SEOUL — A court-martial jury found an Army sergeant guilty Friday of indecently assaulting a private earlier this year on Camp Casey.
The nine-member jury found Sgt. Anthony Medellin Jr. guilty of the indecent assault and two specifications each of maltreatment and disobeying orders, but cleared him of two additional specifications of maltreatment.
The jury sentenced Medellin to reduction in rank to E-2; three months hard labor without confinement; two months restriction to his barracks, dining facility or place of worship; and forfeiture of all pay and allowances for two months.
But because military judge Col. Gregory Gross credited Medellin with 34 days credit for time served for pre-trial punishment he received, officials said there would be some reduction in his sentence.
Officials were unable to confirm by deadline Friday night what the reduction would be, but prosecuting attorney Capt. Mathew Williams speculated Medellin would end up doing about 15 to 20 days of hard labor.
Charges that led to the conviction accused Medellin of stripping a 19-year-old private, pinning her to the bed and of fondling her later that night.
The woman, who joined the Army less than a year ago and moved to South Korea in January, said she didn’t try to attract attention during the hourlong encounter or immediately report it because of Medellin’s rank and because she was afraid of what he could do to her.
Several soldiers testified last week that Medellin had made inappropriate sexual comments or gestures to them or to their friends.
Medellin testified that when he was moved from Camp Casey’s 55th Military Police Company to the 94th MP Company at Yongsan after he was accused of the assault, there was no room ready for him in the barracks, and he was forced to spend the night sleeping in his uniform at a desk.
He said he was deprived of his personal property for about two months because it had not been shipped.
He also said he was confined to Yongsan, restricted from drinking and his chain of command made him remove the green leadership tabs from his uniform on the second day of the court-martial.
Gross said there was “no legitimate reason” for Medellin to have received the punishments and reduced his sentence 20 days for being deprived of his property, 10 days for being restricted from drinking, one day for sleeping at the desk and three days for losing his leadership tabs.
Gross also said Medellin could not be forced to forfeit more than one third of his pay since he was not being confined.
Prosecutors had asked that Medellin receive three years confinement, reduction to E-1, forfeiture of all pay and allowances and a bad conduct discharge.
Defense attorney Capt. Lynn Williams had sought no punishment.
“If you decide ‘no punishment’ he will not receive ‘no punishment’” she told the jury, adding that Medellin’s status as a registered sex offender and a court-martial conviction would follow him the rest of his life.
She also asked the panel to consider his children.
During a tearful unsworn statement to the court, Medellin said he was the only one who could support the children.
