A Japanese appellate court ruled that a U.S. naval officer will have to serve the prison sentence handed down to him for a fatal crash.
Lt. Ridge Hanneman Alkonis was driving on May 29, 2021, about two hours from Yokosuka Naval Base when he hit pedestrians and parked cars outside a restaurant. The crash resulted in the deaths of an 85-year-old woman, and her 54-year-old son-in-law died days later. Others were injured.
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“The appeal of this case is dismissed,” the Tokyo High Court Judge Akira Ando said on Wednesday, according to Stars and Stripes. “This is a case which is sufficient to consider a prison sentence.”
The three-judge panel considered Alkonis’s remorse, the $1.6 million he paid to the victims’ families, and the fact that he has three children himself and still decided the weight of his crimes warranted him serving his sentence.
He was a weapons officer at Yokosuka on the USS Benfold and remained on duty while free on bail pending the outcome of the appeal. An officer said the Navy is “disappointed” in the judicial outcome.
“This was a tragic event that resulted in the loss of two precious lives and tremendous pain for everyone involved,” Cmdr. Katie Cerezo, a Navy spokeswoman, told Stars and Stripes. “We respect the judicial process. However, we are disappointed with the result, which we believe is uncommonly disproportionate given the mitigating evidence.”
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Alkonis family spokesman Jon Franks said Alkonis will start serving his prison sentence by the end of the week without U.S. intervention.
“This was a tragic accident that unfortunately caused the death of two Japanese civilians who remain in the Alkonises’ prayers,” he explained. “About 95% of defendants in Japan who were charged with the same offense receive suspended sentences. From the moment Lt. Alkonis was arrested, the Japanese Authorities have made a mockery of the U.S. Status of Forces agreement. It’s time for the DOD and the White House to engage at a high level and fast.”
