There was a breaking news story a week ago that caught our attention, involving, as it did, a Marine, Camp Pendleton, a 14 year old girl, and allegations of rape and sex trafficking.

All we could think was HOLY SMOKES and hope it wasn’t what it sounded like.

Because it sure sounded bad, even without the prime time hyperventilating. Every major news outlet ran just as fast and far as they could with what was shaping up to be a juicy story, especially for those with prurient interests and anti-military bias.

A US Marine was taken into custody after a missing 14-year-old girl was found inside the barracks at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in San Diego and the teen’s family said she was sold for sex and raped by the man.

The teenage girl, who has learning disabilities, allegedly ran away from home on June 9 and was reported missing by her grandmother on June 13, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

She was discovered inside the barracks by military police on June 28, almost 20 days after she disappeared, her aunt Casaundra Perez said.

“She was found in the barracks by military police. She had been sold to a soldier for sex,” Perez said in a TikTok video about the case.

Family members of the girl utilized TikTok and media interviews to not only accuse the Marine, but publicly smear the Marine Corps of facilitating the rape of a minor and being complicit in some pretty horrible crimes.

…Perez accused the military of trying to cover up the alleged rape of her niece and said that the whole base camp is responsible.

“The reality is the whole facility allowed this to happen,” she said. “The security looked her in the face and allowed this man to bring a minor onto base where he then proceeded to have sex with her. Due to her age, she could not have given this consent.”

I mean, my God – did he keep her captive in the barracks for weeks? How is that possible without every single soul in the barracks being accomplices?

Spidey senses were already started to tingle just a little, but the sex trafficking/rape drumbeat went on for days.

Like, for instance, why was she living with her grandmother and what took that grandmother so long to report her missi…oh.

…According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, the teenager ran away from home on June 9. At first, the 14-year-old’s grandmother waited to call the police, since her granddaughter had run away before but always returned quickly.

So “learning disabilities” and a problem child. Okay. Those kids are tough to handle. But still…

…The teen’s family has accused the Marine of raping the 14-year-old.

That’s a helluva charge. Lives on both sides are ruined, so it wouldn’t it be best to wait to publicly hang someone until some more details emerge, given that the girl does have issues?

We all know the answer to that. HOW DARE I.

Not much new information was available, even as NBC News was still flogging the aunt’s version of events in an interview day before yesterday. She was incensed the Marine had been released from custody. NBC also made sure to have their resident retired Army colonel talk smack about Marine Corps leadership.

“This doesn’t happen. And the fact that it happened speaks volumes about the leadership of the organization…”

Completely inappropriate. I really thought better of him.

In the rest of the report, the aunt and NBC go on to slam NCIS and the Corps for not commenting on an open investigation, as they simultaneously report the state’s attorney general and the Human Trafficking Task Force are quoted as saying they won’t either.

Bias much?

Shamefully, the same day as the NBC hatchet job above was airing, another piece came out. None of this information has made it into any of the other media reporting on the case, and it is 3 days old.

Well, in actuality, the media is done reporting on it.

Gosh. I wonder why.

…While the young girl at the heart of this story went missing in early June, federal investigators concluded that she had been at Camp Pendleton for only about 24 hours and appeared to have met the Marine whose barracks room she would come to stay in just a day prior.

The documents also show that investigators have begun to look into the claims that the girl was a victim of human trafficking. So far, investigators are reporting that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), which is being aided by several other agencies, has been unable to find any corroborating evidence to back up those claims.

The documents seen by Military.com say that when agents first interviewed the Marine and the victim, both said they met on the dating app “Tinder” where the girl used a different name and claimed to be 22. The Marine told investigators the connection happened on June 26 — a day before he would help drive her onto Camp Pendleton — and admitted to having had sexual contact with the girl in his barracks room.

The investigative documents also note that the Marine allowed agents to take all the data from his cell phone, including later messages in which the victim admitted to lying to the Marine about her age.

…The documents reviewed by Military.com say that the girl was interviewed by agents again last week, and that she told them she was kept locked up and sold out for sex by a pimp she knew only by a first name. Agents say they looked into the girl’s claims of being a human trafficking victim but so far have not found evidence to support them.

I do believe they’re using that “victim” moniker for the wrong party. And I’ll bet the Marine had a heart attack when she finally broke it to him she’d lied about her age.

14 years old and working a Tinder profile – man. They sure grow up fast nowadays.

Except for the whacking he’s going to get having a female in the barracks and not escorting her off-base, every last thing about this is exculpatory, and it’s no freakin’ surprise it’s died a quiet death in the news. Couldn’t possibly write those “falsely accused” or “hoodwinked by supposed victim” updates.

To the young girl’s credit, the only one crying rape is her family. Hopefully, she may even get therapy and find her way happily to a productive future.

But where does this Marine go to to wipe all that rapey/sex trafficking/handcuffs picture press away?

UPDATE: As I am hearing from from folks in the comments and my lawyer friends on FB, the Marine in question is still in significant legal jeopardy because CA law says the “age of concent” is 18, period…

18 years old
In California, the legal age of consent is 18 years old. Readers should note that under PC 261.5, it doesn’t matter if the sex was consensual or if the minor initiated the sexual activity. In other words, this statute prohibits any type of sexual activity with anyone under 18

…although they do concede, with her testimony and texts, the mitigating factors aspect of his case are strong. But will that matter?

He is in a truly perilous situation.