17-year Airman sentenced to prison, bad-conduct discharge Published May 25, 2010 By Lt. Col. Ira Perkins 52nd Fighter Wing Staff Judge Advocate SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- Following a Special court-martial April 26, Senior Airman Roderick Schmitt, 52nd Communications Squadron, listened to the military judge as she sentenced him to five months of confinement in military prison, reduction to the lowest enlisted grade and a bad-conduct discharge from the U.S. Air Force. The six crimes to which Airman Schmitt pleaded guilty and for which he was punished included the following: larceny of $14,392.98 in overseas housing allowances and utilities allowances (military property); dishonorably failing to maintain sufficient funds to cover $2,613.14 worth of checks written to Army & Air Forces Exchange Services dereliction of duty by transferring a U.S. Army Europe-registered license plate to a vehicle the plate was not registered under; driving while drunk; fleeing the scene of an accident; and obstruction of justice. Airman Schmitt had served more than 17 years in the Air Force, but had been reduced in rank from technical sergeant to senior airman as the result of Article 15s for various disciplinary issues throughout his career. Airman Schmitt also had several letters of counseling and letters of reprimand in his file. By the time Airman Schmitt's leadership learned he wrote bad checks and stole military property, the unit had exhausted nearly all avenues of rehabilitation and punishment. Under a progressive model of discipline, it was determined a court-martial was the appropriate elevated step. During the sentencing portion of trial, Capt. Jeffrey Lorek, lead military prosecutor, argued the military judge should consider several aggravating factors when crafting the appropriate sentence. Among them were the fact that Airman Schmitt had more than a dozen pieces of paper documenting past unsuccessful rehabilitative efforts by the Air Force; that Airman Schmitt was an intelligent 17-year military member who had unlawfully withheld OHA and utilities allowances for about six months; that he had driven drunk with a local national and not allowed the local national out of the car; and that Airman Schmitt's unit had lost all trust in him. The government introduced testimony from witnesses to demonstrate Airman Schmitt had negatively impacted the unit's mission, morale and efficiency, and he exhibited a lack of rehabilitative potential. Finally, Captain Lorek argued Airman Schmitt should not be allowed to escape the consequences of his conduct merely because he had spent 17 years in the Air Force. Airman Schmitt's term of confinement was ultimately reduced to three months. Airman Schmitt will receive a bad-conduct discharge from the military at the rank of airman basic. This case proves that an Air Force member, regardless of how many years of service he or she has had with the military, is subject to the full range of punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Even an Airman who is just shy of retirement can throw it all away with a few bad decisions.