AP News, November 6th, 2007
A Marine Corps drill instructor pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a reduced number of charges alleging he abused recruits at one of the country's two training depots.
Sgt. Jerrod M. Glass re-entered his plea at the start of his court-martial at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot after prosecutors consolidated 225 counts into just 10.
A Marine statement said the counts were consolidated in "the interest of judicial economy."
Glass now faces two counts of assault, two counts of failure to obey a lawful order, two counts of cruelty and maltreatment, and four counts of destruction of personal property covering 110 incidents that allegedly occurred between Dec. 23 and Feb. 10.
If found guilty, he faces up to 11 years' confinement, dishonorable discharge, reduction in rank and forfeit of pay and benefits. On the original set of charges, he had faced up to 269 years' confinement.
Glass, 25, allegedly ordered one recruit to jump headfirst into a trash can and then pushed him farther into the container. He is also accused of striking recruits with a tent pole and a heavy flashlight. None of the recruits was seriously injured. He had been a drill sergeant for less than a year at the time of the suspected mistreatment.
Glass, who volunteered for two tours in Iraq, had worked as a drill sergeant for less than a year when the suspected mistreatment occurred. He was relieved of duty as a drill instructor in February.
Glass' parents said outside the courtroom that they didn't believe their son acted maliciously.
"I know he would not intentionally hurt anyone," said his mother, Barbara.
Glass' father, Jerry, said his son thought of the recruits as his own kids, and had simply been trying to ready them for the rigors of battle half a world away.
Glass is one of three drill instructors charged in the case. Sgt. Robert C. Hankins and Sgt. Brian M. Wendel have pleaded not guilty to related abuse charges. A fourth drill instructor, whose name was not released, was disciplined and reassigned to administrative duties.
About 17,000 recruits graduate each year from the San Diego depot. The Marine Corps' other training depot is at Parris Island, S.C.
