European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 28, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday. February 28,1988 the stars and stripes Page 9 airman gets 21-month term for thefts by Dave d1f.hi. . Bureau Raf Ben Waters. England airman Rufus Smith was convicted on larceny and then charges Here in a general court martial. Everything he steals he gives to girls said capt. Mitch Ettinger. The chief air Force prosecutor in Smith s trial Friday. He just wanted to give presents to his girl friends said staff set. Chuck Escly the investigator who got the Security policeman to confess to his crimes. He Felt they deserved presents but he did t want to buy  Smith started a 21-month jail sentence Friday after pleading guilty before air Force circuit judge Mai. Clinton Pearson on four charges of larceny and theft. He also received a bad conduct discharge and was reduced to the rank of airman Basic. Smith will forfeit All his pay and allowances while serving his sentence. The Chicago airman s stealing began in May 1987 when he was on a night patrol. Smith noticed a por table stereo cassette player in an aircraft hangar an went Back the next night to take it Ettinger said. Smith later gave it to a Girlfriend another air Force Security  August the 21-year-old Smith saw a $690 i do Casscoe recorder at the Exchange Ettinger said. He just walked in the front door of the store and look it Ettinger said. He took that to his British Girlfriend s House in  in september Smith a three year Veteran of the air Force stole a bicycle from an cafes warehouse  american Girlfriend got the Bike. Finally in december Smith stole a key from a dormitory manager s office and went into another airman s room and stole a compact disc player. He gave the $400 player to the Ipswich woman. Ettinger said neither the american nor the English woman knew they were receiving stolen goods. Smith also falsified his Safe driving permit Ettinger said. Smith changed the birth Date on the License to make it appear that he was old enough to rent a car. He pleaded guilty to falsifying an of Lical government identification card. But Smith s downfall came when an s8 bad Check from his account turned up at the cafes Gas nation. When asked he told his first sergeant he did t write the Check Escly said. Smith s Roommate was asked if he did it. He said no but ended up blowing the whistle on Smith for the cd theft and License scam. Vesely confronted Smith with the accusations and he knew the Jig was up the investigator said. Smith ended up pleading guilty to a chanic of writing a Check with intent to defraud Ettinger said. And Escly got Smith to confess to All his crimes in front of a videotape camera. This according to Ellinger was critical to the prosecution s Case. The videotape is significant because it is a new technique Ettinger said. There is very Little Chance of him Smith saying it was an involuntary confession. It s the Best evidence you can have that the confession was  Oil drilling Given of by Calif court san Francisco a the Call fornia supreme court has rejected an Appeal by environmentalists and re moved a major obstacle 10 drilling for Oil below Scenic Bluffs on the Southern Cali fornia coast. Occidental Petroleum corp., which first applied for a permit is years ago can begin exploratory drilling within a few months unless another court inter Venes. The court thursday denied a hearing on lit Appeal of a ruling last november that upheld the City s 1985 approval of the drilling project. Justice Stanley Mosk whose son Richard is one of Occidental s lawyers did not participate in the supreme court action. 2 soldiers suspected of drug deals charged with mishandling documents Washington two army enlisted men have been arrested on charges of improperly handling classified documents and Federal officials say the suspects May be linked to an illicit drug operation at fort Irwin in the Southern California desert. The suspects Are staff sgt. Edmond w. Tuck 24, and spec. 4 Kelly Joe Schmidt 23. They were taken into custody wednesday night in Barstow calif., and Are being held at the fort Irwin stockade. The army made the arrests after a Las vegas television station had told the Federal Bureau of investigation of being approached earlier this week by a teen age boy carrying a number of secret army documents. Federal officials said the teen Ager whom they have not identified had told the station that he was a drug courier for tuck in a narcotics operation Al fort Irwin and had found the documents in the sergeant s briefcase. Officials with knowledge of an invest As a drug courier for tuck and that head opened the sergeant  Sim ply to see what was inside. When he discovered the secret documents he panicked and drove off into right now one official said. In an interview Steve minium news director of the Las vegas television Sta Tion . Said the teen Ager