A recently retired Marine sergeant major who is already facing charges for misdemeanor child molestation was arrested again on April 25 following an alleged drunken altercation.

Retired Sgt. Maj. Jason Deitschman, 49, was arrested last week on suspicion of misdemeanor battery and public intoxication following an argument over the sale of a boat, the San Jose, California-based Mercury News reported.

The alleged victim told authorities that he had met Deitschman, who is an Alameda County deputy currently on paid suspension due to the previous charge, to discuss the sale but was instead struck by the retired Marine.

Deitschman was held temporarily in the Santa Rita jail due to being “too intoxicated to care for himself,” according to the report.

Deitschman, who previously commanded the Golden Gate Young Marines, pleaded not guilty in November to one count of “annoying or molesting a child,” the Mercury News reported. The alleged victim, a 15-year-old girl, was a member of Deitschman’s Young Marines unit, authorities said.

Retired Marine Col. William Davis, the current national executive director and CEO of Young Marines, told Marine Corps Times that Deitschman was “immediately removed from the active roles of the organization” as soon as they found out about the accusations, but “any final decision" on Deitschman’s future with the organization "will be evaluated pending the outcome of any investigation or criminal proceedings by the appropriate authorities.”

“We have zero tolerance for this behavior and insist that the health, safety and welfare of every Young Marine is, always has been and always will be, our number one priority," Davis told Marine Corps Times.

Court documents obtained by the Mercury News said the alleged female victim told a detective about a June 2019 incident when Deitschman allegedly gave her a back massage and unstrapped her bra.

At some point during the massage Deitschman allegedly “moved his hands to her buttocks” and “put his hands underneath her shorts,” the paper reported.

The alleged victim showed the detective “numerous inappropriate text messages” allegedly sent by Deitschman.

“Many of the text messages were sexually inappropriate in nature," the court documents said.

A May 21 pretrial hearing for the previous charges will likely be rescheduled as the nation continues its social distancing practices to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The 30-year Marine retired in 2019 after spending the bulk of his career in the Marine Corps Reserves, Maj. Craig Thomas, a Marine Corps spokesman, told Marine Corps Times.

Deitschman spent six years in command of the Golden Gate Young Marines, a nonprofit organization that works with minors to promote “mental, moral and physical development of its members” and mirrors “the values of the Marine Corps,” according to its website.

In addition to a criminal investigation, the Alameda County Sheriff’s office is reviewing an internal investigation into Deitschman’s actions, the Mercury News reported.

Deitschman’s lawyer, Elliot Silver, told Marine Corps Times in November that he was preparing his client’s defense.

“Deitschman is a decorated military veteran, serving in the U.S. Marine Corps for 30 years," Silver said. “He has been a sworn peace officer for almost 10 years with an exemplary track record.”

Marine Corps Times reporter Philip Athey contributed to this report.

Jon Simkins is a writer and editor for Military Times, and a USMC veteran.

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