FORT DRUM, N.Y. (May 12, 2016) -- In what could be the crime of the century -- at least in fairy tale lore -- the Big Bad Wolf has always been deemed villainous in the act of destroying the homes of the Three Little Pigs.
But what if the Wolf was innocent? Dozens of local school children thought so, and they delivered a "not guilty" verdict when Fort Drum's legal professionals visited Calcium Primary School on May 5.
Capt. Derek Carlson, legal assistance attorney, introduced the group of military lawyers to the second and third graders, and they explained how the court system worked through a mock trial based loosely on the story of "The Three Little Pigs." Carlson asked the students to suspend whatever opinions they had of the characters from their knowledge of the story and to make their decisions solely on the testimonies of witnesses and the lawyers' presentations.
Capt. Matthew Jubelt served as the trial prosecutor and Maj. Jessica Kettl was the defense lawyer, although in reality, they serve in reverse roles. Jubelt is a trial defense attorney and Kettl is the senior trial counsel at Fort Drum.
"Obviously, they are very talented lawyers, but just for fun we gave them a chance to change up what they would normally do in court," Carlson said.
Capt. Rachele Adkins, as the Wolf, did her best to appeal to the young audience, who clearly enjoyed her antics. Kettl made the case that what happened to the pigs' homes was accidental and that the Wolf's huffing and puffing was due to a bad cold.
The surviving third Little Pig from the story was played by Capt. Austin Bowyer, dressed in a pig snout and pink tie. He provided a compelling testimonial, but it was not enough to convince the jury of the Wolf's guilt.
"It was fantastic to see how the kids' faces lit up while watching the play," he said. "I think they learned a lot about the judicial system, and it was fun to see them actively participate."
Bowyer said he never imagined himself donning a pig costume when he commissioned into the Judge Advocate General Corps.
"But I definitely knew that the Army is proactive in reaching out to the community, and that's one of the reasons why I wanted to join," Bowyer said. "Fort Drum is very good at that."
Overseeing the trial as the judge was Capt. Ryan Gofus. He said that the students seemed to really understand the trial proceedings, and the question-and-answer period that followed solidified what they learned.
"I think they got a basic understanding from this," he said. "To actually see the different players through an entire trial from start to finish, and through a story like the 'Three Little Pigs,' I think made it interesting and something they could relate to."
Kevin Kelly, assistant principal at Calcium Primary School, said that law isn't a subject that students receive formally this early in their educational careers, although they get an appreciation for it in other ways.
"When they come into my office in the case of a disciplinary matter, and I ask them what's going on, they want to present their side of the story," he said. "And at an elementary level, they're already working within a judicial system in a sense that they're trying to make arguments, decisions and judgments."
This was the first Law Day presentation that the school has hosted with Fort Drum, and Kelly said having an interactive forum really appealed to the young students.
"Just in the world of being children, they want their voices heard," he said. "When the kids are involved and they participate, they become really engaged, rather than just telling them things."
The legal team did a repeat performance of the mock trial on Friday at Black River Elementary School. Earlier in the week, they hosted Jens Ohlin, professor of law from Cornell Law School, for a guest lecture at the Commons.
"This was for the Office of the Staff Judge, Trial Defense Service and brigade legal personnel to have a professional development session on a legal topic," Carlson said. "He spoke about command responsibility in the law of war, and we had about 80 people in attendance. The Trial Defense Service also did a great presentation on the Miranda rights, which is the theme of Law Day this year."
Carlson, a former military police officer, said this was his first Law Day community outreach event, and he said it exceeded his expectations.
"The initial fear was that the students wouldn't understand what was going on during the trial, but they really seemed to get it and interact with everything," he said. "A lot of the questions they asked were great, and sort of procedurally based. I think it went great, everyone had fun and we look forward to doing it again."
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