walked into the station s offices with the secret documents earlier this past week. He just came into Las vegas and we were the to station he decided to walk into minium said. The kid just walked in the door and said he had some stolen  the youth minium said told the Sta Tion that he had worked for several Days the station then turned Over the documents to the Fri and agreed to delay broadcasting an account of the Case until arrests had been made. The army and the Fri said tuck and Schmidt had been arrested without Inci Dent. Little information about the two men was immediately available. The charge against them improper handling of classified army documents is significantly less serious than espionage charges the army said. Pm pm re denounces article about go pregnancies by Cluj atom Bartman Washington 1 Washington sen. Mirc has described As vicious comm ciby the head of a conservative think tank about pregnancy in the military. The Wisconsin Democrat severely criticized an article by Edwin Feulner president of the heritage foundation which focused largely on the problems of military pregnancies. In an emotional display on the Senate floor last week Proxmire termed the article " suiting vicious mean and  the san atom of inner s main prob Lem wok Omen in the military is that they get  the article which appeared feb. 15 in the Washington times said at one Point there s one thing in particular that women can do that men can t have a Thal s what s causing lots of Jhc military morale prob lems rcajlflw4 of lems economic  Proxmire said critics Persi tending this libel to women g and securing disc Hama  drovesgh0mregnancy." but he  show otherwise. Lung the Case for Navy women who Culner singled out for criticism prox Mirc said recently released Navy figures on Early discharges Over the past three years show that the percentages for mis behaviour alcohol abuse drug abuse or court martial were two to three times higher for men than women. When pregnancies arc added to those numbers As the reason for discharge the total figures show that the Dischar iof women was less than 20 percent Hier than the discharge for men said. In the Case of Butk tvs Ite Dis charge before Thoj 0frfcrm of enlist ment forja a twas substantially less cent in any  Wilh senior military and civilian Leader plat Eek Secretary of defense Frank  to become personally i menting new guidelines formula the Pentagon s task Force on women in the military. Those guidelines now defense department policy emphasize fighting sex Ual harassment As a major goal. They also open More than 10,000 military positions previously closed to eluding some combat a Catt i Primi my flow Ham Cohen. R it Milf a pushing legislation that would open even More positions to Mili tary women. They and rep. William Dickinson r-ala., who introduced a twin piece of legislation in the House say the Issue should be made Law to ensure the Pentagon follows through on the new policy which will take years to fully implement. While military women have been jog extremely Well Proxmire said  a 10-to-l discrimination prejudice my iring because the Federal government san maws policies to make our armed forces a  men Only  . Probes Cut Short Swiss visit Bern Switzerland a four . Congressional Bank investigators terminated a trip to Switzerland after being warned that some of their alleged activity could constitute economic espionage Swiss authorities said Friday. Switzerland had allowed the staffers from the House committee on Energy and Commerce to hold talks earlier this month with authorities and Banks a Swiss rules on judicial assistant Sider trading probes Forai official Alexei Lauten Jbf Faid. The visit Jal Mcd last november s signing ones a ii earn Cut de signed to Speed up  cases. The committee oversees the securities and Exchange commission. Several Days into the visit a Geneva Bank alerted Swiss aul Horitia . Investigators  Mandalam Naing details on a Lief Milss link to a major  involving Wall Street dealer Dennis Levine Lautenberg said. He said authorities warned the con Gress staffers about Swiss Laws on eco nomic espionage and banking secrecy and told them a Swiss official would accompany them for their remaining inter Sean while Nan Over the affair in talks with rep. John Dingell a Michigan Democrat who Heads the committee. Bern and Washington had lengthy diplomatic rows Over Exchange of information in the Dennis Levine Case and an other . Probe in the Early 1980s involving Marc Rich a Swiss based commodities trader. Wine merchant killed Florence Idamc Ricau igmi0llntwas killed vision near Siena the tis. Consulate said Friday. Louis Yacucci 52, of the new. City Borough of Queens was new Ocskay evening to a Hospital us Boca a Herc he died four hours later Otam Lynal injuries a consulate official sat Yacucci an authority on italian wines owned Gold Star wine and spirits in Forest Hills Queens