Police arrest Marine in Mobile on charge of desertion

[SR-25]

Man found while officials were searching for his brother, who is also suspected of desertion
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
By GEORGE WERNETH and RON COLQUITT
Staff Reporters
A 20-year-old man reported to be a Marine Corps deserter was arrested at a west Mobile residence Monday morning as officers were searching for his brother, who also was wanted as a deserter, a police spokesman said.

Joshua Emmanuel Hoffman was arrested at a residence in the 2800 block of Cottage Glenn Drive by Mobile police who had gone there to arrest his brother on a charge of desertion from the Corps, police said.

The brother was not there.

Officers went to the home to arrest Joshua Hoffman's brother, identified as John Hoffman, said Mobile police Cpl. Marcus Young. Joshua Hoffman came to the door then fled out the back door where an officer was waiting, Young said.

Young said it turned out that police could not find John Hoffman because he was already locked up in a Marine Corps brig at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Joshua Hoffman, meanwhile, was booked at Mobile County Metro Jail and was being held without bond.

A spokesman at Camp Lejeune declined to provide information about John Hoffman, saying the Marine Corps does not release any details about Marines being held in the brig there.

No information was immediately available on where Joshua Hoffman had been based or why he allegedly deserted from the Marine Corps.

Marine Lt. Col. Janice Mitchell, a spokeswoman for the Marine Re serve's Mobile-based 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company, said Monday, "He's not a 3rd Force Recon Marine -- he belongs to somebody else."

Marine Sgt. Adam Mayo, who is with the 3rd Force in Mobile, confirmed that Joshua Hoffman was being held in the Metro Jail on charges of desertion. Mayo said he had few details, however.

Mayo said he plans to go to the jail Wednesday morning to interview Hoffman "and find out as much as I can. I would like to get more information about what his situation is so we can take the correct action."

Mayo said it was reported to him that Joshua Hoffman is a private; Mayo said he had no information on John Hoffman.

Mitchell said her office normally takes care of the paperwork when a Marine is arrested for desertion by local authorities. She said her office would normally be involved in having a deserter transported back to his base for military judicial action.

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