Seven soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment entered guilty pleas at summary courts-martial Wednesday after testing positive for cocaine use.
The 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team administered 1,576 urinalysis tests in Vicenza before the unit’s recent deployment to Afghanistan, according to Maj. Ryan Dillon, public affairs officer for the Southern European Task Force (Airborne).
The seven tried Wednesday all tested positive for cocaine use. Each pleaded guilty and waived their rights to separation boards. In exchange, the military held summary courts-martial instead of higher courts-martial — where punishment could be more severe.
Dillon said there was no indication during the investigations or trials that the soldiers took the drugs in an attempt to avoid the 15-month deployment to Afghanistan.
Six of the seven were sentenced to confinement and are serving time at the military’s correctional facility in Mannheim, Germany.
Sentenced were:
Pfc. Christopher Gilfillan. Cocaine use. Reduction in rank to E-1, forfeiture of $867.60 in pay and 10-day confinement.Pvt. Timothy Marquardt. Cocaine use and disobeying a no-alcohol order. Reduction in rank to E-1, forfeiture of $400 in pay and 15-day confinement.Pfc. Amaury Mendoza. Cocaine use. Reduction to E-1, forfeiture of $400 in pay and 15-day confinement.Spc. Cory Mickelson. Cocaine use. Reduction to E-2 and forfeiture of $972.60 in pay.Pfc. Matthew Sexton. Cocaine use. Reduction to E-1, forfeiture of $867.60 in pay and seven-day confinement.Pvt. Thomas Shafer. Cocaine use, disobeying a no-alcohol order, disrespecting a noncommissioned officer. Reduction to E-1, forfeiture of $867.60 in pay and 15-day confinement.Pfc. William Tassin. Cocaine use. Reduction to E-1, forfeiture of $876.60 and 10-day confinement.Maj. Gen. Frank Helmick, the SETAF commander, will determine if the soldiers continue to serve in the Army or are administratively separated, Dillon said. If the soldiers are not separated, the battalion commander would determine if they have to serve their Afghanistan deployment.
