4 Marines Plead Not Guilty to Raping Teen

Four Marines stationed at the Twentynine Palms combat training center in the southern Mojave Desert pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that they provided alcohol to a teenage girl and then raped her after she passed out in a motel room.

The Marines -- Gregory Winston Jr., 19; Michael Garzon, 18; James J. Duffy, 19; and Walter Holmes, 19 -- each face a maximum of eight years in prison if convicted of the sexual assault that occurred early Monday, prosecutors said. Winston could face twice as much prison time for an additional charge of oral copulation by anesthesia or a controlled substance, according to prosecutors.

The recent deployment of thousands of Marines for possible war in Iraq has heightened tension in this town north of Joshua Tree National Park.

Yet the young men stationed here are known for their charitable works in the community, according to San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials. They called the crime an isolated case and said they have not seen an increase in alcohol-related incidents as the men and women on the nation’s largest Marine base have been deployed to the Mideast.

Twentynine Palms Mayor Jim Bagley said the incident does not reflect the conduct of the Marines, who have become an integral part of the desert community. He said many Marines routinely volunteer to coach youth sports and donate blood in the town.

“This is a very sobering time,” he said. “We are talking about professionals. Everybody is on standby” for possible deployment.

Investigators said the four Marines, all recent arrivals at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, were staying at a Motel 6 near downtown Twentynine Palms on Sunday night when they met the 17-year-old girl, who was staying with friends in a room next door. The Marines, all training to be communications and electronics specialists, were on a weekend leave from the base, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Det. Jeff Joling.

The girl, a local resident, had rented a room with two male friends and another girl to “kick back and watch some movies,” said San Bernardino County Deputy Dist. Atty. Linda Root, who is prosecuting the case.

The Marines shared alcohol with the teenager and, at some point, she voluntarily entered their motel room, where she was raped shortly after 1 a.m., Root said.

“There was force involved,” Root said. “She was trying to get up and get away and they kept pushing her down.”

A few hours later, the girl’s friends reported the crime to sheriff’s deputies, but by then the Marines had returned to the military base, Joling said.

The Marines were arrested on the base Tuesday and are being held on $1 million bail each. A Marine spokesman said the four had only recently completed their basic training and were not scheduled to ship out to Iraq.

The arraignment Thursday at the San Bernardino Superior Court was attended by four uniformed representatives of the Marine Corps communications school. “We are here to make sure they are getting their day in court,” said Gunnery Sgt. Robert Fleck. If convicted, the Marines will probably be discharged from the corps.