A U.S. Marine stationed in Anchorage was dishonorably discharged and sentenced to 26 years in prison Thursday for sexually assaulting and kidnapping a woman in 2013, police say.
Former Staff Sgt. James Hale III was convicted and sentenced for first-degree sexual assault, kidnapping and other misdemeanors, according to a statement from the Anchorage Police Department.
In August 2013, detectives with APD’s Special Victims Unit were contacted about a man who reportedly drove a woman to a location in Spenard and held her at gunpoint while he sexually assaulted her, police say. The victim did not know her attacker.
Authorities identified the suspect as Hale, who processed incoming Marine recruits in Anchorage at the time of the assault. He did not, however, work as a recruiter for the Marines.
Hale was arrested and charged in February 2014, police say. The U.S. Marine Corps stepped in, and worked with the state, district attorney’s office, APD and NCIS to prosecute the case. A court martial trial was held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Hale was prosecuted under the U.S. Code of Military Justice.
Hale will remain at the Anchorage Correctional Complex until the USMC takes him to federal prison.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.