Michelle Malkin » Army refiles charges against cut-and-runner

Army refiles charges against cut-and-runner

By Michelle Malkin • February 24, 2007 05:09 PM

An update on the Ehren Watada case from the Seattle Times:

Undaunted by an initial mistrial, the Army on Friday refiled charges against 1st. Lt. Ehren Watada, a Fort Lewis officer who faces up to six years in prison for failing to deploy to Iraq and alleged misconduct.

“These are serious charges, and the next step will be to set a trial date,” said Joe Piek, a spokesman at Fort Lewis, where Watada continues to serve as an active-duty officer.

Watada is the first Army officer to face court-martial for refusing to serve in Iraq, and his case has drawn international attention as the Hawaiian-born officer has allied himself with peace groups and repeatedly attacked the Bush administration’s conduct of the war.

Watada’s defense counsels are hoping to derail or at least delay a new trial, which they claim constitutes double jeopardy that violates Watada’s constitutional rights to only be tried once for a set of crimes.

The defense counsels appeared caught by surprise by Friday’s re-filing of charges.

Good for the Army for not lettting this slide.

Previous Watada blogging.

Posted in: Ehren Watada

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#174456

On November 17th, 2007 at 1:30 am, right_on said:

The U.S. has to set an example with this bakatari! You make a commitment to serve in the military, you serve…at the service’s pleasure, not your own. Throw the book at this guy. I’m glad his true colors came out now, and not when his fellow soldiers lives depended on him. He may have, inadvertantly, saved some lives by cowering when he did.