Local Marine Officer Faces Court-Martial Trial On Rape Charges
SAN DIEGO — A San Diego-based U.S. Marine officer, Capt. Douglas S. Wacker, who is accused of rape and indecent assault, will be tried in a general court-martial set to begin Wednesday, Marine Corps officials said.
Captain Wacker is assigned to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot’s Headquarters and Service Battalion. He is to be arraigned at MCRD on 11 counts, including two counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, five counts of conduct unbecoming an officer, two counts of obstruction of justice and one count of indecent assault, according to depot spokesman, Maj. Christopher Logan.
No other details of the alleged crimes were released by the Marine Corps.
The court-martial followed an Article 32 hearing held on July 14, 2009, Logan said. An Article 32 hearing is similar to a civilian court’s preliminary hearing, where an investigating officer determines if there is enough evidence to order a trial. After the hearing, MCRD Commanding General, Brig. Gen. Angela Salinas, referred the charges for trial.
10News spoke briefly with Capt. Wacker Monday night at his apartment in Pacific beach. He refused to comment and referred all questions to his attorney.
A friend and neighbor told 10News she was shocked at the allegations. “This is weird. Honestly, I think this is a joke,” Ashley Tydon said. She described Capt. Wacker as “funny, honest and a good friend and neighbor.”
Capt. Wacker recently graduated from USD Law School and was in line to become a JAG, or a member of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, a military attorney, 10 News reported. San Diego attorney, Michael McCloskey, a former JAG, said the charges could ruin Capt. Wacker’s chances for ever becoming a JAG. “In the military setting and just generally around the world,” McCloskey said, “one being accused has a kind of scarlet letter.”
Michael Waddington is a court martial lawyer – court martial attorney that defends military personnel worldwide as well as deployed civilian contractors subject to the UCMJ. He defends Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast Guard, and civilian contractor court martial cases. He has successfully defended military personnel as a court martial lawyer Army Navy Marine & Air Force court martials in Germany, England, San Diego, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fort Bragg, Fort Jackson, Fort Stewart, Fort Gordon, Italy, Iraq, Kuwait, Korea, Okinawa, Japan, Yokota, and throughout the United States. military-defense-lawyer-recentcases.htm.
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