US Marine charged with sexual assault weeks after missing teen was found in Camp Pendleton barracks
By Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN
(CNN) — A US Marine at California’s Camp Pendleton has been charged with sexual assault weeks after a missing 14-year-old was discovered in the military base’s barracks, according to a charging document.
The Marine, whose name has not been publicly released, is charged with three counts of sexual assault of a child and two counts of breach of restriction, according to a redacted charge sheet provided to CNN by 1st Marine Logistics Group spokesperson Capt. Charles Palmer.
Though the charge sheet does not identify the victim or the Marine, Palmer provided the charging document in response to a CNN inquiry about charges related to the case of the missing teen.
The Marine is accused of sexually assaulting a girl on or about June 27 and leaving the Camp Pendleton base, which they were not authorized to do, the document says.
A 14-year-old girl was discovered in the base’s barracks on June 28, Palmer has said – just over two weeks after San Diego officials say her grandmother reported her missing on June 13.
After the girl was found, a Marine was questioned by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and then released “pending further investigation,” Palmer said.
A preliminary hearing on the charges will be held on Thursday, according to a statement from the 1st Marine Logistics Group. After the hearing, the command will determine whether the case will be tried in military court.
The Marine is also facing separate charges in an earlier case in which they are charged with sexual assault of a minor and violating liberty restriction, the 1st Marine Logistics Group said Saturday.
Naval Criminal Investigative Service spokesperson Jeff Houston confirmed to CNN Wednesday that the agency is partnering with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department and the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force to investigate the Marine. Houston declined to comment further, citing the ongoing investigation.
The-CNN-Wire
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