United States v. Duran

U NITED S TATES AIR F ORCE C OURT OF C RIMINAL APPEALS ________________________ No. ACM S32407 ________________________ UNITED STATES Appellee v. Daniel A. DURAN Technical Sergeant (E-6) U.S. Air Force, Appellant ________________________ Appeal from the United States Air Force Trial Judiciary Decided 31 May 2017 ________________________ Military Judge: Shelly W. Schools. Approved sentence: Bad-conduct discharge, confinement for 4 months, and reduction to E-1. Sentence adjudged 10 May 2016 by SpCM con- vened at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. For Appellant: Major Johnathan D. Legg, USAF. For Appellee: Major Meredith L. Steer, USAF; Captain Tyler B. Musselman, USAF; Gerald R. Bruce, Esquire. Before MAYBERRY, JOHNSON, and SPERANZA, Appellate Military Judges. ________________________ This is an unpublished opinion and, as such, does not serve as precedent under AFCCA Rule of Practice and Procedure 18.4. ________________________ PER CURIAM: A military judge sitting as a special court-martial convicted Appellant, consistent with his pleas pursuant to a pretrial agreement, of wrongful use of methamphetamine on divers occasions and wrongful use of cocaine, in viola- tion of Article 112a, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), 10 U.S.C. § United States v. Duran, No. ACM S32407 912a. The adjudged and approved sentence included a bad-conduct discharge, confinement for four months, and reduction to E-1. Appellant’s case was submitted for review on its merits. The terms of Ap- pellant’s pretrial agreement with the convening authority required the con- vening authority to, inter alia, defer any adjudged reduction in grade until action. During our review of Appellant’s case under Article 66(c), UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 866(c), we noted that the convening authority’s action failed to re- flect the deferral of Appellant’s reduction to E-1. Although we find that the approved findings and sentence are correct in law and fact, and no error materially prejudicial to Appellant’s substantial rights occurred, inattention to detail and post-trial error nevertheless compel us to—once again—order a corrected action and court-martial order. See Arti- cles 59(a) and 66(c), UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. §§ 859(a), 866(c). The record of trial is returned to The Judge Advocate General for remand to the convening authority for modification of the convening authority’s ac- tion and promulgation of a new court-martial order consistent with this opin- ion. Article 66(e), UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 866(e). Thereafter, the record of trial will be returned to this court for completion of appellate review under Article 66, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 866. FOR THE COURT KURT J. BRUBAKER Clerk of the Court 2