Photo By Airman 1st Class Owen Davies | Students attending the King Tech High School cast a vote as jury while participating...... read more read more
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U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Atticus Addison sat on trial, accused of assault against Staff Sgt. Sam Stone. The scene: Addison entered a bar and was approached by Stone. Stone had recently gotten with Addison’s ex, and allegedly made sarcastic comments about being “an upgrade.” Addison tried to leave; Stone grabbed him by the shoulder. Addison turned around and smacked Stone in the face, knocking to the ground where he hit his head. He sustained a concussion and the authorities got involved.
Atticus Addison and Sam Stone were characters played by U.S. Air Force Capt. Steven Shi, assistant 673d Air Base Wing staff judge advocate, and U.S. Air Force Capt. McKay Randall, chief of operations law, respectively, during a demonstration at King Tech High School May 1. The Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Legal Office visited the school to demonstrate to students how the legal process works for military members by showing them a mock court-martial. The students played the role of the jury and were required to help reach a verdict after hearing witness testimonies and evidence gathered for the trial.
“The moment a person turns 18, they become eligible for jury duty, whether they are military or not,” said Shi. “I hope these students will take jury duty seriously because the consequences of their decisions could really change someone's life.”
The students were given additional information to help them come to a verdict – such as Addison being underage and using a fake ID to get into the bar, and Stone having a reputation as a sarcastic and insensitive joker. These details are important to consider when on a jury and the students had to take into account all of the witness testimonies and evidence when deciding what verdict to make.
“Events like this are important for my students because, naturally, not many of them have knowledge or experience in the trial or court-martial process,” said Ben Chizmar, a math teacher at King Tech High School. “I would bet the majority of them have only seen the process play out in cinema, so experiencing it first-hand gave them a better idea of what happens inside of a courtroom.”
After taking all evidence into account and learning more about the importance behind the way the legal proceedings are carried out, the students found Addison not guilty and he was acquitted of the assault charge.
| Date Taken: | 05.01.2001 |
| Date Posted: | 05.19.2025 15:06 |
| Story ID: | 498367 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, ALASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 25 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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