24 MEU Commanding Officer Charged in Wal-Mart Larceny

 By Alicia Cruz

The Black Urban Times

Col. Robert Gerald Petit, the Commanding Officer of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina was arrested over the weekend and charged with one count of larceny, WITN News reported.

The Jacksonville Police Department detained Petit, 50, on Saturday, January 29 around 5:15 p.m. at the Walmart on North Marine Boulevard and he was later charged with larceny.

Petit, of St. Mary’s Drive aboard Camp Lejeune, is accused of stealing two printer cartridges and a bottle of STP gas treatment, the alleged stolen items have a value of $65.68.
The Colonel, a native of New Orleans, La., was released on a written promise to appear in court. His first court appearance is scheduled for February 22.

In December 2003, Petit, 50, led the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines into Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan in support of CJTF-180. The Colonel, who took command of the 24th MEU in September 2010, was in the Washington, D.C., area Monday attending a conference on expeditionary warfare. Petit, who enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps reserve in 1978, has been in the Marine Corps for at least 23-years having been commissioned as an infantry officer in 1985.

According to Captain Robert Shuford, a spokesman for the 24th MEU, Petit met with Lt. General John M. Paxton, commander of II Marine Expeditionary Force, the MEU’s parent command, before departing for the conference.

"We take this seriously," Shuford said, "but nobody is guilty until they are proven guilty."

Before assuming command of the MEU, Petit was assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps and then the Joint Staff, Shuford said.
In a statement, the II MEF said the incident involving Petit was "currently under review," and that the Colonel is cooperating with civilian law enforcement officials.

"The Marine Corps takes these allegations seriously, but innocence is presumed unless found guilty,” The statement read.

Petit's arrest is the second in six months involving a local high-ranking Marine officer.
In October 2010, Colonel Douglas Denn was stopped for speeding on U.S. Highway 70 in Newport, N.C.
Denn was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, and possession of an open container/consumption of alcohol in the passenger area. A breathalyzer administered to the Colonel indicated his blood-alcohol level was .14.

Denn was later charged in a separate incident with driving with his license revoked. He was relieved of his command within days of his arrest and now faces military and civilian charges.