Army Charges Single Mom for Going AWOL

The Army has filed court-martial charges against Alexis Hutchinson, an Army cook who refused to deploy to Afghanistan because she couldn't find anyone to look after her 1-year-old son. Hutchinson, 21, is charged with "missing movement" and absence without leave, among other things, reports the Savannah Morning News. Missing movement, the most serious charge, carries a maximum sentence of up to 2 years in prison and a dishonorable discharge.

Hutchinson says she missed her deployment because a superior had told her that her son would have to go into foster care; original plans to have her mom watch her son fell through. Hutchinson's attorney said she still hoped that a trial can be avoided. "There are other routes if they really want to punish her," Rai Sue Sussman tells the AP.
(More Alexis Hutchinson stories.)