Jury finds man not guilty of assaulting woman at US research station in Antarctica

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER
Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — A federal court jury has found a man not guilty of assaulting a woman at a U.S. research station in Antarctica. Stephen Tyler Bieneman was charged with misdemeanor assault over an altercation last November at McMurdo Station. Bieneman denied hurting the woman in testimony Wednesday. He said the woman was upset she wasn’t invited to his birthday party and charged at him when he asked her to return a nametag taken from his coat. The case drew attention after an Associated Press investigation uncovered a pattern of women at McMurdo who said their claims of sexual harassment or assault were minimized by their employers, often leading to them or others being put in further danger.