Navy chief convicted for child sex gets honorable discharge

[Mrs. Overall]

Source: Kitsap Sun

BREMERTON, WA- The Navy has granted an honorable discharge to a former Naval Base Kitsap command master chief who was convicted last year of attempted child rape.

Edward E. Scott, 44, once the local base's highest enlisted man, was arrested after a sting operation in which an officer posed as the mother of young twins in an online forum. Scott was met by police at a Bremerton motel where he had arranged to have sex with what he believed was the mother and both children.

Convicted and sentenced in June to nine months in jail and three years of intensive sexual deviancy treatment, Scott retired from formal service in the Navy on Jan. 31. His rank was reduced to senior chief petty officer, but he was allowed to retire with benefits.

The result is surprising to Kevin McDermott, a former Navy Judge Advocate who's worked in military law since 1978. He now practices in California, and has most recently defended war crimes suspects from the Iraq war. "I don't know if I've ever heard of a serviceman being convicted of a sex crime, getting an honorable discharge," he said.

In Scott's case, McDermott believes his honorable discharge could be a result of "karma." His long and successful career were simply too vast to overlook.



Read more: http://www.komotv.com/news/15715297.html

[acmavm]

1. Hell, if you can kill unarmed civilians of any age with absolute impunity in

a foreign country, what's a little sex abuse?

[MADem]

2. Karma has absolutely NOTHING to do with this shit, and it pisses me off

when people say bullshit crap like that. McDermott, as a JAG, knows better than this. I personally know a couple of bums who were convicted of sex crimes and trundled off to jail--though not crimes this egregious--who managed a similar trick.

Here's how it works--if the person has enough time in to retire, they are sometimes allowed to retire, at the rank where they LAST SERVED HONORABLY. This happens when the guy is submitted to civilian, not military, justice for trial.

This guy did not fall under the rubric of MILITARY justice, he was convicted by civilian authorities. He couldn't be tried again by the military, but they could get him for other charges--conduct unbecoming, that sort of thing--at Captain's or Admiral's mast, where his rank could be reduced and they could take several months' pay from the bum.

That JAG either was misquoted, didn't understand where the justice was being administered, or is very dumb.

[smoogatz]

3. It may also have been the nature of the case against him.

He wasn't convicted of having sex with a child; he was convicted of wanting to. Still despicable, but perhaps not quite as bad as if he'd actually victimized a child (or children).

[balantz]

4. When there are so many who are above the law,

It kind of begs the question "What law?"

[kurth]

5. "He was allowed to retire with benefits"

paid for by your tax dollars.

[kimmylavin]

16. Meanwhile...

Soldiers currently serving honorably are being monetarily screwed three ways from Sunday...

[Demit]

6. I hope his true karma rises up soon & bites him in the ass.

Before he starts a second long and successful career, arranging to have sex with children.

[PSPS]

7. He was guilty only of "thought crime." The honorable discharge is justified.

I know this has been bandied about on her before, but I still think these "online child sex sting" operations are ridiculous. No crime was ever committed.

If I'm at a party and meet a 20-year-old who tells me she's 15, and she looks like she could be 15 yet I have sex with her, am I guilty of a crime? Of course not, unless what one thinks has now become a crime.

[JerseygirlCT]

10. So maybe we should wait until he really rapes the kid?

Much better solution.

Seeking to have sex with a minor is itself the crime. These aren't thought crimes - he didn't think about them; he acted on them. He made a date, he showed up for it. That's far more than "thought".

[PSPS]

12. Sorry, it doesn't wash

In my scenario, what if I went to that party wanting to have sex with a 15-year-old? She's still 20, but she told me she's 15 and looks like she could be. I'm still not committing any crime unless, as you seem to promote, what I'm thinking has now become a crime.

Let's even expand the scenario. She really is 15, and I went there to have sex with a 15-year-old. But I never go through with it. Again, there is no crime unless we're living in a mind-policing state you're so eager to embrace.

This can apply to all sorts of things. I decide to rob a bank, go into the bank, write out a note that says, "I have a gun. Give me your money" and get in line. When it's my turn at the teller window, I walk up, change my mind, and leave the bank. If it were up to you, I'd be up the river for twenty years for nothing more than thinking about something.

Sorry, this is all hogwash.

[JerseygirlCT]

13. What you're missing is that there IS a crime

It is a crime to solicit sex with a minor. It's *also* a crime to actually have sex. But that part isn't necessary for a crime to be committed.

Had you solicited what you thought was sex with a minor, regardless of whether she was a minor or a cop, it is still a crime. You went far beyond thought, you moved into action. You asked for sex, you set up a date, you engaged in a crime.

In your second example, if no one else ever saw the note, you didn't commit a crime. Your action was soley private (as it would be if, for example, you kept a diary full of longings for a 15 yo). Had you handed a teller that note, then changed your mind, you'd still be guilty. You acted on your thought.

This isn't about thought police, this is about protecting minors from predators like this guy. It shouldn't be necessary for a child to be raped in order to take people like this off the streets.

[PSPS]

14. There was no minor involved at all!

It is a crime to solicit sex with a minor.

So, where was the minor? There wasn't one. So there was no crime unless, again, we're living in your thought-police state.

[JerseygirlCT]

15. It is a crime to solicit sex with a minor

If the person he thought he was dealing with was a minor, or was to bring a minor, he was soliciting sex with a minor.

Doesn't matter if the person on the other end of the phone or keyboard was an gorilla, *he* was soliciting sex with a minor. That's what he was seeking. That's was he actively sought. That's the act that is illegal.

[cstanleytech]

17. Not exactly.

Once he made the deal as it were it went beyond thought.

[davidinalameda]

18. if someone tells you that they're 15

you better not have sex with them even if they are 20

that's sick

[cstanleytech]

19. Hmm no

you just better not have sex with them because its illegal in alot of places.
As for the age angle, I think its to arbitrary and that the real question should be consent rather than age.
Genarlow Wilson being a prime example of arbitrary age restrictions.

[davidinalameda]

20. as long as those restrictions are in place

I'd say that you should follow them

[cstanleytech]

21. Especially if you

dont want to end up in jail.

[Shipwack]

8. The real reason is that there are three sets of rules...

There are three sets of regulations in the Navy.

One for khakis (officers and chiefs i.e. E7 and above)

One for nuclear trained personnel.

And one for the dirty forward blue shirts (E6 and below that aren't nuclear propulsion trained).

God damn them all to hell. That Command master Chief spent 20+ years sucking the peanuts out of his superiors assholes, and thus gets to get away with crap that would have had others thrown out of the service with a BCD.

Of course they could be lenient with him; at least he wasn't gay... :eyes:

[JerseygirlCT]

9. Too vast to overlook?

That would be the idea of child rape, thanks. I don't care if he singlehandedly saved the entire country before that, nothing but nothing ought to mean he gets an honorable after attempted rape of a child.

In fact, he should be doing time - like life - without parole.

[Arctic Dave]

11. Sick

The only way to make it to Master Chief is to be a full blown ass kisser of universal portions. I think the navy wanted to keep this as low profile as possible so as not to scare the mommies and daddies of future rubes (Ooops, I mean recruits)what kind of people that the military truly has in it. Every time I hear a story how all military personnel are descendants of J.C. himself, I think of all the true complete assholes and waste of skin I met when I was in. Like this guy.