Army sergeant, an Onondaga native, found not guilty of charges related to gunfight in Syria
Robert Nicoson, an Onondaga native charged in a military court after U.S. troops exchanged gunfire with pro-Syrian regime forces in 2020, has been acquitted.
Nicoson, a sergeant first class, was the only U.S. service member who faced charges in connection with the Aug. 17, 2020, encounter at a pro-Syrian regime checkpoint.
Nicoson, who graduated from Springport High School in 2006, was charged with two violations for failing to obey an order or regulation, two violations for reckless endangerment, one violation for communicating threats and three violations for obstructing justice.
On Jan. 8, after a five-day trial, a jury of six command sergeants major and two lieutenant colonels found Nicoson not guilty on all counts, Phillip Stackhouse, Nicoson's attorney, said.
On Tuesday, Lt Col. Brett Lea, a public affairs officer for the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where Nicoson is stationed, confirmed Nicoson was acquitted of all the charges.
"He’s returned to regular duty," Lea said.
Encounter in Syria
Nicoson had been stationed in Syria for six weeks before the incident.
On the morning of Aug. 17, 2020, troops with Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve and Syrian Democratic Forces encountered the checkpoint while they were "conducting a routine anti-ISIS security patrol near Tal Al-Zahab, Syria" according to a statement Operation Inherent Resolve issued after the incident.
"After receiving safe passage from the pro-regime forces, the patrol came under small arms fire from individuals at the checkpoint," the coalition statement said. "Coalition troops returned fire in self-defense."
No coalition troops were killed, according to the statement, and the patrol returned to base. No airstrike was conducted at the checkpoint, according to the coalition statement.
But according to a report from CBS News, Syrian state media reported that shortly after the encounter, American forces called in helicopter gunships that fired on the checkpoint. At least one Syrian fighter was killed and two others were wounded, according to the report.
Nicoson was charged eight months after the encounter.
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Verdict was 'just,' says attorney
Over 20 witnesses were called during the trial, Stackhouse said, and a portion "was closed due to the classified evidence being presented."
The jury deliberated for two hours, he said.
The verdict was just, Stackhouse said. "I'm very happy for Sgt. Nicoson and his family. It's very difficult being under charges and being under allegations, and especially these types that have very serious ramifications if he were to be found guilty."
Russell Nicoson, Robert Nicoson's father who lives in Onondaga and attended the trial, said the acquittal lifted a weight from his entire family.
"The judge just told him, 'You are free to go,'" he said. "Hopefully, he'll continue to move on because this does not stay in his permanent record. To me, that's a good thing because this will not follow him along for the rest of his career."
Nicoson joined the Army shortly after he graduated from high school. He and his wife, Beverly, have two children.
Lea said he does not know what Nicoson's next assignment will be.
Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ .
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Army sergeant Robert Nicoson not guilty of charges in Syria gunfight
