Suspicion: Officer warned female soldier of drug test
Engineering Corps captain arrested for suspicion of informing female soldier under his command that Military Police plans to give her a drug test
A captain in the Engineering Corps was arrested a few days ago on suspicion he informed a female soldier under his command that Military Police planned to give her a drug test in light of information that pointed to the possibility she was a user.
It is suspected that the officer even recommended she take ask for a few sick days to avoid the test.
The maximum sentence for such an offense is three years in prison.
The Military Advocate General’s office plans to file an indictment against the officer and ask that his remand be extended until the legal proceedings are concluded.
The officer’s attorney, Naftali Vertzberg, told Ynet, “Perhaps it is hard to be proud of what he has done, but it can be understood, as he was concerned for the soldier and tried to do his best to see to it that she refrain from using drugs.
Military Police officers began to suspect the captain when the female soldier was not present at the base during the scheduled drug test; they feared that the officer, who was informed of the drug test ahead of time, told the soldier not to arrive at the base on that day.
Meanwhile, the officer’s remand was extended by three days.
An IDF official told Ynet, “It cannot be that at a time when we are trying to prevent soldiers from using drugs, officers will prevent military police from carrying out its duty.”
'He wanted to protect her'
One of the officer's friends said he was shocked to hear of the captain's involvement in the incident, as he has an respected combat record and participated in complex missions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"The officer's behavior can be understood, as he feared one of his soldiers were threatened," Vertzberg said. "He just wanted to protect her; it's an almost normal response."
He added that the officer tried to talk with the soldier to rehabilitate her and never pressured her to use drugs.
"Military Police made a mistake by telling him of their plan to make her take a urine test. It was an attempt to turn him into collaborator," he said.
"The officer was in a difficult dilemma and in the end acted the way he did. You need to remember that he is a brave combat soldier…it is important for him to supervise his soldiers in the best possible way," he added.
The IDF's policy against any soldier caught using drugs is severe, irrelevant to the drug abused, the circumstances and place of use. Military Court files an indictment against all soldiers caught using drugs and sentencing may be given up to three years.
