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SEOUL — A U.S. soldier will stand trial in South Korean court for allegedly breaking into the home of an elderly couple near Camp Casey in February and attempting to rape the woman, according to South Korean court officials.

Pvt. Lloyd Daniel, 19, of the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, was charged Tuesday with attempted robbery and rape, injury resulting from rape, bodily injury resulting from robbery and larceny, American and South Korean officials confirmed. He is being held in a Seoul correctional facility and will be tried in Uijeongbu District Court as early as April, although a date has not be set, according to South Korean officials.

The military is not conducting a separate investigation into the incident, according to 2nd Infantry Division spokesman Lt. Col. Joseph Scrocca.

According to South Korean police, Daniel allegedly broke into the couple’s house around 9 a.m. on Feb. 26, beat the pair with a piece of lumber and attempted to rape the 64-year-old woman.

The couple remains hospitalized. The woman’s injuries include a fractured nose, while the 70-year-old man suffered fractures of his nose and the bones around his eye, according to a Dongducheon police spokesman. Daniel allegedly stole the woman’s cell phone before leaving the house and was caught a few hours later based on the couple’s description of him. When he was apprehended, he had blood on his socks and shoes, police said.

Police also said he dropped his wallet and identification card near the couple’s house while fleeing.

A Dongducheon police spokesman said South Koreans convicted on similar charges typically face five or more years in prison.

Police said Daniel, drunk at the time of the attack, had been in the military for about one year. He has been in South Korea for about three months, officials said.

rowlanda@pstripes.osd.mil

chang.yookyong@pstripes.osd.mil

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Yoo Kyong Chang is a reporter/translator covering the U.S. military from Camp Humphreys, South Korea. She graduated from Korea University and also studied at the University of Akron in Ohio.

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