Sergeant Guilty of Negligence in Death of Marine Left in Desert

A military judge Wednesday convicted a Marine sergeant of negligence for his actions following the abandonment of a Marine who died in the Mojave Desert.

Sgt. Christopher Clyde was the platoon sergeant of Lance Cpl. Jason Rother, who was left behind after being posted as a road guide for an exercise near Twentynine Palms last Aug. 30. The remains of Rother, 19, of Minneapolis, were not found until December.

Maj. Kent Smith, the military judge, ruled that Clyde was negligent by failing to follow policies, failing to report the status of his Marines and to properly account for the whereabouts and the welfare of his troops.

Clyde was found not guilty of willful disobedience.

Sentencing Delayed

No sentencing has been scheduled, and a military hearing was held Wednesday afternoon to outline possible penalties.

Clyde, 28, of Mentor, Ohio, showed no emotion as Smith read the verdict.

Clyde had been charged with dereliction of duty and failing to obey an order to not give time off to his men. Clyde had maintained that he did nothing wrong and that he only reacted to the instructions of his superiors.

“If he’s guilty of anything, he’s guilty of relying on other people,” defense attorney William Fisher said in closing arguments.

Prosecutor Robert Nunally had urged Smith to convict Clyde.

“He screwed up and he screwed up in a major way,” Nunally said in closing arguments.

A court-martial was scheduled to begin Thursday for Sgt. Thomas B. Turnell, Rother’s squad leader.

Turnell, 25, of Elrama, Pa., is charged with dereliction of duty, willful disobedience of a lawful order and unauthorized absence.

Also facing charges is 1st Lt. Allen V. Lawson, who is scheduled for a court-martial on Feb. 7. He was in charge of assigning road guides during the exercise.