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Friday, November 07, 2008

Sexual Assault Charges and Court-Martial Dropped for Military Enlisted Member Defended by Attorney Richard V. Stevens

Recently an enlisted military member (E-4) facing military sexual assault charges had the charges and court-martial dropped by the government in favor of an administrative resolution. The accused military member was defended by military law attorney Richard V. Stevens (Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens, P.C.).

The government claimed the accused military member sexually assaulted two adult female acquaintances. The case was aggressively defended against at the pretrial Article 32 hearing and was set for trial within the month when it was dropped. In addition to contested legal issues in the case, the contested factual issues centered on the credibility of the allegations and the government’s witnesses.

The maximum authorized punishment for a conviction would have included significant prison time. For clients represented/defended by attorney Richard V. Stevens, that brings to twelve, the number of military rape, sexual assault and sexual offense cases in just the last few years which did not result in a court-martial conviction for the government – either because the case was dismissed/dropped or because the client was found not guilty (complete acquittal). Please see previous blog posts for descriptions of those cases.

While these criminal cases were successfully defended, it is important to understand that every case has different facts, and success in previous cases does not guarantee success in any particular future case. No military lawyer or civilian defense lawyer, including those who specialize in military law, can guarantee the outcome of any military trial. For more information on the military justice system, please see our other blog posts.

By: Attorney Richard V. Stevens
Civilian criminal defense lawyer and military defense lawyer
Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens, PC

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Blog postscript: Attorney Frank Spinner and I (attorney Richard Stevens) are former active duty military lawyers (JAG). Our perspectives and advice, therefore, are based upon our experience as military defense lawyers and as civilian criminal defense lawyers practicing exclusively in the area of military law. This blog addresses issues in military law, military justice, military discipline, military defense, court-martial practice, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and other military and/or legal topics. Nothing posted in this blog should be substituted for legal advice in any particular case. If you seek legal advice for a particular case, please contact The Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens & The Law Office of Frank J. Spinner for a free consultation. Military defense law offices are located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Military defense law practices are worldwide.

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