A Camp Pendleton Marine staff sergeant who says she was raped pleaded not guilty to charges of adultery at her court-martial Monday.
U-T San Diego reports the staff sergeant was charged with adultery after her husband of 17 years reported to her superiors that she had sex with another Marine in a hotel room.
However, the accused Marine claims she was too intoxicated to give consent to the sexual encounter, and therefore insists it was rape - not adultery.
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing spokesman 1st Lt. Tyler Balzer told the U-T:
“The command does take sexual assault with the utmost gravity, and has decided to pursue this route to ensure that the sexual assault response process remains effective and maintains integrity for victims."
The Marine could spend up to a year in jail and get a dishonorable discharge if she's convicted on the charges.
