Facts:
A Marine Corps Private First Class at Camp Foster in Okinawa faced charges after an off-base incident where Japanese Police apprehended him with an illegal knife and a small bag of Spice. Following his arrest, he was handed over to military authorities who then preferred charges for Spice possession. Okinawa Court Martial Lawyer Tim Bilecki was retained as civilian defense counsel.
Crucially, the case lacked concrete evidence against the Marine: there were no admissions or confessions from him, and the Spice had not been tested to confirm its illegality. In response, defense attorney Tim Bilecki, an expert in UCMJ Article 112a military drug defense, aggressively pushed for a fully contested trial.
Faced with the prospect of going to trial without substantial evidence, the government chose to withdraw and dismiss all charges and instead adjudicate the illegal knife violation administratively.
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