Three Army officers have been granted plea deals in separate, unrelated cases involving sex-related crimes over the past two months, Military.com reported Friday.
One officer was accused of sexually harassing a subordinate, one was accused of having a sexual relationship with a trainee and attempted assault in a public restroom, and a third hid a camera in the locker room of teenage girls. , Military.com reported. report. All three lieutenant colonels will face disciplinary action, potentially ending their careers, but will keep their personal records clean when they enter the civilian world, the paper said.
The rebuke calls into question a trend in which high-ranking military officers have more influence over the military justice system and are able to escape punishment for misconduct more easily than officers with less influence. (Related: Military fires general to crack down on sexual assault after old emails leak)
Administrative disciplinary action is Features It is permanently listed in the soldier's official military file and the offender is characterized as unfit for continued service in the military. Discipline can end a person's career, but discharge does not necessarily carry dishonorable or non-honorable characteristics. This means that those who have been disciplined will still be eligible for benefits and pay even after leaving the military, and will have a clean criminal record. Go to Military.com.
Military.com reported that a military judge in January convicted Lt. Col. Mark Patterson of one count of assault by battery, one count of sexual harassment, and one count of abuse following a plea agreement. It is unclear whether he has pleaded guilty to any of the charges.
According to the indictment, Patterson is accused of making several unwanted sexual advances toward a female lieutenant between October 2022 and January 2023. Patterson pressured her by demanding that she dress as a “beer garden baby” and sending her “private” photos of herself. Court documents seen by the outlet say he accompanied her to hotels and dinners, and filmed her. It is stated that he told her that he got an erection thinking about . He also reportedly made a similar advances toward a female sergeant who was also under his command.
According to court documents, Patterson, then commander of Military Police Battalion 941, told his subordinates that he was “unstoppable and has defeated numerous investigations into the allegations against him.”
Sexual misconduct is not our place @USARMY.In today's national debate on sexual assault and harassment. @WestPoint_USMAI appealed to leaders and cadets to identify, implement, and institutionalize new ways to combat harmful behavior at the academy and across the Army. pic.twitter.com/bmurVQ2y6y
— Secretary of the Army Christine E. Worms (@SecArmy) October 25, 2023
Lt. Col. Johnny Gonzalez was accused of having oral sex with a junior enlisted trainee in a public restroom at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, in August 2021, according to Military.com. He was found guilty in December 2023 of one count of misconduct by a police officer and was disciplined. A military spokesperson told Military.com that Gonzalez is in the process of being discharged from the Army.
Military.com reports that in September 2022, Lt. Col. Jacob Swetland, former principal and senior instructor in Caltech's ROTC program, was arrested for allegedly hiding a camera in the locker room of a popular clothing retailer. It was done.
As part of his plea agreement, he was reprimanded in January for one count of obscene video recording and one count of conduct unbecoming an officer, an army spokesperson told the outlet. At this time, it is unclear whether he will be required to register as a sex offender.
The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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