Sailors At Navy Motel Charged With Rape

Three sailors stationed at a submarine base are accused of plying a 16-year-old girl with liquor and sexually assaulting her on Thanksgiving night at a motel run by the Navy.

Lionel A. Benjamin, 19, and Raymond Johnson, 17, were arrested Monday on charges they raped the girl after a night of dancing and drinking. A third sailor, Luis C. Jones, 20, was charged with a lesser count of sexual assault and attempted sexual assault.

A fourth sailor, Greg Watkins, told police he was in the room but did not take part in the attack. He backed up most of the girl’s story, according to court papers. Watkins has not been charged.

The girl, a 10th-grade student, told police she met the sailors at the restaurant where she works as a waitress.