Special Court-Martial

Staff Sgt. Matthew W. Henry, a member of the 37th Airlift Squadron on Ramstein, was tried by a military judge at a special court-martial April 1 in the Ramstein Air Base Law Center courtroom.

Sergeant Henry pleaded guilty to drunken driving and was also found guilty of reckless driving. He was acquitted of fleeing the scene of the accident after his defense counsel argued Sergeant Henry was too intoxicated to know he hit the other vehicle.

Sergeant Henry was sentenced to 50 days confinement, 30 days hard labor without confinement, reduction to E-4 and forfeiture of $1,000 pay per month for two months. On Dec. 6, Sergeant Henry was traveling southbound on Hauptstrasse in Olsbrücken when he swerved into the oncoming lane of traffic and struck a vehicle travelling northbound. The collision damaged the front left quarter panel of each vehicle. Sergeant Henry continued to travel southbound on B-270 for approximately 5 kilometers.

The operator of the vehicle struck by Sergeant Henry was able to stop him in Katzweiler on the L-388. Polizei responded and made contact with both individuals. Polizei detected an odor of alcohol from Sergeant Henry.

A blood test administered by Polizei indicated that Sergeant Henry’s blood alcohol content was 1.97 per mille, almost four times the legal limit in Germany.