National Guard soldier charged with desertion
(CNN) -- The U.S. Army charged a Florida National Guard soldier, who went absent without leave while on a two-week break from duty in Iraq, with desertion, an Army spokesman said Saturday.
Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia, of North Miami, Florida, was charged Wednsday and will face a special court martial, Staff Sgt. Brian Sipp, of Fort Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield, said.
"It's not the least severe, but it's not the most severe court martial there is," he said.
Sipp said he did not know the maximum penalty Mejia, 28, could face if convicted. He also said he did not know when the hearing would be held.
The decision to try Mejia was made by the judge advocate general late this week, Sipp said.
Earlier this month, Mejia was accused of "violating his mobilization orders" and was told to report to Fort Stewart, which is located in southeastern Georgia. He is restricted to post but not held in confinement, Sipp said.
Mejia, who has said he would seek conscientious objector status, was in Iraq for about five months before returning to the United States last October for a two-week leave.
