Cadet 1st Class Joseph Saucier, who was a running back last year on the Air Force Academy’s football team, will face a court-martial on drug charges beginning Thursday.
Saucier has been charged with three specifications of a violation of Article 112a of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, according to a charge sheet released by the academy. Saucier is accused of wrongfully using cocaine between roughly Nov. 11 and Nov. 25, 2018. He also is accused of wrongfully possessing an unidentified amount of cocaine on or about Dec. 17, 2018, with the intent to distribute it. And Saucier is accused of wrongfully possessing marijuana, also with the intent to distribute it, at about the same time.
“It must be emphasized that charges are merely accusations, the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” the academy said in a Tuesday release announcing the court-martial.
The Colorado Springs Gazette reported in February that Saucier had been removed from the team in December as part of an academy investigation.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
