A Marine on Okinawa faces up to 20 months in prison after pleading guilty to driving recklessly prior to a crash that killed a Japanese pedestrian last year.
Cpl. Joshua David Siegel, 21, of Camp Foster, entered his plea Thursday in Naha District Court to a charge of negligent driving resulting in injury or death for the May 8 crash on Route 58 in Chatan, the Okinawa Times reported Saturday.
Prosecutors alleged Siegel was traveling upwards of 55 mph on the main thoroughfare in slick conditions when his car jumped the curb and struck Katsuya Ishikawa, 61, of Ginowan, the paper reported. Siegel is scheduled to be sentenced Monday.
A spokeswoman from Naha District Court declined to confirm details of the proceedings when reached by phone Tuesday.
Siegel was southbound in his white, four-door sedan at approximately 7:30 a.m. when he lost control and first struck Ishikawa, and then a pedestrian guard rail that runs between the sidewalk and Foster’s perimeter fence, Okinawa police said at the time. The Wyoming native was reportedly driving about 20 mph over the speed limit at the time of the crash.
Ishikawa was pronounced dead at a central Okinawa hospital around 11:30 a.m., police said. Siegel suffered an injured right foot.
The Marine was not on duty at the time, nor had he been drinking, according to police. He was not arrested but was later called in for questioning and then summoned to court.
At Thursday’s hearing, prosecutors called the crime particularly egregious and requested jail time, according to the Okinawa Times. Attorneys for Siegel argued that he was remorseful and requested a suspended sentence.
Siegel is an aviation intelligence specialist with Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 1 at Foster, Marine Corps Installations Pacific spokeswoman 1st Lt. Ashleigh Fairow said in an email Tuesday. He was not taken into custody prior to trial but was restricted to base until Oct. 18 and ordered not to operate a personally owned vehicle.
“The Marine Corps takes these incidents seriously, and we would like to offer our condolences to those that are still affected,” Fairow said.
