DEFENDANT ON DRUG TEAM

A Fort Bragg military police officer on trial for using drugs is an
undercover drug agent at the post. Spc. Christina Nettles, who is charged
with using Ecstasy, obstruction of justice and dereliction of duty, serves
on Fort Bragg's Criminal Investigation Division's Drug Suppression Team. As
a covert agent, her duties included undercover drug buys, investigations
and surveillance.

Nettles has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

She is 22 years old and is a member of the 118th Military Police Company.

Nettles' court-martial began Wednesday at Fort Bragg. She is one of 13
military police officers from the 16th Military Police Brigade charged with
illegal drug activity. Some have received nonjudical punishments, while
others await sentencing.

In October, Spc. Robert Ybarra, a military police officer, was sentenced to
two years in prison for using and selling drugs.

During opening arguments on Wednesday, Capt. John Kiel, one of the
prosecutors, portrayed the case against Nettles as one of "drugs,
dereliction and deceit."

"When she found out CID was on her trail, she used her training to try and
thwart the investigation," Kiel said.

During her opening argument, Maj. Jennifer McGee, a lawyer for the defense,
painted a different picture.

"This is the case of a good drug suppression team agent," she said, "not a
drug user."

McGee said covert drug agents must have cover stories and have to
infiltrate the drug culture.

She said other military police officers gave statements against Nettles to
save themselves from punishment for using drugs themselves.

Some of the prosecution's witnesses, who were MPs, testified that Nettles
used Ecstasy with them at Club Odyssey, a gay nightclub in Winston-Salem,
on three occasions -- in November and December 2000 and March 2001. The
MPs, who received immunity for their testimony, also said Nettles later
asked them to lie about what happened when the Army began an investigation.

"She said to lay low and don't say nothing to nobody," testified Pvt. Kevin
Whitehead, an MP in the 118th Military Police Company. Whitehead, a former
roommate of Nettles, testified that he had taken Ecstasy with Nettles on
three occasions at Club Odyssey. In exchange for evidence against Nettles,
Whitehead's own court-martial charges were dropped, and he received
immunity for his trial testimony.

He talked about the first time he took Ecstasy in November 2001.

"Spc. Nettles asked me if I wanted to roll," he said. "I didn't know what
that meant. She wasn't talking about smoking weed, but doing Ecstasy."

He and other witnesses testified that Nettles told them they would not get
caught if they took Ecstasy at the beginning of a three-or four-day holiday
because the drug only stayed in their system a day or two.

Prosecution Witnesses

Whitehead and another MP, Spc. Ryan Johnson, also of the 118th Military
Police Company, testified that they initially lied to investigators in
sworn statements about Nettles' and their own drug use, but changed their
minds when faced with their own charges.

"I decided it wasn't worth it, and I told (the investigator) everything I
knew," said Johnson, who was later promoted and also given immunity for
testimony.

Another prosecution witness, Warrant Officer Chad Weston, a special agent
crime team chief with the Criminal Investigation Division, testified that
covert agents such as Nettles were required to tell their superiors if they
ever used a drug or simulated use of a drug as part of their duties.

Weston said that the general policy was that neither practice was allowed
unless the agent's life was in danger or there was fear of bodily harm.

Weston testified that Nettles, who had worked for him, never reported using
or simulating drug use.

Testimony continues today.

Staff writer Tanya Biank can be reached at 323-4848, extension 370, or
biankt@fayettevillenc.com