Travis King.Photo:Facebook/Travis King
Facebook/Travis King
AnAmerican soldier who was detained in North Koreaafter crossing into the country from South Korea “without authorization" in July has been charged with desertion and other crimes, according to various outlets includingNBC News.
Pvt. 2nd Class Travis King was reportedly about to board a flight from a South Korean airport to a military base in Fort Bliss when he suddenly and without warning ran across the border into North Korea.
Various outlets reported at the time that King, 23, had been scheduled to fly back to the U.S. after being imprisoned in South Korea for two months following assault charges stemming from an alleged physical altercation at a nightclub last September.
Late last month, the Department of Defense confirmed that King had been released from North Korea and landed at a U.S. military base in Texas.
The outlet reports that charging documents accuse King of kicking and punching other officers last year, as well as unlawfully possessing alcohol and making a false statement.
King is also accused of possessing child pornography and using Snapchat to solicit someone to “knowingly and willingly produce child pornography” in July 2023, the same month he crossed into North Korea.
In a statement to NBC News, King’s mother Claudine Gates said, “A mother knows her son, and I believe something happened to mine while he was deployed. I am grateful for the extraordinary legal team representing my son and I look forward to my son having his day in court.”
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The New York Timesreports that King is currently being held in a jail outside Fort Bliss, Texas.
source: people.com
