The Mississippi National Guard has charged a service member who is also a Webster County deputy with being AWOL from annual training.
Sgt. 1st Class Wilbert Holmes of the MSNG filed an affidavit charging Brandon Chaille with failure to report for active duty military service, which is a misdemeanor. Chaille is also a full-time deputy with the Webster County Sheriff's Department.
The justice court document was filed May 26 in Forrest County, which is home to Camp Shelby. Holmes is identified as a representative of the commander of F Company, 106th Brigade Support Battalion, 2/114th Field Artillery Regiment located in Louisville.
Chaille had been ordered to appear May 24 in Louisville for movement to a scheduled training event but failed to report, the affidavit claims. Holmes alleges he was AWOL from the unit without authority to be absent and had remained absent as of May 24.
Sheriff David Gore said Eupora Police Chief Gregg Hunter gave him a copy of a warrant stemming from the AWOL charge on June 15. Within 10 minutes of leaving Hunter's office, Gore said he called Chaille to come in, and he served him the warrant. Gore said he told Chaille to call Forrest County Justice Court and comply with all of its instructions. The deputy did so, according to the sheriff, and was told he would receive a letter giving him a court date, which was not known as of Friday.
"He will have a court date and we will take care of this," stated Gore, who also said, “We're going to do this above board.”
The AWOL charge is a “class 3” misdemeanor that, upon conviction, is punishable by a fine of $100-$500 or imprisonment in the county jail for up to six months, or both.
The sheriff said Chaille admitted he did not attend annual training. While Gore said in no way does he condone missing drill duty, he added, "Officer Chaille has been a fine officer for me." He said disciplinary measures against the deputy would be handled in-house.
The Louisville unit supports the 2-114th FA Regiment headquartered in Starkville, which in turn is part of the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team. The MSNG, in a June 5 release, said National Guard soldiers from units across Mississippi were conducting their annual training at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif., through the month of June. Units listed included the 2-114th.
Maj. Gen. Janson D. Boyles, MSNG adjutant general, stated, “The Mississippi National Guard’s training at the National Training Center offers a Total Force training opportunity focused on testing our systems and skills so that we can communicate, move down range, and order equipment and supplies in an austere environment. The training is realistic and prepares our soldiers, airmen and leaders for any mission at home or abroad.”
