Magistrate Court Petty Offense Dismissed Against Retired Navy E-8

Cheyenne, Wyoming--A retired Senior Chief from the Navy was exonerated with the help of Veritas Military Law, when a petty offense criminal action against him was dismissed by Magistrate Judge Scott Klosterman.

Each military service uses the federal magistrate program differently. Even different installations within a service have differing magistrate court/petty offense programs. In this case, officials at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, issued a “criminal hugging” petty offense violation to a retired Senior Chief, who was on base as a civilian employee.

Mr. Tolin jumped into the case, filed at the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming, worked with the local JAGs, who serve as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys (SAUSAs) and the Assistant U.S. Attorney overseeing the program. After several fits and starts, Mr. Tolin was able to convince the prosecutors they did not have the evidence to prosecute the case they thought they had.

With that, the prosecution filed a motion to dismiss the case, which was granted about two months after the retired E-8 was charged with the criminal violation.

“Josh Tolin went above and beyond. He worked seamlessly across federal civilian court, military JAG officers, and the Merit Systems Protection Board to secure the best possible outcome in my case. He kept my interests at the forefront from day one, got the civil case dismissed, and negotiated a favorable settlement. His professionalism, strategic thinking, and ability to navigate complex systems were exactly what I needed. I highly recommend him to anyone facing legal challenges across military and federal channels.”