Marine Jailed for Sex With Widow

Marine Jailed for Sex With Widow

www.military.com

SAN DIEGO - A U.S. Marine sergeant has pleaded guilty to adultery and received a 90-day sentence for having sex with the widow of a young man he had recruited.

Stephen Kuehler, 30, a recruiter in St. Louis, was court-martialed Tuesday in San Diego, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The base there regional headquarters for recruiters in St. Louis.

Amy Patton testified that Kuehler got in touch with her after her husband, Michael Patton, was killed in Afghanistan last year, less than a year after their marriage. Patton joined the Marines in 2007 immediately after his high school graduation.

"He was very helpful," she testified. "I considered him kind of a big-brother type."

The sex occurred at Patton's house after she had drunk tequila on top of a prescription anti-depressant.

David Ahn, Kuehler's lawyer, said that his client made a "mistake" while he, like Amy Patton, was grieving over Patton's death. But Capt. Tyler Hart, the prosecutor, said that he was guilty of an act of betrayal.

"Most of all he betrayed the trust of a fellow Marine," Hart said.

(visit the link for the full news article)

is it wrong and does the guy deserve jail time? i dont know im not a marine so i dont know but i thought it would be nice to hear someone's thoughts on this. i dont like marines who sleep with another marine's wife especially if hes dead, it just seems wrong but i dont remember anyone going to jail for adultery either. i think the guy was married but im not sure.

www.military.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 27-1-2009 by DuneKnight]

weird.

maybe he is the one who has a 'living' wife and military laws are a bit more stringent than civilians.

i dont understand he raped her or just had sex with her
if he just had sex with her why would he be charged at all

reply to post by DuneKnight


90 days sounds a little light actually.. from the description of events, it sounds almost like rape. imo of course.

Maybe a veteran can step in and answer this, but a court mashal is different from a conviction in a court of law, in that you are held to the military's rules, correct? It sounds like they got him on an ethics violation, not just that he had sex with her.

Well it all depends on what the supposed "widow" under the "tequila and anti depressants" umbrella is saying.

If she say that he did it to her without her consent and while under the influence he will be found guilty.

The "widow" holds the key.

Originally posted by marg6043
Well it all depends on what the supposed "widow" under the "tequila and anti depressants" umbrella is saying.

If she say that he did it to her without her consent and while under the influence he will be found guilty.

The "widow" holds the key.

I agree.


Mod Note: One Line Post – Please Review This Link.

[edit on 27-1-2009 by GAOTU789]

reply to post by marg6043


yes there's not a lot of information in the story but surely if it was rape he'd get more than 90 days.

and then his conviction is for 'adultery' so that implies he has a wife and it's more of an ethics issue than criminal.

Yes that is true, I forgot about the adultery charge, while in the civilian world that doesn't mean much anymore, it sure does in the military.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that the millitary enacted a series of rules defining conduct surrounding a deceased fellow serviceman dependant on your association with said fallen soldier (ie: the rules get stricter and penalties more severe depending on how far up the chain of command you are and whether you were the one giving orders to the soldier who has died.) These rules were enacted to prevent any sort of conflict of interest and include everything from fraternizing with members of the deceased's family and love interests, laying claim to any of their possessions, etc.

The sargeant didn't use good judgement and, in the case of the millitary, that gets you in hot water and is punishable. The fact that the widow was inebriated and under the influence of multiple intoxicants simply demonstrates an even larger degree of poor judgement on his part. (not to mention how disrespectful of a fallen hero the guy was.)

reply to post by burdman30ott6


oh ok ... now that makes more sense.

Under the UCMJ (The Uniform Code of Military Justice) adultery can and is sometimes posecuted. If you are a service member and are caught having an affair, you can be prosecuted. Also, you can be prosecuted if you are "legally separated" even and not "divorced" (I know this first hand as I was legally separated on paper but could still be charged if someone wanted to be an ass)

Sodomy is illegal, Men & women are separated by building or sometimes floor, men are not allowed in the female barracks.

This is one of the reasons why military personnel have a problem with Homosexuality. My girlfriend cannot be in my room, I cannot be in hers but gays can do whatever?

Also, Officers are not allowed to be with enlisted personnel or you can be prosecuted.

For those who have not been in the military, it may be hard to understand but there are reasons behind all of this. Prevents "unfortunate incidents" if you know what I mean.

It is what it is... when you join you are expected to follow the rules.
Here is an article if your interested:
usmilitary.about.com...



[edit on 27-1-2009 by infolurker]

This has been a crime in the Army or any branch of service for as long as I can remember. Yes they do charge over this. Someone is always looking for browny points or a promotion in the military. Watch your back!

IMO, he po'ed somebody.

Usually they look the other way or give you a heads up.


I will tell you not to talk on the military base telephones to your adulterous fling because those lines are monitored. My friend got busted that way.

Alochol AND a prescription anti-depressant? Well everyone knows people on antidepressants do NOT drink!

It goes against physics. It is a law of nature. Obviously he forced the alcohol down her throat!

For whatever reasons, it does seem right for military men and women to have impeccable ethics and character. At least someone in this society is trying to keep people respectable.

For whatever reasons, it does seem right for military men and women to have impeccable ethics and character. At least someone in this society is trying to keep people respectable.

GREAT SAID.

I never understood why people seem to be so obsessed about who sleeps with whom. The government needs to stay out of peoples bedrooms.

reply to post by infolurker


I dont really know what you are talking about with the whole sleeping arrangements, but the only time that flies in the Air Force is in a training environment or when you are deployed.....other than that, I used to live right next door to a bunch of women, in the dorms, and there was most definitely co-habitation going on.

Maybe different strokes for different services though.