Korea Court Martial: Yongsan soldier gets 30 days for nightclub brawl

Korea Court Martial: Yongsan soldier gets 30 days for nightclub brawl

By Ashley Rowland, Stars and Stripes

Pacific edition, Wednesday, October 7, 2009

SEOUL — A sergeant at U.S. Army Garrison-Yongsan was sentenced Monday to 30 days of confinement and a reduction in rank to E-3 for hitting two other soldiers during a street brawl outside an Itaewon nightclub in February.

Sgt. Markease Joyner, of the 501st Military Intelligence Brigade, was charged with one specification of making a false official statement and two specifications of assault. As part of a plea bargain, he pleaded guilty to and was convicted of two lesser offenses of assault consummated by battery. The false official statement charge was dropped. The charges were also reduced from a Felony level to misdemeanor level.

Joyner, who was tried by military judge alone, was also sentenced to a forfeiture in pay of $300 per month for three months.

One soldier was stabbed in the chest during the Feb. 1 fight outside the popular King Club. An altercation started inside the club and spilled onto the street after police emptied the club.

Joyner testified during an Article 32 hearing in July that he got involved in the fight to defend his twin brother, Spc. Markelle Joyner, after he was allegedly attacked by Pvt. Matthew Bonham, who sustained deep cuts and bruises in the incident.

But on Monday, Sgt. Joyner said in court that he didn’t act in self-defense or to defend anyone else. Joyner’s civilian attorney, Michael Waddington, said outside court that Joyner had been defending his brother during part but not all of the fight.

Spc. Markelle Joyner was to be court-martialed Tuesday on charges of assault and making false official statements.

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Michael Waddington is a court martial lawyer - court martial attorney that defends military personnel worldwide as well as deployed civilian contractors subject to the UCMJ. He defends Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast Guard, and civilian contractor court martial cases. He has successfully defended military personnel as a court martial lawyer Army Navy Marine & Air Force court martials in Germany, England, San Diego, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fort Bragg, Fort Jackson, Fort Stewart, Fort Gordon, Italy, Iraq, Kuwait, Korea, Okinawa, Japan, Yokota, and throughout the United States.