A 1st Infantry Division soldier serving in Iraq was sentenced to eight months in prison after pleading guilty to drug- and alcohol-related charges, according to a case summary from the Task Force Danger Staff Judge Advocate.
Pvt. Robert White, 26, of the 201st Forward Support Battalion, admitted possession, use and transfer of both alcohol and the prescription drug Benzhexol HCL, as well as making a false official statement and fraudulent possession of a military identification card. Benzhexol HCL is a an anti-Parkinson’s medication that is hallucinogenic if too much is taken. It is widely abused in Iraq, according to the case summary.
White had worked as a guard since March at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, the headquarters of the 1st ID’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team in Baqouba, Iraq. The summary said as part of his duties, he would sometimes seize alcohol and Benzhexol HCL from Iraqis entering the base. Then he would sell them to other soldiers or use them himself.
When applying for a new ID card in May, White — then an E-4 — told the clerk he was eligible for promotion to E-5. When he was caught, he lied about it to investigators, according to the summary.
Before his court-martial Oct. 14 in Tikrit, White had previously been reduced to the lowest enlisted rank as part of nonjudicial punishment for the theft of a government computer. Besides the prison time, Judge (Col.) James Pohl also handed White a bad-conduct discharge for the latest charges.
