Airman convicted in arson case Published May 30, 2003 OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea (AFPN) -- Senior Airman Jeffrey Beagle has been sentenced to five years confinement, reduction to airman basic, total forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and a dishonorable discharge for destroying a $1.77 million vehicle maintenance building here March 16.Beagle was also convicted and sentenced for fraudulently writing more than $5,000 worth of bad checks to the Army and Air Force Exchange Service in October and November, and for being absent without leave for two days immediately after the March fire. He has been held in pretrial confinement at nearby Camp Humphreys since authorities apprehended him two days after the arson.Beagle, from the 554th Red Horse Squadron, elected to be tried by a military judge and pleaded guilty to the bad check and the AWOL offenses. He also pleaded guilty to attempted arson, but not guilty to the arson itself. To be guilty of arson under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the accused must willfully and maliciously set fire to property belonging to somebody else. Beagle claimed he was trying to commit suicide by burning down the building where he worked. The airman admitted spreading flammable accelerant on both levels of the building with the intent to destroy the building. He further claimed he doused himself with some of the accelerant. Beagle also placed highly flammable acetylene bottles in a position to help carry out his plan. He placed a note on the door to the facility, which read, “All I can think about are bad things. I don’t want to live this way anymore. The Evil will burn in hell for all eternity.” Next, Beagle said he smoked a cigarette to build up the courage to ignite the building and claimed he accidentally dropped the cigarette, which caused the fire to ignite. He was represented at trial by Capts. Stacy Vetter and Melanie Keiper. The prosecution was represented by Capts. Matt Jarreau and Matt Hoyer. The judge was Col. David Brash from Yokota Air Base, Japan. The prosecutors presented evidence to counter the Beagle’s story and prove that he committed the arson to obtain revenge on his unit for what he believed was mistreatment. The judge weighed Beagle’s story against the prosecution’s evidence to rebut it and found him guilty of attempted arson, but not guilty of the arson itself.Beagle will remain in confinement at Camp Humphreys until his record of trial is complete and approved by the convening authority, Lt. Gen. Lance L. Smith, 7th Air Force commander. If approved, Beagle will then be transferred to another confinement facility in the military correctional system.