KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — An Air Force officer from Spangdahlem Air Base was sentenced to nine months in jail and was kicked out of the military after pleading guilty to using illegal drugs.
1st Lt. James A. Pedroza, assigned to Spangdahlem’s 52nd Logistics Readiness Squadron, pleaded guilty at a court-martial Thursday to three charges of wrongful use of a controlled substance, said Capt. Diane Weed, spokeswoman for the 52nd Fighter Wing, the base’s host unit.
Pedroza admitted to using Ecstasy, cocaine and Ketamine.
Ketamine is often used as anesthetic in both humans and animals and can sometimes create an “out of body” experience, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Web site.
Pedroza admitted to using the drugs while he was a cadet at the Air Force Academy in Colorado in 2003, Weed said.
Commissioned officers cannot be given a bad conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge. A sentence of “dismissal” in a general court-martial is the same as a dishonorable discharge.