Drunk driving sends Airman to prison Published Nov. 30, 2010 By Office of the Staff Judge Advocate SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- Following a summary court-martial on Sept. 23, Airman 1st Class Zachary Davis, 52nd Component Maintenance Squadron, listened to the summary court-martial officer as she announced his sentence of 21 days confinement in prison, reduction to the grade of E-2 and a reprimand. On Aug. 1 Airman Davis drove drunk - with a blood alcohol content of .17 - then crashed his supervisor's car into a light pole on base causing nearly $5,000 damage to the pole. To make matters worse, Airman Davis fled the scene of the accident and lied to 52nd Security Forces Squadron personnel. He tried to shift the blame to a mysterious man, who he claimed had found the keys to the vehicle, driven and crashed it before slashing the tires. Airman Davis later admitted to what he had done. Subsequently, he pled guilty to all four charges at his court-martial: driving while drunk; damaging government property; fleeing the scene of an accident; and making a false official statement. At the trial, Capt. Jeffrey J. Lorek, lead Air Force prosecutor, argued that there were numerous aggravating factors involved in this case that supported a firm punishment. First, Airman Davis' supervisor entrusted him to take care of his car while he was deployed. Second, Airman Davis crashed the car on the same morning that his supervisor was scheduled to fly to Afghanistan. The supervisor's first sergeant testified at trial that Airman Davis' conduct negatively impacted the supervisor's readiness to deploy that morning. Third, Captain Lorek and his co-counsel, 1st Lt. Justin Bryan, introduced evidence concerning the impact that Airman Davis' actions had on multiple units within the 52nd Fighter Wing. The damage to the light pole amounted to almost $5,000, and the 52nd Civil Engineering Squadron spent more than 60 man-hours working to replace the light pole. Moreover, at the time of Airman Davis' accident, the 52nd CES was undergoing an inspection. The work on the light pole disrupted their critical airfield maintenance work on the flightline. Captain Lorek argued that all of the damage and mission impact in this case warranted consequences. The summary court martial officer, in announcing her sentence, took into consideration the fact Airman Davis did not have any prior disciplinary history. The Area Defense Counsel also introduced evidence to show the member performed well while on duty in his unit. In the end, rather than sentencing him to the maximum amount of time in prison, the SCMO determined that 21 days was appropriate to rehabilitate Airman Davis and properly punish him for his crimes. Once he completes his confinement, Airman Davis will return to his squadron.