did he go over 20? Could the investigation have been dragged out long enough by the good old boys club to allow the Captain to reach 20 years of "Credible" service? Either way this decision is laughable, I'd LOVE to know who his "board" was comprised of. -RXJEFF

It's all about who you know...this is wrong on so many levels. the bravo sierra flag is flying high on this one, i guess if you went to snoopy "U" and know the secret hand-shake and know which admiral is the cross dresser you too can hang out down on fisherman’s wharf with the crack ho’s.

THROW HIS COKE SNORTIN KEESTER OUT..
I’m sorry I hope I did not offend anyone,

The court-martial is over. The admin process is not.

Stand by...