Thursday, June 18, 2009<\/p>\n
Associated Press<\/p>\n
BAGHDAD – A Schofield Barracks soldier charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a comrade in Iraq has entered plea negotiations instead of facing a hearing, the military said today.<\/p>\n
Sgt. Miguel A. Vegaquinones, 33, of Havelock, N.C., also has been charged with lying to investigators in the death of Pfc. Sean P. McCune.<\/p>\n
Vegaquinones had been due to face an Article 32 hearing – the military equivalent of a grand jury – but has entered plea negotiations instead, the U.S. military said in an e-mail.<\/p>\n
McCune, 20, of Euless, Texas, died after Vegaquinones allegedly discharged a round of ammunition while cleaning his weapon, the military said. The death occurred after the two men had finished a guard duty shift on Jan. 11 in Samarra.<\/p>\n
Vegaquinones and McCune were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, which is based at Schofield Barracks.<\/p>\n
Involuntary manslaughter carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence, while making a false official statement can bring a sentence of up to five years, according to the military.<\/p>\n
Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, is a former Sunni insurgent stronghold. It has seen a drastic drop in violence after local tribal leaders joined forces with the Americans against al-Qaida in Iraq.<\/p>\n
It also was the site of a 2006 bombing that destroyed a golden-domed Shiite mosque, triggering months of retaliatory sectarian violence nationwide.<\/p>\n
Source: http:\/\/www.honoluluadvertiser.com\/article\/20090618\/BREAKING\/90618018\/Schofield+soldier+charged+in+death+of+comrade+negotiating+plea<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Thursday, June 18, 2009 Schofield soldier charged in death of comrade negotiating plea Associated Press BAGHDAD – A Schofield Barracks soldier charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a comrade in Iraq has entered plea negotiations instead of facing a hearing, the military said today. Sgt. Miguel A. Vegaquinones, 33, of Havelock, N.C., … <\/p>\n