Court Martial Attorney – Marine charged with setting Camp Pendleton fire

Court Martial Attorney – Marine charged with setting Camp Pendleton fire

A lance corporal has been charged with setting a fire at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base that burned hundreds of acres and threatened homes in Fallbrook and Oceanside, officials said today.
Lance Cpl. Nason G. Lamb was charged with making a false official statement, damage of military property and three specifications of reckless endangerment in connection with the so-called Juliett 2 fire that struck the base on the afternoon of Oct. 13, 2008.

Details of the allegations were not released, but officials said the fire was started during a land-navigation exercise in the Juliett Training Area. The training did not include live fire or any “fire-producing training aids,” officials said. The Juliett 2 fire struck just half an hour after another fire started about a mile away. Lamb is not charged in that fire.

Officials said the cause of that fire is still undetermined.

An Article 32 hearing, akin to a preliminary hearing in the civilian system, will be held to determine if Lamb should go to a court martial.

The two fires merged and destroyed about 4,000 acres. Homes in Oceanside were saved by aerial air drops.

The on-base home of the commanding officer of the sprawling training center came within yards of burning.

The allegations against Lamb were made by a special court-martial convening authority. A special court-martial carries a maximum one year in the brig and a dishonorable discharge.

Michael Waddington is a court martial lawyer – court martial attorney that defends military personnel worldwide as well as deployed civilian contractors subject to the UCMJ. He defends Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast Guard, and civilian contractor court martial cases. He has successfully defended military personnel as a court martial lawyer Army Navy Marine & Air Force court martials in Germany, England, Italy, Iraq, Kuwait, Korea, Okinawa, Japan, Yokota, and throughout the United States. military-defense-lawyer-recentcases.htm.