thedrifter
04-25-08, 07:08 AM
Congressman urges DoD to investigate Marines' handling of Lauterbach case
April 24, 2008 - 3:47PM
LINDELL KAY
DAILY NEWS STAFF
A congressman asked Thursday for the Department of Defense to step in and investigate the Marine Corps' handling of allegations made by a pregnant female Marine who claimed she was raped by a colleague now accused of killing her.
Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach's mother, Mary Lauterbach, and Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, called on Defense Secretary Robert Gates to begin an investigation into Marine officials' handling of the Lauterbach case.
In May 2007, Lauterbach reported to her chain of command at Camp Lejeune that she had been raped by a fellow Marine, Cpl. Cesar Laurean.
On Jan. 11, charred remains later confirmed to be Lauterbach and her unborn child were found buried beneath a fire pit in the backyard of Laurean's Half Moon community home.
After fleeing Onslow County in January, Laurean was apprehended in Mexico on April 10.
Turner, who represents Vandalia, Ohio, Lauterbach's hometown, met with representatives of the family after attending Lauterbach's funeral in February.
"Since Maria first disappeared in December of last year, our nation grieved with the Lauterbach family over the death of Maria and her unborn child," Turner said in a press release. "Unfortunately, as additional details of the rape investigation have become public, it is now clear that the Marine Corps should have done more to protect Maria and her unborn child."
In March, Turner submitted 29 questions on behalf of the Lauterbach family to Gen. James T. Conway, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. Turner said he was not pleased with the answers he received about the handling of the rape investigation by Marine officials.
"Maria Lauterbach's story can be described as nothing less than a tragedy," Turner said. "For eight months, Maria felt alone in her struggle. Today, knowing the fate which has befallen Maria, the Marine Corps continues to defend its actions rather than examine what decisions could have prevented this tragedy. It has become clear that a thorough self-analysis by the Marine Corps is now beyond their ability or intentions and will require an investigation from the Department of Defense."
Earlier this week, Turner hosted meetings for Mary Lauterbach, the mother of Maria Lauterbach, in Washington, D.C. with 19 members of Congress to discuss the Lauterbach case and ways to protect women serving in the military.
"We're going to continue to highlight the failure in judgment and failure in policy here," Turner, a member of the Armed Services Committee, told The Associated Press.
The Marine Corps stands by its Jan. 15 statement that describes actions taken from the time Lauterbach made the allegations until her death was reported, Lt. Col. Curtis Hill, spokesman for the II Marine Expeditionary Force, of which Laurean and Lauterbach were assigned, wrote in an e-mail.
"The command took the appropriate and diligent steps to facilitate a criminal investigation into (Lance Cpl.) Lauterbach's allegations and to keep her separated from the accused by distance and an order to the accused to remain away from her," Hill said.
Turner also sent a letter to Gates on Thursday asking for a Department of Defense investigation into the handling of the Lauterbach investigation. In his letter, Turner cited several examples of what he said were clear errors in judgment by the chain of command at Camp Lejeune and within the Marine Corps as a whole, including:
The Marine Corps repeatedly stating that there was "never any alleged violence or threat of violence in either sexual encounter."
The Marine Corps allowing the Military Protective Order to lapse for a two-week period between Dec. 24 and Jan. 7 over the holidays before reissuing a renewed MPO.
The Marine Corps not advising Lauterbach to seek a civil protective order.
The Marine Corps delaying seven days before NCIS interviewed Laurean regarding the rape allegations made by Lauterbach.
The Marine Corps chain of command remaining uninformed of the discovery of several crucial investigatory items regarding the disappearance of Maria Lauterbach for as long as three weeks, such as the discovery of Lauterbach's cell phone, ATM withdrawals, the discovery of her car and the purchase of a bus ticket.
The Marine Corps not requesting a DNA sample from Laurean at any time.
Marine commanders referring to Laurean as a "stellar" Marine and Lauterbach as a "solid" Marine, four days after Lauterbach was found buried in Laurean's backyard.
The Marine Corps not offering Lauterbach reassignment to another base after the alleged rape, the vandalism of her car and her report of being punched in the face on base.
The Marine Corps never issuing a formal "gag order" for Laurean or Lauterbach.
Turner's entire letter is available online at jdnews.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact crime reporter Lindell Kay at lkay@freedomenc.com or 910-554-8534. Read Lindell's blog at http://onslowcrime.encblogs.com.
