Several offenses cost Airmen rank, pay, freedom, career Published Oct. 23, 2008 By 23rd Wing Legal Office Judge Advocate MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- On Oct. 1, 2008, an Airman with the 723rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron was found guilty of wrongful use of methamphetamine on multiple occasions and being absent without leave. He elected to be tried by a military judge alone and pled guilty to the aforementioned charges. The trial was held in the Moody Air Force Base courtroom. Airman Kerry Davis tested positive for methamphetamine during a random urinalysis test conducted by the AFB Drug Demand Reduction Center on May 12, 2008. From July 16, 2008 until July 21, 2008, Airman Davis was absent without leave from his unit. The military judge accepted Airman Davis' guilty plea and sentenced him to a reduction to the grade of airman basic, 6 months of confinement and a bad conduct discharge. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency Web site, "Methamphetamine has toxic effects. In animals, a single high dose of the drug has been shown to damage nerve terminals in the dopamine-containing regions of the brain. The large release of dopamine produced by methamphetamine is thought to contribute to the drug's toxic effects on nerve terminals in the brain. High doses can elevate body temperature to dangerous, sometimes lethal, levels, as well as cause convulsions. Long-term methamphetamine abuse results in many damaging effects, including addiction. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease, characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and drug use which is accompanied by functional and molecular changes in the brain. In addition to being addicted to methamphetamine, chronic methamphetamine abusers exhibit symptoms that can include violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. They also can display a number of psychotic features, including paranoia, auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions (for example, the sensation of insects creeping on the skin, which is called 'formication'). The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as suicidal thought." On Sept. 30, 2008, a staff sergeant with the 23rd Civil Engineer Squadron was found guilty of carnal knowledge and was sentenced to a reduction in rank to airman basic, 30 months of confinement and a bad conduct discharge at a court-martial held in the Moody Air Force Base courtroom. Staff Sgt. Steven Lucas was charged with having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl on multiple occasions. As part of a pre-trial agreement with the convening authority, Staff Sgt. Lucas agreed to plead guilty to the charge of carnal knowledge and admitted to having sexual intercourse with the girl on four separate occasions during summer 2007. The military judge accepted Staff Sgt. Lucas' guilty plea and sentenced him to a reduction in rank to airman basic, 36 months of confinement, and a bad conduct discharge. Previously, the convening authority agreed to accept a punishment that would only include 30 months of confinement in exchange for Staff Sgt. Lucas' plea of guilty to carnal knowledge on multiple occasions. Consequently, the military judge entered a final punishment of reduction in rank to airman basic, 30 months of confinement and a bad conduct discharge. According to Senior Trial Counsel Matthew Schwartz, "this case sends a message that all Airman are accountable for their actions and that the Air Force will not tolerate this type of deplorable conduct." Staff Sgt. Lucas was immediately taken to confinement upon receipt of his sentence.