United States v. Sassaman

OPINION OF THE COURT

O’BRIEN, Chief Judge:

In his fourth and final year as a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy, things started going badly for Cadet First Class Richard L. Sassaman, and he was given the opportunity to resign. Before his separation from the Academy could be accomplished however, a number of things came to light which resulted in this general court-martial.

Sassaman was charged with two specifications of willful disobedience of lawful orders, driving while intoxicated, two specifications alleging the theft of personal property belonging to his fellow cadets, and writing…