In police statement, witness describes events surrounding alleged rape
Stars and Stripes
Okinawa City seeks sites off-limits to U.S. troops
By Mark Oliva,
Okinawa bureau
OKINAWA CITY — The Okinawa City Council adopted a
resolution Wednesday calling for areas of the city to be off-limits to U.S.
servicemembers.
“The anger of Okinawan people is at its peak
against frequent and rampant incidents committed by servicemembers,” the statement
read. It did not list specific areas.
The resolution goes beyond recent petitions by the
mayors of Okinawa City, Kadena Town and Chatan that commanders impose a midnight curfew on
troops.
Earlier this week, Air Force Brig. Gen. Gary L. North,
commander of Kadena Air Base, refused to impose a midnight curfew in a meeting with area
mayors.
Military officials said the curfew and off-limits
issues likely will be addressed at a Tripartite Liaison Committee meeting Friday on Camp
Foster. The committee is comprised of U.S. military leaders, Okinawa officials and
representatives from the Japanese national government.
The Okinawa City Council on Wednesday reiterated a
call for changes to the Status of Forces Agreement, following an alleged rape of an
Okinawan woman by a U.S. servicemember June 29.
The resolution also called for the complete and
adequate compensation of recent Okinawan crime victims — including the alleged rape
victim — and incidents last weekend involving servicemembers accused of burning of a
car in a parking lot and damaging a moped.
Calls to representatives in the Okinawa City Council
went unanswered.
“While distrust against the U.S. military
continues to grow, military leaders apologize and emphasize their efforts to take stronger
steps to prevent recurrence and ensure tighter discipline,” the resolution stated.
“… The climate allowing such rampant
misbehavior by military members is due to ineffective preventive measures and discipline
given by the military, and occupation mentality and disrespect to Okinawa people.”
Chiyomi Sumida contributed to this report. |
NAHA, Okinawa — A Marine Corps lance corporal confronted and
questioned a man who was pressed against a woman from behind against a van outside a
Chatan bar June 29, according to a witness statement to Okinawan police.
Lance Cpl. Jermaine S. Oliphant, 22, of Headquarters and Service
Battalion of Marine Corps Base, stationed at Camp Kinser, told police that he and two
Japanese friends witnessed the scene after leaving the Third Floor Café and Club in the
popular American Village party district sometime after 2 a.m.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Timothy B. Woodland, 24, of the 353rd Special
Operations Group, has been indicted on charges of raping a 24-year-old Okinawan woman in
the parking lot.
Oliphant told police he was with two Japanese women he met three
weeks earlier at the club. As they were about to exit the club, Oliphant and his
companions ran into one of the women’s friends, who appeared drunk, the statement
said. They offered her a ride home and exited the club with her. Outside the cafe, they
came across four males in the parking lot.
Oliphant’s statement said he and his friends stopped to talk
with them. Oliphant said he did not know the men.
Oliphant said his friend seemed to know some of the men in the group.
“[She] stopped there and started talking to them. Meanwhile, [the alleged victim],
who seemed to be so drunk, squatted down on the ground,” his statement said.
According to his statement, Oliphant walked one of his friends to her
car. When they returned, the alleged victim and one of the men were gone. He asked where
they went, and one of the men said the man and woman had gone “to the back of the
parking lot.” Oliphant and his friend went to find the alleged victim.
He told police, “I saw the Japanese woman lying on her face on
the hood of a van and a black man stood covering her from behind.”
Oliphant’s statement said he asked what the man was doing.
“He hurriedly closed the zipper of his pants,”
Oliphant’s statement said. “I further asked his name and which unit he belongs
to. Without answering any of my questions, he got into a car parked in the central area of
the parking lot. Three other males who were with him earlier were also in the car and they
immediately took off with the car.”
Police later traced the car to Woodland. He was arrested and
taken into custody July 6. He was denied bail Wednesday in Japanese court and awaits
trial.
“After the car left, the [alleged victim] told me that she had
been raped,” Oliphant told police in his statement.
“[One of Oliphant’s friends] who heard it called police to
report the rape.”
Woodland’s attorney, Annette Eddie-Callagain, said Wednesday,
“we haven’t met with him [Oliphant], or the victim. As far as what he’s
relating, I can’t verify if it’s true. We’re still in a fact-finding
mode.”
She said they expect to meet with Oliphant sometime next week.
Marine Capt. Cliff Gilmore, Marine spokesman, said Oliphant and the
U.S. military will continue to cooperate.
“Lance Cpl. Oliphant and the U.S. military will continue to
cooperate with local authorities in every way possible,” Gilmore said.
“However, it would be inappropriate to discuss the content of
his statements with the public, as doing so could potentially interfere with the fair
conduct of a trial,” he said.
Gilmore said that the Marine witness, “has not been ordered to
not talk by the military.”
He said the Marine was advised, “he is a witness and it could be
detrimental to the fairness of the case if he discusses details of his statement to
Okinawan police.”
Marine Maj. Gen. Wallace C. Gregson, commanding general for the 3rd
Marine Division on Okinawa, said the request for an interview was presented to Oliphant,
who declined to be interviewed by Stars and Stripes.
Repeated attempts to contact Oliphant were unsuccessful. Oliphant
gave the statement to police immediately following the incident at the scene.
Japanese police took the statement in English, and translated it into
Japanese. A Japanese version of the report was obtained and translated into English by
Stars and Stripes.
Air Force officials could not verify the report and said no
statements by witnesses were turned over to them.
“Staff Sgt. Woodland deserves the right to a fair trial under
Japanese law and in accordance with Status of Forces Agreement,” said Brig. Gen. Gary
L. North in a written statement.
“It would be inappropriate for his case to be tried outside the
courtroom,” he said.
Police declined comment Wednesday morning.
RELATED STORY:
Judge rejects bail for accused
Air Force staff sergeant
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