Jason P. Stratton - U.S. Marine Corps - Convicted Sex Offender

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Name: Jason P. Stratton

Case: United States v. Stratton No.NMCCA 200500117

Date Of Conviction: October 20, 2005

Plea: Guilty

Charges: Indecent acts with a child

Military Branch: U.S. Marine Corp

Listed In National Sex Offenders Registry? NO

The appellant, a thirty-year-old Sergeant, rented a room at the Renaissance Hotel in Okinawa, Japan, for the evening of 18 January 2003 with one corporal (Cpl) and three lance corporals (LCpl). Among the other guests at the hotel that evening were three girls, two twelve-year-olds and one thirteen-year-old, staying in a room next door to the room occupied by one of the girl's parents. The Marines and the three girls were all at the hotel pool around 1900.

The appellant struck up a conversation with the three girls, during which he was informed of their ages. One or more of his compatriots told the appellant that it was inappropriate for him to be "hanging around" with underage girls. In spite of this warning, the appellant continued to swim with the girls and to engage them in conversation. At 2100, all the Marines except the appellant departed the pool area for their room. The appellant remained in the pool with the three underage girls. At 2230, the appellant arrived at the room with the three adolescent girls. The other Marines told the appellant he could not have the girls in the room, so the appellant gave each of the three girls a beer and departed with them for the beach area outside the hotel. One of the other Marines, LCpl T, joined them at the beach.

After consuming their beer, the appellant, LCpl T, and the three girls went to the girls' room, where LCpl T provided the girls with vodka, in addition to the beer provided them by the appellant. While the other three were on the balcony, LCpl T got into one of the beds with one of the girls, where he sexually assaulted her. One of the other girls became angry and left the room, at which point the third girl went into the room and lay down in the other bed. The appellant then got into the bed with the underage female and pulled her body towards him, placing his arms around her. He then rubbed her back, touched her through her clothing, and kissed her on the cheek. During the military judge's inquiry into the providence of his pleas, the appellant admits that he did these acts with the intent to engage in indecent acts with the female. She, however, rebuffed his advances and the four fell asleep in the room.

A military judge, sitting as a general court-martial, convicted the appellant, pursuant to his pleas, of attempting to commit indecent acts with a child, conspiring to commit indecent acts with a child, failure to obey a lawful general order (fraternization), committing indecent acts with a child, three specifications of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and breaking restriction, in violation of Articles 80, 81, 92, and 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 880, 881, 892, and 934.

The appellant was sentenced to a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, reduction to pay grade E-1, and confinement for 36 months. The convening authority approved the sentence as adjudged, but suspended confinement in excess of 20 months in accordance with the pretrial agreement.