AFOSI investigates the death of a U.S. Soldier

  • Published
  • By James C. Dillard
  • Headquarters, Air Force Office of Special Investigations
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  It didn't happen in Los Angeles, Atlanta or any of the other large American cities associated with gang activity, but rather in a small German town named Hohenecken.

Army Sergeant Juwan Johnson met his end there at the hands of gang members in a gang initiation meant to welcome him into their dubious fraternity.

Sergeant Johnson was found dead in his barracks on July 5, 2005, the day after he received his beating from gang members. He was 25 year old.

Staff Sgt. Jerome Jones, Jr., assigned to the 314th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., was found guilty in January for his part in the fatal initiation.

Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Detachment 327, Little Rock AFB, managed the investigation with Special Agent Richard Blair as the lead agent.

He established two main goals upon receiving the case.

"I needed to positively identify the Airman assigned to Little Rock [AFB] as the same Airman identified in the original complaint, ultimately collecting credible information to substantiate and/or disprove his presence during the activity associated to the allegation," SA Blair said. "I also needed to identify a potential threat of gang related activity or ties to Little Rock and the Airman assigned."

Because Sergeant Jones was assigned overseas in Germany, at the time of the crime, SA Blair worked with AFOSI Det. 501 at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to coordinate the case details, which in itself presented some challenges.

"The biggest challenge was coordinating investigative steps between two separate locations with a time difference," he said. "Although I was able to accomplish the measures needed for an investigatively sufficient case, it is important to remain patient when coordinating efforts from two different countries."

When he was assigned the case, SA Blair was still a probationary agent, but despite this challenge, he looked at it as a chance to get a positive start to his AFOSI career.

"This was a great learning experience for me," he said. "It afforded me the opportunity to expand my knowledge base of running criminal investigations. By analyzing the information received and packaging all the activities accomplished I was able to substantially aid the government in court martial proceedings."

Following these court martial proceedings, Sergeant Jones was sentenced to a reduction to E-1, a dishonorable discharge and two years confinement.

He was found guilty of aggravated assault, two counts of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, participating in gang activity, possession and use of marijuana and failure to obey an order or regulation. Prior to sentencing, Sergeant Jones' maximum prison time was capped at 17.5 years.

Sergeant Jones was one of 11 former or current servicemembers accused of either being present for or participating in an initiation ceremony for Sergeant Johnson. So far, two Soldiers and one other Airman have been convicted and sentenced to confinement and another Soldier was acquitted.

Just as in any other case, there are steps AFOSI agents can take to help ensure success. SA Blair explained the steps he took in this investigation.

"Upon reception, initially brain storm ideas with other agents and think outside of the box," he said. "A case of this magnitude encompasses a great deal of research and coordination."

When dealing specifically with gang activity, SA Blair said it is important to coordinate with the local authorities' gang sections for support in identifying the gangs in the immediate area to include the surrounding communities.

"Determine their pattern of activities and operational locations (turf area)," SA Blair said. "To discover a link between an Air Force member and potential gang activity, the agent needs to be aware of the specific areas gangs operate, and gather credible information the member is participating in that gangs activity."

Throwing the investigative net across an area can also establish a live, ongoing resource network for
AFOSI casework.

"Coordination with local agencies offers an opportunity for additional eyes and ears on the streets, aiding you with substantiating or disproving the allegation," SA Blair said.

SA Blair said he felt that AFOSI did their job in this case.

"A substantive investigation was conducted and provided to the government and processed through the court martial proceedings," he said. "Our focus was to identify the facts associated with this investigation. When that mission was completed, the investigation was turned over to the staff judge advocate."