YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — An Atsugi sailor was arrested Wednesday on charges of crashing into a motorcyclist and driving under the influence of alcohol, according to Japanese police.
Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Mark Conrady, 27, was arrested at 5:50 p.m. Wednesday in Fujisawa city after his car struck a 41-year-old Japanese motorcyclist, a Fujisawa Kita Police spokesman said Thursday.
The motorcyclist sustained severe head and chest injuries, and was in intensive care at a local hospital Thursday, the spokesman said.
Police said Conrady was turning right into a pachinko parlor parking lot to look at a map when his car hit the motorcycle.
Conrady denied drinking, but a breath test determined he had a .03 blood-alcohol content, the spokesman said.
In Japan, a .03 alcohol content is the minimum threshold for driving under the influence.
Conrady remained in Japanese custody Thursday. Police will forward charges of causing injury with a vehicle and driving under the influence of alcohol to the Yokohama District Prosecutor’s Office later this week, according to the spokesman.
Naval Air Facility Atsugi officials did not name Conrady, but did say that a petty officer first class attached to Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 14 was involved in an accident Wednesday afternoon and taken into police custody.
“The U.S. Navy is cooperating with Japanese police authorities in the investigation of this incident,” Atsugi spokesman Tim McGough said in a statement. “We regret that this unfortunate incident occurred.”
Stars and Stripes reporter Hana Kusumoto contributed to this report.
