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Specialist Marshall D. Drake, 23, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (United States Army Alaska / January 23, 2013) |
A Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson soldier accused in the Christmas Day shooting death of a fellow soldier at a barracks on base has waived a hearing scheduled for Thursday.
JBER chief of media relations John Pennell says Wednesday that Army Spc. Marshall Drake had waived his right to the hearing, which was to be held at 8:30 a.m. Thursday in the base’s military courtroom.
Last month Drake was charged with failing to obey regulations and the negligent killing of 25-year-old Pfc. Grant W. Wise, who was found dead of a single gunshot wound in Drake’s barracks room Dec. 25.
Drake allegedly violated U.S. Army Alaska Regulation 190-1 twice, by wrongfully storing his personal firearm and ammunition in his assigned barracks room, as well as wrongfully failing to disclose and register a personal firearm upon entering JBER.
The Army says both Drake and Wise were members of the base’s 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, which Drake joined in March 2010 and Wise joined in September. Drake served with the unit during its Afghanistan deployment from December 2011 to October 2012.
A memorial service for Wise was held at the JBER soldier’s chapel in January. Pennell says as a death on base, Wise’s shooting remains under investigation by the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division.
Contact Chris Klint
