KITANAKAGUSUKU, Okinawa — News that the American living among them is being held on suspicion of raping a 14-year-old Okinawa girl shocked neighbors of Marine Staff Sgt. Tyrone Luther Hadnott.

“I could not believe it at first,” said Yoriko Takara, who lives next door. “He was always friendly and used to greet us in Japanese.”

But, though quiet, Hadnott, 38, who is separated from his wife and lives alone, also seemed to have frequent female visitors, she added.

“Women, every time a different one, would often visit him,” she said. “Almost every Sunday morning, I’d see a different woman leaving his house. I think it was sometime last year there was an argument when a woman visited him while another woman was still in the house. But that was about all the trouble I ever heard.

“Still, I told my four my kids to stay away from him.”

Japanese police arrested Hadnott on Monday and are holding him in custody. According to police reports, he met the girl at an ice cream parlor and drove her to his home on a motorcycle. He attempted to molest her there, but she ran from him. He followed her, persuaded her to ride with him in his van and allegedly raped her near a park in Chatan.

Hadnott has denied raping the girl, admitting only to kissing and pressing up against her, a police spokesman said.

An American civilian who lives on the other side of Hadnott’s home said he thought the whole situation was “screwed up.”

“What’s he doing with a 14-year-old girl and what is she doing with an older guy riding on the back of his motorcycle?” he asked, speaking on the condition his name not be published. “I met him once and he seemed OK.”

About a dozen active-duty servicemembers outside bases on Okinawa refused to speak to reporters. Requests to interview servicemembers on bases were turned down by Marine and Air Force officials.

Amid protests since the Sunday night incident and official calls for more discipline among servicemembers, other Americans on Okinawa say local officials are moving too fast to condemn the U.S. military for the incident.

“They’re capitalizing on this without knowing all the facts,” said Ray Welch, Pacific director for advanced programs for Oklahoma University. “Everyone is bringing up the 1995 incident, but there’s a big difference.”

On Labor Day 1995, two Marines and a Navy corpsman abducted a 12-year-girl in Kin, tied her up with duct tape and took her to a beach where she was gang-raped.

“According to reports the girl in this latest case willingly hopped on this man’s motorcycle, went to his home, and then agreed, after he tried to force himself on her, to get into his van for a ride home,” Welch said. “I’m not saying this incident is not serious, it is. But it’s not on the same level.”

Welch, 58, a 23-year Marine veteran and former brig officer on Camp Hansen, is concerned anti-base activists will use the incident to unfairly taint the reputation of the Corps.

Masaaki Gabe, professor of international relations at the University of the Ryukyus, said government leaders are trying their best to minimize any effect the incident might have on U.S. military realignment plans on Okinawa. But he added that public opinion is more mixed.

“Unlike political leaders and anti-military groups, who quickly reacted, ordinary people are assessing the impact the incident gives to their own lives,” he said. “Are Americans living off base threats to local communities or not? More time is needed for people to fully grasp the impact.”

He said U.S. and Japan officials need to do more to convince average Okinawans that such crimes are isolated and the work of individuals.

“An idea ordinary people share now is that the military cannot be trusted,” he said. “Unless appropriate actions are taken, mistrust of the military will take root in Okinawan people.”

Servicemembers outside Okinawa said they hope the incident will not reflect poorly on all Americans in Japan.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Robert Hobbs on Yokosuka Naval Base. “We’re supposed to be ambassadors of our country in Japan — not do stuff like this.”

Petty Officer 2nd Class John Benjamin, from the base’s Navy Munitions Command, said his reaction to the alleged incident was, “Not again.”

He expects more restrictions to be placed on servicemembers in Japan and that the “U.S. relationship with Japan would get worse.”

At Yokota Air Base no servicemember would agree to be quoted by name.

A senior airman called the alleged crime “really messed up.”

“If he’s guilty they should put his ass in jail and see how he likes it,” he said.

