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From DEFEND page 1 tack Wing JAG unit, for helping her member,” Stevens recalls. “[Yasuda] and different,” Yasuda concludes, “I be-
immeasurably in preparation for the asked me several times, ‘What did you lieve courts martial numbers in general
courts-martial differed from the ac- trial. “There was so much craziness pull out of that?’ The way in which you (including active duty) have gone down
tive-duty Air Force, where “the rules going on behind the scenes before the present the evidence, and ask the ques- because of the reduced force numbers,
are pretty clear, and military appellate trial started, [Stevens] was doing the tions, is huge…I feel like it worked, I believe we may see more CA ANG
courts have set precedents with respect work of a full-time active duty defense because when she got to her wrap up, courts-martial if there is an increase in
to UCMJ jurisdiction and how that all paralegal assisting with witnesses, co- it was awesome.” accusations of sexual assault, given the
applies,” Yasuda says. “I wouldn’t say ordinating with witnesses, taking care current climate.”
[federal laws] conflict, but California’s of last minute issues and putting out Yasuda presented critical testimony
state laws don’t necessarily mesh well.” fires. Also, we were up at Moffett, so in the accused’s defense: “There were Recognizing this possible trend,
her [logistical] assistance was essen- about 20 other females in that room, the Air Force recently stood up its
Grasping the shifting sand of tial. She was stellar.” and none of them heard anything. first Special Victims Unit, “staffed by
the law proved the least of Yasuda’s When they woke up, they were shocked a cadre of specifically trained senior
problems. “It was a difficult case be- Witnessing her first court martial, to learn that there was an allegation of prosecutors whose primary responsi-
cause it was he said/she said,” Yasu- Stevens said the trial represented the a sexual assault.” In the end, the airman bility is to try courts martial involv-
da explains. “This is a problem with culmination of all she’d been trained to was found not guilty of three of the ing sex offenses, serious domestic
proof in a lot of sexual assault cases. do. And after months of helping Yasuda four counts, and guilty of one count of violence, and crimes against chil-
These cases are not the traditional, during the preparation phase, Stevens sexual assault. dren,” according to a 2013 report of
‘jump out of the bushes, he raped was able to contribute during the trial The Judge Advocate General of the
you’ type of cases. They generally as well. “On the outside, we give a dif- The airman was sentenced to a bad- United States Air Force to the Ameri-
involve alcohol.” ferent interpretation.I was able to sit conduct discharge and reduction in rank can Bar Association.
in back and observe as if I were a jury to E-3. “It was a trial by fire for me and
Yasuda credits Staff Sgt. Adriana Sergeant Stevens because it was so new
Stevens, a paralegal in the 163d At-
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