Published October 20, 2023
The U.S. Army has charged Private Travis King with crimes ranging from desertion for running into North Korea in July to assault against fellow soldiers and solicitation of child pornography, according to documents obtained by Reuters.
The Army’s case against King, which has not been previously reported, includes eight distinct charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, setting up a substantial legal battle for the 23-year-old soldier after his release from North Korean custody in September.
The Army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement provided by a family spokesperson, King’s mother, Claudine Gates, expressed her unconditional love and asked that her son “be afforded the presumption of innocence.”
“The man I raised, the man I dropped off at boot camp, the man who spent the holidays with me before deploying did not drink,” Gates said. “A mother knows her son, and I believe something happened to mine while he was deployed. The Army promised to investigate what happened at Camp Humphreys, and I await the results.”
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SOURCE: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-army-charges-private-travis-king-with-desertion-over-dash-into-north-korea-2023-10-20/
RELATED: US Army charges Travis King with desertion for crossing into North Korea: Report
Published October 20, 2023
Army private Travis King, who bolted to North Korea earlier this year, has been charged with a host of crime from the U.S. ranging from desertion to possessing child pornography, according to a report from Reuters.
King faces eight total charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which also include making false statements and disobeying superior officers.
According to Reuters, the Army has charged him of broad misconduct prior to his escape to North Korea, including a previous attempted escape from U.S. military custody in October 2022.
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SOURCE: https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-army-charges-travis-king-desertion-crossing-north-korea
RELATED: US soldier Travis King charged with desertion after North Korea release
US soldier Travis King has been charged with desertion for crossing into North Korea and a raft of other crimes including assaulting fellow soldiers and soliciting child pornography, US media reported on Thursday.
Published October 20, 2023
The United States Army has brought eight charges against King, who had been stationed in South Korea, according to a document cited by multiple US outlets.
The charges include kicking and punching other soldiers, possessing a child pornography video, providing false statements and the illegal possession of alcohol.
Desertion carries a jail sentence of up to five years.
The document did not provide details about any of the allegations, US media said.
After a drunken bar fight and a stay in South Korean jail, Private Second Class King was meant to fly back to Texas in July.
Instead of traveling to Fort Bliss for disciplinary hearings, he walked out of the Seoul-area airport, joined a Demilitarized Zone sightseeing trip and slipped over the massively fortified border where he was detained by the communist North’s authorities.
