Twenty-five soldiers from Fort Riley, Kansas, face drug- and alcohol-related charges after local police raided an out-of-control party Friday night.
Shortly before midnight, officers from the Grandview Plaza Police Department responded to a complaint about a loud party, according to the police report. A total of 27 people were arrested. Charges against them include misdemeanor possession of marijuana, criminal use of a weapon, hosting minors consuming alcohol, and unlawful noise, according to the police report.
The police later released the soldiers to their units, said Lt. Col. Kimeisha McCullum, a spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division, in a statement to Army Times.
"We are aware of the allegations and arrest of 25 Fort Riley soldiers," McCullum said. "If allegations are true, we deeply regret this type of conduct by a small portion of the Fort Riley population and will fully cooperate with local officials in addressing this matter."
McCullum couldn't say if the soldiers were under any restrictions while on post because each decision "is based on the facts and the individual involved, and may differ from unit to unit and soldier to soldier."
Army leaders at Fort Riley expect soldiers to be "great members of the local community, and, in most cases, that's exactly what our soldiers are," said Maj. Gen. Wayne Grigsby, commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley, in a statement. "In light of the report, I've asked leaders at all levels to redouble their efforts to lead in ways that will preserve fairness, good order and discipline. We will get after this at all levels of command."
Every soldier arrested that night was charged with possession of marijuana because a single marijuana cigarette was found at the party, McCullum said, citing information the Army has received from police. No one admitted to owning the cigarette, so police officers cited everyone with possession, she said.
Soldiers who were younger than 21 were also cited with underage drinking. One soldier, Spc. Ronald Jenkins, was also cited with unlawful noise and hosting of minors.
Citing the ongoing investigation by Grandview Plaza police, McCullum declined to provide further details.
"The investigation will continue and local law enforcement will take appropriate action," she said. "Once civilian authorities have completed their actions and we have all the facts, unit commanders will carefully consider any further action based on each individual circumstance."
Most of the soldiers involved were from the 1st Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team.
The soldiers who were arrested, by unit, are:
2nd Battalion, 34th Armor, 1st Brigade Combat Team:
Pfc. Raymond Switala, 20, wheeled vehicle mechanic (91B).
1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team:
Pfc. Dequari Williams, 20, wheeled vehicle mechanic.
101st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team:
Pfc. Elwood Veney, 24, wheeled vehicle mechanic.
299th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team:
Spc. Vinson Woods, 25, utilities equipment repairer (91C).
1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team:
Pvt. Keaon Roberts, 21, field artillery surveyor/meteorological crewmember (13T).
Pvt. Shanon Rodgers, 22, cannon crewmember (13B).
Pvt. Ja'Quez Malone, 19, cannon crewmember.
Spc. Ronald Jenkins, 24, unit supply specialist (92Y).
Pvt. Chad Brown, 19, cannon crewmember.
Pfc. Nicholas Grate, 22, cannon crewmember.
Pfc. Brandon Schrader-Heake, 22, signal support systems specialist (25U).
Pvt. Christian Holloway, 23, cannon crewmember.
Pvt. Gavin Morton, 20, cannon crewmember.
1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team:
Pfc. Joseph Hughes Jr., 26, motor transport operator (88M).
Pfc. Justin Jones, 25, motor transport operator.
Spc. Kalonji Johnson, 24, motor transport operator.
Pvt. Vincent Scigliano, 19, motor transport operator.
Pfc. Devante McKenzie, 21, ammunition specialist (89B).
Spc. Jonte Goff, 24, infantryman (11B).
Pvt. Keondrey Horace, 19, motor transport operator.
1st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team:
Pfc. Freddie Lawson, 20, wheeled vehicle mechanic (91B).
1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade:
Pvt. Jasmine Battle, 19, ammunition specialist.
Pfc. Christopher Jackson, 21, petroleum supply specialist (92F).
Pfc. Maurice McGuire, 20, ammunition specialist.
97th Military Police Battalion:
Pfc. Lovely Pierre-Louie, 23, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist (74D).
Michelle Tan is the editor of Army Times and Air Force Times. She has covered the military for Military Times since 2005, and has embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Haiti, Gabon and the Horn of Africa.
