CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Two Marines were arrested in alleged assault incidents last weekend on Okinawa.
Lance Cpl. Douglas L. Ruth, 21, was apprehended by Okinawan police Friday night after he allegedly accosted an 80-year-old Okinawa woman on a street in Kin and head-butted her, knocking the woman to the ground, according to a police report.
A prefectural police spokesman said the Marine, who appeared to be intoxicated, walked up to the woman at 10:35 p.m., yelled “Hello, Mama,” and then struck her brow with his forehead. The incident took place near the main gate to Camp Hansen, where Ruth is assigned to the 9th Engineering Support Battalion.
Officers in the area arrested the Marine at the scene after hearing the woman’s cry for help.
The police spokesman said the woman later was treated for head bruises and a sprained neck. Ruth is being held at the prefectural police station in Ishikawa on a charge of assault resulting in bodily injury.
The police spokesman said a Breathalyzer test showed Ruth had 0.65 milligrams of alcohol on his breath, well above the 0.15 milligrams considered to be the point of intoxication under Japanese law. The case was referred to the Naha District Public Prosecutor’s Office on Sunday.
In an unrelated incident, Lance Cpl. Kelly L. Hunsucker, 21, was arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly striking a prefectural police officer who was attempting to stop a fight between Hunsucker and a sailor, according to a police report.
The incident took place at about 4:52 a.m. in the Goya entertainment district of Okinawa City after police officers spotted the two servicemembers having a heated argument. When Hunsucker, who is assigned to the 7th Communication Battalion on Camp Hansen, began to walk away, an officer pursued him to ask questions. Then the Marine turned and slapped the officer in the face, a police spokesman said Monday.
A breath test showed 0.5 milligrams of alcohol on Hunsucker’s breath, the police spokesman said. Hunsucker was taken into police custody on a charge of obstructing a police officer.
“The Marine Corps is working in close cooperation with the Okinawa police to investigate these incidents,” Marine spokesman 2nd Lt. Clint Gebke said Monday. “If proven, we want to say that the Marine Corps does not tolerate such behavior.”
