Retired Navy SEAL with Swastika Tattoo Detained after Assault Victim Describes Attacker as a Veterinarian
SAVANNAH, GA — Police interrogated and soon after released a local man suspected of sexually assaulting a 31-year-old woman outside a restaurant Saturday evening.
Stephen Hiller, 39, participated in a police lineup on Monday after being brought in for questioning. He did not resemble the four other suspects, each of whom had a modest, professional appearance — “as if they were all some type of doctor,” he recalled. After the victim positively identified the second man in the lineup, Hiller was free to go.
The retired Navy SEAL initially drew attention from law enforcement because of his muscular build, short blonde hair and military-issued footwear. Additionally, a small yet distinct swastika tattoo could be seen on his neck just above the collar of his jacket.
“It was definitely not one of those Hindu symbols for prosperity or life, or whatever it means,” one officer said. In fact, Hiller — perhaps to avoid confusion should such a scenario occur — had a phrase tattooed beneath the swastika that read, “Definitely not one of those Hindu symbols for prosperity or life.”
The only confusion, it seems, stems from the victim’s description of her attacker, which, through a game of telephone in the police department, resulted in the surveillance and subsequent detainment of Hiller, much to his dismay.
“What they said happened to her, I would never do that to a woman, not even if she was asking for it,” Hiller told reporters Monday outside the police station. “I got a little more sense than that.”
