CAMP PENDLETON (CNS) — Sexual assault charges have been dismissed against a Camp Pendleton Marine facing allegations of bringing a 14-year-old girl on base, with the Marine instead pleading guilty on Tuesday to leaving base without permission.
Pfc. Avery L. Rosario, who faced an impending court martial for alleged sexual conduct with the teen, pleaded guilty to a count of breach of restriction.
The plea agreement was approved last week and the other charges Rosario faced were dismissed, a spokesman with I Marine Expeditionary Force said in a statement.
As part of Rosario's guilty plea, he received a time-served sentence and agreed to be administratively separated from the Marine Corps, the spokesperson said.
The 14-year-old girl, who was reported missing by her grandmother on June 13, was found on base two weeks later. Rosario was arrested the following day.
At an Article 32 hearing held last year, the equivalent of a preliminary hearing in civilian court, defense attorneys for Rosario argued he believed the girl was in her early 20s.
RELATED LINKS
