The arrest of a senior Marine Corps enlisted woman in Virginia follows the claimed admission of “consuming alcohol prior to driving” that led to the serious injuries she caused to two teens.
According to Military.com, 39-year-old Sgt. Maj. Beth Ellen Abbott was arrested on suspicion of DUI.
Abbott was identified by the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office as the suspect vehicle operator who allegedly hit the pedestrians on May 31.
About 50 miles south of Washington, DC, two 14-year-olds were struck by a car about 9 p.m. in Aquia Harbour, close to Marine Corps Base Quantico.
“[Abbott] had glassy, bloodshot eyes, the odor of an alcoholic beverage on her breath, and admitted to consuming alcohol prior to driving,” police said in a press release.
Two 14-year-olds were seriously injured and flown to a neighboring hospital, both are now expected to make a full recovery.
According to the article, Abbott, who had been serving as a sergeant major at the Marine Corps Basic facility in Quantico, Virginia (a facility for training future Marine officers), had her rank stripped after the accident.
Her web profile once called her the battalion sergeant major of the Combat Instructor Battalion, this position has since been deleted.
The Marine Corps is “aware of the charges against Sgt. Maj. Abbott, who was relieved of her duties earlier this evening,” Maj. Danielle Phillips, a Training and Education Command spokeswoman, told the outlet.
The division stated that they were, “coordinating with local authorities for their ongoing investigation during this difficult time.”
The Michigan native enrolled in the Marines in 2003 and saw action in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Abbott was awarded the Purple Heart and two Combat Action Ribbons for her years of service.
In 2006, she was sent to Iraq, then in 2010 she was sent to Afghanistan. In between, she served as a Drill Instructor at Marine Corps Depot Parris Island in South Carolina.
