Marine charged with assault after incident at Port Royal party in September
A 27-year-old Marine is accused of trying to sexually assault a sleeping woman at a party in Port Royal in September, according to authorities.
Port Royal Police charged Christopher Craig, 27, of Beaufort on Friday with attempting to commit sexual assault.
Craig is a lance corporal at the U.S. Marine Corps base, a report from the Port Royal Police department said. A USMC investigator reported the incident to the department.
At a party at the victim’s home on the night of Sept. 18, Craig is accused of going into the victim’s bedroom and groping her while she was asleep, according to the report and an arrest warrant.
The victim woke up with Craig in the room and told him to leave, the documents say.
He was booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center on Friday morning and released the following day, according to jail records. He was released on a $25,000 personal recognizance bond, court records show.
Assault with intent to commit sexual assault is a felony, according to S.C. law, and “shall be punishable as if the criminal sexual conduct was committed.”
