Mother of Soldier Accused Of Desertion To North Korea, Says The Family Would “Fight Accusations Hard”.
King’s mother and stepfather, Claudine Gates and Dan Jovanovic, told media in an exclusive interview Tuesday that the eight charges against him last week—desertion, possession of child pornography, assaulting fellow soldiers, and disobeying a superior officer—shocked them because they don’t fit the “peaceful person.”
Travis’ actions contradict Army assertions. He differs. Good man, “Gates said.
Defense officials said King, 23, crossed the demilitarized zone from South to North Korea in late July. The DPRK freed King in September. King is in El Paso pre-trial detention.
King’s parents were concerned about his mental health and the Army’s inaction. In a Texas reunion two weeks previously, Gates described King as “very drowsy and tired.”
“I didn’t think they hurt him… He seemed distant, said Jovanovic.
King told his parents he signed documents prohibiting him from mentioning his North Korean incarceration and why he arrived. The Army gave no details.
“He seemed very worried,” Gates said.
The said King hasn’t contacted them since.
The court papers say King hired a Snapchat user to take sexual photos of herself in early July. Gates said she was “blindsided” by King’s child pornography charges on the news. For King, Jovanovic termed the claim “100%-plus out of character”.
“That’s not him, period,” Jovanovic said.
His parents say King lost his phone in South Korea, exposing his social media account.
“If you got all these devices accessible or laying around and everything, God only knows how that manifested itself in there,” Jovanovic said.
Seoul nightclub puncher King was arrested in October 2022. A U.S. official claimed King was jailed for 47 days in South Korea following the incident. After his July release, King was set to return to the U.S. for disciplinary hearings. Leaving the conference, he joined a tour group in the Demilitarized Zone and entered North Korea.
According to his mother and stepfather, King, one of six children raised in Racine, Wisconsin, “deplored alcohol,” especially when he saw family members “overindulging” during parties. A lonesome young man who played video games in his room, read the Bible alone, and had excellent manners was reported.
The Army was admonished for not addressing his alcoholism, which they suspect started in South Korea.
“They should have given him some type of help and got him off that juice,” Jovanovic said. “Something had to be done about it so it [didn’t] escalate to being worse, which I think that’s what happened.”
Last Monday, Army spokeswoman Kimbia Rey told ABC News, “The Army wouldn’t address Private King’s privacy lawsuit. Private King is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.”
Since King fled to North Korea in July, Gates and Jovanovic have been attempting to solve a mystery.
“He must open up to resolve his difficulties and go on. That would also please the military… I doubt they’ll hurt him… Truthfulness is their goal. I expect some accountability, “Jovanovic said.
Gates said, “I’m afraid.” of King’s Texas jail term.
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