Man Accused of Assault Sent to Remote Icefield to Protect Professor and Graduate Students Despite Warrant for Arrest

A man accused of physically assaulting a woman at a U.S. research station in Antarctica was then sent to a remote icefield where he was tasked with protecting the safety of a professor and three young graduate students, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

Stephen Tyler Bieneman has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor assault over the incident last November at McMurdo Station, which his lawyer said was nothing more than “horseplay.” Despite this, Bieneman was sent to the remote icefield for a full week after a warrant for his arrest was issued.

The National Science Foundation, the agency responsible for the research station, declined to answer questions from the AP about why Bieneman was sent out into the field in a critical safety role while under investigation.

The indictment filed in early January this year by a grand jury in Hawaii charged Bieneman with assault by striking, beating and wounding. The case raises further questions about decision-making by the National Science Foundation and the safety of those in the field.

The National Science Foundation has yet to comment on the incident or the decision to send Bieneman to the remote icefield. It is unclear if any disciplinary action has been taken against those responsible for the decision.