National Security & Defense

Eugene

(62,463 posts) Tue Aug 27, 2024, 12:54 AM Aug 27

Army private who fled to North Korea will plead guilty to desertion

Source: Associated Press

Army private who fled to North Korea will plead guilty to desertion

By ERIC TUCKER and LOLITA C. BALDOR
Updated 9:39 PM EDT, August 26, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Army private who fled to North Korea just over a year ago will plead guilty to desertion and four other charges and take responsibility for his conduct, his lawyer said Monday.

Travis King’s attorney, Franklin D. Rosenblatt, told The Associated Press that King intends to admit guilt to a total of five military offenses, including desertion and assaulting an officer. Nine other offenses, including possession of sexual images of a child, will be withdrawn and dismissed under the terms of the deal.

King will be given an opportunity at a Sept. 20 hearing at Fort Bliss, Texas, to discuss his actions and explain what he did.

“He wants to take responsibility for the things that he did,” Rosenblatt said.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/travis-king-army-north-korea-desertion-506d085782ca3611bf11ec254e799321

4 replies

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Army private who fled to North Korea will plead guilty to desertion (Original Post) Eugene Aug 27 OP

Why would he do that? OAITW r.2.0 Aug 27 #1

Because he was being sent to Ft. Bliss to face court marital. Irish_Dem Aug 27 #2

Thanks for the context. OAITW r.2.0 Aug 29 #3

Yes this would be the summary of his case. Irish_Dem Aug 29 #4

OAITW r.2.0

(27,011 posts)

1. Why would he do that?

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Aug 27, 2024, 12:58 AM

Aug 27

How mentally competent was he at the time of his actions?

Irish_Dem

(55,557 posts)

2. Because he was being sent to Ft. Bliss to face court marital.

Reply to OAITW r.2.0 (Reply #1)

Tue Aug 27, 2024, 06:08 AM

Aug 27

He had been involved in a drunken bar fight and had served two months in a South Korean jail for assault.
He had also assaulted an Army NCO. There were a raft of other charges against him.

So when at the airport to send him to Fort Bliss, he took off with a tourist group to get into NK.

This shows mental competence. If you can plan a desertion and figure out how to pull it off,
then this is not someone who is mentally incompetent.

OAITW r.2.0

(27,011 posts)

3. Thanks for the context.

Reply to Irish_Dem (Reply #2)

Thu Aug 29, 2024, 09:45 PM

Aug 29

Sad...he went from being a fuck up, to being really fucked.

Irish_Dem

(55,557 posts)

4. Yes this would be the summary of his case.

Reply to OAITW r.2.0 (Reply #3)

Thu Aug 29, 2024, 09:55 PM

Aug 29

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