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Col. charged with rape found dead in hotel

A Marine officer accused of a raping a college student last month in Indiana was found dead Friday at a hotel in Georgia, according to reports.

Col. Mark W. Samoline, 50, a member of the Individual Ready Reserve, was in uniform when a maid at the Marriott Residence Inn north of Atlanta discovered his body, according to a report in the Bloomington, Ind., Herald Times. Authorities told the newspaper that Samoline committed suicide.

Samoline was charged with raping a 21-year-old female student from Indiana University on Oct. 18. He pleaded not guilty Nov. 2, telling police earlier that the sex was consensual. His accuser denied that claim.

A logistician in the Corps, Samoline worked as an executive with UPS. He was placed on administrative leave after the rape charge surfaced.

Samoline was promoted to colonel in 2005, according to Marine Corps Mobilization Command in Kansas City, Mo. He earned several awards throughout his military career, including a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a second award, Korean Defense Service Medal and Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal.