Okinawa Marine sentenced for attack on soldiers

[unhappycamper]

Okinawa Marine sentenced for attack on soldiers
By David Allen, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday December 13, 2007

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — A Marine lance corporal was sentenced to 10 months in the brig and a bad-conduct discharge Tuesday for an unprovoked attack Aug. 4 that sent a soldier to the hospital with a broken jaw, a broken nose, a fractured sinus bone and a brain contusion.

Lance Cpl. Tevita Taufa pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, assault and battery, drunk and disorderly conduct, and violating a midnight curfew. Under the terms of a pretrial agreement, a more serious charge of maiming was dismissed.

Also under terms of the agreement, the judge’s sentence of 28 months of confinement was limited to 10 months, with the rest suspended. Taufa will be credited with the 128 days he spent in the brig since his arrest Aug. 4.

Taufa also was reduced in rank to E-1 and must forfeit all pay and allowances.

Two other Marines pleaded guilty to similar charges in the attack during courts-martial held Nov. 30. Cpl. David Dukevares was sentenced to 350 days of confinement and a bad-conduct discharge. Cpl. Dwayne T. Ortiz was sentenced to 24 months of confinement and a bad-conduct discharge.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=50932