Alleged Deserter’s Trial Set for Nov. 3
The court-martial of former U.S. Army Sgt. Charles Robert Jenkins, who surrendered last month to face charges that he deserted to North Korea decades ago, is scheduled to begin Nov. 3, the U.S. Army said in Japan.
Japan has asked for leniency out of consideration for Jenkins’ Japanese wife, Hitomi Soga, whom he met after she was abducted by North Korea.
Some observers expect an agreement in which Jenkins, 64, would plead guilty to one or more charges and offer to tell what he knows about North Korea in return for a lighter punishment.
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