• A gentleman at a Nationwide Science Basis foundation in Antarctica was charged with assaulting a woman colleague. 
• The woman personnel claimed Stephen Tyler Bieneman was suffocating her with his leg.
• Bieneman was arrested in Antarctica and transported to Hawaii.

A male on a search and rescue crew at the US National Science Basis base in Antarctica was arrested and transported to Hawaii immediately after staying accused of assaulting a woman colleague, according to court paperwork submitted in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii. 

Officials charged Stephen Tyler Bieneman with assault within the maritime and territorial jurisdiction, according to a legal criticism filed on December 12.

The incident occurred at the McMurdo Station, just one of three study stations managed by the National Science Foundation underneath the US Antarctic Application, according to a federal affidavit filed by Deputy US Marshal Marc E. Tunstall, a federal agent stationed in Antarctica.

Tunstall writes in the affidavit that he was knowledgeable on November 25 of an assault that transpired at McMurdo. The sufferer, a woman, experienced to begin with disclosed that she did not want to name herself or the male she mentioned experienced assaulted her, but she afterwards agreed to meet up with with Tunstall, a doctor, and a sexual assault advocate current, per the affidavit. 

The lady, a US countrywide, explained to Tunstall that while she and Bieneman — who she explained as a relaxed pal — ended up sitting down on a couch, she tried using to prank him by taking his name tag and jokingly stating that she would not give it back. She then explained, in accordance to court documents, that they both stood up and moved behind the sofa when Bieneman “set her on her again, positioned his still left shin about her throat, and commenced going by means of her coverall pocket” to obtain his identify tag. 

In accordance to the affidavit, the female told Tunstall that she then tapped Bieneman’s leg and made a “choking symbol” to suggest that she could not breathe, but he did not take away his leg until he found his name tag, which took a single moment. The girl rated the suffering as an 8 out of 10, according to the affidavit.

She was inevitably served by an additional person who aided her acquire health-related treatment, for every court paperwork.

Bieneman created his initial courtroom look on Thursday and was introduced with an unsecured bond of $25,000.

His first hearing is established for January 12, 2023, prior to Justice of the peace Kenneth J. Mansfield.

A general public defender symbolizing Bieneman and the US legal professional prosecuting the situation did not quickly reply to Insider’s ask for for remark.

The NSF, through the US Antarctic Application, employs hundreds of researchers, personnel, and navy personnel who oversee investigate operations in the southernmost continent.

Assault, specially sexual assault versus women, has been lengthy documented in the distant foundation of Antarctica. A report produced in June by the NSF revealed that many workforce considered sexual harassment as a pervasive difficulty. 

Over 70% of woman respondents and just about 50% of male respondents said sexual harassment is a problem inside of the US Antarctic System, even though 47% of woman respondents and 33% of male respondents explained sexual assault is a difficulty.

“Each individual girl I understood down there had an assault or harassment working experience that experienced happened on ice,” 1 particular person stated in the report.