Marines Release Former Guard at Moscow Embassy From Brig

A third Marine embassy guard who was arrested last month for alleged improper associations with Soviet women was released from the brig Tuesday on grounds that there was insufficient reason to keep him behind bars, the Pentagon said.

But Staff Sgt. Robert S. Stufflebeam was ordered to remain on the Marine Corps base at Quantico, Va., and is still considered a suspect, Pentagon spokesman Robert Sims said, adding that he could face formal charges later.

Held Unlikely to Flee

Officials did not disclose any specific reasons for Stufflebeam’s release, ordered by a military magistrate, but Sims said it was determined that the sergeant was not likely to flee or commit any violent act if released pending further proceedings.

Stufflebeam, 24, of Bloomington, Ill., was taken into custody last month at Camp Pendleton, Calif., where he was assigned to the 1st Marine Division. The sergeant, who had been assistant commander of 28 Marine guards at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow until last May, was flown from California to Quantico last Friday.

Two Marines who had been under his supervision, Sgt. Clayton J. Lonetree and Cpl. Arnold Bracy, remained in solitary confinement Tuesday in the brig at Quantico, facing charges of espionage and conspiracy during their Moscow duty. Both are accused of allowing Soviet agents to penetrate sensitive embassy areas after the two became sexually involved with Soviet women.

Sims told reporters that about half the 28-member Marine detachment at the embassy had departed for the United States, where the men will be questioned in connection with the security scandal. He said that the remaining guards probably will be replaced before Secretary of State George P. Shultz visits Moscow next week for arms control talks.