But the base continued to allow Clemons to serve in uniform while awaiting trial on charges of attempted murder and pending his military discharge hearing, scheduled for August. And since New Jersey prosecutors had released Clemons on $150,000 bail, his Hill supervisors declined to restrict him to quarters.

Now, the 19-year-old airman is in the Salt Lake County jail on a new charge of attempted murder, following a Saturday-morning shooting outside a downtown Salt Lake City nightclub.

The case is not an isolated situation of a service member who has been accused of repeated violence or criminality, but who has nonetheless managed to remain on duty.

Last year, The Salt Lake Tribune reported on Army officer Curtis Whiteford, who was forced out of the Utah National Guard after being accused of fraud, but managed to transfer into a California Army Reserve unit, where he ultimately was placed in charge of defense contracts worth up to a $500,000 in Iraq. Whiteford has since been accused in U.S. District Court with an alleged scheme to defraud the military while he was at war.

And earlier this month, the Sacramento Bee reported that it had linked scores of service members with troubled pasts to incidents of murder, domestic abuse and other crimes, at war and back home. The Bee's series included numerous accounts of service members who would not be eligible to own a gun in their home state, but were issued one by the military.

With manpower stretched precariously thin between two wars, military leaders are sometimes hesitant to dismiss service members, even those with troubling pasts. And as in the Clemons case, court martial proceedings can be staved off for months or even years as military leaders await the results of lengthy civilian criminal trials.

An Army sergeant who allegedly choked and beat a soldier he supervised last year at Fort Sill, Okla., was not processed or punished by military officials until more than six months after the victim, Utah native Amanda Blume, reported the attack. Base officials said they had to await the resolution of a civilian criminal case against Sgt. Larnelle Lewis before they could proceed.

Meanwhile, accused service members continue to serve in uniform and to pull U.S. government paychecks. Clemons, for instance, worked in an administrative position, a nondeployable role for the aircrew flight equipment apprentice in Hill's 388th Operations Support Squadron.

"He was not restricted to quarters because he was cooperating with authorities and was seen fit for release, pending trial by the New Jersey court," said Hill spokeswoman Beth Woodward.

"Our thoughts are with the victim and his family and friends," Woodward said. She said Clemons' alleged action "should not reflect on Hill airmen as a whole," noting that base leaders have worked "to build a culture of integrity" at Hill.

In doing so, they're up against some significant challenges. Military recruiters increasingly are taking chances with troubled recruits. Last year, more than one in 10 Army recruits received a waiver for prior criminal behavior that otherwise would have disqualified the recruit for service. So called "waiver recruits" have slightly higher rates of misconduct, courts martial and desertion, according to the Army Recruiting Command.

It's unclear whether Clemons received a waiver before he enlisted.

Here's what is known: On Nov. 22, police report, three assailants forced their way into the home of a 23-year-old man, shooting the victim as he lie in bed with his girlfriend. The following day, Clemons was arrested and charged with attempted murder. Police did not disclose a motive for the alleged attack.

A Trenton Police Department detective said Sunday that the prosecution was "progressing" but referred further questions to the Mercer County prosecutor's office. Officials in that office did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Eight months after the Trenton attack, Salt Lake City police say, Clemons fled the scene outside Club Manhattan after gunning down 22-year-old Tyler Jake Lee with a nonmilitary-issued assault rifle. Clemons was arrested Saturday on suspicion of attempted homicide and aggravated robbery, the second charge related to the allegation that he tried to rip a chain from the victim's neck. Three other Hill airmen, Destiney Williams, Tacota Lemuel and David Crist, are accused of helping Clemons escape.

Lee remained hospitalized Sunday, and asked that the hospital not to release details of his condition.

It was the second shooting in four months at the downtown Salt Lake City nightclub. Base officials confirmed on Sunday that they are cooperating with police in investigating reports that a March 22 attack outside the club, in which a man was shot in the head, also involved personnel from the northern Utah base. Police have not named a suspect in that case, however.

mlaplante@sltrib.com

lwhitehurst@sltrib.com