Airman found not guilty in court-martial Published March 30, 2007 By Staff Sgt. Angela Shepherd 1st SOW Public Affairs HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- One large part of military law's purpose is to promote justice, according to the Manual for Courts-Martial. And justice was carried out last week when Staff Sgt. Daniel Roberson, 1st Special Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron, was found not guilty on one count of indecent liberties with children and three counts of indecent acts with children. "Sergeant Roberson was vindicated," said Ken David, Sergeant Roberson's civilian defense attorney. "He's been saying all along that he was innocent, and now it's been proven." The cases for and against Sergeant Roberson were presented during a general court-martial at Hurlburt Field to a jury of officers and enlisted members. "There's a thorough review process before a court-martial is convened," said Lt. Col. Calvin Anderson, 1st Special Operations Wing staff judge advocate. "In this case, the command felt there were serious enough questions remaining that a jury should make the determination." After hearing all the testimony, the jury returned their not guilty verdict after two hours of deliberation. "The allegations made against Sergeant Roberson were serious. Both sides presented their cases well, and in the end, the jury made its decision," Colonel Anderson said. "In our system, in a fair trial, when a jury makes a decision, it's the right one." Colonel Anderson adds that this case proves that the military justice system works. "The system absolutely works. It doesn't matter which side wins, as long as justice is served," Colonel Anderson said. "After all, our job isn't to 'win,' it's to present the government's best case and let the judge or jury decide." Mr. David also feels that the circumstances and verdict in this case highlight the fairness of the system. "This [case] demonstrates that the system is completely fair if given a chance."