A U.S. Marine accused of raping a 14-year-old Japanese girl at a U.S. military base in the island of Okinawa was sentenced by the martial court to four years in prison on Friday, Reuters reports.

38-year-old Tyrone Hadnott was arrested by Japanese police on suspicion of rape following the incident in February, when he was released after the girl withdrew her complaint. Hadnott was found guilty of abusive sexual conduct, Master Sgt. Chuck Albrecht said, according to the Associated Press. He also said four other charges — rape of a child under 16, making false official statements, adultery and “kidnapping through inveigling,” or trickery — were dropped.

The U.S. Marine will only serve a maximum of three years, as the fourth year of the sentence is suspended under a pretrial agreement.

“This is an example of we in the United States military will continue to hold our members accountable for their actions,” Lt. Gen. Edward A. Rice, the commander of U.S. Forces Japan, told the reporters. “He was found guilty and he will be held accountable for his actions,” he added, quoted by the A.P.

“We’re making a tremendous investment in trying to make sure we do everything we can to prevent even one crime from happening.”

The Hadnott case caused widespread anger in Okinawa, where there are tensions over America’s large military presence. Japan hosts nearly 50,000 U.S. troops under a security treaty. Authorities arrested 46 U.S. military personnel last year in Okinawa on various charges.