Charges of disobedience aired
at Article 32 hearing in Babenhausen
By Eric B. Pilgrim,
Stars and Stripes
BABENHAUSEN, Germany — For Army Pfc. Antilla A. Stallworth, non-judicial
punishment and a discharge from the Army were not options. She chose instead to go to
trial.
The government now says she repeatedly disobeyed orders from her superiors and
repeatedly disrespected them, often getting in their faces and arguing. The government
says there are enough offenses to warrant 33 violations of the Uniform Code of Military
Justice and a general court-martial.
In stark contrast to the charges, Stallworth sat quietly at her Article 32
investigation hearing in Babenhausen on Wednesday as four commissioned officers, one
warrant officer and eight non-commissioned officers, spoke of her misdeeds for more than
seven hours. Stallworth watched as prosecuting attorney Capt. Derek Brown stacked up page
after page of evidence against her.
Stallworth’s attorney, Capt. Danyele Jordan, presented no additional evidence or
witnesses; just a call for a more reasonable judgment of Stallworth, who Jordan hinted
might be just a misunderstood, misguided mechanic with 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense
Artillery, repeatedly set up for failure by those appointed to set her up for success.
All involved with the case declined comment on Wednesday.
The investigating officer, Maj. Tom Core of 41st Field Artillery Brigade, read aloud
the seven pages of charges that began March 13. They ranged from missed formations to
assault.
March 13 seemed to be the pivotal beginning. The day before, Stallworth’s
supervisor at the time imposed "corrective training" for her that kept her up
all night, according to testimony. The supervisor, Sgt. William Wright, said he ordered
her to sign in at the front desk every half hour until 11 p.m., then every hour afterwards
for the rest of the night. He said she last signed in at 3 a.m.
At 4 a.m., Stallworth was supposed to form up with a unit deploying to the field. She
missed the formation.
Five hours later, according to testimony, Wright and another sergeant found her in her
room, half dressed and sound asleep. When they woke her, she sat on her bed, unresponsive
with a blank stare. The military police and German medical personnel were called and
Stallworth was eventually hauled out on a stretcher.
Later that morning, she snapped out of her daze at a German clinic and demanded to be
taken home in a government van. At the unit, she refused to leave the van, despite being
ordered to by the other supervisor, Sgt. Joe Alvarez. Her attitude snowballed into an
eventual eruption late that afternoon; an eruption that involved Alvarez, Wright, a
lieutenant, the battery first sergeant and the commander, Capt. Robin Woody.
"She was just out of control," Woody said. "Talking to her wouldn’t
have done anything that night."
Woody said he later gave Stallworth an Article 15, nonjudicial punishment, for the
incident, that Woody said she served without further outbursts.
"I have never seen anyone that disrespectful to everyone," Woody said.
But, according to testimony, the problems didn’t stop. In fact, they escalated,
eventually forcing Stallworth’s command to again recommend an Article 15. But this
time the punishment would also carry a discharge from the Army.
Stallworth refused the punishment and opted instead for a court-martial. The government
complied, requesting a general court-martial, which is usually reserved for murderers and
rapists.
"This can be handled another way," Jordan said in her closing remarks.
Core will take all the evidence collected at the hearing and eventually make his
recommendations to the convening authority about how to proceed with the case. The
convening authority can then take his advice or choose another route.
Jordan listed two other courts-martial that would normally be used for lesser offenses,
a special court-martial and a bad conduct discharge court-martial.
"A general court-martial for these kinds of charges is not warranted," Jordan
told Core. "It’s just not warranted."
After the hearing, a witness to the proceedings agreed that this could have been
handled another way. "Stallworth should have accepted the Article 15."
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