By Elliot Minor
The Associated Press
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pennsylvania)
Copyright 2007 P.G. Publishing Co.
ALBANY, Ga. — An Army medic accused of killing a soldier from Beaver County during a night of heavy drinking in Iraq is set to face a court-martial tomorrow at Fort Benning.
Spc. Chris Rolan, 23, of Albuquerque, is charged with premeditated murder in the Nov. 16, 2005, shooting of Pvt. Dylan Paytas, 20, of Freedom.
Spc. Rolan is accused of shooting Pvt. Paytas four times with his Army-issue 9 mm pistol during an argument at Camp Warhorse in Baqubah, Iraq. Both soldiers were assigned to Fort Benning’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, which helped lead the 2003 charge to Baghdad.
Spc. Rolan also is charged with assault for allegedly pointing a loaded handgun at Spc. Richard Scarlett, 25, of Joshua, Texas, a few months earlier and threatening to kill him.
Initially, Spc. Rolan also was accused of shooting at his roommate, Pvt. Mastermichael Ramsey of Milwaukee, during the same night that ended with Pvt. Paytas’ death, but the Army dropped that charge without explanation.
Pvt. Ramsey delivered the only eyewitness testimony at Spc. Rolan’s Article 32 hearing last May, but now has serious legal problems of his own.
After leaving the Army with an other-than-honorable discharge, given when a soldier’s conduct doesn’t meet military standards, Pvt. Ramsey and three others were charged with murdering a cab driver in Columbus, Ga., near Fort Benning, during a robbery. When arrested, Pvt. Ramsey was already in jail on armed robbery and theft charges in unrelated cases.
At the Article 32 hearing - the military equivalent of a grand jury proceeding - Pvt. Ramsey testified that he, Spc. Rolan and Pvt. Paytas listened to music, played video games and swilled gin and whiskey on the night of Nov. 15-16, 2005, in violation of Army regulations.
Pvt. Ramsey said Pvt. Paytas provoked the normally calm Spc. Rolan, prompting Spc. Rolan to suggest a wrestling match. When they wrestled, Pvt. Paytas pinned Spc. Rolan and began taunting him, Pvt. Ramsey said.
Spc. Rolan said, “I’m not going to have Paytas disrespect me,” and then he shot Pvt. Paytas, according to Pvt. Ramsey’s testimony.
Fort Benning spokeswoman Elsie Jackson said no one involved with the court-martial, including Spc. Rolan?s two Army lawyers and the prosecutor, an Army captain, is allowed to comment on the case.
Army prosecutors said that Pvt. Paytas had faced possible separation from the Army for assaulting a civilian at Camp Warhorse.
Spc. Rolan was in the 18th month of his second tour in Iraq when Pvt. Paytas was shot, which came two months after he allegedly threatened Spc. Scarlett.