Drunken driving costs Marine command in Australia
DARWIN, Australia — The commander of more than 1,500 U.S. Marines in northern Australia was relieved of his duties after police caught him driving under the influence of alcohol, the Marine Corps said Monday.
Col. James Schnelle, 48, pleaded guilty in the Darwin Local Court on Monday to driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.102 percent after his breath was tested by police in the early hours of Sept. 30. The reading was more than double the legal limit for drivers in Australia of 0.05 percent.
The commander of the Marine Rotational Force in Darwin was relieved “due to a loss of trust and confidence,” U.S. Marines First Lt. David Mancilla said in a statement.
Lt. Col. Jeramy Brady will be officer in charge for the duration of the rotation, Mancilla said.
Schnelle’s driver’s license was suspended for six months, and he was fined 500 Australian dollars ($353).
Schnelle had been drinking in a bar in Darwin’s Mitchell Street nightclub precinct and was driving to his nearby home when he was pulled over for a random breath test.
U.S. military forces have been stationed in Darwin through a Marine Rotational Force since 2012 as part of the President Barack Obama administration’s pivot to Asia. The numbers are to eventually rise to 2,500 Marines.