The commander of a Guam-based naval helicopter squadron bailed out of San Diego Central Jail on Tuesday following his arrest on suspicion of trying to rape a Navy colleague at her Valencia Park home. The victim told him “no” and he called police.
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“As the victim fought the suspect off, the neighbor came to her house in response to her scream”, the report said.
Neuhart trained with a Coronado-based helicopter anti-submarine squadron in 2002, according to a Navy biography.
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At that point, Neuhart reportedly fled out the back door of the woman’s residence and into a nearby canyon, where responding officers took him into custody following a brief foot chase. The neighbor then asked the victim if she was OK, to which she replied “no”, police said. When she answered no, the neighbor called 911 and said through the window that the police were on the way. Neuhart went to her house with her, followed her inside, “then attempted to sexually assault the victim”, police stated.
“She left and was accompanied by [Neuhart] to her residence”, Phillips said.
In a mid-afternoon press conference Tuesday, Phillips declined to comment on alcohol consumption as related to the incident, or whether Neuhart or the woman suffered injuries.
When officers arrived, the neighbor flagged them down and pointed out the direction the suspect ran.
Neuhart and the victim, both members of the Navy, met at a hotel downtown when the victim, with a group of friends, recognized Neuhart, according to Phillips.
District Attorney representative Tanya Sierra noted that charges listed under an arrest may not be the same charges prosecutors file when Neuhart appears in court for his arraignment.
Navy officials told NBC 7 that Commander William Easthamis was given temporary command of Neuhart’s squadron.
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Neuhart is scheduled to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. on September 19 for an arraignment. He graduated from the United States Naval War College in 2015 with a Masters of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies and completed 36 combat missions in Iraq.