Ellie
April 24, 2008 - 3:47PM
LINDELL KAY
DAILY NEWS STAFF
A congressman asked Thursday for the Department of Defense to step in and investigate the Marine Corps' handling of allegations made by a pregnant female Marine who claimed she was raped by a colleague now accused of killing her.
Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach's mother, Mary Lauterbach, and Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, called on Defense Secretary Robert Gates to begin an investigation into Marine officials' handling of the Lauterbach case.
In May 2007, Lauterbach reported to her chain of command at Camp Lejeune that she had been raped by a fellow Marine, Cpl. Cesar Laurean.
On Jan. 11, charred remains later confirmed to be Lauterbach and her unborn child were found buried beneath a fire pit in the backyard of Laurean's Half Moon community home.
After fleeing Onslow County in January, Laurean was apprehended in Mexico on April 10.
Turner, who represents Vandalia, Ohio, Lauterbach's hometown, met with representatives of the family after attending Lauterbach's funeral in February.
"Since Maria first disappeared in December of last year, our nation grieved with the Lauterbach family over the death of Maria and her unborn child," Turner said in a press release. "Unfortunately, as additional details of the rape investigation have become public, it is now clear that the Marine Corps should have done more to protect Maria and her unborn child."
In March, Turner submitted 29 questions on behalf of the Lauterbach family to Gen. James T. Conway, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. Turner said he was not pleased with the answers he received about the handling of the rape investigation by Marine officials.
"Maria Lauterbach's story can be described as nothing less than a tragedy," Turner said. "For eight months, Maria felt alone in her struggle. Today, knowing the fate which has befallen Maria, the Marine Corps continues to defend its actions rather than examine what decisions could have prevented this tragedy. It has become clear that a thorough self-analysis by the Marine Corps is now beyond their ability or intentions and will require an investigation from the Department of Defense."
Earlier this week, Turner hosted meetings for Mary Lauterbach, the mother of Maria Lauterbach, in Washington, D.C. with 19 members of Congress to discuss the Lauterbach case and ways to protect women serving in the military.
"We're going to continue to highlight the failure in judgment and failure in policy here," Turner, a member of the Armed Services Committee, told The Associated Press.
The Marine Corps stands by its Jan. 15 statement that describes actions taken from the time Lauterbach made the allegations until her death was reported, Lt. Col. Curtis Hill, spokesman for the II Marine Expeditionary Force, of which Laurean and Lauterbach were assigned, wrote in an e-mail.
"The command took the appropriate and diligent steps to facilitate a criminal investigation into (Lance Cpl.) Lauterbach's allegations and to keep her separated from the accused by distance and an order to the accused to remain away from her," Hill said.
Turner also sent a letter to Gates on Thursday asking for a Department of Defense investigation into the handling of the Lauterbach investigation. In his letter, Turner cited several examples of what he said were clear errors in judgment by the chain of command at Camp Lejeune and within the Marine Corps as a whole, including:
The Marine Corps repeatedly stating that there was "never any alleged violence or threat of violence in either sexual encounter."
The Marine Corps allowing the Military Protective Order to lapse for a two-week period between Dec. 24 and Jan. 7 over the holidays before reissuing a renewed MPO.
The Marine Corps not advising Lauterbach to seek a civil protective order.
The Marine Corps delaying seven days before NCIS interviewed Laurean regarding the rape allegations made by Lauterbach.
The Marine Corps chain of command remaining uninformed of the discovery of several crucial investigatory items regarding the disappearance of Maria Lauterbach for as long as three weeks, such as the discovery of Lauterbach's cell phone, ATM withdrawals, the discovery of her car and the purchase of a bus ticket.
The Marine Corps not requesting a DNA sample from Laurean at any time.
Marine commanders referring to Laurean as a "stellar" Marine and Lauterbach as a "solid" Marine, four days after Lauterbach was found buried in Laurean's backyard.
The Marine Corps not offering Lauterbach reassignment to another base after the alleged rape, the vandalism of her car and her report of being punched in the face on base.
The Marine Corps never issuing a formal "gag order" for Laurean or Lauterbach.
Turner's entire letter is available online at jdnews.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact crime reporter Lindell Kay at lkay@freedomenc.com or 910-554-8534. Read Lindell's blog at http://onslowcrime.encblogs.com.
Ellie