‘UNCOMFORTABLE’

Man Accused of Antarctic Assault Sent to Icefield With Young Students: Report

He was reportedly made responsible for the group’s safety two weeks after the alleged assault.

A man accused of physically assaulting a woman at an American research station in Antarctica was given responsibility for a group of young graduate students and their professor in a remote icefield two weeks after the alleged incident, according to a report. Stephen Tyler Bieneman has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor assault during the incident last November at McMurdo Station. Two weeks later, Bieneman flew to the Allan Hills icefield with the students and their professor, according to the Associated Press. University of Washington professor Howard Conway wrote in a complaint to the National Science Foundation on behalf of the group that it was “uncomfortable and stressful to be around [Bieneman] because it was not possible to feel physically or emotionally safe,” and that they were “astounded” that he was assigned to them after the investigation into the alleged assault was underway. Conway also expressed shock that Bieneman “remained in the field with us for a full week after he had been charged with assault.”