--- title: "Camp Pendleton Marine charged with sexual assault of minor" description: "The 14-year-old was found in the Camp Pendleton barracks in late June, two weeks after she was reported missing." date: "2023-08-12" modified: "2023-08-12" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/camp-pendleton-marine-charged-sexual-assault-minor/" categories: - "Around the World" - "Marine Corps" - "Military Branches" - "News" - "United States" --- # Camp Pendleton Marine charged with sexual assault of minor ![Camp Pendleton]() *FILE - This Nov. 13, 2013 file photo shows the main gate of Camp Pendleton Marine Base at Camp Pendleton, Calif. (Lenny Ignelzi, Associated Press)* A Camp Pendleton-based Marine has been charged with sexual assault after a 14-year-old girl was [found in his barracks in June](), the military announced on Friday. The unidentified Marine has been formally charged with sexual assault. The Marine has also been charged by military prosecutors with violating liberty restrictions in an unrelated case. A preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 17, Capt. Charles Palmer, spokesman for the 1st Marine Logistics Group, said in a statement. “After the preliminary hearing, the command will review all charges and evidence to determine whether the case should be tried by court-martial. To protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation and the rights of the subject, further information is unavailable until this decision is made,” the statement continued. “As a reminder, charges remain allegations, and all service members are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.” [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today**]()**. Get the latest military news and culture in your inbox daily.** The 14-year-old went missing on June 10 — family reported the minor missing on June 13 with the grandmother telling authorities the girl had run away from home. She was found by military police inside the Marine’s barracks on the Southern California base more than two weeks later on June 28. The local Sheriff’s Department reunited the minor with her family. The Marine’s name has not been released by the military, but he is serving with Combat Logistics Battalion 5, 1st Marine Logistics Group. Naval Criminal Investigative Service questioned the Marine after the minor was found in the barracks, but released him after. NCIS has been investigating the matter since, with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department assisting. The girl’s aunt has claimed on social media that the minor was the victim of sex trafficking. ***Editor's note:** Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this story reported the Marine had been charged with sexual assault in an unrelated case.* ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **The US can’t use its $110 million** [**drone base in Niger**]() - **Inside an Air Force** [**Pararescue mission**]() **in the middle of the Pacific Ocean** - **Country music star** [**Craig Morgan re-enlists**]() **at age 59** - [**What you need to know**]() **about the incoming Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps** - **2 US military veterans killed in Ukraine during** [**intense fighting**]() **\[Updated\]** ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()