Suspected deserter facing sex assault charges arrested

AirForce Times — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 12:21:29 -0400

From: Air Force Times

The Nevada Highway Patrol has arrested an airman from Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, who went missing days before his court-martial, said Linda Card, a spokeswoman for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

Tech. Sgt. David Helm was arrested Monday night after being stopped in Reno on Interstate 580, Card said in an email to Air Force Times.

OSI is coordinating with Beale Air Force Base, California, and Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to take Helm into Air Force custody, Card said. Security forces airmen will escort him back to Scott.

Helm is accused of sexually assaulting a girl and a women in series of alleged incidents between Jan. 1, 2012, and May 18, 2014, at or near LaFollette, Tennessee; Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Scott Air Force Base; and Dayton, Ohio, according to a charge sheet provided to Air Force Times.

Helm is accused of sexually assaulting a girl who is younger than 16 years old, the charge sheet says. In one incident, he allegedly physically overpowered her.

Helm is accused of secretly filming the second alleged victim while she was in a private area. He is also accused of forcing a capsule in her mouth on three separate occasions, according to the charge sheet.

Helm's court-martial had been slated for Monday, but he went missing days beforehand. On June 4 OSI posted a wanted poster for Helm on its Facebook page, saying only that he is "wanted for questioning related to ongoing investigation."

One person commented on the Facebook page that the wanted poster is confusing because it does not say what type of investigation is ongoing.

"The poster is intentionally omitting details as it was drafted for the intended audience which in this matter is social media," OSI replied to the commenter. "Due to sensitivities, courtesy, and respect, we limit the amount of information presented and all postings are determined on a case by case basis."

A Nevada state trooper pulled Helm over on Monday because the motorcycle he was driving had a taillight out, said Trooper Dave Gibson, a spokesman for the Nevada Highway Patrol. After checking on the motorcycle's license plate, the trooper learned that Helm was wanted for desertion.

After checking Helm's license, the trooper distracted Helm by asking him to turn his motorcycle on to check the taillights, Gibson said. The trooper then "got control" of Helm and handcuffed him.

"There was no fight or anything," Gibson said. "Nobody went to the ground or anything like that."

An unnamed adult woman was riding as a passenger on Helm's motorcycle when he was pulled over, Gibson said.

Helm has served as the noncommissioned officer in charge of mission management for the 375th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron since Aug. 1, according to the Air Force Personnel Center. He has been assigned to Scott since July 15, 2013.

He has been with the Air Force since Nov. 28, 2000, and became a tech sergeant on Oct. 1, 2012.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2015/06/09/scott-airman-arrested-deserter-sexual-assault/28729237/

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 9 at 2015 12:31 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 12:31:15 -0400

tag him. take those stripes & tag him.

Response by SrA Edward Vong made Jun 9 at 2015 1:30 PM

SrA Edward Vong — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 13:30:56 -0400

Glad they found him.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 9 at 2015 1:36 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 13:36:08 -0400

Is he smiling because he thinks he will get away with it? SMH... I just don't understand!

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 9 at 2015 2:18 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 14:18:33 -0400

Curious as to why he is smiling

Response by COL Jean (John) F. B. made Jun 9 at 2015 2:43 PM

COL Jean (John) F. B. — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 14:43:06 -0400

Good ...

Lesson-learned: He should have been declared a flight risk, given the seriousness of his charges, and put into pre-trial confinement.

Response by SPC Ei McS made Jun 10 at 2015 6:44 AM

SPC Ei McS — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 06:44:48 -0400

I hope that stupid smile has been taken off his nasty face! Good they got him!

Response by TSgt Anthony Ellis made Jun 11 at 2015 8:59 AM

TSgt Anthony Ellis — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 08:59:51 -0400

Lock him up and throw away the key. Leavenworth here he comes!

Response by Maj Mike Sciales made Jun 11 at 2015 1:34 PM

Maj Mike Sciales — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 13:34:53 -0400

Well this guy is in a bit of trouble. Sounds like it would have been a General Courts-martial and he broke restriction/house arrest and that can be admitted at his trial. If he goes down for anything sexual it'll be 15 years at least, reduction to E-1, forfeiture of all pay and allowances (unless he has small children living at home) and a Dishonorable Discharge. If guilty he will pay a very heavy price. The good news is the DoD does have crime, but it is rare for it to get up to this level and that's good. In the mid-80s at a casern in Germany some soldier cut off the head of his wife's lover -- in the parking lot of a snack bar area, put it in a bowling bag and brought it to the hospital where she'd just had her lover's baby. Like I said, for the amount of active duty service personnel serving, the really bad criminal rate is very low.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 12 at 2015 6:03 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 18:03:49 -0400

Funny how many people are trying to evade police and get caught because of silly traffic violations such as the tail light in this guys case. Would think they would check these things before running.

Response by A1C Mike Smith made Jun 19 at 2015 4:16 PM

A1C Mike Smith — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 16:16:29 -0400

Bring the coward back to St. Louis, give him a fair court martial, and hang his butt!

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Jun 19 at 2015 4:44 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 16:44:56 -0400

I have complete confidence that justice will be served. Every branch has it's share of broken people, just like in the civilian sector. Take care of business, Air Force.

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Oct 6 at 2020 9:13 AM

SGM Erik Marquez — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 09:13:35 -0400

Just to close this one out."Helm pleaded guilty to charges of desertion, rape of a child, assault of a child, indecent filming of a woman’s private area and indecent broadcast of that image without her consent."
"25 years in prison, reduction in rank to E-1, or airman basic, forfeiture of all pay and allowances and a dishonorable discharge."

He appealed the case and LOST...https://www.courtlistener.com/pdf/2017/02/08/united_states_v._helm.pdf
Though sadly I'm not able to find him listed in the inmate registry https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/

united_states_v._helm.pdf