CADET DISMISSED FOR USING DRUGS

AIR FORCE ACADEMY -(AP)- A senior Air Force Academy cadet found guilty
of eating hallucinogenic mushrooms will be dismissed from service and
fined $2,500 under a sentence handed down by a court-martial jury
Saturday.

The sentence still must be reviewed by Lt. Gen. J.R. Dallager, who
convened the court-martial, the academy said. He can accept all or part
of the sentence but also has the power to reject it.

The five-member jury found John Nichols guilty late Friday of eating the
mushrooms at a December party thrown by fellow senior cadet Ryan Young
at his home in Denver.

Young, who admitted eating the mushrooms and pleaded guilty to using LSD
in a separate incident, testified against Nichols, whom he called his
closest friend.

Young said he assumed Nichols used the mushrooms because he showed wild
mood swings and strange behavior.

"He'd be very happy and smiley, then crying for no reason," said Young,
who was sentenced to six months in military prison in Fort Leavenworth,
Kan.

Nichols' attorneys said nobody saw him eat the mushrooms and he did
nothing wrong. They also argued that Young and sophomore cadet Barton
Duvall, who was sentenced to three months at Fort Leavenworth after
pleading guilty to LSD use, only testified against Nichols to reduce
their prison terms.

"The most he can be found guilty of is being at the wrong place at the
wrong time and having the wrong friends," said Capt. James Williams, one
of Nichols' attorneys.

Defense lawyers said Young's observations were distorted by his own
mushroom-induced hallucinations. Young admitted he was not thinking
clearly at the party.

Senior Brian Delvaux, who said he was with Nichols during most of the
party, said he didn't see Nichols eat mushrooms or notice any weird
behavior. Delvaux said Young, his former roommate, was a compulsive
liar.

He said he looked the other way while Young and Duvall ate the mushrooms
so he wouldn't feel obligated to report the infraction under the
academy's honor code.

Under the jury's sentence, Nichols will also have to forfeit all his pay
and allowances. He had faced up to five years in prison for the
conviction.

Nichols is the first cadet accused in a spate of Air Force Academy drug
cases to plead not guilty at a court-martial. Six other cadets
previously court-martialed have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to
prison.

The drug allegations surfaced in October when senior cadet Stephen
Pouncey tested positive for drugs, and the academy's Office of Special
Investigations launched a major probe.

Initially, 35 cadets were under suspicion for using, selling or knowing
about drug use.

Twelve were cleared. Nine, including Delvaux, were punished for knowing
about it and not speaking up. One resigned.

The remaining 13 either have been court-martialed or face court-martial.