JohnP
12-23-2008, 03:18 PM
Corps to court-martial E-9 charged with DUI
By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Dec 22, 2008 5:44:09 EST
OCEANSIDE, Calif. — The Marine Corps plans to court-martial a sergeant major charged with drunken driving, unauthorized absence, making false official statements and violating general orders.
Sgt. Maj. Mark A. Kellison has been charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice with one count of drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle; one count of unauthorized leave; two counts of making a false official statement; and four counts of violating orders or regulations, according to the court docket and charge sheet.
Kellison most recently served as the sergeant major for Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.
He allegedly was intoxicated and driving a government vehicle near Yuma, Ariz., on July 17, and he missed a meeting of the Marine Corps Installations-West Marine/Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter and Meritorious Promotion Board that was convened at the Sonoran Pueblo Club at Yuma Marine Corps Air Station, according to the charges preferred against him Dec. 5.
The Corps has accused Kellison of driving at Miramar MCAS without a valid state driver’s license and driving government vehicles without a valid state driver’s license from March 3 to July 16. He’s also charged with taking his personal firearms in the government vehicle when he drove from San Diego to Yuma on July 16 and using the vehicle to get alcohol in order to get drunk that day.
Kellison was stopped by police at least twice in mid-July, according to the information. On July 17, he allegedly lied to law enforcement personnel, claiming that he was self-employed instead of telling them he was an active-duty Marine, and, on July 20, he allegedly told another law enforcement officer that a girl, not him, was driving his vehicle.
Kellison is facing aggravated DUI charges in Yuma County, according to Yuma County Superior Court information.
Miramar officials provided Marine Corps Times with a copy of the charge sheet. However, a spokesman, Maj. Jay Delarosa, had no information about the nature of the charges or the decision to send Kellison, a 28-year veteran, to a court-martial.
The H&HS sergeant major currently is Sgt. Maj. Gary T. Bow, who took over in that billet several months ago, Delarosa said.
The charges against Kellison and a motions hearing scheduled for Dec. 16 at Miramar were included in the weekly court docket for the Western Judicial Circuit, which is part of the Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judiciary.
According to his official biography, Kellison was trained as a field artilleryman after his enlistment in 1980. He completed several deployments and tours in the artillery field on both coasts and served as a drill instructor and senior DI at Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot, S.C. He became the top enlisted Marine with Miramar’s headquarters squadron in June 2006 after an inspector/instructor tour in Wyoming and duty as the sergeant major for Marine Attack Squadron 231 at Cherry Point MCAS, N.C.
This is to show the young men that you're never too old to mess up.
Lead by example!:drill:
By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Dec 22, 2008 5:44:09 EST
OCEANSIDE, Calif. — The Marine Corps plans to court-martial a sergeant major charged with drunken driving, unauthorized absence, making false official statements and violating general orders.
Sgt. Maj. Mark A. Kellison has been charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice with one count of drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle; one count of unauthorized leave; two counts of making a false official statement; and four counts of violating orders or regulations, according to the court docket and charge sheet.
Kellison most recently served as the sergeant major for Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.
He allegedly was intoxicated and driving a government vehicle near Yuma, Ariz., on July 17, and he missed a meeting of the Marine Corps Installations-West Marine/Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter and Meritorious Promotion Board that was convened at the Sonoran Pueblo Club at Yuma Marine Corps Air Station, according to the charges preferred against him Dec. 5.
The Corps has accused Kellison of driving at Miramar MCAS without a valid state driver’s license and driving government vehicles without a valid state driver’s license from March 3 to July 16. He’s also charged with taking his personal firearms in the government vehicle when he drove from San Diego to Yuma on July 16 and using the vehicle to get alcohol in order to get drunk that day.
Kellison was stopped by police at least twice in mid-July, according to the information. On July 17, he allegedly lied to law enforcement personnel, claiming that he was self-employed instead of telling them he was an active-duty Marine, and, on July 20, he allegedly told another law enforcement officer that a girl, not him, was driving his vehicle.
Kellison is facing aggravated DUI charges in Yuma County, according to Yuma County Superior Court information.
Miramar officials provided Marine Corps Times with a copy of the charge sheet. However, a spokesman, Maj. Jay Delarosa, had no information about the nature of the charges or the decision to send Kellison, a 28-year veteran, to a court-martial.
The H&HS sergeant major currently is Sgt. Maj. Gary T. Bow, who took over in that billet several months ago, Delarosa said.
The charges against Kellison and a motions hearing scheduled for Dec. 16 at Miramar were included in the weekly court docket for the Western Judicial Circuit, which is part of the Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judiciary.
According to his official biography, Kellison was trained as a field artilleryman after his enlistment in 1980. He completed several deployments and tours in the artillery field on both coasts and served as a drill instructor and senior DI at Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot, S.C. He became the top enlisted Marine with Miramar’s headquarters squadron in June 2006 after an inspector/instructor tour in Wyoming and duty as the sergeant major for Marine Attack Squadron 231 at Cherry Point MCAS, N.C.
This is to show the young men that you're never too old to mess up.
Lead by example!:drill: