YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan – Two USS Kitty Hawk sailors stood will face a second hearing in their trials this month for allegedly running out on a $200 Kamakura bar bill and assaulting the 41-year old manager who chased after them.
Seaman Brian Matthew Burgess, 21, and Petty Officer 3rd Class Casey Joe Turner, 24, were charged with robbery resulting in bodily injury. Their first hearing was March 6 in the Yokohama District Court and their second will be March 27 at 11 a.m., a court spokesman said.
According to the indictment, Burgess and Turner went to Seedless restaurant in Kamakura Dec. 10 – the same day the Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier returned to Yokosuka after a two-month deployment.
The sailors racked up about a $208 bar bill and attempted to leave without paying, according to the indictment. Kamakura police earlier stated that the men left about $43 as payment.
When the Seedless manager chased after them demanding the full amount, the sailors punched and kicked him, inflicting injuries that took a month to heal, the indictment said.
Police said that the manager apprehended Burgess and handed him over to police officers. Burgess was charged Dec. 28.
Originally, police said there were two other unidentified Kitty Hawk sailors involved who were taken into military custody when they returned to the ship. Turner was charged Feb. 6 and taken in Japanese custody, according to Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office spokesman.
