Petraeus to rule in soldier's robbery hearing

By CHANTAL ESCOTO
The Leaf-Chronicle

Sgt. 1st Class James H. Williams, a soldier with 326th Engineer Battalion, is charged with armed robbery for taking a SUV by force while in Mosul. The second day of an Article 32 hearing for Williams ended Wednesday, and now senior trial counsel Capt. William Mullee, a military lawyer, will weigh the evidence presented and make recommendations to his superiors.

The case will make its way to commanding general Maj. Gen. David H. Petraeus, who is expected by next week to make a final decision on whether to move forward with a court martial.

In addition to the carjacking charges, Williams also is accused of dereliction of duty for letting his troops drink alcohol and allowing his platoon leader, 2nd Lt. Bradley Pavlik to carry personal firearms while in Iraq.