Man accused of Antarctic assault was then sent to remote icefield with young graduate students

By NICK PERRY and JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER
Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — A man who was accused of physically assaulting a woman in Antarctica was then assigned to look after the safety of a professor and three young graduate students on a remote icefield, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. The man remained assigned to the camp for a full week after charges were filed against him. Stephen Tyler Bieneman has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor assault over the incident last November, which his lawyer said was nothing more than “horseplay.” The trial for the case is underway in Honolulu. It raises further questions about decision-making in the U.S. Antarctic Program, which is already under scrutiny.