Military jury convicts drill instructor of abusing recruits

SAN DIEGO -- A Marine boot camp drill instructor was convicted Wednesday of abusing recruits under his command.

A military jury found Sgt. Jerrod M. Glass guilty of cruelty and maltreatment, destruction of personal property, assault, and violating orders on the proper treatment of recruits.

Glass, who was relieved of duty as a drill instructor in February, faces as many as 10 years of confinement, dishonorable discharge, reduction in rank, and forfeiture of pay and benefits. A sentencing hearing that began shortly after the verdict was scheduled to continue Thursday morning.

Telephone calls to Glass' attorney and his family were not immediately returned.

Glass, who volunteered for two tours in Iraq, had worked as a drill instructor for less than a year when the mistreatment occurred at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot near downtown San Diego.

Glass, 25, was accused of ordering one recruit to jump headfirst into a trash can and then pushing him farther into the container. He was also accused of striking recruits with a tent pole and a heavy flashlight. None of the recruits was seriously injured.

Glass' parents have said that their son did not act maliciously, and that they believe he was being scapegoated for commonly accepted practices.

During the court-martial, witnesses testified Glass routinely stomped on recruits' toiletry kits, breaking razors and soap containers inside, for minor infractions like not displaying name tags properly.

They said Glass and another drill instructor would line recruits up after meals and force them to down liters of water from their canteens in a ritual they referred to as "waterbowling."

The jury convicted Glass of eight counts: two counts of cruelty and maltreatment, three counts of destruction of personal property, one count of assault and two counts of violating orders.

Glass was one of three drill instructors charged with abusing recruits. Sgt. Robert C. Hankins and Sgt. Brian M. Wendel are facing special courts-martial on related charges. A fourth instructor, Sgt. Joseph Villagomez, received administrative punishment.

About 17,000 recruits graduate each year from the depot, one of two Marine training depots nationwide. The other is in Parris Island, S.C.