US air force sexual assault prevention unit chief charged wi
USINFO | 2013-05-24 13:02

 
Lt Col Jeffrey Krusinski: a police report says the 41-year-old was drunk and grabbed a woman's breast and buttocks. Photograph: Reuters
 
An officer who led the US air force's sexual assault prevention and response unit has been charged with groping a woman in a northern Virginia parking lot, authorities said on Monday.
 
Arlington county police said Lt Col Jeffrey Krusinski faces a misdemeanour charge of sexual battery following an alleged assault at about 12.30am on Sunday in the Crystal City area of the county.
 
A police report says the 41-year-old Krusinski was drunk and grabbed a woman's breast and buttocks. Police say the woman fought him off and called for help.
 
Air force spokeswoman Natasha Waggoner said Krusinski was removed from his post in the sexual assault unit after the air force learned of his arrest. He had started in the job in February.
 
Pentagon press secretary George Little said the US defence secretary, Chuck Hagel, had spoken with the air force secretary, Michael Donley, and "expressed outrage and disgust over the troubling allegations and emphasised that this matter will be dealt with swiftly and decisively".
 
The spokesman said Hagel had been trying to raise the Pentagon's focus on sexual assault prevention and response, and would soon announce new steps to address "this vile crime".
 
"Sexual assault has no place in the United States military," Little said. "The American people, including our service members, should expect a culture of absolutely no tolerance for this deplorable behaviour that violates not only the law, but basic principles of respect, honour and dignity in our society and its military. Secretary Hagel is firmly committed to upholding the highest standards of behaviour in America's armed forces and will take action to see this through."
 
An air force website says the "Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program reinforces the air force's commitment to eliminate incidents of sexual assault through awareness and prevention training, education, victim advocacy, response, reporting and accountability".
 
The website continues: "Sexual assault is criminal conduct. It falls well short of the standards America expects of its men and women in uniform."
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