YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Japanese prosecutors have charged a Naval Air Facility Atsugi sailor with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol, Japanese and Navy officials confirmed Wednesday.
Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Mark Conrady, 27, of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 14, will be tried for striking and killing a 41-year-old Japanese motorcyclist with his car Jan. 26 in Fujisawa city, a Yokohama District Public Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman said.
Conrady was driving between 6 mph and 9 mph when he made a right turn into a parking lot and struck the motorcyclist, according to the prosecutor’s indictment summary.
Conrady’s car struck the front of the motorcycle, knocking the Japanese man off and causing injuries that included severe damage to the left lung, the indictment summary stated. The motorcyclist died just before 10 a.m. Jan. 28.
Conrady registered a .03 blood alcohol content during a breathalyzer test at the scene, Fujisawa Kita police told Stars and Stripes in January. That alcohol level is considered drunk in Japan, which has some of the most stringent drinking and driving laws.
Conrady has remained in Japanese custody since his arrest, the prosecutor’s office spokeswoman said.
A court date has not been set, according to the Yokohama District Court. Conrady is entitled to a Japanese defense attorney but had not yet hired one Wednesday, Japanese and Navy officials said.
Navy officials reiterated that they would cooperate with the Japanese legal process, but had no further comment Wednesday.
