Military prosecutors have charged a Marine, who was detained in June after the discovery of ‘little girl’ in California barracks, with sexual assault of another child.
Military police discovered the teenager on June 28 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton near Oceanside, more than two weeks after her grandmother reported her disappearance to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, according to a report by the agency.
The Marine who was charged and the teen have not been identified by authorities.
A previous incident has also led to the Marine being charged.
On June 28, 2023, a Marine is apprehended by the police at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, Calif., in relation to teen’s disappearance.
Capt. Charles Palmer, who is part of the 1st Marine Logistics Group, announced on Friday that military prosecutors have charged the Marine with sexual assault of a minor and violating every other unrelated case, as well as with violat[w] another unconnected discharge restriction. He added that after the preliminary hearing, the command will review all charges and evidence to determine whether the case should be tried by court-martial.
Palmer stated that the Marine who was held in custody for the missing teen was part of the Combat Logistics Battalion 5, 1st Marine Logistics Group in July.
In July, Melissa Aquino, a spokesperson for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, stated that the sheriff’S department and the local human trafficking unit, the Naval Criminal Investigative Services, were working with the investigation.
The girl’s grandmother reported her missing on June 13, four days after she had run away from home. Aquino stated in July that the girl had always returned home quickly.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was among the missing person databases that the authorities entered into, as stated by the sheriff’s department.
Aquino stated that the teenager was returned to her grandmother after being found.
The Teen Line is a network of peer-to-peer support lines that are open every evening for field calls and texts. You can contact them at 310-855-HOPE (4673) or toll-free at 800-TLC-TEEN from 3 to 7 p.m, or you can text TEEN to 839863 (TEXT 16032) and receive an email alert; there is also onsite chatting where teens can post their messages on the message board.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-888-373-7888 and offers assistance in over 200 languages. You can also dial the hotline by texting BEFREE to 233733. Those who have suspicions of trafficking should contact their local law enforcement agencies.