Col. Joseph Coughlin was fired as head of the Air Force global weather service after a domestic violence arrest. A prosecutor says the case didn't hold up.
The Air Force made headlines last week when it sacked the head of its global weather service 'due to a loss of confidence in his ability to lead.' Air Force officials were vague about what Col. Joseph Coughlin did wrong, but a spokeswoman said his recent arrest on suspicion of domestic violence played a role in his removal as commander of the 557th Weather Wing .
However, a civilian prosecutor who looked into the incident said she found 'insufficient evidence' to pursue charges against Coughlin. In fact, the prosecutor, Leighandra Hazlett, said Coughlin may have been assaulted by his wife rather than the other way around. The drama unfolded in January in Sarpy County, Nebraska, home to Offutt Air Force Base, where the 557th Weather Wing has its headquarters. Police responded to a report of a domestic assault at a residence in mid-January and arrested Coughlin, 46. He spent two days in the county jail on a charge of third-degree domestic assault, a misdemeanor, before he posted bond and was released. The matter was assigned to Hazlett, a deputy Sarpy County attorney. After investigating, she decided to drop the case. She said police who went to Coughlin's home followed a 'shall arrest' guideline in Nebraska that calls on officers responding to a domestic violence complaint to make an arrest. “It's my opinion that officers either arrested the wrong person or didn't have sufficient ,' Hazlett said in an interview with the San Antonio Express-News. Hazlett noted that the colonel’s wife, Amanda Sarah Coughlin, had previously been charged with assaulting him. 'So she has a history, a domestic history with him, where he's been the victim,' Hazlett said. She continued: 'I will say that it's public record that she's had a history of being the perpetrator. She had been charged previously, and there was a plea agreement made.” Hazlett noted that several days after her husband was arrested, Amanda Coughlin herself was arrested and booked into jail on a charge of assaulting an officer “with bodily fluids,” online court records show. Available records offer no further detail on the alleged offense. Hazlett said she believed the victim of that alleged assault was a healthcare professional. The Express-News submitted a formal request for records of all criminal cases involving the Coughlins. Deputy Sarpy County Attorney Rosario Orozco Ramirez declined to release them. 'After review of your public record request, I am unable to release the requested records to you,” Ramirez wrote. She did not respond to a phone call seeking an explanation. Hazlett said she declined to file charges against Joseph Coughlin “based off of all of the facts and the witnesses and the reports.” She added, 'I'm not ethically allowed to charge somebody if I don't believe that I can prove it or if the facts don't support the charge.' That did not mean Joseph Coughlin was in the clear, however. After the Sarpy County attorney's office informed the Air Force it would not prosecute Coughlin, the service's Office of Special Investigations conducted its own inquiry. The findings of that probe have not been made public, but they were a factor in the decision to remove Coughlin, the Air Force said. The case is now in the hands of the service's Office of Special Trial Counsel, which reviews sexual assault and domestic violence allegations. It will decide whether to prosecute Coughlin in the military justice system. The 557th Weather Wing reports to the commander of the 16th Air Force, also known as Air Forces Cyber, an information warfare organization headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Its commander, Lt. Gen. Thomas Hensley, is Coughlin's boss. Last week, Hensley stripped Coughlin of his command of the 557th, effective April 1. Hensley explained the decision only in generalities, saying it was 'necessary to ensure we are restoring our fighting force' and was 'in the best interests of the 557th Weather Wing.' A spokesperson for the 16th Air Force said Hensley fired Coughlin 'after careful consideration, which included Col. Coughlin’s arrest in mid-January and the results of the recently completed' Office of Special Investigations inquiry. 'Hensley determined new leadership was necessary to ensure the highest levels of excellence and readiness within the wing and to prevent any negative impact or effect on the mission and airmen,' the spokesperson said. Depending on how the Office of Special Trial Counsel assesses the evidence, Coughlin could still face criminal charges. He could be brought before a court-martial, or he could be disciplined administratively. The case also could be dismissed. 'It is premature to comment on whether Col. Joseph Coughlin will face legal action under the UCMJ,' the Air Force spokesperson said, referring to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The 557th Weather Wing, previously known as the Air Force Weather Agency, analyzes and forecasts weather for the Defense Department, the service branches and the White House Situation Room. It has 1,400 airmen stationed at 19 locations around the world. Its mission is to “exploit timely, accurate, and relevant weather information anytime and everywhere” to provide an “environmental information advantage for America and her Allies.' The wing's emblem is “coelum ad prelium elige,' Latin for 'Choose the Weather for Battle.' RELATED: Air Force fires head of its global weather service after domestic violence charge Coughlin took command of the organization in July. Previously, he served as chief of Air Force weather resources at the Pentagon and as a special assistant to the defense secretary's senior climate advisor. He directed operations for a weather squadron at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan in 2010-11, earning a campaign medal with a bronze star. He holds twin Bachelor of Science degrees in meteorology and mathematics from Lyndon State College, now part of Vermont State University. He earned a master’s degree in meteorology from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. RELATED: Air Force merges pair of San Antonio commands with one goal: Make them even deadlier Lt. Gen. Kevin Kennedy, then head of the 16th Air Force, presided at the ceremony at Offutt where Coughlin took command of the wing. 'When selecting a wing commander, I look for leaders who build teams, communicate their visions and are continually seeking connections, connections with their airmen, who are entrusted to their command, while also seeking a deeper understanding and insight into the mission they are charged to lead,' Kennedy said. “Col. Coughlin is that airman.”
Office Of Special Trial Counsel San Antonio Express-News Office Of Special Investigations Joint Base San Antonio Weather Wing Air Force Weather Agency Defense Department Allies Battle Pentagon Vermont State University Lyndon State College Naval Postgraduate School Joseph Coughlin Leighandra Hazlett Amanda Sarah Coughlin Col. Coughlin Thomas Hensley Rosario Orozco Ramirez Kevin Kennedy Sarpy County Offutt Air Force Base Nebraska Lackland White House Situation Room America Afghanistan Bagram Airbase San Antonio California Monterey Weather Wing Coughlins Air Forces Cyber Latin Uniform Code Of Military Justice Coelum Ad Prelium Elige
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