Marine Instructor Charged With 224 Counts Of Abusing Recruits

SAN DIEGO (AP) _ A Marine drill instructor has been charged with 224 counts of abusing recruits, a Marines spokesman said Thursday. <br/><br/>In one incident, Sgt. Jerrod M. Glass allegedly ordered a recruit

Thursday, August 23rd 2007, 5:31 pm

By: News On 6

SAN DIEGO (AP) _ A Marine drill instructor has been charged with 224 counts of abusing recruits, a Marines spokesman said Thursday.

In one incident, Sgt. Jerrod M. Glass allegedly ordered a recruit to jump head-first into a trash can and then pushed him further into the container, according to court documents cited in The San Diego Union-Tribune. He is also accused of striking recruits with a tent pole and a heavy flashlight.

Glass postponed making a plea during a court appearance at San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot, where he worked, said spokesman Austin Mansfield. The charges include 91 counts of assault, 89 of failure to obey lawful orders and 27 of cruelty and maltreatment.

Glass had worked as a drill sergeant for less than a year when the alleged mistreatment occurred in January and February, according to the Union-Tribune. No member of his platoon was seriously injured.

In court Wednesday, Glass did not speak except to answer basic questions from the judge, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Meeks. Defense lawyer Capt. Patrick J. Callahan asked that all counts be read aloud.

Callahan did not immediately respond to a phone message for comment Thursday.

About 17,000 recruits graduate each year from the San Diego depot. Newly enlisted Marines train there and at Parris Island, S.C.

Gary Solis, a former Marine Corps prosecutor and judge who teaches law of war at Georgetown University Law Center, estimates that on average about six drill instructors, or DIs, are charged nationwide each year with abusing recruits.

``These kids are helpless before DI's,'' Solis said. ``The DI is God and they have no immediate recourse.''

The high number of counts against Glass may reflect a lower number of alleged actions that affected each member of his platoon, Solis said: ``It doesn't mean he did something wrong 224 times.''

Abuse charges against Marines have become less common since six recruits drowned 50 years ago during a training exercise at Parris Island in 1956, Solis said.