NAHA, Okinawa — Five Marines and one sailor were arrested over the weekend in five separate incidents on Okinawa.
Two Camp Kinser Marines were in Okinawa police custody Monday after running away without paying a taxi fare just after midnight Saturday in Naha, an Okinawa prefectural police spokesman said.
A 20-year-old private first class and an 18-year-old lance corporal were with two other suspects believed to be servicemembers when they took a taxi from Kadena Air Base to Naha. When they reached their destination in Naha, the four fled without paying the fare of 4,830 yen, about $42, the police official said.
The two Marines were arrested near the scene by police officers responding to a call from the taxi driver, police said. Police are investigating.
Another 20-year-old lance corporal assigned to Camp Kinser was arrested at about midnight Saturday after riding a moped while intoxicated, police said. The moped hit a parked car in Naha. The Marine left the vehicle and fled the scene but was later arrested, the spokesman said. He was also charged with failure to report the accident to authorities.
A 21-year-old Marine private first class on Camp Foster was arrested Saturday for trespassing. An Okinawa police spokesman in Okinawa City said the Marine wandered into an entrance hall on the second floor of a private home at about 3:30 a.m. A breath-alcohol test revealed the Marine was under the influence of alcohol, the spokesman said. No injuries or damages were reported; the Marine was released Sunday.
A 22-year-old Camp Foster lance corporal was in Okinawa police custody Monday for breaking a window at Okinawa Civic Hall. The Marine allegedly kicked a steel wastebasket that hit and broke the wall-to-wall window, the police said. The damage is estimated at 100,000 yen, or $870.
The spokesman said the Marine refused to take a breath-alcohol test, but had been apparently drinking alcohol prior to the incident.
One U.S. sailor and a Japanese man were in Okinawa police custody for a fistfight in a bar district in Okinawa City.
The spokesman said a 23-year-old petty officer third class assigned to Camp Schwab was arrested for assault, and a 20-year old Okinawan carpenter was arrested for inflicting injuries. The police official said the two men began fighting at about 4:15 a.m. Sunday near Kadena Air Bases’ Gate 2.
