U.S. Marine Colonel in Australia Relieved of Command After Drunken Driving

[left-of-center2012]

America’s highest ranking Marine Corps officer stationed in Australia was relieved of his command last month after he was arrested on drunken driving charges in Darwin, the military said on Monday after the officer, Col. James Schnelle, pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle at twice the legal blood-alcohol limit.

Colonel Schnelle oversaw a contingent of more than 1,500 Marines stationed in Darwin, a city in northern Australia on the doorstep of Southeast Asia. American Marines have been stationed in the city since 2012, and their numbers have steadily grown since then.

Colonel Schnelle was randomly tested by police officers in the early hours of Sept. 30 while returning from a Darwin bar. A breathalyzer test revealed a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.102 percent, double the 0.05 percent legal limit in Australia.

In a local court in Darwin, he pleaded guilty and avoided a criminal conviction, but his license was suspended for six months and he was ordered to pay a fine of 500 Australian dollars, about $350, the Australian Associated Press reported.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/world/australia/schnelle-marines-darwin-drunk-driving.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fworld