AF officials: Confinement is uncommon during trials

[unhappycamper]

AF officials: Confinement is uncommon during trials
By Ashley Rowland, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, February 9, 2008

Air Force legal officials said it’s “extremely” uncommon to put someone in confinement during a court-martial, even after a defendant has been convicted of a crime and is awaiting sentencing.

A week after Maj. Mark Seldes was convicted of rape at Kunsan Air Base, but went missing before he was sentenced, Air Force Legal Operations Agency answered questions about confinement during court-martials.

Seldes, a flight surgeon, left the courtroom after the jury announced his sentence Jan. 31, but he failed to return for sentencing the next morning.

Security Forces arrested him after a 28-hour manhunt at noon Feb. 2 as he walked near Kunsan’s Area Defense Council building, near one of the main roads on the base.

While Seldes was missing Friday, a jury sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment and dismissal from the Air Force.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52308