“My initial thought was it was just sick,” said Tech. Sgt. Daniel Mayo, 29, of the 35th Maintenance Operations Squadron at Misawa Air Base. “Then I heard the other side, too. The Japanese girl got out of the car and then got back into the car. … It makes you think there’s more to the story than what’s in the news.”

Military commanders have not called for tightened liberty policies for servicemembers. Mayo said he thinks it should stay that way.

“I don’t think you should punish an entire group of people just because of one person’s actions,” he said.

Squadron co-worker Staff Sgt. Anthony Lee, 24, said he has two reactions to the alleged rape.

“The politically correct one is to prosecute and court-martial him,” Lee said. But his real feeling was: “Drop him off at sea and let him float.”

Stars and Stripes reporters Allison Batdorff, Jennifer H. Svan and Bryce S. Dubee contributed to this report.

Commanding general's reaction

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — On Friday, the Okinawa Marine — the weekly newspaper for Marine Corps Bases Japan — printed a front-page letter from the commanding general, Lt. Gen. Richard C. Zilmer, concerning the uproar over the arrest of a 38-year-old staff sergeant suspected of raping a 14-year-old Okinawa girl.

Here’s what he had to say:

“On Wednesday, I met with commanders and their senior enlisted advisors from throughout III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Bases Japan to kick off a two-day ‘Ethics and Leadership’ stand down to be held Feb. 14 and 15. I directed the stand down upon learning of an alleged crime committed by a Marine against an Okinawan. The allegations are both shocking and disappointing, but as the incident remains under investigation, I will not comment on specifics. This incident puts at risk the strength of our relationship with the Japanese people as well as the alliance which binds our two great nations through trust and cooperation.

“I fully realize the overwhelming majority of Marines, Sailors, civilian Marines and family members here on Japan interact with our hosts on a daily basis, demonstrating only the highest levels of personal and moral conduct. However, this particular incident possesses the potential to negate the goodwill we have fostered with the Japanese people over decades of cooperative growth. Our role here in Japan and in the Asia-Pacific region is placed in extreme jeopardy every time one of us allows a lapse of judgment and makes an avoidable mistake or commits an act of misconduct. Over time, many incidents of misconduct form a chain of misconduct that can create as much negative publicity and political turmoil as one serious incident. As a result, the actions of a few reflect poorly upon the many.

“In order to maintain the trust and confidence of our Japanese allies while also invigorating our professional understanding of the magnitude of poor judgment, the stand down is directed so that we may all reflect on our individual roles and responsibilities as Americans and service members serving here in Japan. We must always consider how our actions or inactions can impact our roles and missions here in Japan. We should always remember that we must earn the trust and confidence and respect of the Japanese people every day with our actions. I cannot over emphasize the importance of personal accountability along with the very real and binding truism that personal actions, by ‘anyone,’ regardless of rank or stature, carry ‘strategic’ consequences with potentially devastating results.

“Yesterday and today, commanders and senior enlisted leaders at all levels are discussing with all Marines and Sailors their roles as ambassadors of the United States.

“Our strong relationship with the Okinawan community cannot be taken for granted. This relationship requires a commitment from all of us to serve honorably, ethically, and to be respectful of the customs, culture, and laws of the Japanese people.

“During this time of heightened anxiety and media coverage caused by this incident, it’s important to reinforce our Corps values of HONOR, COURAGE and COMMITMENT that distinguish us as a disciplined and professional organization. Our character comes from our leadership, which exists in each and every one of us. Good leaders don’t let others fail. Good leaders are leaders on and off duty. Every Marine and Sailor is a leader and empowered to set the standard of excellence expected of us all.

“In closing, I expect all service members to uphold the highest standards of courtesy and conduct and remember that we serve as ambassadors of the United States 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Continue to do your very best, continue to make the right decision in every situation, and be GREAT ambassadors while in Japan. Thank you for all that you do for our nation and for being who you are.”

Hadnott is accused of raping a 14-year-old Okinawa girl last Sunday. Below: The house where some of the alleged incident may have taken place.

—Stars and Stripes