OKINAWA CITY, Okinawa — A U.S. Army sergeant assigned to Torii Station was arrested by Okinawa police Saturday for allegedly breaking into an apartment after a night of drinking.
A police spokesman said Staff Sgt. James Smith, 27, was apprehended near an apartment in the Uechi district of Okinawa City, after a 43-year-old man reported someone had walked into his bedroom, where he was asleep with his wife, at 12:10 a.m. Saturday.
The man told police he pushed the sergeant outside and then called police.
As Smith allegedly ran away, the Okinawan followed him and identified him to authorities once they arrived, a police spokesman said.
Smith was arrested on suspicion of burglary about 100 meters from the apartment, which is in a popular bar district in Okinawa City. A police spokesman said Smith appeared to have been drinking.
According to a police report, Smith refused to talk to police investigators. He also refused to sign any statement or take a Breathalyzer test, instead asking for legal representation from Army officials. The case was sent to the Naha District Court Prosecutor’s Office on Sunday.
Smith was in police custody at the Okinawa City station Sunday afternoon.
— Chiyomi Sumida contributed to this report.
