Head of 1,500 US Marines in Australia is fired after being caught drunk driving more than double the legal limit

  • Colonel James Schnelle was relieved of his duties last month for drunk driving
  • He was the head of 1,500 United States Marines based in Darwin, Australia 
  • Schnelle had been drinking at a bar when he was pulled over and breathalyzed
  • The 48-year-old blew more than double the legal limit of 0.05 percent
  • He immediately reported the incident to his superiors and was discharged  

Colonel James Schnelle, 48, was relieved of his duties last month for drunk driving

Colonel James Schnelle, 48, was relieved of his duties last month for drunk driving

The head of a contingent of United States Marines based in Australia was relieved of his command after police caught him drunk driving on a night out. 

Colonel James Schnelle, 48, was relieved of his duties last month 'due to a loss of trust and confidence,' immediately after reporting the incident to superiors, the spokesman, First Lieutenant Jose Uriarte, told Reuters. 

About 1,587 US Marines are stationed in the tropical city of Darwin, strategically located on the coastal doorstep of Indonesia, as part of an annual rotation that begun in 2011 as part of President Barack Obama's military pivot to the Asia-Pacific region.

Colonel James Schnelle was relieved of his duties last month 'due to a loss of trust and confidence,' immediately after reporting the incident to superiors, the spokesman, First Lieutenant Jose Uriarte, told Reuters.

Schnelle had been drinking at an Irish-themed bar on the city's nightclub strip until the early hours of Sept. 30 when he was pulled over and breath-tested, Australian Broadcasting Corporation said.

He blew more than double the legal limit in Australia of 0.05 percent, with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.102 percent.

He was the head of 1,500 United States Marines based in Darwin, Australia, and blew more than double the legal limit when he was breathalyzed by police 

He was the head of 1,500 United States Marines based in Darwin, Australia, and blew more than double the legal limit when he was breathalyzed by police 

Police found him over the legal alcohol limit, the broadcaster said, and he walked the 2.1 miles home and told his superiors. He pleaded guilty, was fined $353 and banned from driving for six months, a court spokesman said.

'I am personally responsible for the poor judgement exhibited in the early hours of Sunday, 30 September,' Schnelle said in an emailed statement.

'The one extremely poor personal decision I made ... should not overshadow the significant accomplishments made by (the Marines' deployment) over these past six months.'

The Marines' presence, in a city that has long supported a garrison of thousands of Australian troops, has largely been free of the tension stoked at times in Okinawa, Japan, where soldiers' bad behavior has been a lightning rod for resentment.

Lieutenant Colonel Jeramy Brady will replace Schnelle in charge of the Darwin Marines' contingent, which is scheduled to leave Darwin this month, and the matter is being investigated internally, Uriarte said

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