A Mountain Home Air Force Base airman was found guilty in a military court of reckless endangerment of a child, after a February incident in which a teenager was shot with his pistol.
According to the MHAFB public affairs office, on Feb. 3, the 5-year old stepchild of Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Harman found his unsecured 9mm pistol, and then took it outside to play. In the process, the gun accidentally fired, hitting and seriously wounding a 16-year old high school student.
The incident was investigated by Mountain Home police, because it happened within the city limits. The Elmore County prosecutor turned the case over to the Air Force for prosecution.
Harman, who’s assigned to the 366th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, was sentenced to six months in jail and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine.
Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), before the sentence can be finalized, it must be reviewed by Col. Ronald Buckley, commander of the 366th Fighter Wing. Buckley can accept, reject, or modify the sentence, and Harman will have an opportunity to file an appeal for clemency.
If the sentence is approved, Harman could be sent to a Department of Defense confinement facility within two weeks.
