Air Force Times: Chief to retire at lower grade after probe of 2006 conviction
Protect Our Defenders Col. Don Christensen and Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) are featured in this article from the Air Force Times.
For at least one lawmaker and victims advocacy group, that outcome illustrates why serious crimes should be handled by independent prosecutors – and not commanders.
Retired Col. Don Christensen, former Air Force chief prosecutor-turned-president of Protect Our Defenders, called the case a “perfect example of how the command-driven justice system covers for the crimes committed by military members. Clear message is if your commander likes you, you can get away with violence against women or sexual assault.”
Rep. Jackie Speier, a California Democrat who has joined dozens of lawmakers in calling for an independent military justice system, called Soluri’s impending honorable retirement in the grade of senior master sergeant “nothing but a slap on the wrist.”
“Chief Master Sgt. Soluri was convicted of threatening to bash his girlfriend’s head with candle jar … and the military vowed he would get the proper punishment. Instead, his commanders decided they liked him and chose to keep him in the military and cover up the conviction,” Speier said in an email statement. “This is a systemic problem, and despite the Pentagon’s assurances, nothing’s changed.”
