LAPUSH — The lone survivor in a July 2010 Coast Guard helicopter crash off LaPush has been charged with five violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including negligent homicide.
Lt. Lance Leone, one of two pilots who were flying the MH-60 Jayhawk, was charged Sept. 30 with two counts of negligent homicide, two counts of dereliction of duty and destruction of government property, said Coast Guard spokesman Kip Wadlow.
The charges, filed by the Coast Guard, will be reviewed during an Article 32 hearing sometime in early December in Juneau, Alaska, he said.
Capt. Andrew Norris, the Coast Guard officer investigating the crash, will oversee the hearing, Wadlow said.
Leone faces up to 7½ years in prison if convicted on all counts.
He could also be discharged from the Coast Guard, Wadlow said.
Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo, commander of District 17, which includes Alaska where Leone is stationed, will determine whether the case will proceed to a court-martial, Wadlow said.
The District 17 spokesman said he could not comment on the reasoning behind the charges since the investigation is ongoing.
He said the charges were filed based on the “evidence collected so far” and referred to it as being part of the normal investigative process.
“We are investigating the crash, and this is part of the due process,” Wadlow said.
The other three crewmen on board — pilot Lt. Sean D. Krueger, Petty Officer 1st Class Adam Hoke and Aviation Mechanic Technician 2nd Class Brett M. Banks — died when the helicopter crashed into the Pacific Ocean near the mouth of the Quillayute River on July 7 after clipping power lines.
The power lines, owned by the Coast Guard, operated bar lights on James Island.
The crew was heading to Sitka, Alaska, where it was based, from Astoria, Ore.
Wadlow cited the unfinished investigation when he said that he also could not comment on why Leone is being charged with two counts of negligent homicide, rather than three.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
