The U.S. Air Force has charged a two-star general with sexual assault charge in what might be the first court-martial of a high-ranking Air Force officer in its 73-year history.
The Air Force says it has indicted Maj. Gen. William Cooley, who previously oversaw the service's research facility at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio for almost two and a half years.
Cooley was removed from his post Jan. 15 by Air Force Materiel Command leader Gen. Arnold Bunch.
Cooley was charged with one count of sexual assault for an incident in August 2018 in which he allegedly kissed and touched a woman. The victim is a civilian and not an employee of the U.S. Department of Defense, the Air Force said.
Preliminary court proceedings will take place Jan. 27 during which a senior military judge will evaluate the charge, reports said.
Based on a charge document obtained by the Air Force Times, Cooley is accused of kissing the woman on the mouth with his lips and tongue without her consent, "with an intent to gratify his sexual desire."
Cooley is also accused of sexual contact that caused the woman to touch his genitalia through his clothing with her hand, and touching her breast and genitalia without her consent.
Cooley's legal counsel said the Air Force didn't not have sufficient proof and voicemails from witnesses weakened the accusations.
But the woman's lawyer said she "knows what happened, what the evidence will show, and what the accused did."
Bunch in January said the Air Force took any accusations of misdeed seriously. "I expect our leadership to uphold the highest standards and live up to the Air Force's core values."
An investigation by USA Today in 2017 showed that since 2013 investigators had documented at least 500 cases of serious misconduct among top military officers and even senior civilians.
