U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant suspected of trespassing knew he was violating the curfew

November 20, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo

The 24 year-old U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant based at Camp Foster and suspected of trespassing in a room of a building in Naha on November 18, initially denied the charges during police questioning after his arrest, claiming that a Japanese woman he met at a club told him to take a rest there. However, the police reported on November 19 that the suspect subsequently admitted the charges, and stated that it was a mistake for him to make such an assertion. The suspect acknowledged that despite knowing about the 11:00pm to 5:00am curfew placed on all U.S. troops in Japan he had been out drinking during these hours, so it turns out that the suspect violated the curfew and committed the crime. On the same day, Naha Police handed over the man to the Naha District Public Prosecutors’ Office on suspicion of trespassing. The incident clearly indicates that the curfew has little meaning.

According to the police, the suspect said that it was an embarrassment for him to have caused the incident and that he was sorry to have scared the person in the apartment. The suspect said that he was too drunk to remember anything, but wished to apologize.

The suspect said that he drank alone at three establishments in Naha during the period from around 8:30pm on November 17 to 6:00am on November 18, thereby violating the curfew.

According to the police, the suspect said that he had acquaintance who worked at the first place he went to, and that he had occasionally gone there in the past.
It would seem that the suspect went out of Futenma Air Station to drink at some of his favorite bars and restaurants, but the police intend to continue seeking further evidence.

The suspect has been stationed in Okinawa since last July, and currently belongs to the Marine Wing Communications Squadron 18 of Camp Foster. The nature of his mission was not disclosed, but he resides in Futenma Air Station. Although the Naha Police initially reported that the suspect works at Futenma Air Station, this was corrected on November 19, when they stated that the U.S. military supplied mistaken information.

(English translation by T&CT, Mark Ealey)

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