Three field-grade U.S. Army officers were granted plea deals in separate, unrelated cases involving sex-related offenses in the past two months, Military.com reported on Friday.
One officer allegedly sexually harassed a subordinate, one had sex with a trainee and was accused of attempted assault in a public bathroom and the third hid a camera in a changing room for teenage girls, Military.com reported. All three lieutenant colonels received reprimands that, while possibly career-ending, will keep their personal records clean as they enter the civilian world, according to the outlet.
The reprimands call into question a trend where higher-ranking Army officers have more leverage over the military’s judicial system and can escape punishment for wrongdoing more easily than less influential officers. (RELATED: Army Fires General Picked To Crack Down On Sexual Assault After Old Emails Surface)
An administrative reprimand will feature permanently in a soldier’s official military personnel file and characterize the offender as unfit for continued service in the military. While a reprimand can end someone’s career, they don’t necessarily entail a dishonorable or other-than-honorable characterization of discharge — meaning someone given a reprimand can leave the Army and still qualify for benefits and pay, and a clean criminal record, according to Military.com.
In January, a military judge convicted Lt. Col. Mark Patterson on one charge of assault consummated by a battery, one charge of sexual harassment and one charge of maltreatment after a plea deal, Military.com reported. It was unclear whether he pleaded guilty to any of the charges.
A charge sheet shows that Patterson was accused of making unwanted sexual advances on a female first lieutenant several times between October 2022 and January 2023. He requested she wear a “beer garden babe” outfit, sent her “personal” photos of himself, pressured her to accompany him to hotels and dinners and told her that he got an erection after thinking about her, court documents seen by the outlet stated. He also reportedly made similar advances on a female sergeant also under his command.
Patterson, then commander of the 941st Military Police Battalion, told subordinates he was “unstoppable and that he has beaten numerous investigations into allegations made against him,” the court documents said.
Sexual misconduct has no place in our @USArmy. At today’s National Discussion on Sexual Assault and Harassment @WestPoint_USMA, I challenged leaders and cadets to identify, implement and institutionalize new ways to combat harmful behaviors at our academy and across the Army. pic.twitter.com/bmurVQ2y6y
— Secretary of the Army Christine E. Wormuth (@SecArmy) October 25, 2023
Lt. Col. Jonny Gonzalez faced accusations of having oral sex with a junior enlisted trainee in a public bathroom at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, in August 2021, according to Military.com. He was found guilty on one count of conduct unbecoming an officer in December 2023 and given a reprimand. Gonzalez is in the process of leaving the Army, a service spokesperson told Military.com.
In September 2022, Lt. Col. Jacob Sweatland, formerly head and a senior instructor at California Polytechnic State University’s ROTC program, was arrested for hiding a camera in the dressing room of a popular clothing retailer, Military.com reported.
He was reprimanded on one count of indecent visual recording and one count of conduct unbecoming an officer in January as part of a plea deal, an Army spokesperson told the outlet. It is unclear at this time whether he will have to register as a sex offender.
The Army did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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