A grand jury in Muscogee County, Georgia, has refused to indict four Fort Benning soldiers — including one from Emporia — for the alleged rape of a 21-year-old woman. The incident occurred on March 2.
In an article in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer this morning, Assistant District Attorney Michael Craig said that he had no intention of prosecuting any of the four men on the rape and related charges.
Justin Brummett, 22, of Emporia and the other three soldiers were held in jail 46 days before being released on Wednesday. Brummett had been accused of rape, false imprisonment and three counts of aggravated sodomy.
Steven Krienke, 20, of Federal Way Wash., and Aanoalii Filoialii, 23, of Tacoma, Wash., were accused of rape and aggravated sodomy. The fourth soldier, Clint Martz, 20, of Fort Benning, was charged with sexual battery and burglary.
Craig said that the grand jury had indicted Martz on the burglary charge, and that he will be prosecuted.
“The rest of them don’t exist,” Craig told the Ledger-Enquirer. “I think the grand jury has spoken, and they have the final say.”
The men never denied that the encounter occurred, according to Susan Henderson, attorney for Krienke. The Ledger-Enquirer quoted Henderson as saying, “The matter was if it was consensual. These guys were extremely honest, extremely forthcoming about what happened that night.”
All four men cooperated with investigators and gave detailed explanations about the March 2 incident, she said.
According to the Ledger-Enquirer, this week’s grand jury is not the first grand jury panel to refuse to indict someone on allegations brought by the same 21-year-old woman.
“A Harris County grand jury declined to indict a man in May 2006 on charges of sexual battery and aggravated sodomy,” the paper reported. “Court records show the woman accused a man of forcing her to commit a sexual act while he gave her a ride home.”